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M550 exhaust flaps open = much better sound
As many of you are aware, the M550 has two electrically-actuated exhaust flaps, one in each of the outer exhaust pipes on the rear exhaust. Given I can't see the inside of the rear muffler, I'm not certain what the characteristics of the muffler are for the outside pipes.
I removed the tensioned bow spring (7) between the actuator and the flap, and moved the flaps to the open position, held by zip ties through the slotted head connected to the flap (melting point of nylon is about double max exhaust system temp — just did this as a test).
The sound is much better at idle and normal city driving, and no error conditions are tripped. It's not a big change, but it's definitely an audible and welcome change, and is what I expected something like a M550 to sound like. Something worth considering for "free".
(Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware this is not a "BMW-supported" configuration, and may change the sound (duh), emissions, or other characteristics of the exhaust system.)
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