[Nati0n]

Now before people jump on me and say that I should Google it I've spent the last week or so looking at exhaust clips from various 335i N54 setups and I'm still not sure I've found what I want... Mainly in that it's really hard to tell from videos if the sound is just the effect of the cold start or how it will sound under load versus at idle.

I come from the ownership world of a big displacement V8 and I love the way my car sounds, I was originally planning on going with AR Design Catless downpipes on the 335i mated to a custom (straight piped) cat back going to an Akrapovic Slip on Titanium axle back setup. While I love Akrapovic for the look and craftsmanship, not sure I think the sound is worth the money so I'm reconsidering what is on my build list. Definitely going with AR design catless 3" DPs though.

If anyone could steer me in the right direction whether it be Borla, Remus, BMW Performance Exhaust, Vanguard, CP-E, Eisenmann/Eisenhaus, or muffler delete and the like, an exhaust that would fit these general requirements WITH catless dp that would be much appreciated:

• Crackles and pops like an exotic (think F-Type exhaust) not only on cold start
• Has a deeper tone than stock
• Some to minimal drone, as long as it's not ear piercing or annoying
• Not raspy or too whispy and high-pitched
• Loud at WOT and more tame at cruising and around town
• Once again, crackles and pops a lot lol

Any advice is greatly appreciated! You guys rock!

[YA-91]

I went through the same thing man I know how you feel it's tough to decide without hearing it in person.

I have decided to go with the following set up:

Ar catless downpipes with a meisterschaft from the downpipes all the way to the tips.

Mine is on order ATM however I have heard one that a friend has and it sounds beautiful.

Currently I have only catless dps and man amazing sound under wot and also downshifts pops very loud. Love the pop it and you can make it on demand which is the best part regardless of cold or hot.

My full set up is as follows:

Ar catless dps
Vrsf charge pipe
Hks ssqv blow off valve
Bms dual cone intake
Jb4
Exhaust flap has been opened permanently through the jb4

That's it for now next is the meisterschaft.

See if you can find some one with the meisterschaft so you can hear it person. I will find a clip of my friends and pm it to you so you can hear it.

[ken1137]

Great choice with the AR Dps. I vote BMW PE or Dinan, Akra does not sound good on a 6-cyl in my opinion, nor does Eissenman. Meisterschaft is loud as hell but still sounds good on a 6-cyl.

[brewnami]

I think your best bet might be the BMW PE. I have BMS catless downpipes and the Borla Aggressive exhaust and its very deep. Though, my problem with the BMW exhausts are the fact they weigh a ton. The weight difference between my borla and the stock exhaust is insane. My buddy has the PE and it crackles and pops a lot... So does the Borla, but its much deeper and you can feel it almost as much as you can hear it. Borla has some drone, but its dissipating a little bit as I put some miles on the exhaust. Although I wish the Borla was louder at WOT. The HPF sounds great too, but certainly one of the loudest on the market because it doesn't have mufflers. I may get some Borla mid pipes to see if it sharpens the sound a bit and gives it a little more volume at WOT. Good luck, but beware most people's opinions come from videos they've heard on YouTube and they are 99% of the time very inaccurate representations of the actual sound the exhaust makes.

[v1nc86]

I've heard that BMW Performance exhaust with catless downpipes is too loud.

I've a lot of video/sound clip of my BMW PE, with STOCK downpipes. Will give you an idea about sound, crackles and pops...

Cold start:

Warm start:

GoPro sticked to rear bumper: (WOT 0-75 mph at 3:00):

[Nati0n]

Awesome feedback

YA-91 Thanks for the input bro, I would be forever grateful if you made an exhaust video or two once you get the Meisterschaft (did you get yours from GTHaus? and which variation was it?) installed so I can get an idea of exactly what that would sound like. And thanks for the input too Ken, I think I've narrowed it down to the BMW PE or Meisterschaft based on some clips I've heard but I will try to find someone in person with it. Kind of sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for.

@Ken1137 I've heard AR Design is one of the top downpipes out there, so good to get more confirmation on that. At the end of the day, I bet they're all pretty similar when catless but I think they're worth the money still. Agreed on the Eisenmann, sounds too raspy and ricey in my opinion. I don't mind loud as hell at WOT as long as I can still drop a girl off at her house late at night without waking her parents or making them think I'm obnoxious kind of how my current car is.

@brewnami The Borla is an axle-back setup as I understand it right? I definitely think it's among the most aggressive as it's been described to me in tone, which I like that a lot. Let me know how the mid-pipes go as I love some loud exhaust at WOT.

@v1nc86 You're the man, thanks for linking your videos. I love the sound and hope it would stay the same if you went with catless DPs, I actually ran across the third video of yours the other day browsing YouTube.

Thanks all!

[brewnami]

Originally Posted by Nati0n

Awesome feedback

YA-91 Thanks for the input bro, I would be forever grateful if you made an exhaust video or two once you get the Meisterschaft (did you get yours from GTHaus?) installed so I can get an idea of exactly what that would sound like. And thanks for the input too Ken, I think I've narrowed it down to the BMW PE or Meisterschaft based on some clips I've heard but I will try to find someone in person with it. Kind of sounds like it's exactly what I'm looking for.

@Ken1137 I've heard AR Design is one of the top downpipes out there, so good to get more confirmation on that. At the end of the day, I bet they're all pretty similar when catless but I think they're worth the money still. Agreed on the Eisenmann, sounds too raspy and ricey in my opinion. I don't mind loud as hell at WOT as long as I can still drop a girl off at her house late at night without waking her parents or making them think I'm obnoxious kind of how my current car is.

@brewnami The Borla is an axle-back setup as I understand it right? I definitely think it's among the most aggressive as it's been described to me in tone, which I like that a lot. Let me know how the mid-pipes go as I love some loud exhaust at WOT.

@v1nc86 You're the man, thanks for linking your videos. I love the sound and hope it would stay the same if you went with catless DPs, I actually ran across the third video of yours the other day browsing YouTube.

Thanks all!

The Borla connects post secondary cats (stock pipes need to be cut)... I don't know if that is what is considered axel back or not. The secondary cats bolt up to the downpipes so that is that part that gets replaced with the mid pipes.

[Nati0n]

Ah alright makes sense, so I think it would be considered a cat-back exhaust and I assume a bit less restrictive than the stock setup.

Also... when we say "meisterschaft" are we talking about the GTHaus Meisterschaft exhaust or the Eisenhaus Meisterschaft Race Exhaust (which I understand is a knock-off of the Eisenmann)? Or are they the same thing? Never really understood all of the variations/differences.

[Nati0n]

This is probably closest to the sound I'm looking for, granted it's on an N55 F30 but hopefully it will turn out somewhat similar. I'd also like to point out I'm looking at an E92 so it would have to fit that.

[YA-91]

No worries man that's what we are here for. Mine is a gt haus I am buying it from a local retailer in Australia originally imported from gt haus.

I will get the clips and details to you shortly. But trust me sounds freakin amazing in person.

My other reason for gt haus was because my brother has the whole system on his r35 gtr and man that thing sounds ridiculously loud

[mcpcolas]

Nothing sound better than PE in my opinion . I have it I love it especially when going under a bridge

[Nati0n]

Narrowed it down to those two. Don't really like the Vanguards, Remus, Eisenmann etc. But the GTHAUS Meisterschaft and BMW PE sound godly. I love love love the crackling of the F30 in the video I posted above and that's about the tone I'm after. Can't imagine it would be wayyy different on the N54 and I assume he has DPs based on the FBO remark at the end.

Haha I love blasting the throttle when driving beneath overpasses or bridges. Going to miss this V8 sound though.

[YA-91]

Here you go

[v1nc86]

Originally Posted by YA-91

Here you go

not sure if I like how it sounds on a N54...

[Nati0n]

Rad, thanks! I'll listen to the video when I get home I'm at work and don't have my earbuds lol

[awesomee92]

I have the remus and AR 3' downpipes they sound great. Sounds exactly like this.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Performance exhaust or Remus

[BMWRave]

Originally Posted by awesomee92

I have the remus and AR 3' downpipes they sound great. Sounds exactly like this.

Do you have the Remus Race Version or the Sport Version?

[awesomee92]

Originally Posted by BMWRave

Do you have the Remus Race Version or the Sport Version?

Remus Race version.

[Whiteout335i]

I have the hpf gen 2 with ar catless dps. I feel like you described it in your post. Lil drone. Zero rasp. Loud at wot. And you can make it crackle and pop as much as you want playing with the pedal! Also with it being basically like a straight pipe minuses the resonator you can hear the turbo spool really good. I

[Nati0n]

Got a chance to take a listen, I'm not sure the Remus is really what I'm after. It's very deep and sounds great (awesome car btw) but almost a little too V8-esque for me and doesn't sound like it crackles and pops much.

As for the video of the Meisterschaft I really like that tone, the crackle, and loud backfiring pop. I think that's probably at the top of my list, thanks for the video v1nc86. That slight "raspy" sound as the engine spins down was apparent on tape when I did a video of my car's exhaust, but not so much in person. Sounds good on the N54!

Whiteout, I'll have to find some sound files for the HPF Gen 2 with catless DP. Thanks for the tip!

By the way, thanks to all of you! You've been very helpful, I know it's a hard question to answer because taste in exhaust is like taste in women - everyone's different, but it give me a better idea of the various routes I can go. Keep em coming!