[F87.andre]

I've had my AA EL mid pipe on for a while now and there was always a weird raspy / rattling noise at 2k rpms. i just had downpipes installed and now the noise is much louder and unbearable, does anyone know what this could be?

[mike@x-ph.com]

Raspy and rattling sounds are entirely different. Which sound do you have?

If it rattles check the install and make sure it's not touching the brace. Verify there's sufficient clearance; while it may seem to clear when the car is off, it can contact once the car is on when the midpipe vibrates.

[jayee88]

Rasp - Check to make sure everything is fitted properly and tightened down. If the exhaust is leaking out of your pipes it will sound raspy.

Rattling - There's a few points where the AA EL midpipes can come very close to hitting the chassis or brace. Also don't forget, the pipes will expand and move when they get hot.

Also note, adding a catless/hi-flow downpipe will create a louder and raspier exhaust in general.

[imperfectluck]

Def check the clamps. Noticed my EL mid on the right side had an exhaust leak from the mi going to their AA catback. Ordered new clamps on both ends as it sounds great when everything is buttoned up but raspy when you have an exhaust leak around one of the clamps (at around that 1900-2k mark as you noted).

[F87.andre]

Originally Posted by mike@x-ph.com

Raspy and rattling sounds are entirely different. Which sound do you have?

If it rattles check the install and make sure it's not touching the brace. Verify there's sufficient clearance; while it may seem to clear when the car is off, it can contact once the car is on when the midpipe vibrates.

i just checked the brace and the whole midpipe, nothing seemed to be touching and everything looked fine, i was thinking it could be the valves rattling possibly? i cant really explain the noise im not sure if maybe thats how the AA midpipe is supposed to sound or what it could be because everything looks fine.

[santua]

Did you change the downpipe gaskets? It could be that, I am having the same problem you are having and I will be going to the shop sometime this week or next week to have those old re-used gaskets replaced with new ones, hopefully, that fixes it, otherwise I will have my exhaust guy weld everything together and maybe buy the resonators from AA and weld those in as well.

[F87.andre]

Originally Posted by santua

Did you change the downpipe gaskets? It could be that, I am having the same problem you are having and I will be going to the shop sometime this week or next week to have those old re-used gaskets replaced with new ones, hopefully, that fixes it, otherwise I will have my exhaust guy weld everything together and maybe buy the resonators from AA and weld those in as well.

yes i did change the gaskets

[ESB]

Do you have the resonated or non-resonated midpipe?

When the EL was brand brand brand new one of the first buyers got a non-res and paired it with non-stock downpipes and he posted videos showing terrible noise. It was so bad that AA began recommending that people with non-stock DPs get the resonated versions. This was back in 2021 or so. Not sure if they changed the design since.

Edit: yeah this note is still on their website

WE ARE RECOMMENDING TO OWNERS OF CARS WITH AFTER-MARKET DOWNPIPES TO USE THE RESONATED VERSION BUT WE HAVE ONLY TESTED WITH THE STOCK REAR EXHAUST AND ACTIVE VALVED EXHAUST. ON THE M2C WITH STOCK EXHAUST, THERE MAY BE SOME RASP.
WITH STOCK DOWNPIPES, THERE IS MINIMAL RASP so you may also want to opt for the RESONATED VERSION. HOWEVER IF YOU HAVE THE MPE OR CS EXHAUST, YOU SHOULD CONSIDER USING THE RESONATED VERSION.
WE DO NOT GUARANTEE RESULTS WITH OTHER MAKES OF REAR EXHAUSTS.

[ESB]

Also, if memory serves right (again, pushing 2 years since..!) No_curebimmer was initially unsatisfied with his EL setup because of a rasp at 2k. He was able to fix it by replacing the stock muffler. I forget if he has a resonated or non resonated midpipe. I just remember sort of recognizing the sound that bothered him, but it not bothering me enough to worry about it.

Personally im still running non-res EL with stock everything else and very much enjoy it and would recommend it. It’ll be 3 years in March.

[W///]

EL midpipes with downpipes is a potentially not great combo. I've yet to hear a good sounding one, the S55 is so sensitive to that.

The thing is, everyone keeps saying the S55 sounds horrible, but I'm personally super happy with the way my GTS sounds. I've heard videos of the exact same setup but with resonated downpipes and it seems automatically worse. Of course, it's also down to personal taste.

[M3R1]

Originally Posted by W///

EL midpipes with downpipes is a potentially not great combo. I've yet to hear a good sounding one, the S55 is so sensitive to that.

The thing is, everyone keeps saying the S55 sounds horrible, but I'm personally super happy with the way my GTS sounds. I've heard videos of the exact same setup but with resonated downpipes and it seems automatically worse. Of course, it's also down to personal taste.

The trick to keeping the sound clean is to get the resonated version and also get the catted DP's. The catted DP set up is not as clean as with the stock DP's, but still a very nice sound.

As for the OP's issue, I would agree that the clearances are close. Make sure that it is not contacting anything.

Some sound for you with stock DP's and res EL mids.

[santua]

So, I had a bit of a rattle like the one you describe. I lifted the car, and got under and I could see that right after the downpipes, towards the beguiling of the EL mid-pipe, the driver-side pipe made contact with a hanger that the underside felt tray cover attaches to if that makes any sense. It's fairly thin metal so I just bent it slightly out of the way and now I do not have any rattles.

[santua]

I am going to an exhaust shop this Saturday to get some new tips and replace the dp gaskets so I will try to get a picture then.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by santua

I am going to an exhaust shop this Saturday to get some new tips and replace the dp gaskets so I will try to get a picture then.