[photorph]

So after 3 days worth of driving with resonated AA EL + Remus Race, here's my summary:
1) install has to be perfect, had two issues (loud rattling and stuck valve) which were install related. After a second adjustment these two issues were resolved.
2) Cold start - Louder than stock for sure, and I love it. The volume is perfect and exactly what I was looking for. I did not notice any raspiness or tin can like sounds. This is the case with efficient and sport and sport+. I mainly notice a change in tone with efficient vs sport modes, not really the volume.
3) Once warmed up - volume drops dramatically, almost goes back to stock levels at idle
4) While driving with windows down - Slightly louder than stock, have to talk just a bit louder specially when on phone it's slightly harder to hear. But overall not that much louder than stock
5) Tone overall sounds better
6) There is drone at highway driving, but tolerable. Not an issue for me at all
7) there's slight vibration as I posted before when accelerating through the 3k rpm (2800-3200 I'd say). Video posted earlier. Minor annoyance but it's fine.
8) The exhaust looks better than stock, no more hanging exhaust in the back
9) A lot more burbles vs stock. Also the vrooom BRRAPP that happens, the brraap part is a lot louder with this exhaust.

I'll be doing a separate thread with a full review and better sound clips soon.

[pawelczyk7]

And Exhaust Story ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,deleted the burbles via bimmerlink and now can really hear the exhaust for what it is and enjoy the sound. i found myself prior to disabling that i wouldn't rev it out as much as i really wanted Because the the cracks / pops etc. became a bit too obnoxious etc. Now i find myself holding the gears longer and reving it out and enjoying the sound and the overrun etc. just came back from some spirited driving (messing around a bit with a telsa) and talking at the light he commented " that car sounds sick". Think i finally found the perfect sound for the Car.. 1st was keeping the valves open by pulling the actuator etc. on the stock exhaust at the muffler .. 2nd as installing the MPE ( which was nice jump from stock ) 3rd as adding the AA single with MPE ( which was properly loud and sounded really mean and good 4th was adding the EL to the MPE and getting rid of the of the burbles is finally IMO as good as you can get this car to sound.. As i stated on a previous post someone said when hearing the car down the road they looked up and wasn't sure what it was as the car sounded GT3 ish. winding out the gears . so think i am finally done messing with the exhaust

[Nicname]

Originally Posted by pawelczyk7

And Exhaust Story ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,deleted the burbles via bimmerlink and now can really hear the exhaust for what it is and enjoy the sound. i found myself prior to disabling that i wouldn't rev it out as much as i really wanted Because the the cracks / pops etc. became a bit too obnoxious etc. Now i find myself holding the gears longer and reving it out and enjoying the sound and the overrun etc. just came back from some spirited driving (messing around a bit with a telsa) and talking at the light he commented " that car sounds sick". Think i finally found the perfect sound for the Car.. 1st was keeping the valves open by pulling the actuator etc. on the stock exhaust at the muffler .. 2nd as installing the MPE ( which was nice jump from stock ) 3rd as adding the AA single with MPE ( which was properly loud and sounded really mean and good 4th was adding the EL to the MPE and getting rid of the of the burbles is finally IMO as good as you can get this car to sound.. As i stated on a previous post someone said when hearing the car down the road they looked up and wasn't sure what it was as the car sounded GT3 ish. winding out the gears . so think i am finally done messing with the exhaust

Glad you finalized your journey. So you prefer option 4 over option 3?

[pawelczyk7]

Originally Posted by Nicname

Glad you finalized your journey. So you prefer option 4 over option 3?

For me .... Yes i do prefer the EL sound as has a higher pitched tone but sound is subjective etc. ...*hence getting rid of the burbles which i know a lot of folks enjoy .. I do think the Single is a bit louder and there is more sound at lower RPM so this may appeal to some. hope this helps ......

[No_curebimmer]

Right on! Non-res EL + MPE seems like a SOLID choice!! Really glad you like it!

Look, in all honesty, some of us have raised concerns about raspiness and really bad cold starts, lest not forget the monumental engineering feat ONLYACTIVE accomplished here: a significantly better sounding exhaust than BMW itself! I doubt anyone can challenge that…

Is it absolutely perfect? No, but dang it, it's 98% better than OEM, with the exception of the ~1.5k RPM and occasional startups. Perhaps I am getting used to it, but I am not bothered by it as much as I was right after installation.

I will still get an aftermarket axle back nevertheless, and that will fix other concerns besides further improving the overall exhaust note (did someone say…ball sack?).

[pawelczyk7]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Right on! Non-res EL + MPE seems like a SOLID choice!! Really glad you like it!

Look, in all honesty, some of us have raised concerns about raspiness and really bad cold starts, lest not forget the monumental engineering feat ONLYACTIVE accomplished here: a significantly better sounding exhaust than BMW itself! I doubt anyone can challenge that…

Is it absolutely perfect? No, but dang it, it's 98% better than OEM, with the exception of the ~1.5k RPM and occasional startups. Perhaps I am getting used to it, but I am not bothered by it as much as I was right after installation.

I will still get an aftermarket axle back nevertheless, and that will fix other concerns besides further improving the overall exhaust note (did someone say…ball sack?).

You nailed it !! i heard a ton of s55 with modified exhausts over the years and most just plain sucked. from Vids on Youtube to in person and i couldn't believe people thought this crap sounded good. i would actually be embarrassed to hear one of these cars drive by and give the obligatory thumbs up to a fellow Bmw enthusiast as it rasped and farted down the road. Then AA single mid and now the EL options and the cars sound as good as they look and drive. Like curebimmer said, NOT perfect but holy crap soo much better..

[Supadice]

Today I listened to Iwayne's system. He is Remus Race unresonated. Warmish start up he drove for about 10 mins before seeing me. There was no Vibration sounds from startup to revs in all modes. The system is loud but sounds amazing. My suggestion to everyone interested is try hearing it in person. It sounds very different in person. But overall I loved it and I'm going to purchase a Remus race but resonated mid to try to limit the vibration and tininess that happens occasional

[No_curebimmer]

Gang: seems the raspiness issue is primarily related to straight pipes/un resonated EL + OEM axleback.

Since mine is un-resonated EL + everything else stock, I volunteered to be a beta tester for our community, I ordered a resonator kit from AA. These will go between the midpipe and the OEM muffler: should be 4 clamps to undo…

I recently received them, but haven't had a chance to put up the car on my QuickJack and install them; I am hoping this week I'll be able to do so. Most certainly, I will update this thread with my findings and obligatory vids…

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Supadice

Today I listened to Iwayne's system. He is Remus Race unresonated. Warmish start up he drove for about 10 mins before seeing me. There was no Vibration sounds from startup to revs in all modes. The system is loud but sounds amazing. My suggestion to everyone interested is try hearing it in person. It sounds very different in person. But overall I loved it and I'm going to purchase a Remus race but resonated mid to try to limit the vibration and tininess that happens occasional

This is a great advice, I guess it would be best to find a few local M2C owners who modded their exhausts, just that I ain't that involved-with my local BMW CCA chapter…

Anyone in DFW with these kinds mods willing to meetup so I can hear your setup? I am open to meetup with others who are on the fence about an EL mid-pipe itself …other than that, I don't have any other mods.

[No_curebimmer]

Nothing like visuals eh???

Here are a couple of pictures of one of the resonators, looks like it's for the driver's bank. The other one is longer and had a larger bend in the pipe

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Supadice

Today I listened to Iwayne's system. He is Remus Race unresonated. Warmish start up he drove for about 10 mins before seeing me. There was no Vibration sounds from startup to revs in all modes. The system is loud but sounds amazing. My suggestion to everyone interested is try hearing it in person. It sounds very different in person. But overall I loved it and I'm going to purchase a Remus race but resonated mid to try to limit the vibration and tininess that happens occasional

Not to dissuade anyone from purchasing a Remus axleback in anyway, as I am myself considering the Race/Sport mufflers (along with AA's own valved exhaust). Before going that route, I suggest you might want to check with Mike@x-ph.com regarding Remus availability and lead-times. There is another thread on here that discloses some distribution issues, warranty claims as a result of Remus Austria HQ switching to a new US distributor.

As always, Mike@x-ph.com is always helpful and trying to do right by us, thus his advice will be golden - but we should realize that, as a vendor, he is always the 'ham-in-the-sandwich' and stuck in the middle trying to keep both sides content. Denon axleback 2020 perpetual delay anyone?

P.S. purely unsolicited and gratuitous comment: while I would love an MPE to match my EL, I just don't think I can swing that cost. So I will see how the AA resonator kit will help alleviate/clean up my exhaust, and then further improve by going either Remus option or AA valved axle back.

[Drew415]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Gang: seems the raspiness issue is primarily related to straight pipes/un resonated EL + OEM axleback.

Since mine is un-resonated EL + everything else stock, I volunteered to be a beta tester for our community, I ordered a resonator kit from AA. These will go between the midpipe and the OEM muffler: should be 4 clamps to undo…

I recently received them, but haven't had a chance to put up the car on my QuickJack and install them; I am hoping this week I'll be able to do so. Most certainly, I will update this thread with my findings and obligatory vids…

looking forward to seeing the sound clip difference. is the raspyness hit or miss with the unresonated EL midpipe to oem rear box?

I've seen some videos/posts where you don't hear any rasp at all.

[Midtown2020]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Gang: seems the raspiness issue is primarily related to straight pipes/un resonated EL + OEM axleback.

Since mine is un-resonated EL + everything else stock, I volunteered to be a beta tester for our community, I ordered a resonator kit from AA. These will go between the midpipe and the OEM muffler: should be 4 clamps to undo…

I recently received them, but haven't had a chance to put up the car on my QuickJack and install them; I am hoping this week I'll be able to do so. Most certainly, I will update this thread with my findings and obligatory vids…

Thanks! I look forward to your feedback!

[Nicname]

I have heard of some shops welding the midpipe to aftermarket exhausts and those users seem to have no rattling issues. I wonder if that's something to consider. Idk the specifics but I think it has to do with AA midpipe's diameter size and that of the exhaust.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Nicname

I have heard of some shops welding the midpipe to aftermarket exhausts and those users seem to have no rattling issues. I wonder if that's something to consider. Idk the specifics but I think it has to do with AA midpipe's diameter size and that of the exhaust.

You know...that actually makes a lot of sense. Clamps, unless tighten by Thor's own hands, could very well vibrate and shake under stress and high exhausts temperatures.

As another supporting data point, taking the poll in this thread, no one with Resonated midpipe and stock backbox reported issues, so it stands to reason that by adding some resonators that are solidly welded to the exhaust piping should/could mitigate the issue.

P.S. went for a fun-cruise over the weekend, and noticed another raspiness, but at a different RPM level (mine was solely at 1,5k). Driving in 3rd gear, around say 60 mph, the RPM hover around 3k (ish). Repeatedly accelerating in this use case sounds amazing, but decelerating makes the rasp appear: every single time!

[photorph]

Can someone give clear examples of these words we are throwing around? I feel like every person is using these interchangeably or has different ideas of what each is.

-Rasp

-Drone

-Tinny sound

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by photorph

Can someone give clear examples of these words we are throwing around? I feel like every person is using these interchangeably or has different ideas of what each is.

-Rasp

-Drone

-Tinny sound

Well, my descriptions:

tinny = raspiness. It sounds like a fart in a metallic can. You cannot unhear it…

Drone = more like a consistent vibration, typically at a lower frequency than the tinny/raspiness noise.

In our context,
- droning generally occurs for while driving and for longer periods of time, especially if you hover around the right frequency. The resulting sound could resonate around the entire cabin, could be like a low buzz…
- fart in a can/raspiness is a short lived, max 1 sec, primarily as you decelerate

[Drew415]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Well, my descriptions:

tinny = raspiness. It sounds like a fart in a metallic can. You cannot unhear it…

Drone = more like a consistent vibration, typically at a lower frequency than the tinny/raspiness noise.

In our context,
- droning generally occurs for while driving and for longer periods of time, especially if you hover around the right frequency. The resulting sound could resonate around the entire cabin, could be like a low buzz…
- fart in a can/raspiness is a short lived, max 1 sec, primarily as you decelerate

any concern that the resonators will take away from that nice sound if there wasn't any raspyness in your current setup?

[Supadice]

When I listened to Iwayne system I heard nothing but great sounds. His is one of the examples that was welded

[photorph]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Well, my descriptions:

tinny = raspiness. It sounds like a fart in a metallic can. You cannot unhear it…

Drone = more like a consistent vibration, typically at a lower frequency than the tinny/raspiness noise.

In our context,
- droning generally occurs for while driving and for longer periods of time, especially if you hover around the right frequency. The resulting sound could resonate around the entire cabin, could be like a low buzz…
- fart in a can/raspiness is a short lived, max 1 sec, primarily as you decelerate

I just posted a full impressions review and lot of videos in this thread, tell me if you notice any of the "raspiness" that you are talking about.

https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...6#post27829786

[Finz]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Gang: seems the raspiness issue is primarily related to straight pipes/un resonated EL + OEM axleback.

Since mine is un-resonated EL + everything else stock, I volunteered to be a beta tester for our community, I ordered a resonator kit from AA. These will go between the midpipe and the OEM muffler: should be 4 clamps to undo…

I recently received them, but haven't had a chance to put up the car on my QuickJack and install them; I am hoping this week I'll be able to do so. Most certainly, I will update this thread with my findings and obligatory vids…

No cutting?

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Finz

No cutting?

There shouldn't be any cutting and it looks like a straightforward DIY as long as you can lift the car safely (I have a QuickJack). To my knowledge, the non resonated AA EL comes with joining pieces/elbows that connect the EL itself to the OEM axle back. These are held down by 4 clamps (2 on the EL side, and 2 on the exhaust side).

I know I owe y'all some DIY installation pics and impression vids afterwards, just didn't get around to it...work/life got in the way. Planning on getting these on soon though.