[digimattic]

Apologies if this is derivative content.

I purchased a FabSpeed Sport Cat over the winter and last weekend finally found the time (and weather) to get under the car to install it.

I should say at the outset that this is my first ever car modification. So, if you are now in the position I was in and were concerned about your ability, I'd say go for it! It took me roughly four hours over the afternoon. But I wanted to take my time and not hurt myself, or the car.

I ended up doing the install in my garage with the front wheels up on 4 2x10 planks. I was not feeling confident about having the car up on the jackstands which I own, resting on those plastic cups. This worked fine and raised the car up about 6", which I think was about right. Any higher and it would be a bit of a challenge to get at the upper v-band clamp.

Special tools aren't really needed, E-Torx being the most exotic. I would make sure to have a set of deep drive sockets too. Otherwise just standard stuff.

One thing that the guides I had read in preparation did not tell me was regarding the belly pan/stiffening plate. There are 8 large bolts attaching the plate to the chassis and these are, apparently, single use. I reused mine this time around, but will replace them if I need to get underneath the car again for whatever reason.

I bought a new upper gasket for the downpipe connection to the turbo. However, I think I could have done without. The existing one looked to be in perfect condition. But since I was in there, I swapped it out as cheap insurance.

The hardest part of the install was 100% the lower clamp, which I had not heard people complaining about. It took a significant amount of effort to get it to loosen up, even once the nut was loosened. The threads appeared to be catching on the body of the clamp itself, if that makes sense. The top clamp came off relatively easily, thankfully. I could see how the tight quarters would make this a real struggle if the clamp itself was not cooperating. While my socket fit okay in on the removal, the torque wrench I had was a bit of a struggle and it was hard to get enough swing in order to advance the ratchet, especially with the swivel I had to use in lieu of a short-ish extension.

Another thing I did not know is that the lower connection, from the downpipe to the exhaust has a copper gasket between it. I would have bought a new one, but ended up reusing what was there. It got a little mangled when removing it - it has lots of little copper fingers which fold over the downpipe lip, but I think i managed to massage everything back in place. Reinstalling the new downpipe I found that the easiest way was to have the v-band clamp over the "bulge" of the exhaust section which mates up with the flange of the downpipe and then push it over so that it slides down over all those little fingers. installing the downpipe was in general MUCH easier than removing the old one. MUCH easier.

In all, I'd agree with the assessment that this is not really a difficult install. Just a bit of a pain in the ass. But unless you're in a real rush, it's not a problem and you'll get it done. I had my brother-in-law helping. A second person, while not totally necessary, is definitely an asset.

Having had the downpipe on for a week, I can say that I am quite pleased. I've only put about 100km on it, but there's no sign of a CEL. In terms of performance...I dunno? FabSpeed claims it adds 21HP - a little over a 5% boost. I can't say that I can feel it, but the car does not feel slower for sure. Sound is great - and was the big reason for me doing it. In comfort the car is still quite civilized. A bit noiser on the highway, but not by much. There's a bit of buzziness around 3500rpm, but fortunately, I am rarely at that point for very long. My 1.5 year old daughter had no problem sleeping in the back seat. In Sport+, it sounds absolutely amazing. The fuel overrun is too much fun and has me smiling like a kid and driving without any radio, windows down to hear it as much as possible. I will say that the cold-starts are a bit much for me. I think I saw something about that in BimmerCode. I may look into it. The 200 cell cat means no fuel smell, which I appreciate.

All in all, I'm a happy guy! I'll wait for a season to decide if I want to go any further.

[Drop the hammer]

May as well do the bm3 now. I started with Fabspeed sport cat and then went bm3 afterwards. I was very impressed and happy with the sport cat alone, then when I went bm3 I was equally happy and impressed with it and it’s adjustability.

[heavyD^2]

Has someone put together a list of required gaskets and bolts required for this job?

[Anthony1s]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

Has someone put together a list of required gaskets and bolts required for this job?

I don't know what's required, but I have a list:

Clamp (dp to midpipe) - 18307620349 ($32.00)
Clamp (turbo to dp) - 18307606136 ($34.00)
Gasket (turbo to dp) - 18307581970 ($22.00)
Bolt - 07119904992 ($0.61)
Nut - 18307525607 ($1.40)
Stiffening Plate (Need 8 Bolts) - 33326768354 ($3.31/each)

Cheap enough to replace everything.

[CantComplain]

Originally Posted by digimattic

There's a bit of buzziness around 3500rpm, but fortunately, I am rarely at that point for very long.

Congrats on taking the plunge on the CDP. I love mine, the sound as well as the power. I have to say I felt a bump in the output. 21HP? Who knows?

Curious about the "buzziness" you hear. I have that as well, at roughly the same RPM. I DIY'd mine as well, though I struggled a LOT with the top clamp and attributed the buzz to maybe not getting it buttoned up perfectly. I tried to get it to hook up for maybe half an hour and remember feeling like I screwed the gasket to a certain extent. And then I questioned if I could've torqued it down a bit more. Any chance either of those issues could have affected you? Once I'm out of the ~200RPM buzz range it cleans up and is as sweet as molasses. Upshifting and I go through it again.

Oh and a big +1 on BM3. You now have the minimum entry point for stage 2 and it is amazeballs. I got it to disable the cold start as well as the tune as the start is really pretty obnoxious. I did not know that bimmercode could do it as well, and maybe it couldn't a couple years ago when I did it. I do not have an intercooler upgrade and have not seen a spike in temperature or any perceptible misfires as a result but I haven't tracked it with Stage 2 and don't run it harder than the occasional glory run and spirited driving.

[Poochie]

I believe the "ringing" noise with sport cats is just the nature of the beast, due to it having a smaller catalyst.

A few people commented on a similar "ringing" sound with sport cats:

Metallic ringing on startup with sportcat https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1435756

[mike@x-ph.com]

Awesome!

[digimattic]

Originally Posted by Drop the hammer

May as well do the bm3 now. I started with Fabspeed sport cat and then went bm3 afterwards. I was very impressed and happy with the sport cat alone, then when I went bm3 I was equally happy and impressed with it and it’s adjustability.

I'm trying to pace myself. I don't want my "project" to be over so soon! I drove it stock for a season, will drive it with the downpipe for a season, and will consider getting a tune for next season.

Originally Posted by Anthony1s

I don't know what's required, but I have a list:

Clamp (dp to midpipe) - 18307620349 ($32.00)
Clamp (turbo to dp) - 18307606136 ($34.00)
Gasket (turbo to dp) - 18307581970 ($22.00)
Bolt - 07119904992 ($0.61)
Nut - 18307525607 ($1.40)
Stiffening Plate (Need 8 Bolts) - 33326768354 ($3.31/each)

Cheap enough to replace everything.

Yeah, agreed. I would have definitely bought the bolts had I known about them, and having now seen the clamps and how they work, I'd prefer to have replaced them. They do appear designed to be single use, so I'll see how they hold up.

Originally Posted by CantComplain

Congrats on taking the plunge on the CDP. I love mine, the sound as well as the power. I have to say I felt a bump in the output. 21HP? Who knows?

Curious about the "buzziness" you hear. I have that as well, at roughly the same RPM. I DIY'd mine as well, though I struggled a LOT with the top clamp and attributed the buzz to maybe not getting it buttoned up perfectly. I tried to get it to hook up for maybe half an hour and remember feeling like I screwed the gasket to a certain extent. And then I questioned if I could've torqued it down a bit more. Any chance either of those issues could have affected you? Once I'm out of the ~200RPM buzz range it cleans up and is as sweet as molasses. Upshifting and I go through it again.

Oh and a big +1 on BM3. You now have the minimum entry point for stage 2 and it is amazeballs. I got it to disable the cold start as well as the tune as the start is really pretty obnoxious. I did not know that bimmercode could do it as well, and maybe it couldn't a couple years ago when I did it. I do not have an intercooler upgrade and have not seen a spike in temperature or any perceptible misfires as a result but I haven't tracked it with Stage 2 and don't run it harder than the occasional glory run and spirited driving.

I'm sure you can feel it! It's just so rare for me to be able to go hard on the car that my frame of reference isn't great and a 5% bump on a car that I hadn't driven hard for over a week would be hard to feel from memory alone. To me, it feels like the car is having a good day. Putting aside the sound, I'm not sure I'd be able to tell it was installed just from power alone.

As for the buzziness, I think this is just the nature of the beast, as Poochie says below. However It doesn't really sound like described in the thread linked by Poochie, below. It's more similar to drone - just feels like the car is kind of resonating a bit at a certain RPM range while driving. I don't believe there were any issues with the install. I actually had a really lucky and easy time of installing the top clamp. So I don't think that's an issue for me.

Originally Posted by Poochie

I believe the "ringing" noise with sport cats is just the nature of the beast, due to it having a smaller catalyst.

A few people commented on a similar "ringing" sound with sport cats:

Metallic ringing on startup with sportcat https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1435756

Mine isn't at start up, but while driving and under load.

Thanks for the replies everyone!

[CantComplain]

Originally Posted by digimattic

As for the buzziness, I think this is just the nature of the beast, as Poochie says below. However It doesn't really sound like described in the thread linked by Poochie, below. It's more similar to drone - just feels like the car is kind of resonating a bit at a certain RPM range while driving.

Sorry, not trying to keep this conversation on life support or threadjack. but my issue (if you can call it that) I think is similar to yours and not at all like the other thread for metallic ringing. mines a very noticeable vibration/rattle from about 3200-3400 RPM. Seems like it's coming from below the glove box and started after the install. I'll see if it shows up on video and start a new thread if so or just reach out to Fabspeed. but I'd love to know if yours is like this or if anyone else has something similar. I would think it could be a loose "honeycomb" element in the dp or maybe more likely an installation issue.

[digimattic]

Originally Posted by CantComplain

Sorry, not trying to keep this conversation on life support or threadjack. but my issue (if you can call it that) I think is similar to yours and not at all like the other thread for metallic ringing. mines a very noticeable vibration/rattle from about 3200-3400 RPM. Seems like it's coming from below the glove box and started after the install. I'll see if it shows up on video and start a new thread if so or just reach out to Fabspeed. but I'd love to know if yours is like this or if anyone else has something similar. I would think it could be a loose "honeycomb" element in the dp or maybe more likely an installation issue.

Hey man, I don't mind. However, I don't think we've got the same issue. For me it's more like the whole car is resonating which is why I would compare it more to drone. In my case, it doesn't happen at all in comfort - only in traction or Sport+ which leads me to believe that it's just some sonic resonance occurring from the louder exhaust. I definitely don't think anything is wrong.

Having said that, the "metallic ringing" on cold start issue appears to be happening now which is all the more incentive to get the cold-start taken out. It's really obnoxious. Unfortunately, I was mistaken in thinking that I could code it out with bimmercode, so I guess I'll just need to get a tune!!

[Dabozo]

Finally got around to installing my fabspeed dp today after staring at it on my bench for the last several months.
Used same method as OP with the homemade 2x10 planks lol. Works like a charm.
Like has been said before many a time, the install can be a mother. Hesitated a few times before knocking off the turbo side clamp (point of no return) because of the severe doubt I was having looking up at that tiny space where the turbo meets lol.
But I persevered and it wasn't too bad. Longest step was of course getting that dam clamp on the turbo side. Bottom is easy so long as you prep the brass gasket beforehand.
I also had to do the job without dropping the exhaust hangar. No E10 socket and local shops didn't have one! Sensors I removed from engine side not from cat.

Reused all fasteners, gaskets, clamps.
No leaks that I can detect.
Def get that drone around 3-3.5k that has been discussed.
Slight rattlely noise but pretty sure that's normal.
Let's see how she holds up!

[M Fifty]

OP. Noting that the plate you mention reusing the bolts for is described as a "Structural reinforcement panel", and the bolts get turned an extra 90 degrees after the initial jointing torque (which is why you shouldn't reuse them), can I encourage you to fit new bolts and tighten them properly as soon as...

[Nezil]

Originally Posted by M Fifty

OP. Noting that the plate you mention reusing the bolts for is described as a "Structural reinforcement panel", and the bolts get turned an extra 90 degrees after the initial jointing torque (which is why you shouldn't reuse them), can I encourage you to fit new bolts and tighten them properly as soon as...

I've encouraged this before in other DP install threads, and only been met with criticism and folks claiming they've re-used the bolts 100x and never had a problem.

Having done the stiffening plate a few times now, I know what new bolts feel like and what re-used bolts feel like. Re-using them once feels pretty similar, though I'd prefer not to do so unless you have no choice. Re-using them more than that and you can feel that a) they're not stretching; trying to do the 90 degree turn after torquing is really difficult, and b) they're already stretched from previous usage; they don't wind in smoothly because the threads are already no longer the correct pitch.

If you re-use the bolts a lot, you won't just be unable to torque them correctly, you'll actually risk damaging the sub-frame threads!

[digimattic]

Originally Posted by Nezil

I've encouraged this before in other DP install threads, and only been met with criticism and folks claiming they've re-used the bolts 100x and never had a problem.

Having done the stiffening plate a few times now, I know what new bolts feel like and what re-used bolts feel like. Re-using them once feels pretty similar, though I'd prefer not to do so unless you have no choice. Re-using them more than that and you can feel that a) they're not stretching; trying to do the 90 degree turn after torquing is really difficult, and b) they're already stretched from previous usage; they don't wind in smoothly because the threads are already no longer the correct pitch.

If you re-use the bolts a lot, you won't just be unable to torque them correctly, you'll actually risk damaging the sub-frame threads!

Originally Posted by M Fifty

OP. Noting that the plate you mention reusing the bolts for is described as a "Structural reinforcement panel", and the bolts get turned an extra 90 degrees after the initial jointing torque (which is why you shouldn't reuse them), can I encourage you to fit new bolts and tighten them properly as soon as...

I appreciate the concern and the advice. I don't plan on using the reusing the bolts a second time. However, I also don't plan on getting under the car to replace them with fresh bolts. What's done is done at this point.

I don't see this as having a potential catastrophic failure mode. I note the F22 does not utilize an alu belly pan. I infer from that the stiffening which the F87 has is for performance, not safety. I also seriously doubt that all 8 would fail simultaneously.

[Nezil]

Originally Posted by digimattic

I appreciate the concern and the advice. I don't plan on using the reusing the bolts a second time. However, I also don't plan on getting under the car to replace them with fresh bolts. What's done is done at this point.

I don't see this as having a potential catastrophic failure mode. I note the F22 does not utilize an alu belly pan. I infer from that the stiffening which the F87 has is for performance, not safety. I also seriously doubt that all 8 would fail simultaneously.

Obviously it's your choice... I, personally, would also not change them if you've only re-used once. I'd just order up another set of bolts before taking it off next time. I agree with you that they're unlikely to fail all at once etc.

The M2 has a different sub-frame than the F22, so it may not be a direct comparison on if it's needed for safety or not. There is a warning in ISTA+ that says something along the lines of it being dangerous to drive without the plate in place.

[digimattic]

Originally Posted by Nezil

Obviously it's your choice... I, personally, would also not change them if you've only re-used once. I'd just order up another set of bolts before taking it off next time. I agree with you that they're unlikely to fail all at once etc.

The M2 has a different sub-frame than the F22, so it may not be a direct comparison on if it's needed for safety or not. There is a warning in ISTA+ that says something along the lines of it being dangerous to drive without the plate in place.

I definitely wouldn't drive without the pan in place. I fully accept that it's a structural component. I imagine you'd get similar warnings about removing any other structural component that comes from factory. A shock-tower brace, for example. I think my biggest risk is that a bolt head snaps when trying to remove it later, which would be a PITA, but not the end of the world in terms of getting it resolved.

I guess the long and the short of it is that I think you're right that ideally they should be be replaced. However, I am not worried about the potential consequences of having reused them once. Famous last words? We'll see!

[Dabozo]

I reused mine. But wouldn't a third time.

That being said, if they are put back with no resistance (feel), is it inaccurate to assume that they are not "stretched'...and therefore in good shape?

[digimattic]

Originally Posted by Dabozo

I reused mine. But wouldn't a third time.

That being said, if they are put back with no resistance (feel), is it inaccurate to assume that they are not "stretched'...and therefore in good shape?

They are definitely stretched - that's what they're designed to do when torqued properly. This will inherently damage them to some extent or another, but I'm not competent to comment on what that extent is.