[Atorak]

I also received my non resonated AA equal length mid pipe from Mike @ x-ph about two weeks ago (great company to deal with btw!), had it installed last week, so I've driven the car a dozen times since then. 21 M2C with about 3k miles, so I'm past the break in period, with a completely stock muffler, the only modification is the EL mid pipe.

First, cold starts are not great. In fact, it's pretty awful. You have to drive around in Efficient for at least a few minutes, and often I'm waiting until the car gets up to temp. Once it does though, man, about 95% of the time it sounds awesome! I have the ASD delete, so I can really hear the difference. I typically drive around in Sport (burbles included), but when I really want to get aggressive, MDM sounds fantastic too. Much louder at the top of the rev range.

It's more sound across the entire range, it's deeper across the range, and no more weed eater, which is the best compliment I can give this product.

However, about 5% of the time, especially in lower revs from a stop, I can hear an obnoxious vibration. It's hard to describe, but it's like a very bad resonance/vibration that occurs, but it's typically rare, and never heard at higher mph. It also occurs backing up from cold starts, where I'd quickly try to get out of the current rev, which typically makes it go away. They're like short, but really obnoxious vibrations.

I actually had my mechanics look at the install again, and they claimed nothing was touching the mid pipe to cause it, so I don't know if it's just something I have to live with. There was one vertical bracket towards the start of the mid pipe that was touching, but the guys bent it back a bit and claimed it shouldn't touch anymore. Would appreciate any feedback.

[M2_MEDUSA]

Originally Posted by Atorak

I also received my non resonated AA equal length mid pipe from Mike @ x-ph about two weeks ago (great company to deal with btw!), had it installed last week, so I've driven the car a dozen times since then. 21 M2C with about 3k miles, so I'm past the break in period, with a completely stock muffler, the only modification is the EL mid pipe.

First, cold starts are not great. In fact, it's pretty awful. You have to drive around in Efficient for at least a few minutes, and often I'm waiting until the car gets up to temp. Once it does though, man, about 95% of the time it sounds awesome! I have the ASD delete, so I can really hear the difference. I typically drive around in Sport (burbles included), but when I really want to get aggressive, MDM sounds fantastic too. Much louder at the top of the rev range.

It's more sound across the entire range, it's deeper across the range, and no more weed eater, which is the best compliment I can give this product.

However, about 5% of the time, especially in lower revs from a stop, I can hear an obnoxious vibration. It's hard to describe, but it's like a very bad resonance/vibration that occurs, but it's typically rare, and never heard at higher mph. It also occurs backing up from cold starts, where I'd quickly try to get out of the current rev, which typically makes it go away. They're like short, but really obnoxious vibrations.

I actually had my mechanics look at the install again, and they claimed nothing was touching the mid pipe to cause it, so I don't know if it's just something I have to live with. There was one vertical bracket towards the start of the mid pipe that was touching, but the guys bent it back a bit and claimed it shouldn't touch anymore. Would appreciate any feedback.

You my friend have what we call an exhaust leak. Take it to an exhaust shop and have them check for leaks. I'm sure you'll find one. The vibration resonance is air escaping and is maximized on cold starts and low rpm. A proper seal Shouldn't sound like that at all.

Outside of any exhaust leaks this vibration and resonance is caused by the higher speed air comming in contact with the exhaust valves. Just leave them open. That may help

[Atorak]

Originally Posted by SpecialEdition_F87

You my friend have what we call an exhaust leak. Take it to an exhaust shop and have them check for leaks. I'm sure you'll find one. The vibration resonance is air escaping and is maximized on cold starts and low rpm. A proper seal Shouldn't sound like that at all.

Outside of any exhaust leaks this vibration and resonance is caused by the higher speed air comming in contact with the exhaust valves. Just leave them open. That may help

I sincerely appreciate the feedback on it. Wouldn't this be an issue with the shop that installed my mid pipe? I figured it would be their responsibility, no?

[ESB]

@Atorak is your vibration similar to the first "problematic" video in my OP?

That never fully went away for me but it happens way way less often now than it did the first 2 weeks.

And the rattling/creaking on the second video had completely gone away.

[Atorak]

Originally Posted by ESB

@Atorak is your vibration similar to the first "problematic" video in my OP?

That never fully went away for me but it happens way way less often now than it did the first 2 weeks.

And the rattling/creaking on the second video had completely gone away.

Thanks ESB, no that's not the sound I'm experiencing now. However, that's pretty much exactly what I heard when I first pulled out of the shop and drove around, I believe it was the vertical bracket that was directly against the mid pipe. I went back, they put it back on the lift, and banged the bracket out of the way, and that whole car vibration I felt is gone. Appreciate it though, I think I may need to video it later.

[kart driver]

Went for AA Single midpipe:

[veenut28]

Originally Posted by kart driver

Went for AA Single midpipe:

Sounds great, similar growl to the EL midpipe to my ears. How would you say the volume compares to stock?

[kart driver]

Originally Posted by kart driver

Went for AA Single midpipe:

[M2_MEDUSA]

Originally Posted by Atorak

I sincerely appreciate the feedback on it. Wouldn't this be an issue with the shop that installed my mid pipe? I figured it would be their responsibility, no?

I'm not saying you have an exhaust leak, I'm just saying what your experiencing can be an exhaust leak as it was for me. this can happen but usually this is also caused by the higher speed air hitting the exhaust valves creating that resonance on cold start if you don't actually have an exhaust leak.

[futureitr]

Has anyone or know whos done an AA EL with an MPE exhaust on an M2C

[pawelczyk7]

Futuretir i just had my AA EL mid pipe installed to my MPE today ,,,, this coming from AA single mid. the Single mid with MPE was very good i.e. sounded mean and throaty... the EL is much more exotic sounding and has a great tone as u climb the revs and going through the gears ( s speed car ) and also love the overrun as much more pronounced as didnt hear much with the single and sounds Sic.... So IMO as someone who has had both i do prefer the EL and very glad i decided to make the switch... that said sound is subjective as called out many many times so the Single with MPE was very good and some may like that tone / sound better.. will at some point look to get some sound clips and post .....

[Atorak]

Originally Posted by Atorak

I also received my non resonated AA equal length mid pipe from Mike @ x-ph about two weeks ago (great company to deal with btw!), had it installed last week, so I've driven the car a dozen times since then. 21 M2C with about 3k miles, so I'm past the break in period, with a completely stock muffler, the only modification is the EL mid pipe.

First, cold starts are not great. In fact, it's pretty awful. You have to drive around in Efficient for at least a few minutes, and often I'm waiting until the car gets up to temp. Once it does though, man, about 95% of the time it sounds awesome! I have the ASD delete, so I can really hear the difference. I typically drive around in Sport (burbles included), but when I really want to get aggressive, MDM sounds fantastic too. Much louder at the top of the rev range.

It's more sound across the entire range, it's deeper across the range, and no more weed eater, which is the best compliment I can give this product.

However, about 5% of the time, especially in lower revs from a stop, I can hear an obnoxious vibration. It's hard to describe, but it's like a very bad resonance/vibration that occurs, but it's typically rare, and never heard at higher mph. It also occurs backing up from cold starts, where I'd quickly try to get out of the current rev, which typically makes it go away. They're like short, but really obnoxious vibrations.

I actually had my mechanics look at the install again, and they claimed nothing was touching the mid pipe to cause it, so I don't know if it's just something I have to live with. There was one vertical bracket towards the start of the mid pipe that was touching, but the guys bent it back a bit and claimed it shouldn't touch anymore. Would appreciate any feedback.

Hey all, quick thought I'd provide a quick update on my 2021 M2C, completely stock, with the EL midpipe non resonated. Took it back to the shop today so they can investigate potential exhaust leak or other issues related to the awful tinny vibration that occurs around cold starts, typically around 2000k rpms (backing out of a parking spot, etc). They fully inspected all, and everything is solid, nothing is rubbing, and they said they also inspected for exhaust leaks, which there appeared to be none.

I then called Active Autowerke, and after spending a bit of time on the phone, apparently this is an issue that multiple customers have complained about. The tech knew exactly what I was describing (cold start, 2k rpms).

Apparently, the only way to deal with this is with a tune to change the cold start, but all the newer cars are DME locked (as far as I know). Someone suggested going right into Sport mode, so I guess I'll give that a shot, but it is disappointing. I don't know if there's any other way around this current issue.

The product is awesome after it's warmed up, but getting there is the problem.

[Wah]

Originally Posted by Atorak

Hey all, quick thought I'd provide a quick update on my 2021 M2C, completely stock, with the EL midpipe non resonated. Took it back to the shop today so they can investigate potential exhaust leak or other issues related to the awful tinny vibration that occurs around cold starts, typically around 2000k rpms (backing out of a parking spot, etc). They fully inspected all, and everything is solid, nothing is rubbing, and they said they also inspected for exhaust leaks, which there appeared to be none.

I then called Active Autowerke, and after spending a bit of time on the phone, apparently this is an issue that multiple customers have complained about. The tech knew exactly what I was describing (cold start, 2k rpms).

Apparently, the only way to deal with this is with a tune to change the cold start, but all the newer cars are DME locked (as far as I know). Someone suggested going right into Sport mode, so I guess I'll give that a shot, but it is disappointing. I don't know if there's any other way around this current issue.

The product is awesome after it's warmed up, but getting there is the problem.

The first 5 seconds is bad enough to make me pull the EL and buy a new mid pipe. It's unfortunate because it sounds pretty amazing when the car is warm.

[kart driver]

That is exactly the reason I went for SINGLE midpipe.

[Atorak]

Originally Posted by Wah

The first 5 seconds is bad enough to make me pull the EL and buy a new mid pipe. It's unfortunate because it sounds pretty amazing when the car is warm.

My god, that's exactly it! I was pretty diligent in reading reviews on both pipes, I unfortunately didn't anticipate this at all. Appreciate the video.

[pawelczyk7]

since just installed EL today and car as warm when i left the shop will have to report back on the "cold start " concern .... ps mine is non resonated EL and stock DP with MPE....

[No_curebimmer]

So glad that many more folks have started receiving their ELs...

First, the obligatory and well deserved shout-outs:

1. ONLYACTIVE for designing & manufacturing the EL for the F8x series. Having visited them in S. Florida a few weeks back, they are a fantastic company, truly BMW aficionados, and a top notch group of people. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting and meeting them...5 stars!!

2. @mike@x-ph.com - this is by far my favorite vendor, extremely active and supportive of the products they sells. 5 stars as well...

Now...I got my EL installed last week by my trusty indy BMW shop; most everything is stock (downpipes, and backbox/muffler), but I have used BimmerLink/BimmerCode to remove the ASD and the burbles.

Overall, I am happy with the choice...like most other users and YouTube vids, the RPMs seem to climb and sound really much cleaner, deeper and throatier sound for sure.

However, and this is a big however, I also seem to get this really bad tinny/farty/raspy quick sound (like a fast acting metallic slap) at lower RPMs, say below 3k, especially if I modulate the throttle. Forgive the crappy iPhone clip I've taken in my garage...hopefully the video exemplifies both the negative and positives. In low RPMs instances where the metallic slap occurs, the exhaust is actually much worse than stock mid-pipes, definitely a downgrade for sure. It is definitely not 100% clean-sounding on the entire RPM band...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XG7...ew?usp=sharing

For those of you in the know (ONLYACTIVE or Mike@x-ph might chime in if possible?) is this indicative of an exhaust leak or something mechanical like the EL mid-pipe vibrating at certain frequencies against a bracket or something?

[speedsnice]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

So glad that many more folks have started receiving their ELs...

First, the obligatory and well deserved shout-outs:

1. ONLYACTIVE for designing & manufacturing the EL for the F8x series. Having visited them in S. Florida a few weeks back, they are a fantastic company, truly BMW aficionados, and a top notch group of people. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting and meeting them...5 stars!!

2. @mike@x-ph.com - this is by far my favorite vendor, extremely active and supportive of the products they sells. 5 stars as well...

Now...I got my EL installed last week by my trusty indy BMW shop; most everything is stock (downpipes, and backbox/muffler), but I have used BimmerLink/BimmerCode to remove the ASD and the burbles.

Overall, I am happy with the choice...like most other users and YouTube vids, the RPMs seem to climb and sound really much cleaner, deeper and throatier sound for sure.

However, and this is a big however, I also seem to get this really bad tinny/farty/raspy quick sound (like a fast acting metallic slap) at lower RPMs, say below 3k, especially if I modulate the throttle. Forgive the crappy iPhone clip I've taken in my garage...hopefully the video exemplifies both the negative and positives. In low RPMs instances where the metallic slap occurs, the exhaust is actually much worse than stock mid-pipes, definitely a downgrade for sure. It is definitely not 100% clean-sounding on the entire RPM band...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XG7...ew?usp=sharing

For those of you in the know (ONLYACTIVE or Mike@x-ph might chime in if possible?) is this indicative of an exhaust leak or something mechanical like the EL mid-pipe vibrating at certain frequencies against a bracket or something?

I have the resonated equal length midpipe on my car paired to a Remus Race Axleback. I get the same metallic vibration, I have been trying to track it down with no luck.
The sound is when the car is stationary and you rev the car, as the revs drop the sound happens around 1,700 RPM.

[No_curebimmer]

BTW, my AA EL is non resonated…

More vids

1. cold start-up (no problems- sounds great to me)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gsQ...w?usp=drivesdk

2. Video showing raspiness/flatulence sound @ low RPMs (no bueno)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12-a...w?usp=drivesdk

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by speedsnice

I have the resonated equal length midpipe on my car paired to a Remus Race Axleback. I get the same metallic vibration, I have been trying to track it down with no luck.
The sound is when the car is stationary and you rev the car, as the revs drop the sound happens around 1,700 RPM.

Hey, thanks for chiming in!

I agree, the flatulence/metallic vibration I identified occurs more like 1700-2k rpm, while stationary and revving it up with the doors open (can definitely hear in on the 2nd video I posted it above).

However…I believe I can also hear it while accelerating from a red light; albeit everything seems more muted since the doors are closed and road noise.

@ESB the OP and others that received their AAEL, is this the consensus that the bad sound at low RPM is common across all ELs?

PS I definitely need a gopro outside the car to better capture the exhaust upgrade + more accurately identify the low RPMs sound issue

[R0me]

I run, decat, aa El resonated, and remus race axle back.

I get the same sound when in neutral and wot until 2k rpm - and it literally scares people 😆 but it also did sound raspy
as standard.
I would say that's part of the car exhaust/turbo setup, and just enjoy when its over 3k rpm.

It's opposite on the n55 it sounded deep low down, and more raspy in the top revs.

[futureitr]

Originally Posted by pawelczyk7

since just installed EL today and car as warm when i left the shop will have to report back on the "cold start " concern .... ps mine is non resonated EL and stock DP with MPE....

No additional cutting needed?
I'm trying to figure out if the EL will bolt straight up to the MPE.
That's my ultimate setup