Equal-length exhaust discussion: new S55 sounds

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by JoePcone

OK that's what I was thinking as well, thank you.

Honestly you could go with either. Non-res is a bit raspier and raw, res is smoother and more tidy. Both still produce the same great exhaust note so just depends what you want, or how you like your steak cooked. The resonated version is probably more handy if you are driving with the valves forced open as the non resonated has some serious grumble and boominess at low revs when valves are forced open.

I think the recommendation of non-res with stock DPs is factoring in the stock valve control, which is closed in all modes under various conditions and therefore eliminated the low end boominess/drone of the non-resonated pipes

[bmwmdistrict]

Just an update for any of you waiting for orders. I placed my order early February and I'm still waiting. I was supposed to get mine "late March" and when I reached out to the reseller multiple times they haven't been able to get an answer from AA.

The only reason I'm not really upset is because I know the product will be top quality and worth the wait. But man it's frustrating. I have a garage full of parts just waiting to be installed and the AA EL midpipe is the only thing holding up the work.

[mikey914]

Originally Posted by bsm.m4

Just an update for any of you waiting for orders. I placed my order early February and I'm still waiting. I was supposed to get mine "late March" and when I reached out to the reseller multiple times they haven't been able to get an answer from AA.

The only reason I'm not really upset is because I know the product will be top quality and worth the wait. But man it's frustrating. I have a garage full of parts just waiting to be installed and the AA EL midpipe is the only thing holding up the work.

i ordered mine like 5 weeks go and i got it within 3 days of ordering it from euroklasse lol

[six75LT]

Originally Posted by bsm.m4

Just an update for any of you waiting for orders. I placed my order early February and I'm still waiting. I was supposed to get mine "late March" and when I reached out to the reseller multiple times they haven't been able to get an answer from AA.

The only reason I'm not really upset is because I know the product will be top quality and worth the wait. But man it's frustrating. I have a garage full of parts just waiting to be installed and the AA EL midpipe is the only thing holding up the work.

ordered mine early march and initial ETA was late march/early april, then bumped to late april/early may, now *apparently* early june.



impatiently waiting

[slaughter.mode]

Here's some Sport + (valves open) revs. My sweet old neighbor lady even came by and said "oh I thought this was a new car it doesn't sound like your old one." That pretty much proves the EL's point.

Inside the car:

Outside the car:

[NSX2M4]

I swear that sounds just like my NA1 nsx with a supercharger and headers.

[slaughter.mode]

The more I have it the more I just don't know if I care for it. No matter what I do I cannot get rid of the buzzing. I have adjusted it multiple times, shimmed it, un-shimmed it, re-shimmed it...it just wants to buzz. Maybe I'll try setting the valves back to stock but right now it's really like I traded in my amazing sounding low RPM rumbly thundery tone for a nut busting high rpm screamer with crappy low rpm buzzy rice notes.

[Kilabyte]

Originally Posted by the_ghost

Here's some Sport + (valves open) revs. My sweet old neighbor lady even came by and said "oh I thought this was a new car it doesn't sound like your old one." That pretty much proves the EL's point.

Inside the car:

Outside the car:

Sounds good, makes my non res EL MPE sound like a truck

[Snapple415]

I have a comp pack with MPE exhaust from factory. Should I be getting the non res or res version? I want to retain the same volume.. so not louder or quieter..

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by the_ghost

The more I have it the more I just don't know if I care for it. No matter what I do I cannot get rid of the buzzing. I have adjusted it multiple times, shimmed it, un-shimmed it, re-shimmed it...it just wants to buzz. Maybe I'll try setting the valves back to stock but right now it's really like I traded in my amazing sounding low RPM rumbly thundery tone for a nut busting high rpm screamer with crappy low rpm buzzy rice notes.

I’m not sure if it’s the resonators but to me the non res version sounds pretty mean at low RPM with valves open. It does get a bit tinny/ricey if you punch it at low RPM in a high gear though (like cruising in 4th at 1500 and punching it instead of downshifting). 3k seems to be the inflection point of where the screaming starts.

FWIW I had 3 distinct rattles. 1st was the exhaust gaskets didnt seat right so I had to replace those. 2nd was the replacement gasket shrunk so I had to retighten. 3rd was over time the pipe moved slowly toward the driver side and was touching just barely so I had to loosen all the clamps and reposition. Haven’t had any rattles since, but I can appreciate that I had to get under my car more than I would have liked

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Kilabyte

Sounds good, makes my non res EL MPE sound like a truck

LOL.

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

I’m not sure if it’s the resonators but to me the non res version sounds pretty mean at low RPM with valves open. It does get a bit tinny/ricey if you punch it at low RPM in a high gear though (like cruising in 4th at 1500 and punching it instead of downshifting). 3k seems to be the inflection point of where the screaming starts.

FWIW I had 3 distinct rattles. 1st was the exhaust gaskets didnt seat right so I had to replace those. 2nd was the replacement gasket shrunk so I had to retighten. 3rd was over time the pipe moved slowly toward the driver side and was touching just barely so I had to loosen all the clamps and reposition. Haven’t had any rattles since, but I can appreciate that I had to get under my car more than I would have liked

Can you post some revving clips so we can hear what it's like now?

[slaughter.mode]

Originally Posted by Snapple415

I have a comp pack with MPE exhaust from factory. Should I be getting the non res or res version? I want to retain the same volume.. so not louder or quieter..

If you want to retain and you're on stock, you want the resonated version.

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by the_ghost

LOL.



Can you post some revving clips so we can hear what it's like now?

Yeah I’ll record some clips tmrw and post them up

[Snapple415]

Originally Posted by the_ghost

If you want to retain and you're on stock, you want the resonated version.

Yeah that's what I was thinking too. She's plenty loud with the valves open on the mpe, and don't want to introduce any drone. Thanks

[Kilabyte]

Originally Posted by Snapple415

I have a comp pack with MPE exhaust from factory. Should I be getting the non res or res version? I want to retain the same volume.. so not louder or quieter..

Your call. Here's my MPE with a non resonated mid, I think a resonated version would make it sound smoother but I don't know how much quieter it would be.

[McBobby Jr]

Am I hallucinating, or did Active Autowerke increase the price on their Equal Length Midpipes?

[jpsimon]

Any of you guys that don’t want to wait for AA... if you’re near the CT area I’m going to be selling my TopGear EL exhaust. Anyone interested shoot me a PM. (Pickup only, not going to ship)

Love the exhaust but I’m going to slowly part out the car in preparation for the switch to the G80.

[six75LT]

Originally Posted by McBobby Jr

Am I hallucinating, or did Active Autowerke increase the price on their Equal Length Midpipes?

they did increase it by like $300 i think. would hope that would mean they could sort out the manufacturing and reduce the delivery times... but im sure it really just means they can boost their margins due to the insane demand for this (nothing wrong with that.)

[slaughter.mode]

Well demand will influence cost.

The main problem I have is that the welding quality on this EL version is nothing as clean as my original AE 2>1 pipe. When I get the car over my head I'll snap examples but it's nothing clean like before.

A mechanic friend of mine told me one of his customer's with the same setup already had a tiny pinhole leak in one of the welds! Fixing it was easy but still...sheesh.

[RugbyBro]

I gotta say, $1.5/1.7 nonres/res is a little steep for a midpipe that they're backlogged on - if they were in stock and ready to go then maybe it would be more palatable. IMO they were priced right initially at $1.3/1.5.

Full disclosure: paid $1.3 for mine

[MFNATIK]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

I gotta say, $1.5/1.7 nonres/res is a little steep for a midpipe that they're backlogged on - if they were in stock and ready to go then maybe it would be more palatable. IMO they were priced right initially at $1.3/1.5.

Full disclosure: paid $1.3 for mine

If they make these in house then I bet the cost bump is for the labor or OT they have to pay to pump these things out haha

[McBobby Jr]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

I gotta say, $1.5/1.7 nonres/res is a little steep for a midpipe that they're backlogged on - if they were in stock and ready to go then maybe it would be more palatable. IMO they were priced right initially at $1.3/1.5.

Full disclosure: paid $1.3 for mine

If you look back a few pages on this post, you'll see some people having issues with rattling or fitment. Another thing is ETA's for this midpipe are already set back a couple months. I hope that extra $200 will fix any of the previous issues I mentioned above and to help with Quality Control.