Fabspeed Secondary catbypass x-pipe review

[SanchoDivine]

Hi all!

I finally decided to post a review on the Fabspeed Secondary Catbypass X-pipe.



A number of people asked me about my exhaust setup so I am hoping this will be helpful for everyone.

I have the x-pipe paired with the M Performance Exhaust (MPE) on my non-ZCP F80.



First, no video or sound clip has done any of the exhaust on this forum any justice. If you think an exhaust sounds good on Youtube, the exhaust sounds way better in person (regardless of how fancy the person's recording equipment is)! With that being said, most folks would agree that the MPE makes the car sound a lot better. The few people who have heard it with this x-pipe, will claim that it takes the MPE on a whole new level of awesome. The sound is not just louder, it is also deeper and has an amplified turbo spool as well.

However, I did experience some issues which I have shared with Fabspeed:

1) The connection between the x-pipe and the OEM downpipes required me to hold down the downpipes with a 2x4 piece of wood to put them together. If the OEM downpipes did not have flex section or if I had aftermarket downpipes, I am skeptical that I would have been able to complete the install. In this instance, "I" was really me and 3 other guys and :



This is about as good as I could bolt these things together but luckily, there is no leak even with the recycled gasket (I recommend purchasing new gaskets before installing this just to be safe).



I did get it a bit tighter later when I was trying to troubleshoot some vibrations.

2) The pipe side that has the hanger connection was pressed up against the car's under body panel. This resulted in a very horrendous vibration that felt like the car was dragging a piece of the exhaust on the asphalt when around 1k rpm or other instances while shifting gears. It becomes even more exaggerated when turning at the same time. Since it was in that range, it was impossible to ignore because of it's frequent occurrence.

(this photo from AWF80 post)

(this photo courtesy of f80_nascim3nto)

I wasn't to thrilled to have to break out the jack to troubleshoot this but fortunately I discovered that bending the heat shield connected to this panel
eliminated the problem.





3) The portion of the pipe proceeding after the downpipe sits about 1.5 inches lower than the bottom of the car (definitely lower than the stock midpipe did). This can be a challenge for cars that have been lowered. My car is lowered using the more conservative M performance HAS (not at max drop) and occasional contact with speed bumps or other non-flat surfaces occur if not driving extremely slow over them.



Maybe things eventually worked themselves out or I got way better at avoiding bottoming out my car because I haven't had the issue in a long time. That was a recent picture so it confirms everything is still on the car!

The construction and the welds were top notch but my the install experience did not meet the expectations of a $1,200 "bolt on" (keep in mind that these are built to order so they may vary piece from piece). Also, the vibration issue created a significant feeling of regret while driving home but that of course went away after I figured out the issue and resolved it. It's a good thing I had access to a lift and did the work myself because I can imagine a shop either giving up or charging an arm and a leg.

Once all the fitment issues were over, the sound has been nothing short of amazing. I am constantly being asked about my exhaust set up. With the valves in OEM automatic mode, there is absolutely zero drone and the car is a pure joy to listen to with the valves locked open. Multiply the enjoyment by simply driving with the windows down! This combo is great and is even more insane with burbles if you are into those like I am!

I tried to get some video of my own but it has been rather difficult trying to find a place to get some footage. I did what I could but figured it would be better to share Fabspeed Motorsport's and dubsesd' videos since they have better equipment anyway. As mentioned earlier, videos do not do this any justice but I assume you will appreciate them so here they are!

Click here to view ===>

Click here to view ===>

[///M3_F80]

Awesome review! I am sure this will help others on the forum consider this mod/upgrade.

I will be posting my thought's as well as I have an Akrapovic axle-back with the FabSpeed x-pipe and rear resonator delete.

[SanchoDivine]

Updated to include video showing throttle overrun (exhaust burbles) with this setup:

[LOW4LYF]

Toooooo bad it's does not fit the F83.

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by Figurka

Toooooo bad it's does not fit the F83.

I haven't seen the underside of the vert but I bet you can probably get a muffler shop to cut out your secondary cats and weld in an x-pipe in their place. Probably way cheaper too

[schnell1982]

Originally Posted by Figurka

Toooooo bad it's does not fit the F83.

Not to thread jack but the AA midpipe will fit the F83

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by schnell1982

Not to thread jack but the AA midpipe will fit the F83

Does AA fit the MPE?

[schnell1982]

Originally Posted by Figurka

Does AA fit the MPE?

Don't know. I believe it will.
I paired it with a Dinan rear and AA did not know if it would fit correctly.

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by schnell1982

Not to thread jack but the AA midpipe will fit the F83

Is it the same exact pipe between all models?

[LOW4LYF]

Originally Posted by SanchoDivine

Is it the same exact pipe between all models?

Yes but the underbody is different on the F83

[schnell1982]

Originally Posted by SanchoDivine

Is it the same exact pipe between all models?

F83 is different. From my understanding not alot of companies offer an axle back muffler due to the added structure brace. The F83 is the only one with the brace due to the conv. top

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by Figurka

Yes but the underbody is different on the F83

My bad, I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if the AA pipe is the same or if there is an AA pipe for the F83. I am aware of there being differences between the f83 and the non convertibles but I haven't see the underneath to see what is different. I am also aware that the Fabspeed pipe does not fit but I don't know why. If the same AA pipe fits all models then I am going to assume all the bends between the models exhaust are the same but AA fits because it takes up less room since it is a single pipe.

[SflBimmer8484]

Originally Posted by SanchoDivine

My bad, I wasn't clear. I meant to ask if the AA pipe is the same or if there is an AA pipe for the F83. I am aware of there being differences between the f83 and the non convertibles but I haven't see the underneath to see what is different. I am also aware that the Fabspeed pipe does not fit but I don't know why. If the same AA pipe fits all models then I am going to assume all the bends between the models exhaust are the same but AA fits because it takes up less room since it is a single pipe.

It fits.

[LukeM15]

Reviving an Old thread. I just got mines installed, same issue with the pipe sitting too close to the heat shield. Also why wouldn’t they provide the gaskets? I mean we paying 1200 for it the least they can do is include that.

Also, I noticed my car has slight drone now (DCT here)

Ok enough with the negative, it sounds amazing those videos don’t do justice to the sound car pulls much harder too.

Fabspeed are you watching this thread for these
Complaints??

[overlook637]

This is why I am keeping the OEM midpipe and changing the secondary Cat to magnaflow resonators.

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by LukeM15

Reviving an Old thread. I just got mines installed, same issue with the pipe sitting too close to the heat shield. Also why wouldn't they provide the gaskets? I mean we paying 1200 for it the least they can do is include that.

Also, I noticed my car has slight drone now (DCT here)

Ok enough with the negative, it sounds amazing those videos don't do justice to the sound car pulls much harder too.

Fabspeed are you watching this thread for these
Complaints??

The valves eliminate drone if you're running them in OEM mode. I would check to make sure the valves are operating correctly and that no part of the exhaust is touching the heatshield, the center brace, or anything else that it shouldn't come in contact with. Also check to make sure all clamps/connections don't have any leaks. I agree a new gasket should be included or at least a recommendation to purchase one before install. Fortunately mine were still relatively new since my car didn't have many miles on it at the time.

This is probably the best sounding setup.

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by overlook637

This is why I am keeping the OEM midpipe and changing the secondary Cat to magnaflow resonators.

That will likely only give you a slight increase the volume but not have too much effect on tone. You may be better off having the shop weld in a x-section. Looking forward to any videos of after you get it all set up. Haven't been too successful in getting anyone to share videos or sound clips who went the route of resonators in the other threads.

[LukeM15]

Originally Posted by SanchoDivine

The valves eliminate drone if you're running them in OEM mode. I would check to make sure check to make sure the valves are operating correctly and that no part of the exhaust is touching the heatshield, the center brace, or anything else that it shouldn't come in contact with. Also check to make sure all clamps/connections don't have any leaks. I agree a new gasket should be included or at least a recommendation to purchase one before install. Fortunately mine were still relatively new since my car didn't have many miles on it at the time.

This is probably the best sounding setup.

Definitely the best sounding. I’m going to adjust the shield a bit more tomorrow and check all the other components. Should be ok afterwards

[LukeM15]

Update: after pushing the heat shield WOW just like stock. No more drone, no rattle. Sounds amazing!!

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by LukeM15

Update: after pushing the heat shield WOW just like stock. No more drone, no rattle. Sounds amazing!!

Thanks for the update and glade you got it all dialed in now!

[///M///]

Currently have a MPE so have a few questions fr the OP:

- Does this pass inspection?
- For the MPE, I had to cut on the OEM Pipe to connect it? Does that section stay the same or anything changes?
- Any CEL lights with this? Did you have to get it flashed?

Few Observations:

- IMO for a $1200 exhaust it should be plug and play and not having to force the downpipe and bend the exhaust shield. Fabspeed needs to fix this with a revision. If it's made to order I am sure they should be able to address it.

- It sounds good in the video you posted but IMO sounds like shit in the video Fabspeed posted. What's the difference here?

Thanks.

[SanchoDivine]

Originally Posted by ///M///

Currently have a MPE so have a few questions fr the OP:

- Does this pass inspection?
- For the MPE, I had to cut on the OEM Pipe to connect it? Does that section stay the same or anything changes?
- Any CEL lights with this? Did you have to get it flashed?

Few Observations:

- IMO for a $1200 exhaust it should be plug and play and not having to force the downpipe and bend the exhaust shield. Fabspeed needs to fix this with a revision. If it's made to order I am sure they should be able to address it.

- It sounds good in the video you posted but IMP sounds like shit in the video Fabspeed posted. What's the difference here?

Thanks.

Yes, when car is at operating temperature it should have no issue with inspection and there is no check engine light because those concerns revolve around downpipes and not midpipes or mufflers. No tuning or coding required for this set up. Valve controllers are nice to have but not necessary.

This part is a direct replacement to the pipe that was cut. The only thing that might be need to be adjusted is pushing the heatshield away to ensure no contact. I agree that this should be an easier plug and play and it Fabspeed should be able to make adjustments since these are made to order. However, since they are made to order it seems that everyone has a slightly different experience regarding install with the most common being the heatshield needed to be pushed away (easy and quick fix).

I recommend going to a muffler shop as they have the tools and experience to make things perfect and it shouldn't be an issue for them as this is for the most part easy enough for most people to do with a couple buddies, especially when if they have a place that rents lifts.

Lots of things can affect video sound such as equipment, environment, the way people drive, and YouTube's conversion of the video and audio during upload (in my experience YouTube nerfs quality, especially audio). The best way to get an opinion on an exhaust set up is to hear it in person. The Fabspeed and MPE combination sound is a multitude better in person

Order from Fabspeed and let them know your concerns.

If you do choose to go this route, I would love to hear your experience!