Valvetronic Sec 3

[Arith2]

So I recently have been on a search to replace my GruppeM that is cracking at every weld point just because that's what titanium does over time. The plate fell off before my ownership and I'm at least the third owner. The exhaust has held up pretty well but I think it's time to move on. The sound changed and I'm pretty sure that massive amount of WOT hours it has experienced finally caused something to fail.

That being said, I found Valvetronic which did a valvetronic design. That idea is the same as that $5600 "F1" sounding exhaust for our car but this price range is tangible. I paid $1879 on sale for the titanium version. It comes with a control module and the extras to make it work. PardnM3 does a video on it however it appears to be steel. Nothing beats the sound of titanium so here I am buying an exhaust, from what I can see, no one is running. Honestly, it can't sound worse than my current broken one at a minimum and it probably sounds decent overall. If this is an absolute failure then we'll find out how good their customer service is. I also requested no bluing of the titanium because that crap seems stupid to me. We'll see if they pull through. From what I see, they sound good however I am definitely concerned about fitment. Right now my sec 2 is stock so that shouldn't be a negative factor.

I have SSV1s with straight sec 1, and a stock sec 2.

Go to their website, pick it apart, tell me what you think.

[AWE46M3]

Congrats on the purchase, man! Never heard the titanium version of the E46 valvetronic - looking forward to those sound clips

[9kracing]

I looked into this exhaust, but when I asked about sizes they said it stepped down to 2.25" at the Y-merge. I tried to have them make me one with 2.5" piping but they could not.

I'd love to see close up pics of the welds once you get it.

[Sylverlee]

I have the stainless steel and the fitment is great. Unfortunately was too loud for me and I will be posting for sale soon.

[usdmej]

the equal length sec1 that sunbeam is selling changes the exhaust tone to an "V10 f1 like" higher pitch if that's what you're looking for

[Dat.E46M3]

I have the stainless steel, and the quality sucks on mine.
They first sent me with 2 of the tips scratched and bent.
so I returned, they sent me the second one, and it was in perfect condition, untill I took it to a shop to install it.
the driver side sticks out more than the passenger side. It’s noticeable and drives me crazy.
nothing seem to be bent.
the fitment on mine is a 👎

[Arith2]

the equal length sec1 that sunbeam is selling changes the exhaust tone to an "V10 f1 like" higher pitch if that's what you're looking for

That's a cool find. I can't read 90% of the page but it looks good. I'd have to switch back to Megan headers or trade my SS V1s for V2s

[Arith2]

I have the stainless steel, and the quality sucks on mine.
They first sent me with 2 of the tips scratched and bent.
so I returned, they sent me the second one, and it was in perfect condition, untill I took it to a shop to install it.
the driver side sticks out more than the passenger side. It’s noticeable and drives me crazy.
nothing seem to be bent.
the fitment on mine is a 👎

That's not good. We'll see how mine is. If it doesn't fit, it's a them problem because my sec 2 is stock. We'll see how many red flags pop up. They get the review they deserve. Was it stainless or titanium?

[9kracing]

From the website -

Systems are on sale due to the tips being non adjustable, depending on section 2, the exhaust tips are not 100% even at times. We recommend running with OEM diffuser due to the size of the tips!

Seems to be a known issue.

[Sharocks]

My friend owns Valvetronic.

He actually based the system off my Filthy Habits exhaust but with some changes.

I told him to make the tips adjustable from the getgo but revisions are cool too I guess.

[Zemi]

I have the Ti variant of the muffler. I can share my experience after about a year of ownership since it was not perfect.

Bad
Fitment wasn't too great. Both OEM and CSL-style diffusers will make contact with the 3" tips. I ended up shaving the inside of the CSL-style diffuser. Also, the driver side tips stick out slightly more than the passenger side. When installing, you should be sure to rotate the passenger side exhaust hanger such that it holds exhaust closer to the outside of the car. I also had the passenger side hangers bent slightly to improve fitment. With the OEM section 2, it should mount up fine. With the SuperSprint twin pipe, part of the section 2 will need to be cut off in order to mount the muffler.

I had drone at ~2500 RPM with OEM-like (additional resonator welded in the OEM section 1) and my current SuperSprint (V1 headers, catted section 1, resonated twin pipe) setups. Its worse with the valve closed unfortunately from my experience. With the valves open, its significantly less noticeable. I'm scared to track it with the valves open because of dB limitations but valves closed was perfectly fine.

Good
The sound is incomparable to anything I've heard in both OEM and SuperSprint setups. Tips look sick. Valves closed is still loud but much more civilized than with the valves. When the car is shut off, the valve will leak and slowly close which is nice for my neighbors when I cold start it and forget to close it. Also, the controller can be paired with your HomeLink buttons (open and close will take up 2 of 3 buttons) so keeping the remote in the car is optional.

The exhaust itself looks pretty good.


Final fitment after all adjustments. Still not perfect. Sorry about the lighting but you can see the driver side extends noticeably further out still.

[AWE46M3]

Zemi - nice write up man - great info. Got any sound clips? Would love to hear the TI exhaust. The TI variant is not for me, but I’m curious how the TI sounds vs the Stainless

[9kracing]

Also, the controller can be paired with your HomeLink buttons

That's pretty slick actually, I didn't know that.

I'd also love to hear sound clips.

[Arith2]

Zemi That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I appreciate it and you have me even more stoked to get it. As long as it fits, I can manage everything else. I can't fathom how loud it's going to be with valves open and only a resonator in sec 2. The best part is I can close it off and drive more reasonably for those around me half of the time.

[Zemi]

I'm still new to posting so I wasn't sure the best way to upload videos since there's a file limit adding attachments. I made streamable links but it says they're only good for 2 days. I can reupload somewhere else and edit this post if there's any recommendation.

I didn't have many clips but here's a link with a sound clip with the valves open and SuperSprint exhaust at a distance. I don't think I have any from the OEM exhaust since I didn't have that setup for long.

https://streamable.com/ktqbo0

Here's a cold start with valves closed. I don't have one with the valves open since I don't want to disturb the neighbors. The startup and idle is a bit rough since I'm on an E75 blend.

https://streamable.com/g750sn

That's pretty slick actually, I didn't know that.

I'd also love to hear sound clips.

That's one of the first things I looked into before buying because I didn't like the idea of carrying an extra remote haha. People were able to do it in other cars with valvetronic systems so I figured it works on this one and it did

Zemi That's the kind of feedback I'm looking for. I appreciate it and you have me even more stoked to get it. As long as it fits, I can manage everything else. I can't fathom how loud it's going to be with valves open and only a resonator in sec 2. The best part is I can close it off and drive more reasonably for those around me half of the time.

Its definitely a lot louder than I would have liked going in even with the valves closed, but I'm really happy with the overall sound so I put up with the volume and drone (as well as manufacturing issues I mentioned)