Help me choose an exhaust

[Hammerfang]

My stock exhaust just isn’t cutting it and I’m looking for some inputs based on the below. Thanks in advance:

Must Haves
1. good figment and quality
2. more aggressive sound then stock
3. nice appearance

Cannot
1. drone, absolute worst case IMO
2. be overly loud, at this point in my life, my ears (and wife and neighbors) don’t want something too obnoxious
3. Overly expensive

Other considerations
1. may eventually get headers and better cats, so whatever I choose would hopefully bolt up.
2. Unsure if I should just get a new muffler, resonator or both.

[xansabi]

What do you mean by nice appearance? Good-looking exhaust tips? Our exhausts is that there are 4 changeable sections.
Don't want drone? Stick with the OEM section 3 with some exhaust tips or go valved. The tone changes with the different sections, gotta pick a combo. Gotta be more specific.

[davidinnyc]

Find a used Dinan section 3. If you can get over the false driver’s side tips, you’re good to go. If you don’t like the black exhaust tips, polish them to reveal the steel. A few members have done exactly this and the end result is a nice, subtle upgrade over stock that may fit your immediate needs while still providing a decent option for any future modifications you may want.

[amiao]

Everything you mentioned is what I wanted when I was first looking for an aftermarket exhaust. The SCZA muffler ticked every box on the list. If you were local to Los Angeles I’d sell you mine!

[Sharocks]

Magnaflow.

2.5" all the way, two mufflers in the back, no drone at all.

Cost effective because you get a Sec 2 with it.

[WestBankM4]

Why don't people prefer titanium over stainless when it comes to the section 3?

I ordered a titanium section 3 for shits and giggles from China last year. When it arrived, everything looked great. Welds, pie cuts were nice but the fitment was atrocious when I mocked it up. I didn't want to hack up a titanium exhaust, so I took the hit with customs, etc. returning it. In the end, the weight of that exhaust was 21.4 lb vs. the 50+ lb OEM system.

[Hammerfang]

Appreciate the input, was initially thinking supersprint sport. What are the thoughts on that?

[davidinnyc]

Appreciate the input, was initially thinking supersprint sport. What are the thoughts on that?

Fairly modest tone, it might be right up your alley. That’s why I recommended the Dinan piece because maintains the thin 1.5MM exhaust tip wall like stock with bump up in sound. The slanted tips are the only other consideration.

[M3LSB.Gab]

Magnaflow full exhaust I would get, sounds great, I was surprised how good it sounds but S54. I'm considering selling mine because I want something loud haha and catless.

[Hammerfang]

Is the Supersprint race version that much louder? I’m looking for a nice, aggressive but not too loud at startup sound and for the the noise and tone to be fairly close to stock when not really on it.

[CrisSilberGrau]

Is the Supersprint race version that much louder? I’m looking for a nice, aggressive but not too loud at startup sound and for the the noise and tone to be fairly close to stock when not really on it.

Stock header, stock resonated sec1, Supersprint dual resonated and SS Race imo wont be obnoxious loud. The sound will be a bit deeper in tonality. SS uses thicker gauge material plus larger diameter (less resonance/frequency) and their sec 2 resonator does a lot of work. I would also opt for the SS Race in 63.5 mm the 045006 .

A good part of your volume level comes from the header, stock is tame.

[SUPREM3]

Appreciate the input, was initially thinking supersprint sport. What are the thoughts on that?

I have the Supersprint Sport / Performance Exhaust. Prior to doing the full SS header back package, I had a previous Gen Supersprint Street. I sold it within a week, sounded too close to OEM muffler.

I switched to this setup to give more sound and have fun, paired along with Karbonius CSL box. It's intoxicating at WOT without being obnoxious and raspy. Having heard SS Race and having owned Agency Power, Eisenmann Race (drone machine), and a brief stint with the SS Street, the sport appears to be the perfect blend of sporty and streetable for me.

That said I'm looking to quiet down the rear section as I just put in new speakers throughout and am now competing to hear my beautiful new warm highs.

[Hammerfang]

Stock header, stock resonated sec1, Supersprint dual resonated and SS Race imo wont be obnoxious loud. The sound will be a bit deeper in tonality. SS uses thicker gauge material plus larger diameter (less resonance/frequency) and their sec 2 resonator does a lot of work. I would also opt for the SS Race in 63.5 mm the 045006 .

A good part of your volume level comes from the header, stock is tame.

Appreciate the insight, I would be pretty annoyed if it wasn’t much different then stock.

leaning towards SS race and section 2 resonator.

anyone have experience with valved exhaust set ups? Seems like the best of both worlds.

[usdmej]

there is no combination of ss race that won't be super loud and droney. I'll never forget having an ss race installed as one of my first mods and having a headache by the time I made it back home

for your needs I'd suggest the following

low cost: stock everything + dinan muffler

more cost: euro headers, euro cats will get you noticably more aggressive and less raspy exhaust noise. you can fine tune your volume from there with different section 2s or mufflers


valved exhausts for e46 m3 can be two different volumes, but they're all built terribly by sketchy companies

[Cubieman]

Initially I just did the SCZA, but Dinan or SS sport would be good as well, nothing crazy but more volume.

Its too bad the euro headers/cats option is so expensive these days, those combined with stock section 2 and an aforementioned muffler sounds really nice.

Possibilities are almost endless when it comes to full exhaust systems.