Best sounding exhaust

[Arith2]

I'm looking for a new exhaust because my exhaust note recently changed and the rasp has increased. Essentially my GruppeM is at the end of its life. I paid $600 and it's lasted 4 years. Good enough for me. The Supersprint Race came to mind as a similar Sec 3, but it doesn't have that titanium sound to it. I'm still considering it.

The Diablo was going to be my next choice until I found out those idiots purposefully created back pressure in the muffler. 50mm tubing according to their website. Back pressure is bad, especially on a performance oriented sports car. Then they had the audacity to post dyno sheets with their stupid exhaust.

While it hurts me to get a quieter exhaust, I'm leaning towards SS sport at this point. If AP still made their Ti, I'd be all over it.

Would the SS Race be louder than one of these titanium exhaust? I have SS V1s and stock section 2.

[EthanolTurbo]

I'm looking for a new exhaust because my exhaust note recently changed and the rasp has increased. Essentially my GruppeM is at the end of its life. I paid $600 and it's lasted 4 years. Good enough for me. The Supersprint Race came to mind as a similar Sec 3, but it doesn't have that titanium sound to it. I'm still considering it.

The Diablo was going to be my next choice until I found out those idiots purposefully created back pressure in the muffler. 50mm tubing according to their website. Back pressure is bad, especially on a performance oriented sports car. Then they had the audacity to post dyno sheets with their stupid exhaust.

While it hurts me to get a quieter exhaust, I'm leaning towards SS sport at this point. If AP still made their Ti, I'd be all over it.

Would the SS Race be louder than one of these titanium exhaust? I have SS V1s and stock section 2.

Actually Rogue Engineering has a 63.5mm Diablo exhaust coming out for E46 M3.

[whoissuprme]

Glad this thread popped up I'm in the process of revamping my whole exhaust setup right now going with the following

Current Setup:
Active headers
Meisterchaft unresonated section 1
OEM section 2 w/ resonator delete
SS Race muffler

Setup that is on order:
SS V1 Stepped headers
SS 63.5mm Resonated Section 1
SS 63.5mm un resonated Section 2
SS Race muffler

[crow4213]

I just got a newly released exhaust for the e46 m3 platform called valvetronic designs. I like that you have the ability to change the tone and loudness on the fly...originally i had just euro headers and this muffler which was super raspy with the valves closed but with them open at high revs it sounded like an f1 car! I added cats on the section 1 and it reduced a lot of the rasp but that high pitch wail at the top end was gone. I am adding a super sprint xpipe now to see if i could get rid of the rasp 100% but i miss the sound at wot with the valves open tbh. At least ill have the sound clip lol.

here is a clip with just euro headers and valvetronic designs muffler with valves open
https://streamable.com/z6srov

[Arith2]

I just got a newly released exhaust for the e46 m3 platform called valvetronic designs. I like that you have the ability to change the tone and loudness on the fly...originally i had just euro headers and this muffler which was super raspy with the valves closed but with them open at high revs it sounded like an f1 car! I added cats on the section 1 and it reduced a lot of the rasp but that high pitch wail at the top end was gone. I am adding a super sprint xpipe now to see if i could get rid of the rasp 100% but i miss the sound at wot with the valves open tbh. At least ill have the sound clip lol.

here is a clip with just euro headers and valvetronic designs muffler with valves open
https://streamable.com/z6srov

That thing sounds so good...

That is why I love my GruppeM and get over the rasp. It sounds very similar. The Supersprint headers don't really produce a great sound versus a european style header. What got rid of my rasp almost completely was that CPI section 1. There's just a dead spot of power in the 2000s because of the early H. I had Megan headers, CPI Rasp Eliminator, stock sec 2, and GruppeM sec 3 and that is the best my car ever sounded. There is no performance oriented setup that will come close to how good it sounded.

The exhaust note is part of the engineering and appeal for the car. Going fast is fun but even Hondas can go fast. Everyone still laughs at a 500hp 1999 Civic because it sounds and looks like garbage.

[crow4213]

That thing sounds so good...

That is why I love my GruppeM and get over the rasp. It sounds very similar. The Supersprint headers don't really produce a great sound versus a european style header. What got rid of my rasp almost completely was that CPI section 1. There's just a dead spot of power in the 2000s because of the early H. I had Megan headers, CPI Rasp Eliminator, stock sec 2, and GruppeM sec 3 and that is the best my car ever sounded. There is no performance oriented setup that will come close to how good it sounded.

The exhaust note is part of the engineering and appeal for the car. Going fast is fun but even Hondas can go fast. Everyone still laughs at a 500hp 1999 Civic because it sounds and looks like garbage.

I agree, the sound at wot was so intoxicating. It sounds awesome in the soundclip but even better in person. But that being said, i dont go ripping around the streets the whole time and the rasp was unbearable so i started putting on resonators and cats. Putting on the supersprint sec 2 xpipe this week and we'll see how it sounds. But honestly i might take off the cats and put on ar20s if it becomes too tame. That might be the right mix...i wanted the cpi sec 1 but couldnt find it anywhere.

[Arith2]

I agree, the sound at wot was so intoxicating. It sounds awesome in the soundclip but even better in person. But that being said, i dont go ripping around the streets the whole time and the rasp was unbearable so i started putting on resonators and cats. Putting on the supersprint sec 2 xpipe this week and we'll see how it sounds. But honestly i might take off the cats and put on ar20s if it becomes too tame. That might be the right mix...i wanted the cpi sec 1 but couldnt find it anywhere.

I actually have one I'm not putting back on. Put like 8k miles on it if that. It's in my garage collecting dust.

[Wernd]

Glad this thread popped up I'm in the process of revamping my whole exhaust setup right now going with the following

Current Setup:
Active headers
Meisterchaft unresonated section 1
OEM section 2 w/ resonator delete
SS Race muffler

Setup that is on order:
SS V1 Stepped headers
SS 63.5mm Resonated Section 1
SS 63.5mm un resonated Section 2
SS Race muffler

Did you have a video of your new setup? I've got the same headers and sec1 arriving in the gb. My section 2 is resonated though. I'm curious how loud your setup will be

[CrisSilberGrau]

My current setup: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck7MZ...d=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

SSV1 SS 1 straight SS2 resonated SCZA
Much deeper more refined than last setup with OEM Üro OEM mid and SCZA. This sounded like a formula car at high rpm, was quite the chainsaw, i miss.

[Tbonem3]

So do you like the sound, in car, more now with v1s and scza or before, with euro headers?

[CrisSilberGrau]

So do you like the sound, in car, more now with v1s and scza or before, with euro headers?

If you're asking me famlies I like this sound but I don't love it. In car after 4k its all intake (I dont floor it below 4k). I loved the Euro SCZA, it was louder and way raspier which I very much enjoy. The only way to get better with my current setup is with an SS Race muffler, but those are not 2.5 so there's that. If there are other options I'll explore when that time comes but for now my focus is on building other parts of the car.

By no means is it a bad sound. Its quieter, although not by much, deeper tonality (more baritone) and for the raspy haters this is it, mind you my sec 1 is straight so there's room there to cut out even more if that's possible. The bonus of this, INTAKE noise. Which will get even louder with cams and pistons

IMHO if youre after the best sound, you first have to embrace the rasp, then you have to concede that Euro headers, perhaps CSL headers, will produce the best howl. Thinnest material and a smaller diameter pipe for increased resonance. Your mileage may vary. Then we can argue about Intake over exhaust, for me intake wins every time. A cammed csled S54 is something else, the snarl is way different when cams are introduced and its why we cant replicate the same OEM CSL snarl until we get cams (and maybe an oem replica box).

Found an old vid of the car with the Euro setup on the dyno, not representative to on the road but still. You can note the more raw note at low rpm for sure, the rest sounds the same but its not. On the road it was distinctly higher pitched.

https://flic.kr/p/2jZRH7j

[maw1124]

^^^ great explanation, better video... thanks.

maw

[Tbonem3]

CrisSilberGrau Copy pasta from my old threads I see... You've learned well

[Mayan-Viking]

Stock muffler with larger tips

I think I want to go this route. What's the best method to go about this? Where does one shop for (just the) tips? Can any muffler shop do this job?

Thanks.

[Tbonem3]

I think I want to go this route. What's the best method to go about this? Where does one shop for (just the) tips? Can any muffler shop do this job?

Thanks.

In my experience, it's surprisingly difficult to get this done. Most shops want more business than a simple tip swap, so they aren't too keen to do it, not to mention most shops can only order american sized tips that will need some work to fit the metric outlets. You might find a shop willing to do the work, but they might ask for a fairly large sum for the labor.

The easiest/cheapest is to DIY, but you need to find the right sized tips. Now that the E46 is old, there aren't many options still around. I got lucky on my E90 and found that burkhart in Germany still sells oversized e9x tips. For E46, I actually took some SGT SCZA tips and adapted them to our stock muffler.

Removing the stock tips is fairly easy (simply punch/drill/defrom) the rivet. The hard part is fitting tips that aren't made for the stock muffler's outlets. You might get lucky and find a set of "eurosport" (76mm/3") tips floating around which were made to slip on and rivet.

You can get a rivet hand tool and assorted rivet sizes online for cheap.