[johnson47376]

So I think I'm finally going to pull the trigger on a downpipe. I've tried searching videos and threads to get a listen to different setups, but cant seem to find many paired to the PE exhaust. I was wondering if anyone who has the BMW performance exhaust has had experience with more than one downpipe and if they noticed any difference in exhaust note between downpipes. What DP did you prefer as far as exhaust tone?(if there was any difference) Im not limiting this to PE owners, any insight will help. Just wondering if there is a huge difference between the 3.5" and 4" & 5 "catless DPs as the performance gains are all in the same ball park. Thanks in advance.

[CJ421]

I had an AR 4" catless installed with my BMW PE; I took off the dp a few months ago because I got tired of the smell. (I'm selling the dp for a reasonable price, Pm me).

In my experience the exhaust does more to change the sound of the car than the downpipe. I've heard the BMS 3.5" + stock exhaust before on an N55, sounded good and had a similar characteristic as my setup (though not quite as exotic b/c of my PE mufflers): throaty, blares pretty loud under WOT, and sorta like a diesel truck at low RPM. I received many compliments on the sound especially at the track. My car was unmistakable. The exhaust note has the same characteristic without the dp, it's just not nearly as loud.

I've also heard the CP-E 5" dp before. Something I noticed about my car w/ the AR 4" dp vs the CP-E/BMS setups is the amount of 'whistling' there is from the turbo. It's a really cool sound ...IDK whether it was because of my exhaust or whatever, but it's very audible a considerable distance from the car. It's one of the things I miss about the dp.

I think you'll have a similar experience regardless of which dp you choose. I like the AR products, they have the best welds IMO and fitment is perfect.

Hope that helps.

[hetzle]

AA 4" DP mated to their exhaust here. It sounds awesome, no drone, and it makes a very deep throaty sound. I prefer it to the PE because it's a full exhaust system from the DP-back, rather than just an axle-back, and it adds an x-pipe in the midsection to even out the flow, creating a better sound in the process.

[Mike@N54Tuning.com]

Catless downpipes will make your exhaust a touch louder and much deeper and throatier. Addictive sound

Mike