Well, i've been looking at exhausts for my Coupe for quite some time now but always thought they were poor value for the amount of money reputable brands wanted for their systems. For example Eisenmann wants around 1250 GBP for theirs (without shipping out here so factor in another 50-80) and Supersprint wants 1280 for their Powerloop system and 825 for the Race. All with pretty much the same performance enhancement, i.e. practically nothing and similar overall quality. (Although Eisenmann does seem to come up more in conversations than Supersprint.)
And then i read of the RPI GT exhaust in this thread over on zpost.com. Everyone had very positive comments to say about it and since i really wanted to splash out on an exhaust and make the Z sound even better i went ahead and sent an email to the group buy bloke (Eloy) from the thread.
Soon later Eloy from RPI or Race Precision Inc, quoted me 1250 USD (760 GBP) for their GT exhaust and that was including shipping from the States. Pretty good value for money compared to the other ones right? I managed to get it even cheaper by uncovering an eBay UK auction with one for sale. The seller bought the exhausts but sold the car before installing them. I went ahead and put in a bid for 600 and as there were no other bidders won it with that first bid a few days later. With shipping to Cyprus it came out as 680 total. A nice little saving than getting it from RPI direct.
Well finally 3 days and a few email with the seller (top dude, it was the Cyprus Postal service's fault for the single day's delay
) ago it arrived. I received a call from a friend at the local post office who told me a package for me arrived and i should drop by and get it instead of them having to go through all the process of sending out the package notification slip at my house etc etc. So anyway i went to pick it up and the first thing that struck me was how light the whole package was! I could easily carry it under my arm. So far so good right?
First thing i did when i took it home was to store it away for safe keeping. Err... No not really. I furiously shredded up the cardboard and masses of packing foam inside like a child on Christmas morning to get to the goodies... and there they were. Two very shiny beautiful back boxes wrapped in disgusting sticky foil. Hmm.. Best leave it in there so it doesnt get scratched..
As it was Wednesday afternoon the BMW service center would be closed so i couldn't arrange an appointment to get them installed until the next morning. The guy wanted some more info on the system and also on the other stuff i wanted to fit and remove (also fitted a UUC Evo3 short shift kit and completely removed the CDV) and after i sent him a couple of links and writeups he was satisfied enough and we arranged to bring it on Friday morning (today that is). So i drop the car off there and give him the parts and also some printed off websites to help them a bit with the installation of the components. Everyone was very polite and assured me that everything would go through without a hitch. And everything did actually go without issue in the end, which was surprising!
Anyway about an hour later i get a phone call from the service advisor. He said they installed the exhausts and everything else will be done by the afternoon and that he has to tell me that the exhausts are very loud. I said "Yea i know that's the point.
" He said "No seriously they are VERY loud! We took it for a drive and on full throttle it sounds louder than a superbike!" I was laughing. How could it be louder than a superbike? Ludicrous.
I was i wrong. Oh boy was i wrong..
This thing is absurdly loud! This has "Antisocial asswipe" written all over it. Don't get me wrong it really does sound amazing. So very gruff and aggressive. Popping, burbling and crackling on the overrun or even on part throttle and when you really step on it and close in on that 8k redline all hell breaks loose, a bassy primal scream not unlike a race car! The first time i heard it revved outside the service center i got chills up my spine. And the looks? It looks very cool on the car, all nice and shiny and with the RPI logo laser etched on the tips. The different sized pipes also really work. Honestly i cant think of a better looking system.
You will turn heads, make babies cry, scare grandparents and possibly cause some car alarms to go off. If you dont want people staring then this is not the system for you. Does it drone? Yes it does and at certain gear/RPM combinations it will try its best to shake the car apart with all that bass. If you have any loose change somewhere in the cabin but dont know where, with this thing you'll find it. Just follow the jingle. I know this last bit doesnt sound very appealing but the Yanks over on zpost say that after you've put 1-2 thousand miles on it it mellows out a bit and doesnt drone that much. Here's hoping!
Build quality to my untrained eye is very good. The whole system is machine polished and all seams look to be well and carefully made. I should have perhaps taken a few pictures of the unmounted system but i didnt want to remove it from its wrappings in case i drop it or drag it or something and it gets scratched. You'll have to make do with the pictures below.
The bad bits? Well apart from the drone i guess it's the sheer volume. This thing is so loud that it completely drowns out the engine noise. You shift at around 7.5k and the engine can BARELY be heard. This is a major problem for me as i absolutely love the noise of that screaming 3.2lt straight six. If i had known that it would overpower the engine note that much i probably would not have bought it. So unless i can find a way to introduce more engine noise in the cabin it's a trade off, an aggressive racey sounding exhaust instead of a wondrous sounding engine... For me it's really a tough one! Wondermike did suggest fitting the noise generator from the 3lt ones but i dont know if he was pulling my leg...
So, my early verdict? I dont know yet. The exhaust itself sounds very, very good but it is also very, very loud. I could live with the volume, i could even live with the drone but i dont know if i can last long without being able to hear that engine note. That screaming, growling Bavarian motor is really the heart and soul of the M... One thing's for sure, i am keeping the exhaust for now as i'm hopeful that after it's been properly broken in the noise will soften a bit. Anyway I think a nice spirited drive tonight is in order dont you?
Enjoy the photos now! Videos soon, i promise!
And then i read of the RPI GT exhaust in this thread over on zpost.com. Everyone had very positive comments to say about it and since i really wanted to splash out on an exhaust and make the Z sound even better i went ahead and sent an email to the group buy bloke (Eloy) from the thread.
Soon later Eloy from RPI or Race Precision Inc, quoted me 1250 USD (760 GBP) for their GT exhaust and that was including shipping from the States. Pretty good value for money compared to the other ones right? I managed to get it even cheaper by uncovering an eBay UK auction with one for sale. The seller bought the exhausts but sold the car before installing them. I went ahead and put in a bid for 600 and as there were no other bidders won it with that first bid a few days later. With shipping to Cyprus it came out as 680 total. A nice little saving than getting it from RPI direct.
Well finally 3 days and a few email with the seller (top dude, it was the Cyprus Postal service's fault for the single day's delay
) ago it arrived. I received a call from a friend at the local post office who told me a package for me arrived and i should drop by and get it instead of them having to go through all the process of sending out the package notification slip at my house etc etc. So anyway i went to pick it up and the first thing that struck me was how light the whole package was! I could easily carry it under my arm. So far so good right?First thing i did when i took it home was to store it away for safe keeping. Err... No not really. I furiously shredded up the cardboard and masses of packing foam inside like a child on Christmas morning to get to the goodies... and there they were. Two very shiny beautiful back boxes wrapped in disgusting sticky foil. Hmm.. Best leave it in there so it doesnt get scratched..
As it was Wednesday afternoon the BMW service center would be closed so i couldn't arrange an appointment to get them installed until the next morning. The guy wanted some more info on the system and also on the other stuff i wanted to fit and remove (also fitted a UUC Evo3 short shift kit and completely removed the CDV) and after i sent him a couple of links and writeups he was satisfied enough and we arranged to bring it on Friday morning (today that is). So i drop the car off there and give him the parts and also some printed off websites to help them a bit with the installation of the components. Everyone was very polite and assured me that everything would go through without a hitch. And everything did actually go without issue in the end, which was surprising!
Anyway about an hour later i get a phone call from the service advisor. He said they installed the exhausts and everything else will be done by the afternoon and that he has to tell me that the exhausts are very loud. I said "Yea i know that's the point.
" He said "No seriously they are VERY loud! We took it for a drive and on full throttle it sounds louder than a superbike!" I was laughing. How could it be louder than a superbike? Ludicrous.I was i wrong. Oh boy was i wrong..
This thing is absurdly loud! This has "Antisocial asswipe" written all over it. Don't get me wrong it really does sound amazing. So very gruff and aggressive. Popping, burbling and crackling on the overrun or even on part throttle and when you really step on it and close in on that 8k redline all hell breaks loose, a bassy primal scream not unlike a race car! The first time i heard it revved outside the service center i got chills up my spine. And the looks? It looks very cool on the car, all nice and shiny and with the RPI logo laser etched on the tips. The different sized pipes also really work. Honestly i cant think of a better looking system.
You will turn heads, make babies cry, scare grandparents and possibly cause some car alarms to go off. If you dont want people staring then this is not the system for you. Does it drone? Yes it does and at certain gear/RPM combinations it will try its best to shake the car apart with all that bass. If you have any loose change somewhere in the cabin but dont know where, with this thing you'll find it. Just follow the jingle. I know this last bit doesnt sound very appealing but the Yanks over on zpost say that after you've put 1-2 thousand miles on it it mellows out a bit and doesnt drone that much. Here's hoping!
Build quality to my untrained eye is very good. The whole system is machine polished and all seams look to be well and carefully made. I should have perhaps taken a few pictures of the unmounted system but i didnt want to remove it from its wrappings in case i drop it or drag it or something and it gets scratched. You'll have to make do with the pictures below.
The bad bits? Well apart from the drone i guess it's the sheer volume. This thing is so loud that it completely drowns out the engine noise. You shift at around 7.5k and the engine can BARELY be heard. This is a major problem for me as i absolutely love the noise of that screaming 3.2lt straight six. If i had known that it would overpower the engine note that much i probably would not have bought it. So unless i can find a way to introduce more engine noise in the cabin it's a trade off, an aggressive racey sounding exhaust instead of a wondrous sounding engine... For me it's really a tough one! Wondermike did suggest fitting the noise generator from the 3lt ones but i dont know if he was pulling my leg...
So, my early verdict? I dont know yet. The exhaust itself sounds very, very good but it is also very, very loud. I could live with the volume, i could even live with the drone but i dont know if i can last long without being able to hear that engine note. That screaming, growling Bavarian motor is really the heart and soul of the M... One thing's for sure, i am keeping the exhaust for now as i'm hopeful that after it's been properly broken in the noise will soften a bit. Anyway I think a nice spirited drive tonight is in order dont you?
Enjoy the photos now! Videos soon, i promise!
Rev matching is quite satisfying although it wasnt exactly bad pre-RPI as well. I think i'm starting to warm up to it but i still want that engine note damnit!
Not good i'm afraid... 