M3 (E46) Exhaust Replacment Advice

[dtk 0]

I currently have a factory exhaust set up on my 02 M3. It sounds great to some ears.. but I am wanting to look at ways of maybe turning up the volume a little and listening to a slighty different tune. Something perhaps more along the lines of V8... i.e. less tinny sound and more throaty.

The M3 is a driving experience IMHO that experience is a little quite!! Performance increase is not so important... more power than I know what to do with already!! Perfomance decrease would be a problem though!!

Anybody have experience with this... good, bad, ugly...??

Anybody recommend locally available options/suppliers/installers??

Also anybody know where I can source in NZ M6 replica rims to fit an E46 M3 offset.

Thanks

[bumpstop325 0]

Cant go wrong with DTM tips.

They are available in different shapes and sizes. A larger tip diameter than when it exits the muffler will help increase dB.

[hybrid 1044]

The M3 is a driving experience IMHO that experience is a little quite!! Performance increase is not so important... more power than I know what to do with already!! Perfomance decrease would be a problem though!!

hahahah some would put it that way I personally love the sound.

I would suggest contacting joeseph at performalink ... they are the importers of Supersprint exhaust's / headers. I will tell you now .. its not going to be cheap. But they are the best option in this country.

Just a few things before you start. please keep in mind that you stock exhaust system is quite tunes to the engine and putting on non specific or non m3 tuned exhausts will infact drop your power rating.

On a 6 cyclinder engines it takes quite a bit to get the tone right as its very easy to get in cabin "drone" which you _really_ done want.

I have a 330i specific superspirnt system on my 330i and while not the horizontal / quad setup youll be going for .. it really has a nice tone right through the range... + it looks the biz. I also got a 7odd HP gain in the topend rev range as I removed the restrictive section between the cats and the secondary.

[smiddy 76]

hahahah some would put it that way I personally love the sound.

I would suggest contacting joeseph at performalink ... they are the importers of Supersprint exhaust's / headers. I will tell you now .. its not going to be cheap. But they are the best option in this country.

Just a few things before you start. please keep in mind that you stock exhaust system is quite tunes to the engine and putting on non specific or non m3 tuned exhausts will infact drop your power rating.

On a 6 cyclinder engines it takes quite a bit to get the tone right as its very easy to get in cabin "drone" which you _really_ done want.

I have a 330i specific superspirnt system on my 330i and while not the horizontal / quad setup youll be going for .. it really has a nice tone right through the range... + it looks the biz. I also got a 7odd HP gain in the topend rev range as I removed the restrictive section between the cats and the secondary.

Hi, Re your wheels go to trade me punch up BMW mags, guy there with user name of "Warlock", he imports wheels for Beemers and has knowledge. I bought some M3 replicas for my E46 last Christmas and i'm rapt.

[hybrid 1044]

ahh right, cheers for the offer ...but I'm done with non forged wheels to be honest. Learnt the hard way with that one several times

[madandy 0]

Ya deffinatly don't wanna be putting replicas on a real M car!

[M3_Power 636]

okay .. I am going to self proclaim to be an expert with the E46 M3s .. seeing I've had one and still own one since 2001, and have just about read everything there is to read about them on the internet and having worked on a few myself.

Facts:

The factory system is very good and correct, inline six engines need proper back pressure to run properly, so exhaust diameter and length play a great role in power and torque. It's torque that you don't want to lose, because that's what you'll feel.

The factory system can't be improved upon - false.

Initially when the m3 came out there weren't that many choices and not many tuners knew how to get the best out of the S54. So a lot of the aftermarket back boxes actually caused the cars to lose huge amounts of mid range torque and sometimes little to no gain top end power = NO GOOD.

But its been 7 odd years since the car first appeared on the market and there have been some excellent results from aftermarket tuners and different exhaust combos.

More facts:

Supersprint is rubbish don't buy it - it's a waste of money, makes minor power gains and are very poorly built - just google broken welds and supersprint on the internet for photos and long write ups. The race versions are also way too loud for the road so there's no point running them in New Zealand.

Best there is out there with proven dyno gains:

1. Gruppe M Titanium - one of the first back boxes with proven no mid range torque loss and top end gain - but freaking loud.

2. Borla - gains throughout the rev range and good top end power

3. Dixis - like the Gruppe M - but again freaking loud

4. New design Miltek - nice tone and guaranteed to be the only exhaust on the market for the E46 M3 not to drone in part throttle operation - expensive but quality product and with a remap is proven to make very good power gains throughout the rev range

5. Dinan - Ugly 2 outlet with 2 fake tips - sounds funny but good gains.

6. Eisemann range - all very good but VERY Dronny also expensive.

Best upgrades for the stock E46 M3 ... set of CSL headers, Borla X pipe (or supersprint mid section (the mid sections are better built than their mufflers) with 100 cell cat), and any of the above back boxes will definitely give the car a sporty tone and good power gain with no loss of mid range torque. I personally recommend the Miltek if you can get your hands on a set - especially the newly designed one - they have been shown to give really good torque and power gains and are not ridiculously loud or dronny.

I have the Borla on the CSL you are more than welcome to listen to it - it's not dronny and isn't ridiculously loud and gives the car a sporty sound.

Although you've yet to ask ... but if you are thinking about upgrading the intake - simple answer - DON"T bother ... you won't gain anything, you'll most likely lose power once again. Especially don't do K&N - these will stuff up your MAF sensor with the filter oil.

If you really want to upgrade import an aFe Intake kit from the US for the E46 M3 - proven to make the best power gains out of all aftermarket intake upgrades (short of a CSL style airbox)

Hope that helps.

Edited November 18, 2007 by M3_Power

[M3_Power 636]

As for installation - do it yourself .. it's not that hard - I installed mine all by myself with the help of two trolley jacks when I took the factory item off (it's a heavy f**ken thing ... )

Also I noticed that you have an 02 ... check that the big end bearing recall has been done on yours by BMW NZ if it's a NZ new car ... otherwise it WILL fail - it's not an if or but ... but a question of when. (there have been 4 different big end bearing designs since the car's inception and they have cured the problem with better tolerances and a better oil pump )

Edited November 18, 2007 by M3_Power

[dtk 0]

Awesome... thanks for the input. Miltek sounds like a good option although would want to find an opprtunity to hear it before making the change. Have to admit though the factory sound is starting to grow on me... it just wasn't what I had expected.

M3_Power I make take you up on your offer to have a listen to your car... are you able to PM me your contact number?

I asked about the bearing recall when I bought the car but was told as the car was built in 05/02 it wouldn't be affected. True/False???? No doubt false so perhaps I'll call BMW just in case. It is a pretty well maintained example with full service history so I see no reason why a factory recall service wouldn't have been done.

Cheers

[M3_Power 636]

M3_Power I make take you up on your offer to have a listen to your car... are you able to PM me your contact number?

I asked about the bearing recall when I bought the car but was told as the car was built in 05/02 it wouldn't be affected. True/False???? No doubt false so perhaps I'll call BMW just in case. It is a pretty well maintained example with full service history so I see no reason why a factory recall service wouldn't have been done.

PM'd contact details.

The bearing recall was done to all E46 M3s manufactured prior to June 2003 (not including June production and not including CSLs) - so you've been told bollocks.

In fact there were two recalls done - first was for those manufactured between March 2002 till March 2003 (worst affected month were those manufactured between August and November 2002 - personally I'd stay away from those vehicles). This recall turned out to be ineffective (this was for the second and third bearing batch) so a subsequent recall was done on all E46 M3s manufactured before June 2003 (I am lead to believe as I've seen mixed reports from different countries that some really early productions weren't recalled - i.e. those made end of 2000 and before March 2001 weren't recalled - but it appears to vary from country to country from what I've read).

[hybrid 1044]

welds on mine seem fine ... but im not an m3... I can't speak for these

[Assault 3]

More facts:

Supersprint is rubbish don't buy it - it's a waste of money, makes minor power gains and are very poorly built - just google broken welds and supersprint on the internet for photos and long write ups. The race versions are also way too loud for the road so there's no point running them in New Zealand.

How many SS exhausts have you seen with broken welds?

Saying SS is rubbish is a pretty big claim so if there is evidence to back this up I'd like to see it. So far I've never seen anything to say they are no good.

Googling supersprint and broken welds doesnt come up with anything except for one thread I found with a hanger problem on one version of thier race exhaust, which wasnt really a big deal.

Please post some links if you know of any.

[M3_Power 636]

How many SS exhausts have you seen with broken welds?

Saying SS is rubbish is a pretty big claim so if there is evidence to back this up I'd like to see it. So far I've never seen anything to say they are no good.

Googling supersprint and broken welds doesnt come up with anything except for one thread I found with a hanger problem on one version of thier race exhaust, which wasnt really a big deal.

Please post some links if you know of any.

Here's just a handfull from m3forums .... more on e46fanatics, roadfly, ect .... I can't be bothered finding all of them ...

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e46m3/8061944-1.html

http://bimmer.roadfly.com/bmw/forums/e46m3/7540617-1.html

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread....upersprint+weld

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread....upersprint+weld

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread....upersprint+weld

http://www.m3forum.net/m3forum/showthread....upersprint+weld

Bottom line I wouldn't put those on my car period ...

Lot of well known BMWNA Club racers on roadfly rubbish the supersprints stuff big time ... just PM Snook or the likes and they'll tell you how crap they are.

Edited November 23, 2007 by M3_Power

[hybrid 1044]

possiblity a bad batch was posted to the US ? it happens ...

done two very very hard drives recently and mines still fine

I'm really not a fan of half the exhausts on the market for the e46's. They are most of them are far too loud and just wont pass a warrent in New Zealand. They also turn the BMW 6 into a skyline sound... which I hate. Its fine in some states in the US where they have relaxed exhaust laws. For me the supersprint sound and lack of drone really suits my needs for the road. Which those links are all problems with their race X pipes. And as said in those links, its a bad batch and things have improved. While a grea resource, I wouldnt go rushing out treating everything your read off the internet as gosple, specially from the US.

from someone who actually owns one.

my 2 cent.