Well it seems I was not the only one who was waiting on an exhaust and BPM Sport tunes from Dave Dee/M3World! In the last day, DCTerry posted his thoughts on the gear he received so I hope I don’t repeat too much of what he said. However, like many people on here, I have to thank Dave Dee for answering my many questions and for his first class service in communication of order progress and delivery times (even while he was overseas!). My order was bang-on time and the actual shipping of the order from the GC to Canberra was all of 3 days: out on Monday and at my door early Wednesday afternoon.
Exhaust
We all know the stock system is pretty restrained until you get the revs up and then it can actually sound quite decent. But simply all too tame in volume and note – not what you want in a performance car! I know everyone has their own perception of the “right” sounding exhaust and everyone has their own preferences but I think most agree, the M3 needs more exhaust noises!
On the exhaust side, I have fitted the M3World high-flow catted and resonated X-pipe (see post #53) and have that mated to the stock rear box. I gather some of you on the forum have done the same.
I spoke to the mechanic (at the independent shop I go to) who did the install. He said he found the job was one of the easiest aftermarket systems he’d ever done. He remarked that it was and I quote “dead-set simple and straightforward”. You can assume a big thumbs up that the components not only looked the part, they fitted up really well too.
I quite like the improvement in sound. The addition of the new x-pipe was noticeable as soon as I started it up in the shop’s car park. Yes, it’s still on the
mild side but it does have the addition of a nice growl to it, adding a little bit more aggression to the note.
Surprisingly, the volume at idle and at low revs/small throttle openings is only up slightly. Chances are, partners are not likely to notice anything because from inside, the sound is as smooth and controlled as the stock system! Only if you restrain yourself though, as it’s a different story on wider throttle openings — the thing really builds into that aggressive V8 note with a hint of rasp. I don’t mention this slight rasp in any negative sense (I often read elsewhere where this is mostly taken as a criticism) as the x-pipe setup adds some real aural excitement to the exhaust note. This is probably the ideal solution for someone who wants to give the stock system a bit more of a 'note' and yet keep things restrained. Couple this with a tune and you open up greater power potential. Is it loud enough for me? I’d like to live with it for a while before answering that! What I do wish for at the moment is a deeper, balls-ier bellow to be added on top of the current sound. All without making it obnoxious (to me) ... Yeah, OK - sounds like a rear section may be under consideration soon .....
Tunes
I did the exhaust mod not just for the sound but also so I could go straight to the BPM Sport Stage II ECU tune. I loaded up the tune the day after the exhaust install but I have to say that the engine note sounded different again. Many reviews have been written on this forum about the benefits of the tune already so I won't say much. I know it’s very soon after the loading of the tune (I’ve done maybe ~30 kms only) so the adaptations may not be fully set but it did not take much to notice performance improvements, especially once the revs build. Without doubt, the car does pull a lot harder now and I will enjoy feeling it out further over the coming days. I am curious to know how it feels and behaves in different road conditions. I have to pick my time atm – bl00dy cold and frosty roads here right now ….
I also did the BPM DCT tune and it sure has made a difference. Who would have thought just some new software could make such a noticeable improvement. Just like everyone seems to say, gear changes do seem smoother. This is especially evident when pulling up in Dx and the box works itself down the gears. In stock form, it did seem a little clunky at times but somehow it’s mechanically much smoother now. Up through the gears when putting your foot down, it does punch through the gears much quicker. Very satisfyingly so. I'm just loving it more in S mode. This has definitely been worthwhile doing.