Exhaust Cutouts and Custom Tips!!!

[Definitive]

Thanks,

The wiring was not to hard, but the switch was a lot tougher to figure out. I have offered to do the switch install and wiring for anyone local. As for the welding. The shop I used is gone...

D

[M3_WC]

Very clean setup.

Sounds good.

[emthreeboy]

Originally Posted by Definitive

Thanks,

The wiring was not to hard, but the switch was a lot tougher to figure out. I have offered to do the switch install and wiring for anyone local. As for the welding. The shop I used is gone...

D

Oh thats cool, im thinking of doing this, when i do i'll for sure pm you about the switch and wiring install, ofcourse ill pay you for it.

[Definitive]

All good. If you want to do the same stealth install as me, please get the "race ready" cutouts. Otherwise I cannot guarantee that I can do it.

D

[dlbrooks18]

awesome!! how much did this cost?

[Definitive]

The kit is about $500, I think I got lucky and my guys under estimated the labor. Lets just say it was sub 1k total...

D

[tlr]

Which Race Ready kit did you get? Most importantly which diameter?

Can anyone recommend a shop in the Bay Area (SF or peninsula, preferably) that can do the welding/installation?

[frenchM3dreamer]

just a quick word on cutouts, for those who don't have the expertise or knowledge of the OP for such a clean switch install...
Raceland USA has a remote-controlled cutout kit. All you need to do is install the cutout, wire the control module to a 12V source, and voila ! i still use the cigarette lighter plug as i havent had a chance to hard-wire the thing yet. Same results, you just end up with an extra remote (clean looking, small, black remote with 2 buttons)
and i agree with the OP saying that it is the best mod i have done so far ! i haven't dyno'd the car yet so i couldnt tell if there are any real gains, but at WOT the sound alone is worth the $ 200 that thing cost me w/ install...
mind you, i'm just thinking, with the M you'll need 2 kits, 2 remotes, so it might not be all that great... i have a single exhaust...
anyway, just a different option... congrats to Definitive for such a clean install

[Definitive]

Thanks again guys! The Kit was the 3" dia.

D

[Subw00er]

Originally Posted by cheesy9

Agreed. More info on how to do that style button would be awesome.

You can see my post from back in 2009 when I first did this mod (google "Bates Exhaust"). There are lots of pictures, vids and more info about my install. http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253661

Definitiive, did you cut the pins on the board (see pic in my post)? If not, your fog lights may be going on and off, and you are basically mixing two circuits together. Depending on how you actually wired it, it may or may not matter, but a bad practice none the less.

Also, let us know how your Race ready valves hold up. I'm on my third set and am not really happy with them. They dont always work, and after about 5 months, crap out totally. I think the main problem is the cold weather - I think the motors themselves are not suited to the climate. I'm also not happy about support. Instead of standing behind their product, and immediately sending replacements out, RRP gives me a real negative tone about replacement, even though they are supposed to have a lifetime replacement; they say its only for the first set?!?! WTF?! I've had to wait about a month in between each set I've received back (which I'll add are dirty looking refurbs). I really wish I had gone with another vendor.

[mkPOTO]

very nice, i like

[Definitive]

Subwoofer - First, M3's dont have fog lights... So, there is nothing to go on and off. I also did not tough any of the circuits on the board. You can see in the picture and my description of how I did it.
The Race Ready system is holding up great! Not one problem so far. Might be because I open and close them multiple times a day. But I'm 5 months in and they are perfect.

D

[SS32]

I recently had to take one of my valves off because it stopped working but I shot an email to RaceReady and they said it's covered under warranty. I haven't had time to get to the post office but I'll let you everyone know how it works out.

[Definitive]

How did you notice it wasent working? Was it the sound or did you look under the car?

D

[HP Man]

Originally Posted by Definitive

Subwoofer - First, M3's dont have fog lights... So, there is nothing to go on and off. I also did not tough any of the circuits on the board. You can see in the picture and my description of how I did it.
The Race Ready system is holding up great! Not one problem so far. Might be because I open and close them multiple times a day. But I'm 5 months in and they are perfect.

D

Subwoofer is talking about the rear fog lights, which M3's do have...

[Definitive]

Ahh, yea interesting. I didn't touch the circuits so I. Think im good... Never looked though.

D

[Subw00er]

Originally Posted by HP Man

Subwoofer is talking about the rear fog lights, which M3's do have...

Yup.

They are there, just not enabled for the US market. If you press the pad while the car is on, the rear fogs will light up - search the forums, there is the "lego mod" that enables this feature - it basically just bridges the space between the back of the blank button and the pc board switch.

I cant tell from your switch what you actually did, just looks like the back of the board to me. Oh wait, did you just shove a switch in behind the button blanks?

[Definitive]

Subwoofeer, I remember that lego mod, just forgot about it. I have nails that go through holes i made in the board. The cutout switch is mounted behind the board sticking out the back.

There is a huge 3' fan in the wall right in front of the car. The. Fan is mounted in a hole in the wall pulling fresh air from their shop...

D

[Definitive]

Your right, I had to look back at the pics. I forgot it was a big fan behind the wall with those yellow ducting they route to the front of the car.

D

[tlr]

Sorry one more question, does the Race Ready kit come with a switch? If not, what type of switch is required?

[Definitive]

If you buy the kit it does. But if you just buy the cutouts, you will have to buy the switch separate from them. I would talk to. The shop who is going to do the install to see if you should get the kit with the y-pipes and turndowns. We ended up making our own since the race ready ones were kinda shitty. So. I should have bot just the. Cutouts and switch.

D

[SS32]

I figured I would bump this thread instead of starting a new one:

One of my valves quit working a couple months ago and I recently shipped it back to race ready under warranty. A few days later, I received a call from Steve at Race Ready telling me it was ready to go, all they needed was my payment info. I also received an invoice stating that shipping would be $30...wtf? The shipping cost for the ENTIRE KIT was only $18. I called him this morning and asked why the shipping cost was so expensive. He said it was a standard handling charge they use for any repairs not covered under the warranty and that my valve was a couple years old and wasn't registered. What? I ensured him that I had registered the valves and that they were only 18 months old. He put me on hold and came back a minute or two later and said that "They must have missed the registration" and the shipping would only be $18. It only cost me $10 to ship it to them, but I didn't use UPS, so I wasn't going to argue that. If any of you need to get work done under warranty, keep an eye out.