Torn between ACM and MPE

[dparm]

I had been wanting an upgrade from the car's underwhelming factory system without breaking the bank for a while now. I'm fortunate enough to have two local members selling E90 exhausts: an ACM and an MPE. Both were gracious enough to let me hear the exhausts in person. Now I'm conflicted because I have two very good options to choose from.

The ACM is an aggressive roar, rather AMG-like, yet no louder than stock under steady-state throttle. You won't win any contests in the looks department, but it can't be beat on price. It also offers no weight savings.

The MPE makes an interesting sound, slightly raspy and guttural -- it reminds me of the E46 M3. You can hear it at all RPMs and throttle angles, but I wouldn't say it's much louder than stock, just a different sound. The resonated thin-wall tips are a clean look and you save some weight, but you pay for it dearly (even used). It's also OEM so fitment and quality are excellent.



Part of me wants to just slap the ACM on and pocket the extra cash, but the MPE is still an intriguing thing. I fear the ACM is still going to wear thin since it's so unrefined and harsh sounding, but the MPE strikes me as rather tinny and raspy sometimes...and even used it feels overpriced.

Has anyone here gone from ACM to MPE or vice-versa? Or has anyone installed either of the two and later taken it off? I can only watch so many YouTube videos and replay the ride-alongs in my head.

[Ezio]

i dont have experience with wither setup. but i have hear the MPE having issues. multiple times on this forum.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Ezio

i dont have experience with wither setup. but i have hear the MPE having issues. multiple times on this forum.

IIRC they were having issues pretty early in their life, suggesting poor QC at the factory. This one has been in service for a while and doesn't have problems.

[WickedE93]

I have heard both and like the ACM mod's sound better. It sounds "fuller" is that makes sense. You can also dress it up by painting the muffler black and changing out the tips. European Auto Source (EAS) sells some nice tips that make the OEM Muffler look great IMO.

[M3/4 life]

I love my MPE, no other exhaust sounds like it! It's truly unique!

[MTrezzz]

Originally Posted by M3/4 life

I love my MPE, no other exhaust sounds like it! It's truly unique!

I absolutely hated my MPE it broke 2 times… I got the ACM at the end and trust me you won't waste time/money. I went through Misterchaft, Eisenmann and a couple others, your paying for the name. I my self wasn't to into the ACM, i thought it was cheap and cheesy. but after i hear it and custom painted the muffler and added the EAS tips 80mm full black everything. it looks very nice, i got the tips stock length like stock but bigger tips and let me tell you something, it looks much better than the MPE i had. yes the MPE comes double wall tips but who cares. tips are small and doesn't look good with a diffuser. PLUS! the bottom can looks worse than the OEM OEM muffler.

[///M Power-Belgium]

MPE = Cracks !

[Semi-Poor]

Originally Posted by M3/4 life

I love my MPE, no other exhaust sounds like it! It's truly unique!

X2

[Wolfinwolfsclothing]

I have not had Acm but I have owned the following exhausts between my current e92 m3 and my previous one.

Eisenmann race...4 times
Remus
Active auto
Tubi
Active autowerke
Akra...2 times
Megan
Dinan
Innotech (ipe)
Bastuck
And currently MPE

I have also the dinan x pipe 3 times, a gintani x pipe, a custom akra x pipe that went with the active autowerke exhaust and a custom x pipe.

I will say as a stand alone axel back the MPE certainly puts off a very nice tone. Certainly one of the best and it doesn't get drowned out by the intake like every other exhaust. I do however find it to be a bit quiet compared to my previous set ups. I will be adding test pipes to it in the coming week or two and I'm sure it will sound even more exotic even. But as far as harmonics and tone the MPE does have ones that no other exhaust I've heard has. I did love my gintani with ipe bc with the valves open it was super exotic and just sounded phenomenal.

Overall I agree I would go MPE in this case.

[aussiem3]

I have the MPE and it has been over three years and no quality issues whatsoever. Loved the exhaust note and it's unique.

Recently mated it with ACM test pipes and BPM Stage II and it has put an even bigger smile such that there are not enough tissues to wipe it off

[W///]

I had ACM mod and absolutely loved it. It's such a great sounding exhaust and for $300 I paid, not bad at all.

IMHO, you should decide on this. If you plan on going catless, I'd go MPE. If you are absolutely sure you are doing muffler only, go ACM and pocket the cash.

[dparm]

Not planning to go catless/test pipes/aftermarket x-pipe. Just want a bit more sound and that's it. The car is my DD and I don't want it to be very loud. That was why the MPE was intriguing: basically an aftermarket OEM exhaust.

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by dparm

Not planning to go catless/test pipes/aftermarket x-pipe. Just want a bit more sound and that's it. The car is my DD and I don't want it to be very loud. That was why the MPE was intriguing: basically an aftermarket OEM exhaust.

I see you dilemma. Why not try to find an Akra slip on used? They go for something like $2,500. Your M3 is a great looking car. Except the back end with the stock exhaust...yuck. The Akra gets rid of that stock exhaust "bulge" that hangs down creates such an eyesore from the back view. The Akra opens up the middle and shows off that sexy LSD. lol. Plus it's titanium and you lose a bit of weight as well.

The akra slip makes any x-pipe sound good. It's muffles out bad tones. So if you want to change your stock x...or even just do test pipes later, there is no need to change the Akra later.

Good luck with your search.

[gatorfast]

If you are conflicted I would go with the ACM. If you ever change your mind at least it won't be an expensive mistake. However, you will likely enjoy the MPE for a while but then wish you got something a little louder.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

I see you dilemma. Why not try to find an Akra slip on used? They go for something like $2,500. Your M3 is a great looking car. Except the back end with the stock exhaust...yuck. The Akra gets rid of that stock exhaust "bulge" that hangs down creates such an eyesore from the back view. The Akra opens up the middle and shows off that sexy LSD. lol. Plus it's titanium and you lose a bit of weight as well.

Actually the guy with the MPE already sprayed it flat-black. Much less visible.

But yes, I did see a used E90 Akra slip-on in the classifieds. Still more expensive than the MPE though.

[FogCityM3]

Probably depends on how you drive and what aspects of the sound you enjoy. If you drive with the windows down alot, you might really appreciate the unique MPE sound. If you drive with the windows up, the sound will be a lot more muffled and probably not worth the price. You can always do the ACM mod first and wait a year and MPE's will probably be $300 lower, especially as more ppl part out to buy the new M3/4.

Personally, I have the MPE and get quite a few random compliments on the sound. I have my full cats (I don't want to remove them) I love the induction noise of the engine (in fact I got a CF plenum to further enhance the sound) and I think the MPE compliments the induction sound perfectly. Yeah the cans hang down a little (but is better than stock) I LOVE the ///M tips, plus you save 20 lbs. I would say the MPE was my favorite mod even though it actually adds basically no additional power.

[rjd598]

If you have the cash it sounds like mpe is for you. I think acm would be too loud for you

[dparm]

Originally Posted by FogCityM3

Probably depends on how you drive and what aspects of the sound you enjoy. If you drive with the windows down alot, you might really appreciate the unique MPE sound. If you drive with the windows up, the sound will be a lot more muffled and probably not worth the price. You can always do the ACM mod first and wait a year and MPE's will probably be $300 lower, especially as more ppl part out to buy the new M3/4.

Personally, I have the MPE and get quite a few random compliments on the sound. I have my full cats (I don't want to remove them) I love the induction noise of the engine (in fact I got a CF plenum to further enhance the sound) and I think the MPE compliments the induction sound perfectly. Yeah the cans hang down a little (but is better than stock) I LOVE the ///M tips, plus you save 20 lbs. I would say the MPE was my favorite mod even though it actually adds basically no additional power.

Other than during the winter time, my windows are down as much as possible. I love hearing the engine. It hurts me to have the windows up 24/7 between Nov 1 and mid-March.

You are right though. When I rode along in the MPE-equipped car, it was barely noticeable with the windows up. That's why I was struggling to justify spending that kind of money.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by dparm

Other than during the winter time, my windows are down as much as possible. I love hearing the engine. It hurts me to have the windows up 24/7 between Nov 1 and mid-March.

You are right though. When I rode along in the MPE-equipped car, it was barely noticeable with the windows up. That's why I was struggling to justify spending that kind of money.

When ACM is too loud , than you could go with the 2 perf. Oem. exhaust mod. sounds just perfect, i had a lot of PM's of this Mod.and helped about 10-15 members on this forum !
For further questions feel free to shoot PM ,so here pics,diy,and sound of my Oem. exhaust mod .>http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=733817

[Hujan]

Planning to get an MPE installed later this week, but will be parting with the test pipes when I do. I'm actually surprised to see so many of you pairing test pipes with the MPE as my impression is that it gets crazy raspy when you delete the primary cats.

The only downside with the ACM relative to the MPE is that you lose your stock exhaust if you ever want to/need to switch back, whereas the MPE you can sell. The older I get, the more unwilling I am to irrevocably and materially alter the stock parts. It's just a PITA to get them put back the way they were. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't have done test pipes; I would have simply gone with a standalone x-pipe like the Challenge Sport.

Also, as I get older, I am starting to appreciate a quiet car. This is especially true in an M3 which has such a gorgeous sound from the engine. The "loudest" I got and would ever go is the Akra Evo, and I have slowly but surely gravitated back to a near-stock exhaust (Evo -> Slip-on with test pipes -> stock muffler with test pipes -> stock x-pipe with MPE).

I firmly believe the reason the exhaust is so quiet from the factory is so that it does not compete with the induction noise.

[dagolfpro]

I have the OEM mod done right after My 1200 mile service and thought that I would upgrade to something else later. Two years later, I'm still happy with it and never changed. OP, I would start with OEM mod and go from there. If you change your mind later, you can always sell it.

[Wolfinwolfsclothing]

Originally Posted by Hujan

Planning to get an MPE installed later this week, but will be parting with the test pipes when I do. I'm actually surprised to see so many of you pairing test pipes with the MPE as my impression is that it gets crazy raspy when you delete the primary cats.

The only downside with the ACM relative to the MPE is that you lose your stock exhaust if you ever want to/need to switch back, whereas the MPE you can sell. The older I get, the more unwilling I am to irrevocably and materially alter the stock parts. It's just a PITA to get them put back the way they were. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't have done test pipes; I would have simply gone with a standalone x-pipe like the Challenge Sport.

Also, as I get older, I am starting to appreciate a quiet car. This is especially true in an M3 which has such a gorgeous sound from the engine. The "loudest" I got and would ever go is the Akra Evo, and I have slowly but surely gravitated back to a near-stock exhaust (Evo -> Slip-on with test pipes -> stock muffler with test pipes -> stock x-pipe with MPE).

I firmly believe the reason the exhaust is so quiet from the factory is so that it does not compete with the induction noise.

The clips I've heard of the mpe and test pipes sound exotic and not too raspy.

Also I'm not hacking up my stock pipe I'm getting one already done so I can later revert back easily.

I tend to agree though, I like having quiet at times but also need times where the car is much more pronounced.