OEM M Performance Exhaust - Worth it?

[Zap]

I've watched some of the videos, but have also heard the M Performance Exhaust doesn't sound as good on recording as in person.

I'd be curious for anyone that has installed one if they found it to be a worthwhile modification. Does it provide any noteworthy performance gain?

Also, are there any good deals on them at the moment? Lowest I've found is $2179 on BMW Parts Now or $2194 on GetBMWParts. Any opinions on the vendors?

I presume they should be shipping the current revision of the design at this point. I love the way the car sounds now, but it is somewhat subtle with the OEM setup, especially when compared to our 340 MPPSK.

Thanks for any insight you might have!

[SkiFly01]

Some are willing to pay for it cause they love it, it's very subjective. You can find them used for around half that cost or lower depending if it's v1 or v2.

[UPSROD]

Most of the videos are with out the cats! $2200.00 is a good deal, mine was $4067.00 in 2013!

[shimmy23]

I have one and love ut

[Nisfro98]

I have one. It has a deep rumble but it's not loud at all. Sounds really good at idle. I'm not in love with it though. I want to replace it with a valved setup. When i do I'll be posting my fs.

[drrust]

I have a V1 that has been repaired. I like the sound, it's not obnoxious. Others claim it is too quiet.

Also check the classified section, there are usually some in there. The M Performance exhaust has removable connecting pipes so they can be shipped without too much issue.

[JackieChiles]

Have one and love it.

The m3 has a unique hollow sound to it naturally that the mpe accentuated

I think it fits the car perfectly

[SAMM3Y]

I mean Factory Inconel.. that's super/hyper car and aerospace stuff, pretty neat and hard to beat, especially at today's price!!

[pbonsalb]

$2200 for a more powerful sound. If that is worth it to you, go for it. There are lots of exhausts you can buy for $2200. You could actually make your car faster and more powerful for $2200.

[Nisfro98]

Originally Posted by JackieChiles

Have one and love it.

The m3 has a unique hollow sound to it naturally that the mpe accentuated

I think it fits the car perfectly

Did you get back into another e92?

[JackieChiles]

Originally Posted by Nisfro98

Did you get back into another e92?

I did, picked up a Mc e92

Love these cars for the money

My MR was my favorite though, still miss that thing

[DukeofAlexandria]

Depends on what you are looking for and is purely subjective. I think the M Performance exhaust sounds not loud at all for just axle back and while my car came with it on, it really wasn't that loud.

Also, the price is nearly double what some other axle backs are on the market. But again in this section it's purely subjective because some of those are just loud as hell, and that's not entirely what the M exhaust is about.

It's your money, and plenty of videos showcasing different exhausts from different manufacturers, good luck.

-Duke

*Edit* - You will get NO performance gains on just the axle back setup - you'll need either test pipes or HFC pipes and a tune.

[Nisfro98]

Originally Posted by JackieChiles

I did, picked up a Mc e92

Love these cars for the money

My MR was my favorite though, still miss that thing

It's in good hands but it did get a good thrashin last month at the tail of the dragon. Love this car.

[dozaiya]

i have not heard anything that can replicate the MPE sound, it's so unique and exotic
but also i cannot hear much inside the cabin, so you pay a high price for it so that the pedestrians can enjoy it lol

[imserious]

After owning the M3 for many years now I think manual + MPE are must haves to maximize enjoyment of this car and the amazing s65.

Others want loud and the MPE is not that. But it is exotic, hollow sounding and bespoke to this generation M3.

[Zap]

Thanks for all the feedback - I decided to take the plunge and now I just have to wait for the weather to improve to install the new exhaust!

[Colinv6]

Good choice. I’ve got one (version 3) and I love that exotic hollow tone. 3-4K revs in town is amazing.

Pairing it up with the Eventuri intake and plenum.

[L4ces]

Chiming in:
Switched from a louder exhaust in search of a different experience.
Regretted the move for the entire year that I switched to the MPE.
Every drive was in search for that 'ah-this-is-what-it-is-about' sound. Got tired of telling myself it sounds good 'but...'.
I found the good stuff way above 45000+ rpm.

Although others have chimed that 'it sounds good a 4something and above', I learned to drive this 6MT in the highest of RPM ranges with the utmost in
smoothness instead of my typical moments of race-to-redline and
yikes-shift-now style of driving. Being able to drive smoothly above 6K where downshifts land above 5K and much higher is where I hear and feel the inhales
and exhales of air and where I now appreciate the MPE. And important was being able to that without excessive speed on the streets and twisties;
no need to be speeding 75-90 in a 55-65MPH zone.

1. The MPE comes alive in the cabin and I and hear all the textures
2. I look forward to driving again instead of anticipating dissapointment with the volume.
2. It doesn't sound like I am barrelling down the road with disregard steadily increasing speed.
3. I don't feel it is so loud that I attract Officers from blocks away; but loud enough for me to enjoy when driving that way.
4. I don't care as much about how it sounds from the outside because it sounds good from the inside to me.

I admire my buddies DINAN/Gintani catless combo and I have to remember if I was ringing that out, the world would know and that for me would not be good.


Finally, the best experience with the MPE was an extremely cold morning where it sounded extremely loud and constant on with no-drone. I suspect it was the freezing cold causing
the icconel to reverberate insanely. That was a holy grail moment witnessed once.