VRSF Test Pipes Review

[Hoosier_M3]

The focus of the review is my impressions on VRSFs new test pipes for the E9x M3, but touches on several other topics (The Winning Formula and my ACM style muffler mod). I would like to keep this thread focused on test pipes, so if you have any questions about those feel free to shoot me a PM. With that out of the way, here are my thoughts on the VRSF and their test pipes.

Customer Service & Ordering

I was shopping for test pipes and found these on the VRSF website for an extremely attractive price ($299 shipped vs. ~$400 elsewhere) and decided shoot Tiago@VRSF a PM with a few questions. Tiago got back to me very quickly, we exchanged several messages over the weekend, he sent me a invoice Sunday night and I placed the order Monday morning. Immediately after I (somewhat impulsively) booked an appointment to have them installed Friday morning without thinking through ship times. I sent Tiago a message offering to pay for expedited shipping to ensure they would arrive on time and he responded back with a tracking number that confirming they would arrive Thursday afternoon.

I could not be happier with customer service and ordering process.

Build Quality

Test pipes are test pipes, they are pretty hard to mess up and VRSF did not mess them up. The welds looked great and there were no visible defects. My shop was surprised to hear these were $100 less than their competitors.


Test pipes, in box


VRSF Supplied Clamps

Installation

I took my car to The Winning Formula in Louisville, KY to get these installed. I consistently make a ~4 hour round trip for Aaron and his team to work on my car and cannot say enough good things about them. They built this supercharged E92 M3 for my friend (he sold it, thread is by the next owner), set up his E46 M3 track car and have built some proper race cars (see the Miata below). If you are in the area I highly suggest checking them out.

The VRSF test pipes do not slip into or over the existing pipes but match up perfectly with the end of the cut OEM exhaust and are sealed with the supplied clamps. The initial install took about 45 minutes with all supplied parts.


Test pipes on car, initial installation


Primary cats on the floor (they're heavy!)

Aaron, who owns the Winning Formula, noticed that the OEM exhaust was attached to a support but with the test pipes that attachment was lost. Scott, the tech working on my car, fabricated a small tab that ran from the test pipes to the bracket. This will reduce vibration and should increase the longevity of the exhaust.


Winning Formula fabricated bracket


Aaron's V8 Miata, the shop builds a lot of very interesting track cars

Performance

Even without a tune my car feels a little faster; there are plenty of threads out there about power gains from deleting primary cats that include actual dyno data (like http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=964661 that will be much more helpful than my opinions.

Sound

When we first started my car I was surprised by how quiet it was; I have the ACM style muffler mod (bypassing the center chamber) and at startup/idle the test pipes had no real impact. I've driven nearly 200 miles on my car since the install and can't tell any difference at startup/idle. When Kevin (one of Aaron's techs) revved my car to help check for exhaust leaks it sounded noticeably louder and seemed to have a bit of rasp, see below:


Before test pipes https://vimeo.com/267045612


After test pipes https://vimeo.com/267046176

My drive back from Louisville was a pretty good test of the exhaust. The first few miles down Bardstown Road were stop and go traffic (this is BEYOND excruciating with a new exhaust) and it was very easy to keep the exhaust quiet in this environment. Keeping RPM low and not getting on the throttle it did not sound appreciably louder than before the test pipes were installed. Getting on throttle a bit pulling away from lights or downshifts over 3k rpm were significantly louder and turned a lot of heads. Below are couple clips of normal driving:


Before test pipes https://vimeo.com/267045698


After test pipes https://vimeo.com/267046221

Drone and overall volume are very subjective, so please take my opinion for what it is; I do not think this setup drones badly. There is some boomy resonance at and a little below 2k rpm but otherwise this is drone free. My highway cruising speed had me well over 2k rpm and the exhaust was hardly noticeable (road and wind noise were louder).

The last section of the drive was on a twisty back road and I got to drive a bit more aggressively. This exhaust is very loud at higher rpm and does has some rasp, it gets raspy around 3750 rpm and the rasp fades away as rpms keep climbing. With just the ACM muffler mod I could hear the exhaust very well at lower rpm but it was overpowered by the motor at the top end. Now I can still hear motor but the exhaust is the dominant factor. I have yet to hear my car at full throttle from the outside and will post my thoughts once I do. I am thrilled with how it sounds from the inside. Here are two clips of more aggressive driving:


Before test pipes https://vimeo.com/267045812


After test pipes https://vimeo.com/267046269

I did not expect cold start be very loud because normal startup and idle were relatively quiet, but I was entirely wrong; it is extraordinarily loud. I am glad that I'll be moving in a week and won't need to deal with any complaints from neighbors:


Before test pipes, sorry the camera fell over https://vimeo.com/267045841


After test pipes https://vimeo.com/267046139


Conclusion

I am very happy with this entire experience; VRSF has the best price on the market, excellent customer service and rapid (free!) shipping. The installation was very smooth my car is a little faster and lot louder when I want to be. Earlier today I downshifted at higher rpm under an underpass and a girl covered her ears and ducked for cover

I have not embedded Vimeo links before and am not sure if I did it correctly, so there are normal links included next to everything. I will film more exhaust clips this week, so let me know if you want anything specific.

[303e90]

Thanks for taking the time to write this up! I'd been on the fence but believe this has convinced me.

[Hoosier_M3]

I'm moving out west in June and am planning on doing an exploratory road trip before I start work, so let me know if you want to hear the setup in person!

[Honda]

How thick are the test pipes? Do you know what material (steel or..etc) is it build from?

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Honda

How thick are the test pipes? Do you know what material (steel or..etc) is it build from?

Made from 304 stainless steel…. not sure about thickness (they seemed thick enough) but Tiago@VRSF can clarify that one.

[Shrike360]

I'm quite distracted by your shoes...

But in all seriousness, would probably be a good time to get a tune. Cold start delete should help to not piss off any neighbors.

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Shrike360

I'm quite distracted by your shoes...

But in all seriousness, would probably be a good time to get a tune. Cold start delete should help to not piss off any neighbors.

Those were the more mild pair! You should've seen what I wore to the gym that morning…

[Iyzmi]

Great review! I just got test pipes installed last week and also have the ACM mod rear section. I agree with all of your impressions. This setup gets a lot of hate for being too loud and unrefined but I personally love it. I find myself revving up to 3.7-4k more often now just to hear that beautiful rasp that people complain about. I had cold start deleted the day after the test pipes went on, it's just too insane otherwise. If I didn't have neighbors to worry about I'd keep it though.

One quick note: VRSF does not make the cheapest test pipes on the market. That honor goes to Rogue Engineering at $249 (closer to $270 with shipping to be fair).

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Great review! I just got test pipes installed last week and also have the ACM mod rear section. I agree with all of your impressions. This setup gets a lot of hate for being too loud and unrefined but I personally love it. I find myself revving up to 3.7-4k more often now just to hear that beautiful rasp that people complain about. I had cold start deleted the day after the test pipes went on, it's just too insane otherwise. If I didn't have neighbors to worry about I'd keep it though.

One quick note: VRSF does not make the cheapest test pipes on the market. That honor goes to Rogue Engineering at $249 (closer to $270 with shipping to be fair).

Thank you! We seem to have the opinion of this setup, I've been upshifting around 4k now just to hear the rasp. With DCT there's usually a wicked crackling (not sure how to describe it) noise on upshifts around 4k that is so satisfying.

Also thank you for letting me now about the Rogue test pipes, I didn't realize how much cheaper their non-resonated version was. It's great to see pricing getting better on these parts!

[L4ces]

I am not surprised that the rasp with said combo sounds good inside the cabin. Outside the cabin is also of interest, so yes, let someone step on it for you and report back.

Thanks for sharing!

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by L4ces

I am not surprised that the rasp with said combo sounds good inside the cabin. Outside the cabin is also of interest, so yes, let someone step on it for you and report back.

Thanks for sharing!

Windows down and sunroof open is close enough for me.

[94jedi]

Call me crazy but that ACM+test pipe setup sounds sooooo good to me...Maybe even better than my Akra evo exhaust! I just love the S65 wail and although the Akra is super refined, I'm not sure it does the S65 justice. (luckily, it came installed on the car when I bought it)

[L4ces]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

Windows down and sunroof open is close enough for me.

Interesting.
My old AA catback sounded good on the outside, but the inside wasn't as expressive but still good sounding. I was thinking the less bassier-higher pitched exhausts would tend to sound better from in cabin. That is not to say the experience from the rear is bad. Higher frequency variations are more discernible than deep bass.

[Dlpfcb]

This might be a dumb question so I apologize in advance. But is it possible to put the cats back on for emmisions and pass and the swap back with the clamps. Thanks!

[Route 16]

i thought having o2 spacers were needed on the pre-cat spot than the post-cat spot?

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Route 16

i thought having o2 spacers were needed on the pre-cat spot than the post-cat spot?

The pre-cat (primary) O2 sensors are not impacted by installing test pipes and are actually integral to how the car runs. Putting spacers on them will create all sorts of problems, I believe there's a thread from a guy that did this and it put his car into the limp mode.

The idea behind putting spacers on the post-cat (secondary) O2 sensors is that they will decrease airflow to these sensors by the same amount it is increased by cat deletes or high flow cats and prevent a CEL. It is my understanding that the secondary O2s are not responsible for anything other than verifying the cats are working properly, but someone with a bit more knowledge on the topic should probably clarify this.

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Dlpfcb

This might be a dumb question so I apologize in advance. But is it possible to put the cats back on for emmisions and pass and the swap back with the clamps. Thanks!

Not a dumb question at all! I looked into this quite extensively before getting these installed and there seem to be two ways to go about it:

1. Clamps: You can swap your cats on and off with the clamps, but keep in mind they will eventually wear out, start to leak, and need to be replaced
2. V-Bands: If you intend on swapping annually for inspections this is likely the easiest option. You can have a good shop weld v-bands to primary cats, test pipes and OEM x-pipe so you can easily swap.

Bear in mind that neither method will prevent the CEL while test pipes are on, so you still need to figure out.

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_M3

Not a dumb question at all! I looked into this quite extensively before getting these installed and there seem to be two ways to go about it:

1. Clamps: You can swap your cats on and off with the clamps, but keep in mind they will eventually wear out, start to leak, and need to be replaced
2. V-Bands: If you intend on swapping annually for inspections this is likely the easiest option. You can have a good shop weld v-bands to primary cats, test pipes and OEM x-pipe so you can easily swap.

Bear in mind that neither method will prevent the CEL while test pipes are on, so you still need to figure out.

I don't think option 1 would work because there isn't enough room left on the cat to properly install the clamp.

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by Iyzmi

I don't think option 1 would work because there isn't enough room left on the cat to properly install the clamp.

I've heard mixed opinions on this, I don't think it is a good idea but it could probably work for long enough to set readiness and pass emissions.

[b4hand]

Thanks for the review and videos! I am so tempted to do this and I have literally the same setup as you, as far as exhaust.

[Hoosier_M3]

Originally Posted by b4hand

Thanks for the review and videos! I am so tempted to do this and I have literally the same setup as you, as far as exhaust.

Do it! I was on the fence for a while and am so glad I did this.

[Recon3D]

Hey, just curious how did you get the clamps to tighten so hard? I guess I dont know how hard I can clamp them cause I got an exhaust leak :/