Ebay Exhaust!

[MACK]

Well I fitted this a few days after I got my hands on it and it was just a tad too loud for my liking. However that said, I'm the guy that put both foams back in the sound generator!
The car does sound good though from the outside on a drive by, very good in fact. I took it down to an industrial estate I know with a mate. The estate has some long quick stretches so ideal for car testing etc. On a drive by it sounds great, like a proper sports car should, not a humdrum saloon like it sounds as standard. It was just a little too loud for me inside, could be my age I guess! I did do a few sound clips but I wont post them as like most they dont give an accurate representation of the real thing. Even when listened too through a decent quality surround sound system. In fact the clip of one already linked/posted on this thread is a better real life representation than the ones i managed.

I thought I would give it a week or so to see if I got used to it, but I ended up taking it off. The car sounds really crap now without it and am probably going to go down the back box route in the very near future, wont be a DLV though that's for sure!
Its actually a real shame its too loud for me as it did liven up the throttle response,which is no surprise really as you're removing a lot of the restrictions in the standard system. Plus the standard M54 throttle response is quite sluggish in my opinion so this was most welcome.

I can confirm (as previously stated) that its a Direnza system which the Mini folks rave about and its well put together/good quality. Certainly if its not too loud for you its a great product and amazing value as the asking price is what some people are paying for just a back box delete.

[MACK]

Mine's still sat in my cupboard. Had it months now

Do you want to sell it....

I'm selling mine!

[EdSW]

Well I fitted this a few days after I got my hands on it and it was just a tad too loud for my liking. However that said, I'm the guy that put both foams back in the sound generator!
The car does sound good though from the outside on a drive by, very good in fact. I took it down to an industrial estate I know with a mate. The estate has some long quick stretches so ideal for car testing etc. On a drive by it sounds great, like a proper sports car should, not a humdrum saloon like it sounds as standard. It was just a little too loud for me inside, could be my age I guess! I did do a few sound clips but I wont post them as like most they dont give an accurate representation of the real thing. Even when listened too through a decent quality surround sound system. In fact the clip of one already linked/posted on this thread is a better real life representation than the ones i managed.

I thought I would give it a week or so to see if I got used to it, but I ended up taking it off. The car sounds really crap now without it and am probably going to go down the back box route in the very near future, wont be a DLV though that's for sure!
Its actually a real shame its too loud for me as it did liven up the throttle response,which is no surprise really as you're removing a lot of the restrictions in the standard system. Plus the standard M54 throttle response is quite sluggish in my opinion so this was most welcome.

I can confirm (as previously stated) that its a Direnza system which the Mini folks rave about and its well put together/good quality. Certainly if its not too loud for you its a great product and amazing value as the asking price is what some people are paying for just a back box delete.

Cheers for the update MACK. It's a shame it's not quite right for you! Was it easy to fit though and were adjustments needed?

I'd be happy to buy off you when I've got the spare funds, which is likely going to be towards the end of April so if it goes before then, then no worries.

[road warrior]

come on , where are the bleedin video's ??

[JamieZ4C]

come on , where are the bleedin video's ??

We were all thinking it!

Would this system fit a N52/3.0si? Or is it M54 only?

[road warrior]

here is mine - this is 2.5 dlv modified box which has the same diameter pipes as a 3.0 but different fittings so was a bit of a faf
anyway.

https://youtu.be/qoWPFW1ZzaQ

[road warrior]

it seems there are a few slightly different back boxes on different versions of the zed, and they all make a difference to the end sound. most have heard one or two dlv boxes, and each sounds slightly differant. What has not been discussed is the engine characteristics itself. it seems the 2.5 si might be droney engine, and its likely its well muffled to tone it down, stick an unbaffled box on and it goes mental as mentioned here by noiseboy who i got it from. - put the same box on my old school 3.0 and it sounds loverly.. im happy to report .

[MACK]

Well I fitted this a few days after I got my hands on it and it was just a tad too loud for my liking. However that said, I'm the guy that put both foams back in the sound generator!
The car does sound good though from the outside on a drive by, very good in fact. I took it down to an industrial estate I know with a mate. The estate has some long quick stretches so ideal for car testing etc. On a drive by it sounds great, like a proper sports car should, not a humdrum saloon like it sounds as standard. It was just a little too loud for me inside, could be my age I guess! I did do a few sound clips but I wont post them as like most they dont give an accurate representation of the real thing. Even when listened too through a decent quality surround sound system. In fact the clip of one already linked/posted on this thread is a better real life representation than the ones i managed.

I thought I would give it a week or so to see if I got used to it, but I ended up taking it off. The car sounds really crap now without it and am probably going to go down the back box route in the very near future, wont be a DLV though that's for sure!
Its actually a real shame its too loud for me as it did liven up the throttle response,which is no surprise really as you're removing a lot of the restrictions in the standard system. Plus the standard M54 throttle response is quite sluggish in my opinion so this was most welcome.

I can confirm (as previously stated) that its a Direnza system which the Mini folks rave about and its well put together/good quality. Certainly if its not too loud for you its a great product and amazing value as the asking price is what some people are paying for just a back box delete.

Cheers for the update MACK. It's a shame it's not quite right for you! Was it easy to fit though and were adjustments needed?

I'd be happy to buy off you when I've got the spare funds, which is likely going to be towards the end of April so if it goes before then, then no worries.

It was surprising easy to fit, in term of the product the fit and quality and really good, especially considering the price. The only issue I had was the good old rusty front studs where the manifold/front cats meet the exhaust. They took a bit of time/heat etc to remove. its really a garage job in that respect, I wouldn't of wanted to have been doing that at home! it was done at a mates garage.
The exhaust itself bolted straight on.

[MACK]

come on , where are the bleedin video's ??

We were all thinking it!

Would this system fit a N52/3.0si? Or is it M54 only?

That I'm not sure. All I can say for certain is it fits the 3.0 M54 a treat!
The ebay seller does list it for the later Si cars but i'm not sure it fits them so have just listed it for the 2.2/2.5/3.0 M54 in my ebay Ad. that remainds me need to but it is the for sale section on here too!
IIRC the later Si cars have a different stud arrangement on the manifold/front cats. Actually thinking about didn't some have this issue earlier in the thread and had to have the front pipes adjusted to fit. Easy enough for a garage or someone good at welding stainless steel.

[JamieZ4C]

here is mine - this is 2.5 dlv modified box which has the same diameter pipes as a 3.0 but different fittings so was a bit of a faf
anyway.

https://youtu.be/qoWPFW1ZzaQ

Sounds nice . Need to hear it on the go to really appreciate the sound, but we don't all have a fancy camera/mic that sticks on the back bumper do we?! (I wouldn't even know where to start, although I'm feeling all inspired by 'It's Joel' to give it a bash )

Just playing with the idea of a new exhaust at the mo, so will try to get to some meets this year to hear what exhausts other members have with my 'own ears' so to speak.

[road warrior]

i need to sort a meet out i think,

[Haro]

Been nosing on the forum for a while and just thought I’d add my experience.

I was very unsure when I saw the listing, the price put me right off but I eventually bought it whilst under the influence, however the exhaust is indeed excellent quality for the money, unreal tbh. Fitment again is straight forward with zero problems with all gaskets and bolts included.

The noise however is something I think some people may not really understand and should think about. Some people may want and like the idea of a louder exhaust, but then when they get it they don’t because they are used to the standard sound and think its overbearing or “droning”. All straight through exhausts drone/resonate under load, the only thing that can/may alter it is where the boxes are situated or potentially the size, I think it also really depends on whether you have had modified cars in the past as to what you perceive as loud/droning/annoying. The exhaust to me is not too loud, definitely nowhere near the straight pipes I’ve heard and did contemplate at first and compared to say an Impreza or indeed a lot of the hot hatch stuff it's pretty tame. Its deep and grumbles low down but eases off over 3k and crackles/pops on occasion when coasting in gear. The biggest problem I suspect is that with the centre box on the system being more or less bang underneath the seats that could be the problem for some, as just like a sound generator you can hear it inside when you prod the accelerator pedal at lower/under load rpm, but that is the price/fun of noisy exhausts and if you don’t want to hear it then I would have to ask, why do you want one? For me a roadster with the top down should have a sense of theatre which the Z really doesn't have as standard, it gives it a much better soundtrack and was a proper bargain, but that is just in my opinion.

[Sgub]

Hoe much did you guys pay for this? The ebay ad appears to be at 35% off, however not sure if that was always the case. Now @259.99 + £5.95 postage.

[Rakey78]

Been nosing on the forum for a while and just thought I’d add my experience.

I was very unsure when I saw the listing, the price put me right off but I eventually bought it whilst under the influence, however the exhaust is indeed excellent quality for the money, unreal tbh. Fitment again is straight forward with zero problems with all gaskets and bolts included.

The noise however is something I think some people may not really understand and should think about. Some people may want and like the idea of a louder exhaust, but then when they get it they don’t because they are used to the standard sound and think its overbearing or “droning”. All straight through exhausts drone/resonate under load, the only thing that can/may alter it is where the boxes are situated or potentially the size, I think it also really depends on whether you have had modified cars in the past as to what you perceive as loud/droning/annoying. The exhaust to me is not too loud, definitely nowhere near the straight pipes I’ve heard and did contemplate at first and compared to say an Impreza or indeed a lot of the hot hatch stuff it's pretty tame. Its deep and grumbles low down but eases off over 3k and crackles/pops on occasion when coasting in gear. The biggest problem I suspect is that with the centre box on the system being more or less bang underneath the seats that could be the problem for some, as just like a sound generator you can hear it inside when you prod the accelerator pedal at lower/under load rpm, but that is the price/fun of noisy exhausts and if you don’t want to hear it then I would have to ask, why do you want one? For me a roadster with the top down should have a sense of theatre which the Z really doesn't have as standard, it gives it a much better soundtrack and was a proper bargain, but that is just in my opinion.

Have you got any videos of it? Interested to get a general overview of its sound

[Haro]

I think it's best if you hear it from inside the car as that's usually the bone of contention, I did a quick recording pulling away and sitting at 30, it sounds roughly the same outside.

https://vocaroo.com/i/s14SDsVi1vOs