A few hours later, I was heading out to hang out with some of my car buddies and all of a sudden on start up the volume of the car was almost twice as loud. I wasn't sure if it was just because I started the car with the window down and was hearing it properly for the first time when it was cold. I drove a couple of miles to the petrol station and once I got to the car park we all meet up at, I was able to listen to the car and rev it, without having to worry about upsetting anyone. This is when I realised something was not right.
I thought I might have had one of the joints in the system come loose, but when I got it back home, dad told me that he thought it might be the baffles in one of the back boxes. As I was driving it home, I did notice some rattling and the overrun was utterly savage. Dad even had the cheek to say that he thought it sounded better the way it now sounds
I am hoping I will be able to get it all sorted out in the next few days, without too big of an bill to either replace the knackered section/backbox. Come the summertime, I might look at possibly having a whole new system fitted to the car. Normally I would look at getting a stainless system installed, but I am a tad warey as my dad's E46 M3 Cab had a stainless system installed and I always found it to be really boomy, especially when doing a cold start. Due to previously having a big fall out with one of my next door neighbours, over how loud my Subaru Impreza P1's exhaust was (it was a Blitz NUR Spec) and that over Christmas and New Years, I had came back home in the middle of the night, waking up a very hung over neighbour, I made sure to avoid having another really loud car, as things we no longer bad between my folks and next door.
Could anyone please recommend me a make and brand of stainless system for my E85, that is going to avoid the above traits (if at all possible). I really love how the OEM system was pretty quiet when doing a cold start and low RPM, yet once I got above the 3000RPM region, it would suddenly come alive and give that oh so eargasmic BMW straight six scream. I would guess a system with a butterfly valve, remotely operated is the most effective way of having the quieter start up and town driving, with it then being opened for when I wanted to go full hoon mode, once away from any built up areas? If I could have this happen without the requirement for a valve, in a stainless system, then as long as it didn't make me sound like an utter chav (It's bad enough I look a dress like one anyway lol), I would go for that system.
I recently discovered that both AC Schnitzer and Hartge did systems for the Z4M. I use to love the AC Schnitzer Stainless system they did on the E36 328i/M3 and a video clip on their website of their Z4M demo car, sounded pretty bloody brilliant, but due to video compression codec, it could sound totally different in person.
Because I am planning on keeping hold of my E85 M for a long time, I am prepared to invest in a high quality system, as I should get plenty of good use out of it.
Thanks in advance for any help, you are able to offer me on this!
