Just got the RPI exhausts - gees these are loud!!

alexman

Member
Gees - this is veeeery loud. I'm not sure yet if I like it. Whereas before as stock it sounded like the "whooosh" of a jet engine, its now just much noiser at lower octables rather than being raspier/noiser at higher revs - meaning lots of drone around 2000-3000 rpm. Also sounds much better outside than it does inside. Inside it sounds a little too close to a chavmobile!!

Maybe it just needs to "grow" on me a bit.

Anything I can do to muffle the sound a "little" inside? - anyone tried blanket in the boot etc with any luck?
 
Yeah, they are loud! Although they will bed in. From what I understand after market systems go through this... mine, while a different setup, took around 1000 miles to coke up and bed in properly. The sound is still changing after another 500-600 miles. The drone that you're getting should fade over time as well.

ga41 has the RPI setup - http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=15265&p=227789&#p227789
 
Aliv6 said:
sammyz said:
They tend to quieten down with age, if they are new, if not then ear plugs may help :)

Oh really?? I thought it was the other way around!?


Well, good point. I think they quieten down 500 miles or so after fitting then as they get older in years start to get noisier if the internals of the silencer start to decay.
Certainly my system is quieter now than when fitted (Longlife straight through system)and it's been on the car over two years now. Or maybe I'm just getting more deaf :)
 
sammyz said:
Aliv6 said:
sammyz said:
They tend to quieten down with age, if they are new, if not then ear plugs may help :)

Oh really?? I thought it was the other way around!?


Well, good point. I think they quieten down 500 miles or so after fitting then as they get older in years start to get noisier if the internals of the silencer start to decay.
Certainly my system is quieter now than when fitted (Longlife straight through system)and it's been on the car over two years now. Or maybe I'm just getting more deaf :)

+1

On an Eisenmann system (non-M but I am sure the principal applies). Starts loud / boomy and then settles down - especially the in cabin noise. After that I guess the volume has increased a little, but you get a great sense of the engine / cylinders working rather than any sense of drone. Quite simply it's magnificent :D
(would love to hear first hand the same on an M!)
 
Well it doesnt quiet down per se. It mellows out a bit. Softens a bit if you will. It's still loud as f**k a few thousand miles in but not that rough and blary as it was in the beginning. Drone does NOT go away although it might have softened up a bit too.

There's a guy on Zpost that used noise insulating material to great success to reduce motorway drone. http://www.zpost.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5927531&postcount=224 I thought of doing something similar for mine but i've gotten used to the exhaust now. If i come across some noise insulating slabs cheap i might do it just out of curiosity though.

One thing i do agree with the OP is that it sounds far better from the outside than the inside. Especially at high revs. The sound bouncing off cliff walls when gunning it does sound heavenly though. Very exotic.

One of these days i'll make a proper video but here's a small teaser i shot a couple of months ago http://zedders.ning.com/video/test-vid
 
sammyz said:
They tend to quieten down with age, if they are new, if not then ear plugs may help :)

With every aftermarket exhaust ive had, they get louder! :o Hope not for the OP's sake!
 
Would the people who have bought this exhaust PLEASE stop saying it makes the car sound "exotic". Truthfully, this exhaust makes the S54 sound like every other BMW inline 6 in history, like crap. It does not sound exotic, it sounds raspy as all hell and it's like a heinous lawnmower has been unleashed down the street. The exhaust looks great, but it sounds awful. Stock exhaust is 100x better, no rasp.
 
NickC. said:
Would the people who have bought this exhaust PLEASE stop saying it makes the car sound "exotic". Truthfully, this exhaust makes the S54 sound like every other BMW inline 6 in history, like crap. It does not sound exotic, it sounds raspy as all hell and it's like a heinous lawnmower has been unleashed down the street. The exhaust looks great, but it sounds awful. Stock exhaust is 100x better, no rasp.

Easy there mate. For starters it does not sound raspy at all and yes i do think it sounds more exotic. Frankly i dont care whether you believe me or not.
 
NickC. said:
Would the people who have bought this exhaust PLEASE stop saying it makes the car sound "exotic". Truthfully, this exhaust makes the S54 sound like every other BMW inline 6 in history, like crap. It does not sound exotic, it sounds raspy as all hell and it's like a heinous lawnmower has been unleashed down the street. The exhaust looks great, but it sounds awful. Stock exhaust is 100x better, no rasp.


Just get off the fence dude :P
 
Dictionary definition for EXOTIC :-of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized:

well the exhaust is from the US of A so it's foreign in origin, not native to the UK (or Cyprus) it was introduced from abroad and it's certainly not naturalised so NickC :thumbsdown:
 
sammyz said:
Dictionary definition for EXOTIC :-of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized:

well the exhaust is from the US of A so it's foreign in origin, not native to the UK (or Cyprus) it was introduced from abroad and it's certainly not naturalised so NickC :thumbsdown:

Errr. Where were all Z4M's built :roll: Last time I checked the map Spartanburg was still in the US of A so in this instance you are wrong.
 
alexman said:
Gees - this is veeeery loud. I'm not sure yet if I like it. Whereas before as stock it sounded like the "whooosh" of a jet engine, its now just much noiser at lower octables rather than being raspier/noiser at higher revs - meaning lots of drone around 2000-3000 rpm. Also sounds much better outside than it does inside. Inside it sounds a little too close to a chavmobile!!

Maybe it just needs to "grow" on me a bit.

Anything I can do to muffle the sound a "little" inside? - anyone tried blanket in the boot etc with any luck?


So you've got 'noise' but what about any performance increases?
 
AlanJ said:
alexman said:
Gees - this is veeeery loud. I'm not sure yet if I like it. Whereas before as stock it sounded like the "whooosh" of a jet engine, its now just much noiser at lower octables rather than being raspier/noiser at higher revs - meaning lots of drone around 2000-3000 rpm. Also sounds much better outside than it does inside. Inside it sounds a little too close to a chavmobile!!

Maybe it just needs to "grow" on me a bit.

Anything I can do to muffle the sound a "little" inside? - anyone tried blanket in the boot etc with any luck?


So you've got 'noise' but what about any performance increases?

RPi claims 7-8hp but personally i havent noticed any difference. It seems to breathe a little easier at high revs and feel peppier but i'm almost certain that's a placebo effect. The most important thing here is that it does not lose power. Gains are minimal if at all, but at least you dont lose anything. Maybe alexman has a more accurate derriere dyno and can provide additional input on this. :)
 
I think I agree with NickC but I wouldn't have put it quite as vociferously as he did !

I don't think so far I've heard an aftermarket exhaust on the Z4M's that enhances the sound over stock. But that is purely my opinion and that is the important point to make. They all sound a bit Vauxhall Corsa on a town centre cruise if you ask me. However I've not heard them up close and only on youtube clips so perhaps they sound better live rather than on video.

That said I do think the exhaust on this M5 sounds awesome but others may disagree....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRYYe0kLCto

Or this one which sounds a bit tasty but somehow I don't think this would pass the MOT (1:15 in - it's enough to make you dash for the tissues) :rofl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89U2RO5UJa0
 
moonigan said:
sammyz said:
Dictionary definition for EXOTIC :-of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized:

well the exhaust is from the US of A so it's foreign in origin, not native to the UK (or Cyprus) it was introduced from abroad and it's certainly not naturalised so NickC :thumbsdown:

Errr. Where were all Z4M's built :roll: Last time I checked the map Spartanburg was still in the US of A so in this instance you are wrong.


Wrong about what??? Who mentioned where Z4Ms were built? You got a degree in stating the obvious?
 
sammyz said:
moonigan said:
sammyz said:
Dictionary definition for EXOTIC :-of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized:

well the exhaust is from the US of A so it's foreign in origin, not native to the UK (or Cyprus) it was introduced from abroad and it's certainly not naturalised so NickC :thumbsdown:

Errr. Where were all Z4M's built :roll: Last time I checked the map Spartanburg was still in the US of A so in this instance you are wrong.


Wrong about what??? Who mentioned where Z4Ms were built? You got a degree in stating the obvious?

After reading what I posted I concur I was talking absolute bollocks. I think I must have been a little worse for wear from drink. :P
 
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