I love my E46 M3, but the sound of the exhaust at high speed could be better. I prefer a deep, throaty sound, but not loud. The sound on the E46 M3s are a bit whiney. I had Remus on my E36 M3 which had a perfect sound. Has anyone done exhaust mods on their E46? I need some advice as to which brand I should choose - Supersprint, Remus, AcSchnitzer, Eisenmann, etc.?
Sport Exhaust on E46 M3s
- Thread starter bachma
- Start date
I tried both the B&B tri-flo and the Supersprint. I kept the Supersprint and sold the B&B, It was too loud for my tastes. Both look great, add a few HP's and save some weight. The Supersprint is only slightly louder than stock. From what I have heard, the UUC rasp pipe is the only option to really transform the unpleasant sound I think you are talking about. I plan on installing one this winter.
Good luck
Good luck
Bachma, this is one of the best sites Ive found when I did my research on SMG. It is also very detailed on exhaust systems. Personally I like Eisenmann the best. Hope this helps. Cheers
http://www.leo.nutz.de/BMW_M3Exhausts.php
http://www.leo.nutz.de/BMW_M3Exhausts.php
Thanks, Toshi. Yeah, I came across this site sometime last week, and it's pretty good. Before changing the exhaust though, I think I'm gonna change the the rasp pipe, which is the culprit to be blamed for the "raspy" exhaust response at high throttle. After I change that, then depending on how it sounds I'll decide whether to change the exhaust. It ain't cheap though... the rasp pipe alone is nearly $1000.![[V]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_disapprove.gif "Disapprove [V]")
Yeah, I see it. 950 to be exact. I personally think the stock M3 sounds pretty good already. For God's sake, its a M3 already. But I have heard an Eisenmann in person on someone's 330ci. It is really sweet. It makes a deep "grrrrrrrawwwwll," yet toned down enough for good taste and not ricy. But.... you gotta have a huge chunk of chaddar laying around to get one. I guess its all how bad you want it.
Tom, you may want to re-evaluate your Eisenmann choice. I have read a few reports questioning the quality of their build.
Here is the latest!
Here is the latest!
Vlad, thanks for posting that. I guess you gotta go with what you like and hope for the best. There's also talk about Remus rusting, however, the one I had on my e36 M3 never did... and I had it for 4 years. Still, I think investing in the UUC rasp pipe will probably solve my short-term needs.
Toshi, funny that you should say the M3 sounds fine. I recently had my fiancee videotape me driving the car, and the muffler did sound fine at high throttle (at least on tape). However, once I heard this guy in an E46 M3 conv take off at high speed while I was on the sidewalk, and it sounded horrible.... and it started me thinking that probably mine sounds so as well. Anyway, I'm still gonna change the rasp pipe.
Toshi, funny that you should say the M3 sounds fine. I recently had my fiancee videotape me driving the car, and the muffler did sound fine at high throttle (at least on tape). However, once I heard this guy in an E46 M3 conv take off at high speed while I was on the sidewalk, and it sounded horrible.... and it started me thinking that probably mine sounds so as well. Anyway, I'm still gonna change the rasp pipe.
![[hatchet]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_hatchet.gif "Hatchet [hatchet]"){kind=icon}
HAHA)Hi Tom, nice to talk with you again. We took a long vacation, then my computer was down while we made the move to Las Vegas. Yes.....I would really appreciate it if you could post the article on the Dinan exhaust. I know there's a lot of mixed feelings about their system due to their design allowing exhaust only through one side. Later,
Joe
Joe
Can the brilliant M3 be made even better?
By Larry Webster
Why would anyone acquire a car that already had been thoroughly modified by one of the best performance-car companies in the world and then modify it again? That's the question we asked Steve Dinan, the well-known American tuner, when he came by our sweatshop and dropped off his latest car, a modified BMW M3 he's dubbed the S2-M3.
Simple, says he: "Folks who want to go fast start with the fastest car they can get and then come to me to make it go even faster." For BMW fans, the quickest model is the $48,195 333-hp M3, a legendary car that's always on our 10Best List. It’s so good that in 1997 we named it the Best-Handling Car, period – money no object.
It’s hard to imagine anyone even trying to improve on the M3, but Dinan says his $17,798 package of engine and suspension mods does indeed do just that. This is not a new experience for us. We had the same doubts last year when he dropped off a reworked M5, but sure enough, we did like it better than the stock car.
Dinan acknowledges the inherent dangers of such ventures and is well aware that in stock trim, the M3’s 333-hp, 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine, for example, is already highly tuned, and there aren’t a lot of inexpensive things he can do to significantly increase horsepower. That’s why the list of new power parts has just three items on it: an airbox, an airflow meter, and a muffler.
The airbox is larger than the stock unit and also has a snorkel that inhales cold air from the area between the top of front grille and the hood. In addition to the less restrictive airflow meter, the package includes the relocation of the intake-air-temperate sensor so it’s closer to the six throttle bodies, a move Dinan says provides the engine computer with more accurate intake-air-temperature readings. The throttle bodies are also bored out for further airflow increases.
The only change to the exhaust system is the muffler. The standard M3 uses a muffler that has two outlets, so from the rear of the car there are two pairs of exhaust pipes sticking out. Dinan’s muffler uses only one larger smoother outlet because he says more air is able to flow out. A dummy pair of exhaust tips retains the stock look.
Finally, Dinan reprograms the M3’s engine computer, which controls a great many engine functions, including the intake- and exhaust-valve timing, spark timing, fuel flow, and throttles. In addition to adapting those engine parameters to the new parts, Dinan increased the rev limit by 200 rpm to 8200 and also removed the top-speed governor. We don’t top-speed-test modified cars, but Dinan says the S2-M3 is good for 189 mph.
All the modifications added a claimed 28 horses to the power bank, an 8.4-percent improvement. That’s not enough for a customer to sense a thrilling boost to power, so as a part of the package, Dinan also puts in a shorter final-drive ratio (3.91:1 versus 3.62:1) to make for sprightlier sprints. It is also interesting to note that thanks to the higher rev limit Dinan’s car clears the 60 mph in second hear, the same as the stock car.
Dinan feels the greater improvement he’s made over the stock M3 is the suspension department. As we do, he thinks the M3 is too stiff, but he goes even further, contending that the handling benefits don’t justify that hard ride. So the S2-M3 package includes new 12-position adjustable shocks and anti-roll bars, stiffer springs, front camber plates, front and rear strut-tower braces, and larger wheels and tires. Dinan claims his car rides about as well – or not – as the stocker but has a lot more grip. Its .96-g skidpad figure is a bunch more than a stock M3’s. We’ve tested three stockers, and the number have ranged from 0.84 to 0.87.
We did not see that much of an improvement during the acceleration tests. The S3-M3 zips to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds, but we’ve tested a stocker that hit 60 in 4.5. Similarly, the S2-M3 cleared the quarter in 13.2 seconds at 107 mph, and that quick stocker did it in 13.1 at 107. It’s worth noting that we’ve also tested an M3 that need 4.8 seconds to reach 60 mph and 13.6 seconds to hit the quarter at 105 mph.
Dinan did, however, improve the handling. There’s a crispness in the S2-M3 that adds a wonderful liveliness to the driving experience. It’s sort of a strange thing, because if you drive and M3, you think it handles pretty well and there aren’t really any faults. But then you drive the Dinan car, and it’s as if someone had turned on the lights.
Especially noticeable was the turn-in response. The S2-M3 rips through turns with an easy controllability and seemingly limitless grip. We don’t tinker with the adjustable shocks (ours were set with the front slightly stiffer than the rear), but Dinan says there’s a large range of adjustability that allows owners to fine-tune the handling for precisely the balance desired. The Dinan car isn’t necessarily faster as the drag strip, but on a racetrack, where the extra grip and handling would come into play, it would leave the stocker for dead.
If you don’t have the cash for the entire S2-M3 packages, all the parts – which are covered by a warranty that matches BMW’s new-car one – are available a la carte at one of the 120 BMW dealers that carry and install Dinan parts.
By Larry Webster
Why would anyone acquire a car that already had been thoroughly modified by one of the best performance-car companies in the world and then modify it again? That's the question we asked Steve Dinan, the well-known American tuner, when he came by our sweatshop and dropped off his latest car, a modified BMW M3 he's dubbed the S2-M3.
Simple, says he: "Folks who want to go fast start with the fastest car they can get and then come to me to make it go even faster." For BMW fans, the quickest model is the $48,195 333-hp M3, a legendary car that's always on our 10Best List. It’s so good that in 1997 we named it the Best-Handling Car, period – money no object.
It’s hard to imagine anyone even trying to improve on the M3, but Dinan says his $17,798 package of engine and suspension mods does indeed do just that. This is not a new experience for us. We had the same doubts last year when he dropped off a reworked M5, but sure enough, we did like it better than the stock car.
Dinan acknowledges the inherent dangers of such ventures and is well aware that in stock trim, the M3’s 333-hp, 3.2-liter six-cylinder engine, for example, is already highly tuned, and there aren’t a lot of inexpensive things he can do to significantly increase horsepower. That’s why the list of new power parts has just three items on it: an airbox, an airflow meter, and a muffler.
The airbox is larger than the stock unit and also has a snorkel that inhales cold air from the area between the top of front grille and the hood. In addition to the less restrictive airflow meter, the package includes the relocation of the intake-air-temperate sensor so it’s closer to the six throttle bodies, a move Dinan says provides the engine computer with more accurate intake-air-temperature readings. The throttle bodies are also bored out for further airflow increases.
The only change to the exhaust system is the muffler. The standard M3 uses a muffler that has two outlets, so from the rear of the car there are two pairs of exhaust pipes sticking out. Dinan’s muffler uses only one larger smoother outlet because he says more air is able to flow out. A dummy pair of exhaust tips retains the stock look.
Finally, Dinan reprograms the M3’s engine computer, which controls a great many engine functions, including the intake- and exhaust-valve timing, spark timing, fuel flow, and throttles. In addition to adapting those engine parameters to the new parts, Dinan increased the rev limit by 200 rpm to 8200 and also removed the top-speed governor. We don’t top-speed-test modified cars, but Dinan says the S2-M3 is good for 189 mph.
All the modifications added a claimed 28 horses to the power bank, an 8.4-percent improvement. That’s not enough for a customer to sense a thrilling boost to power, so as a part of the package, Dinan also puts in a shorter final-drive ratio (3.91:1 versus 3.62:1) to make for sprightlier sprints. It is also interesting to note that thanks to the higher rev limit Dinan’s car clears the 60 mph in second hear, the same as the stock car.
Dinan feels the greater improvement he’s made over the stock M3 is the suspension department. As we do, he thinks the M3 is too stiff, but he goes even further, contending that the handling benefits don’t justify that hard ride. So the S2-M3 package includes new 12-position adjustable shocks and anti-roll bars, stiffer springs, front camber plates, front and rear strut-tower braces, and larger wheels and tires. Dinan claims his car rides about as well – or not – as the stocker but has a lot more grip. Its .96-g skidpad figure is a bunch more than a stock M3’s. We’ve tested three stockers, and the number have ranged from 0.84 to 0.87.
We did not see that much of an improvement during the acceleration tests. The S3-M3 zips to 60 mph in only 4.6 seconds, but we’ve tested a stocker that hit 60 in 4.5. Similarly, the S2-M3 cleared the quarter in 13.2 seconds at 107 mph, and that quick stocker did it in 13.1 at 107. It’s worth noting that we’ve also tested an M3 that need 4.8 seconds to reach 60 mph and 13.6 seconds to hit the quarter at 105 mph.
Dinan did, however, improve the handling. There’s a crispness in the S2-M3 that adds a wonderful liveliness to the driving experience. It’s sort of a strange thing, because if you drive and M3, you think it handles pretty well and there aren’t really any faults. But then you drive the Dinan car, and it’s as if someone had turned on the lights.
Especially noticeable was the turn-in response. The S2-M3 rips through turns with an easy controllability and seemingly limitless grip. We don’t tinker with the adjustable shocks (ours were set with the front slightly stiffer than the rear), but Dinan says there’s a large range of adjustability that allows owners to fine-tune the handling for precisely the balance desired. The Dinan car isn’t necessarily faster as the drag strip, but on a racetrack, where the extra grip and handling would come into play, it would leave the stocker for dead.
If you don’t have the cash for the entire S2-M3 packages, all the parts – which are covered by a warranty that matches BMW’s new-car one – are available a la carte at one of the 120 BMW dealers that carry and install Dinan parts.
![[confused]](/images/smilies/confused.png "Confused [confused]")
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Road & Track shows a 4.7 second 0-60. But models can vary, especially depending how they were broken in.