I upgraded the stock exhaust on my F80 M3 with a set of Active Autowerke equal length non-resonated mid pipes with a Remus axle back exhaust and carbon titanium exhaust tips.

I don't know why it took so long to get this one done, but in any case I did this upgrade back in July and have had plenty of time with it to get some impressions. There are a lot of good exhaust options out there and I think this one certainly ranks up there as a really great option.

Build quality is on point for both brands' products and, even though I didn't have any major issues, I have read some positive experiences from others when it comes to customer service when there is a problem, for what it's worth.

As for sound.. lordy. I used to have a 95 Firebird Formula (V8 LT1) with Flowmaster exhaust. That thing had a rumble that was spectacular; like this warm analog metallic churning at idle. It's almost impossible to replicate that with a 6 cylinder, but this comes close. Cold start is like a detonation (which I'll probably tune out when I install Bootmod3 eventually) but once it settles in, it's got a deep and beautiful hum to it. It's as if it reaches several octaves down and just spins there (not sure why I couldn't be this descriptive in the video).

At full throttle, there is no rasp (to my ear) and when you let off the gas, the burbles are like a pack of black cats going off (but a bit deeper). You can never quite appreciate the volume as much in the car so, if possible, let someone else drive while you stand outside.. It's wild.

Issues & Notes:

A minor issue I had with one of the exhaust outlets for the Remus was one of the pipes was bent just enough to where I couldn't fit the exhaust tip on. I would normally chalk this up as a manufacturing anomaly except that I read someone else had the exact same issue. It took a few minutes to bend the pipe back into shape and wasn't a big deal, but since this has happened more than once in what seems like the same pipe (inner driver side), it's worth mentioning.

I also had a little trouble seating the actuators on to the new muffler as the metal turning ring was a tad too large for the groove it sits in. A gentle tap with a screw driver and mallet took care of this.

Note that both packages come with clamps for the mid pipe to exhaust connection, but you'll use the Remus coupler and clamps since they accommodate the larger pipe diameter. The ones Active Autowerke supplies assumes stock muffler (or similar diameter).

Make sure to make use of the foam block AA provides to let the mid pipes rest on the brace before everything is attached to the exhaust. The mid pipes will rest (heavily) on the brace, but once connected, the mid pipes should be aligned and lifted and the foam block should be able to be pulled out with little to no friction. If not, there's a problem.

When it comes to the mid pipe rattle issue, it seems like there is a better than zero chance it will happen. As I mentioned, I tried a few times to make some heat shield bends and even went as far as to completely take apart and reinstall the mid pipes, but I still had a tiny bit of rattle I couldn't solve. Could have been my fault, but either way having the number of a good shop on hand - just in case - isn't the worst idea.

Lastly, watch those torx screws on the down pipes; they really do strip easily.

As for production, I did enjoy the whole talk and drive thing on this one. I took that cue from Matt Moreman of Obsessed Garage and will likely make this a regular format, especially for more conceptual topics. I can't tell you how many times I've pressed record only for my neighbor(s) to immediately hop on a mower or break out hedge trimmers and the mics pick up every decibel; it's maddening, so this is a pretty good solution to that. The talking while driving thing felt a bit more freeing too. Perhaps I'll make it a regular thing and call it "wanna go for a ride?" in honor of a line from a song by my favorite band.

Alright that's enough, hope you enjoyed. Hope the sound clips give you a good enough approximation of what this sounds like. Definitely not the same as in person, but I think it's close enough. Here's the products and parts:

Product: https://x-ph.com/active-autowerke-equ...

Extras from FCP Euro:
Gaskets (need 2): https://tinyurl.com/3a5p5kzt
Flange: https://tinyurl.com/msjm4vx
T30 screws (need 2): https://tinyurl.com/332k5t69
11mm down pipe nut (need 4): https://tinyurl.com/j6eer5ah
Driver side down pipe flange: https://tinyurl.com/bdhk2rf8

Thanks for Watching!
- Jeremy
=================
IG: @jgo.m3

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:02 - Mid pipes
03:06 - Exhaust
04:28 - Exhaust tips
05:34 - Notes on installation
08:49 - Thoughts on sound
10:28 - Sound clips explained
10:50 - Yas revs
12:46 - Nardo revs
14:04 - Drive bys
16:13 - In closing

#remus #activeautowerke #exhaust