Least expensive E36 M3 exhaust?

[VVT4ME]

Anyone know some of the least spendy bolt on E36 M3 exhausts?

[RAAS al Guggy]

It's not bolt-on technically, but you could always fabricate one yourself if you're on a budget.

http://www.motoiq.com/magazine_articles/id/900/how-to-make-your-own-effective-exhaust-system.aspx

[VVT4ME]

Anyone had an experience with one like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-BMW-E36-325i-328i-M3-Catback-Exhaust-/150765789401?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AM3&vxp=mtr&hash=item231a5760d9

[Russell042]

Just keep in mind you get what you pay for. You will have fitment issues.. But really...its worth it, buy it for 140, take it to a muffler shop and have it fitted for say 100 bucks... 240 and you have the same performance as a $900 catback.

[Msilvia]

Anyone had an experience with one like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-BMW-E36-325i-328i-M3-Catback-Exhaust-/150765789401?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AM3&vxp=mtr&hash=item231a5760d9

Heard that specific one in person, not bad. I would personally wait and buy a used, but legitimate brand off the forums/local classifieds.

[Relax]

Honestly most cat-back exhausts for an e36 are useless. Most are just for sound and a bit of weight savings.

I'd save the money and just go with the ebay exhaust.

[boomersooner523]

Honestly most cat-back exhausts for an e36 are useless. Most are just for sound and a bit of weight savings.

I'd save the money and just go with the ebay exhaust.
This 100%. I really don't mind spending a big chunk of $$$ on an exhaust because honestly I love the sound. I think the exhaust really improves the fun and quality of the drive. It just makes it more fun. UUC system u's arent bad. I have a B&B Tri-flo and I love it! Pretty loud with ZERO drone.

[spetsnaz55]

I have that ebay exhaust as well. Sounds amazing with zero drone but it did fit on kind of crappy. Left side kind of leans but I will have an exhaust shop fix it sooner or later.

[ThreeD]

Umnitza TSE - loud-ish, sounds fantastic (deep and slight rasp), quality of the exhaust is great, tip fitment is so-so, and has some slight drone at 2k rpm.

[Moron95M3]

how bout the DIY on your stock exhaust? There are a few threads on it. Cut open your stock muffler, remove the tubes and add a few wrapped tubes. More sound and perfect fitment.

[bav 325i]

ireland engineering are $325 thats pretty reasonable and its not ebay

[cbmartin85]

Ireland engineers cat backs are just marked up eBay exhausts with there logo on it.

[propcar]

how bout the DIY on your stock exhaust? There are a few threads on it. Cut open your stock muffler, remove the tubes and add a few wrapped tubes. More sound and perfect fitment.

It's a pretty cool method.

[umnitza]

Give us a look. We sell them on the phone regularly for $409 + shipping and shipping is usually only $30-40.

[btmrdwng19]

Just keep in mind you get what you pay for. You will have fitment issues.. But really...its worth it, buy it for 140, take it to a muffler shop and have it fitted for say 100 bucks... 240 and you have the same performance as a $900 catback.

Kinda this. Don't cheap out. Get a quality exhaust. If you can't afford it yet, just wait and save until you can afford it.

[gk325is]

OP the cheapest exhaust is a used brand name one on the forum or on craigslist. Most are in great shape and will cost you about half what they did new

[fiveightandten]

Anyone had an experience with one like this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-BMW-E36-325i-328i-M3-Catback-Exhaust-/150765789401?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AM3&vxp=mtr&hash=item231a5760d9 (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?campid=5335818596&toolid=10001&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Frover.ebay.com%2Frover%2F1%2F711-53200-19255-0%2F1%3Fcampid%3D5335818596%26amp%3Btoolid%3D10001 %26amp%3Bmpre%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.ebay.com%25 2Fitm%252F1992-1993-1994-1995-1996-1997-1998-BMW-E36-325i-328i-M3-Catback-Exhaust-%252F150765789401%253Fpt%253DMotors_Car_Truck_Part s_Accessories%2526amp%253Bfits%253DModel%25253AM3% 2526amp%253Bvxp%253Dmtr%2526amp%253Bhash%253Ditem2 31a5760d9)
That one looks like it's supposed to be a Supersprint replica. I'd stay away from a SS rep in particular because the can is so big on them. I have a real Supersprint, and they come from the factory with a dent in the can near the tire. Even with the dent, if the exhaust isn't perfectly aligned with nice strong hangers, you'll have rubbing issues.

If the bends are even slightly off, or the fitment is off in any other way, you'll have rubbing issues. I wouldn't count on a $139 eBay replica having better fitment than the real thing, and even the real thing can have issues.

As an aside (and i'll probably start a war with a comment like this), you drive an M3. Have some class and if you're going to replace parts, at least replace them with quality parts. If you don't have the money to replace things with quality parts, don't replace them. This goes for upgrades, of course, as opposed to maintenance. But FWIW, i've seen a lot of E36 M3's that are owned by people on a budget. I've never seen one that didn't require any maintenance. I'd strongly recommend spending your money on properly maintaining the car before spending it on 'upgrading' parts with parts that are inferior to the stock parts you're removing. The stock catback flows well, is double walled, and very high build quality.

[KnudsonsM3]

ebay is cheap for a reason! Why cheap out on an m3 in the first place?

Do it once and do it right. Then you wont have to worry about a thing.

[T.Dot E30]

Muffler delete!

[KnudsonsM3]

header delete!

[hcaleman]

Owner delete!

[HeelAndToe85]

ireland engineering are $325 thats pretty reasonable and its not ebay


Ireland engineers cat backs are just marked up eBay exhausts with there logo on it.

I've got an ireland engineering exhaust on my M3 and I kind of like it. I didn't install it, but when I bought the car I had to cut the rear diffuser to clearance the tail pipe.

No drone, decent roar but not crazy loud.

[VVT4ME]

That one looks like it's supposed to be a Supersprint replica. I'd stay away from a SS rep in particular because the can is so big on them. I have a real Supersprint, and they come from the factory with a dent in the can near the tire. Even with the dent, if the exhaust isn't perfectly aligned with nice strong hangers, you'll have rubbing issues.

If the bends are even slightly off, or the fitment is off in any other way, you'll have rubbing issues. I wouldn't count on a $139 eBay replica having better fitment than the real thing, and even the real thing can have issues.

As an aside (and i'll probably start a war with a comment like this), you drive an M3. Have some class and if you're going to replace parts, at least replace them with quality parts. If you don't have the money to replace things with quality parts, don't replace them. This goes for upgrades, of course, as opposed to maintenance. But FWIW, i've seen a lot of E36 M3's that are owned by people on a budget. I've never seen one that didn't require any maintenance. I'd strongly recommend spending your money on properly maintaining the car before spending it on 'upgrading' parts with parts that are inferior to the stock parts you're removing. The stock catback flows well, is double walled, and very high build quality.

Ive spared no expense maintaing it. Cooling system updated, OEM parts used. Control arms, bushings and tie rods replaced, OEM parts used. Guibo replaced. Oem Lemforoeder used. Bmw coolant used. Castrol Synthetic 0w30 oil used, and just picked up redline 75w140 for the rear diff. I dont cheap out on this car. With that said, im not in the school of thought that a bolt on after cat exhaust is going to give me more power. But what i do miss is hearing the visceral growl of this engine. Im not picky about exhausts, just the fittiment. And if its going to rub, i likely wont consider it. I have used ebay stuff on other cars and had no issues, but not with this car. I never felt that saving a few bucks on the exhaust anf attempting to get the most bang for the buck was cheaping out imo. But if theres legitimate concerns with fittiment and even moreso, people reporting bad experiences with them , like i said i wont bother.

[chandlerseattle]

Muffler delete!


header delete!


Owner delete!

:rofl

[Tim95M3]

I ran Ebay SS rep headers for about 30k that I spent $120 on, and they fit/worked great.. So why not?

[KnudsonsM3]

^^^headers are a different story.

Have you seen the thread with the guy that purchased an ebay AA traq pipe rep?

He spent 200$ on it to get it to fit and he still had clearance issues!


More honda guys want M3s and bring their cheap parts with it. Go away!

[wildbill990]

I have a supersprint as well and love the sound. It came with the car when I bought it from the second owner. Would I have bought it myself? Yes but I would look for a used one first because I believe it cost $1100 or so if I remember right. Cheapest ew exhaust not off ebay I think would be borla, they run around $5-600 and sound pretty good.

[VVT4ME]

^^^headers are a different story.

Have you seen the thread with the guy that purchased an ebay AA traq pipe rep?

He spent 200$ on it to get it to fit and he still had clearance issues!

More honda guys want M3s and bring their cheap parts with it. Go away!

Are you now calling me a honda guy?

[uta0929]

:eatpop:

[bav 325i]

I've got an ireland engineering exhaust on my M3 and I kind of like it. I didn't install it, but when I bought the car I had to cut the rear diffuser to clearance the tail pipe.

No drone, decent roar but not crazy loud.

ireland are good exhaust i would never compare them to ebay

[fiveightandten]

Ive spared no expense maintaing it. Cooling system updated, OEM parts used. Control arms, bushings and tie rods replaced, OEM parts used. Guibo replaced. Oem Lemforoeder used. Bmw coolant used. Castrol Synthetic 0w30 oil used, and just picked up redline 75w140 for the rear diff. I dont cheap out on this car. With that said, im not in the school of thought that a bolt on after cat exhaust is going to give me more power. But what i do miss is hearing the visceral growl of this engine. Im not picky about exhausts, just the fittiment. And if its going to rub, i likely wont consider it. I have used ebay stuff on other cars and had no issues, but not with this car. I never felt that saving a few bucks on the exhaust anf attempting to get the most bang for the buck was cheaping out imo. But if theres legitimate concerns with fittiment and even moreso, people reporting bad experiences with them , like i said i wont bother.
The catbacks are finicky when it comes to fitment. It's partially due to the mounting hangers, and partially due to the pipe design (one slips inside the other on the right, and they butt up against one another on the left). Clearances are very tight with the tire, shock, and sway bar back there too.

If you get a cheap exhaust that's not bent perfectly, you can get it to fit by manipulating it in certain ways. But in the end, you're putting stress on the rest of the exhaust system by asking the other pipes to sit where they don't want to. That stress goes down to the headers, where I personally wouldn't want it.

You can roll the dice with it. Personally, i'd recommend getting a used exhaust of reputable brand. I picked my Supersprint up for $300. I bought an AC Schnitzer for $160 once. You can get nice exhausts for cheap. Keep your eye on Craigslist and the forums. People don't like to ship exhausts, so if you find one locally and jump on it, you can wind up with something nice.

[KnudsonsM3]

Are you now calling me a honda guy?

Well that depends....Are you going to buy an ebay exhaust?


Ive spared no expense maintaing it. Cooling system updated, OEM parts used. Control arms, bushings and tie rods replaced, OEM parts used. Guibo replaced. Oem Lemforoeder used. Bmw coolant used. Castrol Synthetic 0w30 oil used, and just picked up redline 75w140 for the rear diff. I dont cheap out on this car. With that said, im not in the school of thought that a bolt on after cat exhaust is going to give me more power. But what i do miss is hearing the visceral growl of this engine. Im not picky about exhausts, just the fittiment. And if its going to rub, i likely wont consider it. I have used ebay stuff on other cars and had no issues, but not with this car. I never felt that saving a few bucks on the exhaust anf attempting to get the most bang for the buck was cheaping out imo. But if theres legitimate concerns with fittiment and even moreso, people reporting bad experiences with them , like i said i wont bother.

Spared no expense? Erm and look at the title of the thread lol

[Schultz28]

Give us a look. We sell them on the phone regularly for $409 + shipping and shipping is usually only $30-40.

thats a pretty good deal for a new name brand exhaust!

i would either go with that or find a used one on here.

i think there was a write-up in this section about this AA rep, and it turned out to be not too bad! http://www.ebay.com/itm/E36-3-SERIES-STAINLESS-STEEL-FULL-CATBACK-EXHAUST-CAT-BACK-DOWN-PIPE-MUFFLER-/150676699131?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AM3&vxp=mtr&hash=item231507f7fb

[m3mobbin]

Build your own or have a shop build one, cheaper, lighter, and you can pick any muffler manufacturer you want (ie borla, magnaflow, vibrant etc.) That or do the DIY rerouted factory muffler, they sound good, and you know it will fit perfectly.

Those ebay mufflers can be made to fit perfectly with a bit of elbow grease BTW, heck even the UUC TSE I bought back in the day needed some TLC on the hangers to fit right.

[3MPowered]

I've done the OEM DIY muffler. As an exercise to get more sound it's a brilliant thing. You don't lose much weight though and you have to make sure you use quality materials. Some people (including myself) end up with a lot of rasp afterwards, which may or may not be your thing. But you'll be guaranteed perfect fitment and longevity with the OEM exhaust.

Personally, I'm on the hunt for something different because I made mine too loud.

[m3mobbin]

I've done the OEM DIY muffler. As an exercise to get more sound it's a brilliant thing. You don't lose much weight though and you have to make sure you use quality materials. Some people (including myself) end up with a lot of rasp afterwards, which may or may not be your thing. But you'll be guaranteed perfect fitment and longevity with the OEM exhaust.

Personally, I'm on the hunt for something different because I made mine too loud.

If actual performance is what the OP is looking for, he should go DIY.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1506995

30+lbs of weight savings, superior flow, and unlimited options for tone/loudness. My setup sounds refined at idle, but really screams at WOT in the high RPM range, but still reasonable enough to avoid police attention as long as you don't jab at the gas pedal.

[VVT4ME]

If actual performance is what the OP is looking for, he should go DIY.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1506995

30+lbs of weight savings, superior flow, and unlimited options for tone/loudness. My setup sounds refined at idle, but really screams at WOT in the high RPM range, but still reasonable enough to avoid police attention as long as you don't jab at the gas pedal.

What is the diameter of the stock cat-back piping?
What are the diameter of aftermarket bolt ons like AA?
if I do custom work, what kind of piping would you recommend? My car will otherwise remain stock....

[Volf]

Best bang for your buck will be the system U.

[3MPowered]

If actual performance is what the OP is looking for, he should go DIY.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1506995

30+lbs of weight savings, superior flow, and unlimited options for tone/loudness. My setup sounds refined at idle, but really screams at WOT in the high RPM range, but still reasonable enough to avoid police attention as long as you don't jab at the gas pedal.

Awesome setup! I can't believe that cost you $800! What made you go for the Borla muffler? Are those tips custom as well?

[mrbarnum]

Best bang for your buck will be the system U.

+1 i didnt pay much for mine, and i love it

[jeremy5000]

Best bang for your buck will be the system U.
This... I love mine.

[breakfast]

DIY is typically the cheapest...
and the world is your oyster really.... there are endless designs you could come up with that would work just fine.

I still will do a titanium set up one day...just because I can. not really for any benefit(except the lighter weight)

[3MPowered]

Titanium systems also seem to have their own unique sound. It's more hard-edged and metalic-sounding. Not that those adjectives give you any real idea of what they sound like haha ;)

[VVT4ME]

K. Not doing ebay exhaust. Lock'r up, y0.

[KnudsonsM3]

K. Not doing ebay exhaust. Lock'r up, y0.

:handclap

[breakfast]

Titanium systems also seem to have their own unique sound. It's more hard-edged and metalic-sounding. Not that those adjectives give you any real idea of what they sound like haha ;)

lol ya. I actually had all the parts ...but then sold them and bought an eisnemann race lol.
ill get the itch to play around again someday. Purely a make work project.

[3MPowered]

lol ya. I actually had all the parts ...but then sold them and bought an eisnemann race lol.
ill get the itch to play around again someday. Purely a make work project.

Sounds good man, I've never heard a titanium exhaust on an E36 so this will be a real treat! :buttrock

[lvilleluke]

I have a uuc system u which i really like and is relatively cheap around 500-550

Sound clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIWiRCm6qxY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[pbonsalb]

Buy a used exhaust. They often cost half of new. Great bang for the buck since they do not really wear out.

[DannysM3]

That one looks like it's supposed to be a Supersprint replica. I'd stay away from a SS rep in particular because the can is so big on them. I have a real Supersprint, and they come from the factory with a dent in the can near the tire. Even with the dent, if the exhaust isn't perfectly aligned with nice strong hangers, you'll have rubbing issues.

If the bends are even slightly off, or the fitment is off in any other way, you'll have rubbing issues. I wouldn't count on a $139 eBay replica having better fitment than the real thing, and even the real thing can have issues.

As an aside (and i'll probably start a war with a comment like this), you drive an M3. Have some class and if you're going to replace parts, at least replace them with quality parts. If you don't have the money to replace things with quality parts, don't replace them. This goes for upgrades, of course, as opposed to maintenance. But FWIW, i've seen a lot of E36 M3's that are owned by people on a budget. I've never seen one that didn't require any maintenance. I'd strongly recommend spending your money on properly maintaining the car before spending it on 'upgrading' parts with parts that are inferior to the stock parts you're removing. The stock catback flows well, is double walled, and very high build quality.


***Sorry to comment on this from 2012, but what you said is exactly what I am experiencing. I have a real SS exhaust for my 95 m3 and it is rubbing horribly on my bilstein shock. the can is way bigger than stock. I had to remove it today and replace the SS with the OEM exhaust. Just wondering if you have any tips for me in how to line it up perfectly like you said. Thanks! Danny