09-18-2016, 09:49 PM | #1 |
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My Fabspeed Sport Cat DP/Muffler Bypass review
Hello all,
Now that some people are finally getting their hands on some ///M2's and aftermarket parts are starting to emerge, I thought I'd give my long overdue review of my Fabspeed Motorsport Sport Cat downpipe and Muffler Bypass... I have long known of Fabspeed Motorsport; I drive by their shop at least once a week (my daughters go to swim right down the street). I honestly was not aware that they dealt with aftermarket parts for BMW's. I was used to seeing more "exotic" cars out in their lot. However after some research I found out that they have had a good amount of experience in tuning and developing parts for the F22. I contacted Bobby Ashton at Fabspeed, who is their BMW specialist (he also drives an m235). They were more than happy to get their hands on an ///M2, as this was back in May and there just weren't many out in the wild. So after speaking with Bobby and checking out their website, I knew that what I'd be interested in was some sort of downpipe. Wasn't sure if I wanted to go catless or catted at this point. Bobby invited me to check out their shop and talk about options. Attached below are some pics of my first visit. As many of us here on the forums, this is not my first enthusiasts car, and I have never kept any of my cars in stock form. So I have had a good amount of experience with tuners. I must say that Fabspeed's showroom and shop area is the most impressive one I've dealt with. The showroom is spotless as is the shop area. They fabricate nearly everything in house. I was given a thorough tour of the entire place. Everyone I spoke to seemed extremely knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about tuning cars. I'm not sure how to embed photos and videos, so here are some pics from my first visit to the shop, followed by pics of the exhaust/DP installed on my car, and the dynograph: I can't say enough positives about my experience with Fabspeed. When I dropped off my car, they thoroughly inspected it for any damage, and took pictures of the car (now I know this was also a "cover my a$$" move on their part as well), but it was a nice touch. They took down the mileage, how much gas was in the tank, and asked if I wanted my license plate blurred out if they post pictures online. During the whole installation process their were two times where I needed the car back, so they dropped it off at my house. Car was always washed when I picked it up. One time I dropped by unannounced, and the driver's seat was wrapped in clear plastic, with the standard paper mats by the pedals. All my OEM parts were wrapped with enough bubble wrap that I could probably toss if off my second floor deck and there'd be no damage. Now onto the most important stuff- my thoughts on their products. First off, I don't think anyone will question the quality of their products. Seriously. Look at their stuff. Welds and finish are top top notch. They have to be. Most of their customers are driving truly exotic, truly very expensive cars, and want their aftermarket parts to match in quality. My lowly M2 looked out of place in their shop. I decided to go with their Sport Cat downpipe, because I didn't want to deal with any CELs. It's been asked numerous times on the forums whether their catted DP will throw a CEL. It will not. I checked out the m235 forums and lots of people there have their catted DPs, and no one has had any issues. Build quality, as expected, is top notch. The sound? Best to watch the videos that Fabspeed has included in their original exhaust thread. That is my car in the video, and while it mostly accurately gives you a sense of how the car sounds, I think it sounds even better in real life. The DP exaggerates and multiples the "burbles" that we all love. In terms of performance, you can check out the below posted dyno. My butt dyno tells me the car feels a bit peppier, a bit more eager to get on boost. Night and day? By no means. Does it transform the car into an absolute beast? No. But I sincerely do feel the car pulls a bit harder. And now it sounds like a beast You can also hear the turbo spool up a bit. Bottom line, I love the Sport Cat DP. For me, it's perfect. I get the sound, along with some performance gains, and NO CEL. On to the muffler bypass. Initially, I had no plans on doing anything with the exhaust. But I was so satisfied with the DP, I decided to give the Muffler Bypass a shot. Admittedly, you won't see any performance gains with this product. You do lose some weight (I believe around 14lbs?). Once again, in terms of build quality, no concerns or issues. The look of the exhaust- I think it looks great. Initially, when I first saw it on the car, I was a bit hesitant. I thought the pipes were a bit large, and extended out a bit too much. But I quickly realized that was not the case, and I really really like the brushed stainless look (I believe they have other tip styles as well). Now the most important quality to an aftermarket exhaust is...the sound (IMO). So..the one thing to note about the muffler bypass is, that on initial startup, particularly cold starts, the thing is LOUD. Like rattle the rear view mirror, wake up sleeping kids loud. However, for whatever reason, after about 10 seconds after startup, the exhausts quiets down SIGNIFICANTLY. Not sure why (wastegate closing/opening???). After this point, I think the exhaust sounds FANTASTIC. While the DP increases the amount of "burbles", the exhaust amplifies the volume of the burbles and all the other good sounds this car naturally makes. Windows down, in nice weather, it sounds GLORIOUS. Seriously. The next big question is, what about any drone? I have had numerous cars with numerous aftermarket exhausts, and I have yet to find one without ANY drone. And this exhaust is the same. However, I notice that it is within a relatively small RPM range (say 2800-3200), at highway cruising speeds. Is it unbearable? By no means. Is it noticeable? Yes. But as with most aftermarket exhausts, it's largely manageable with some thoughtful throttle control. Although my ///M2 is my DD, I usually drive only 5-7k miles a year, and don't do much highway driving, so what little drone there is is not really an issue. YMMV. OK, it's getting late, and I don't want to ramble. I wrote this post to give you what I hope is an unbiased review of my DP/Exhaust, as well as my experience with Fabspeed Motorsports. I couldn't be happier. From start to finish a thoroughly enjoyable experience dealing with those guys... Here is a link to the original exhaust thread, with a video clip of my car... http://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho....php?t=1270926 -c
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09-19-2016, 08:17 AM | #2 |
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Thanks for that very informative write-up ! I'm thinking of getting the same set-up when I get my M2 in the spring. The trouble is, I don't have any possibility of hearing it for real and can't really judge the volume on the videos.
Could you possibly let us know how the sound quality and volume compare with the M-Performance exhaust ? I live in France which is not too fussy about volume in that the annual vehicle control only takes into account the pollution, not the sound. So the danger is the police at the roadside. If I see the police up ahead and try to drive as quietly as possible, can I disguise the fact I have a sport cat downpipe and straight through exhaust, do you think ? Or is the sound raucous at all engine speeds ?
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09-19-2016, 09:59 AM | #3 |
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Nice write up. Not a fan of the exhaust tips, they don't look very finished/refined looks like some muffler shop just chopped up some pipe and attached it. The torque gains look good especially at daily driving RPMs
Last edited by CosmosMpower; 09-19-2016 at 10:04 AM.. |
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09-19-2016, 10:22 AM | #4 |
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That shop is way too clean. I need to visit in person.
When I sold my E36M3, I took off all the aftermarket parts to sell separately. I took off the AA exhaust (which BTW was awsome) and had the bright idea to start the car in the garage to "hear what it would sound like" Man that rattled the house and scared the crap out of the GF now wife. The reason for the long story is to ask...being the bypass is straight pipe and no muffler...isn't your car loud, like Bush car loud? |
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09-19-2016, 10:55 AM | #5 | ||||
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In regards to the Sport Cat - Muffler Bypass setup, it is definitely loud but not to the point where cops will pull you over. If you are driving past an officer and you don't want to attract any attention, just simply pull your foot off the accelerator and they'll never know. Quote:
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09-19-2016, 11:13 AM | #6 | |
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Best I can do is offer anyone a ride/sound test at the Fabspeed Motorsport Open House 10/1 HTH -c
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09-19-2016, 11:48 AM | #7 |
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09-19-2016, 12:00 PM | #8 | |
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Oh no! I'm sorry you won't be able to make it. I'm sure we will host more events in the future and the doors are always open for you to pop in whenever you'd like! |
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09-19-2016, 01:37 PM | #9 |
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The only thing I do not like about the exhaust is how the muffler pipes still out further than the OEM pipes. Any way to get them the same length as the OEM pipe?
I do not like the look and the leg burn potential.
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09-19-2016, 02:20 PM | #10 |
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The tips are fully adjustable for you to set them wherever you would like !
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09-19-2016, 04:01 PM | #11 |
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Great review. I'm a little surprised, though, that you were not more definitive about the torque boost. 32 ft.-lbs of torque should definitely be noticeable throughout the rev range.
I'm in for the sport catted DP as soon as I get my car. Given where I live, and the fact my garage is attached to my house, I will pass for the time being on the bypass |
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09-19-2016, 10:36 PM | #12 | |
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09-19-2016, 11:20 PM | #13 |
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More like waking up the missus, the kid and the dog early in the morning. None of those entities reacts well to being woken up one minute before he or she have to be.
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09-19-2016, 11:58 PM | #14 |
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This sounds exactly what I'm looking for. I absolutely hate my neighbours who make a lot of noise shouting at each other late at night so this will ensure they wake up nice and early when I leave for work. I must say I really appreciate the feedback and quick, accurate replies from Fabspeed whenever I pose a question. Has anyone in Europe fitted this system ?
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09-20-2016, 08:55 AM | #15 | ||||
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09-20-2016, 09:50 AM | #16 |
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[QUOTE=Fabspeed Motorsport;20590705]Thank you! And the torque boost is definitely noticeable, especially down low. When do you plan on taking delivery of your car?
Well, my "plan" is pretty much dependent on BMW's plan. But I've got a slot, week 43 build. Putting a couple of MP gizmos on at the port, so best guess is maybe by Christmas? |
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09-20-2016, 09:56 AM | #17 | |
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[QUOTE=BruceM;20590981]
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09-20-2016, 12:09 PM | #19 | |
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09-20-2016, 01:18 PM | #20 | |
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09-21-2016, 08:17 AM | #21 |
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09-21-2016, 02:39 PM | #22 |
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Was that start a cold start? This isn't bad at all, really. And it's practically mellow from the cockpit
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