Making exhaust obnoxious on a budget

[Taco_Bueno]

I want to preface this question by saying I have searched and read every single downpipe/midpipe thread I could find and was able to come to a couple conclusions.

1. Catless downpipes make exhaust note significantly louder but will require a tune to clear CEL, you won't pass emissions, and is difficult to reverse the install. They also have a notable performance increase with a tune (~15-20whp)

2. Mid pipes change the note of the exhaust to a throatier note but don't have any performance increase or make the exhaust louder alone.

That being said, I'm a child and want loud exhaust with burbles. My car is a non-ZCP so the sound is lacking to say the least. However, I would like to do so on a budget as I know mods add nothing to the value of the car and can't bring myself to just burn $4-6k on a proper cat-back.

I was leaning towards the BM3 + DP package on XPH but after seeing some recent threads, I'm afraid I won't pass emissions.
I live in a part of texas that requires emission testing, unfortunately, and I would like to get the best bang (burble) for the buck under $2k. What would be the best route for me to take?

EDIT: Just to clarify I may have used a tad too much hyperbole in my question, I'm just looking for exhaust with some character, like burbles on downshifts and deeper more aggressive tone. I'm not trying to be tiktok with a car that sets off alarms and sounds like a Mexican revolution.

[NYe90M3]

theres no need to spend 4-6k on a new exhaust, buy something used on the forums. i was lucky enough to get a full remus catback off of instagram for $1500 and its loud enough, downpipes would be overkill for me.

[Mineral///M4]

Consider going to the back of your car and lay down close to the tail pipes and unplug the exhaust flap solenoids. I unplugged both sides of mine and taped up the connections and tucked the wires as best as I could. I believe that I read that you only have to unplug the right side. This will put you in the game until your next move.

[pikkagtr]

Removing back box is free99
As obnoxious as it gets

[biggripper]

Originally Posted by Taco_Bueno

I want to preface this question by saying I have searched and read every single downpipe/midpipe thread I could find and was able to come to a couple conclusions.

1. Catless downpipes make exhaust note significantly louder but will require a tune to clear CEL, you won't pass emissions, and is difficult to reverse the install. They also have a notable performance increase with a tune (~15-20whp)

2. Mid pipes change the note of the exhaust to a throatier note but don't have any performance increase or make the exhaust louder alone.

That being said, I'm a child and want loud exhaust with burbles. My car is a non-ZCP so the sound is lacking to say the least. However, I would like to do so on a budget as I know mods add nothing to the value of the car and can't bring myself to just burn $4-6k on a proper cat-back.

I was leaning towards the BM3 + DP package on XPH but after seeing some recent threads, I'm afraid I won't pass emissions.
I live in a part of texas that requires emission testing, unfortunately, and I would like to get the best bang (burble) for the buck under $2k. What would be the best route for me to take?

For under $2k the easiest improvement is the AA EL midpipe. Non res. It's obnoxious. Since you have a non ZCP car you could also add in a tune with burbles to increase the obnoxious factor and still be under $2k.

[RE36TRO]

Leave it stock, free #weedwacker

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by Taco_Bueno

That being said, I'm a child and want loud exhaust with burbles.

Dude don't be "that guy", burbles (especially popcorn/gunshots) are overplayed and a straight catless exhaust (no resonators or muffler) is plain disrespectful to people around you. As suggested above, try a mid-pipe (Single or EL), well under $2k and you'll delete the secondary cats and resonator, and combine that by hardwiring the valves open on the OE exhaust and I promise you'll be plenty loud, absolutely loud enough to be obnoxious under load. The best part is you'll still be emissions compliant unless they do a visual, then it'll depend on your state's sophistication with visual inspections

[BlackF82]

BM3 stage 1 (medium burbles, cracks) and a resonator delete on sport+ is nice...anything louder is annoying. Best thing, when I enter the neighbourhood, I place it in efficient mode and its quite.

[NYG]

The exhaust is obnoxious from the factory. Can't make this car sound good.

[bensf82]

I got AA' EL midpipe and it literally made the car enjoyable to rev out where as before I really did not like how it sounded.

If youve been on the forums you have to have seen the circlejerk around EL midpipes, but as someone who has no problem being extremely critical of bad products this thing puts a smile on my face all the time. One of the mods I will look back on and know it was worth the money (and imo it is the only pipe that changes S55 car sounds in any meaningful way)

[F80Danny2018]

Gonna have to say the best bang for your buck is the AA Single Midpipe. Roughly under 1k installed & you get the loud pops and bangs here and there. Valves opened it sounds great, valves closed basically back to stock.

[NickyC]

I sure hope dmk08 doesn't find this thread haha.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Dude don't be "that guy", burbles (especially popcorn/gunshots) are overplayed and a straight catless exhaust (no resonators or muffler) is plain disrespectful to people around you. As suggested above, try a mid-pipe (Single or EL), well under $2k and you'll delete the secondary cats and resonator, and combine that by hardwiring the valves open on the OE exhaust and I promise you'll be plenty loud, absolutely loud enough to be obnoxious under load. The best part is you'll still be emissions compliant unless they do a visual, then it'll depend on your state's sophistication with visual inspections

Agreed. There is no upside to a very loud aftermarket exhaust and people only do it because they want to be obnoxious knobs.

OP, aftermarket downpipes will also definitely not make it deeper; quite the opposite actually... Rasp city.

[PhatLyfe]

Insulation foam is what I would like to put in people's loud ass exhaust systems, lous exhaust systems especially when your not going fast is annoying as Faq. Don't rice out the car.

[horsepower_and_hounds]

AA single mid, MPE, BM3 GTS clone tune

[Tecnniqe]

Originally Posted by horsepower_and_hounds

AA single mid, MPE, BM3 GTS clone tune

GTS clone tune as in the trans and 0+ GTS map?

Got a video of how it sounds?

[ohohoh123456]

i recently came across a kid on the street in his m4, definitely muffler and res delete, was obnoxious but sounded like 120db of dogshit. pick any midpipe + or - dp, as long as don't be like this kid i saw...

[PhatLyfe]

Originally Posted by ohohoh123456

i recently came across a kid on the street in his m4, definitely muffler and res delete, was obnoxious but sounded like 120db of dogshit. pick any midpipe + or - dp, as long as don't be like this kid i saw...

Hardware stores sell spray on expanding foam, he may be the perfect candidate to try on.

[Taco_Bueno]

Originally Posted by Mineral///M4

Consider going to the back of your car and lay down close to the tail pipes and unplug the exhaust flap solenoids. I unplugged both sides of mine and taped up the connections and tucked the wires as best as I could. I believe that I read that you only have to unplug the right side. This will put you in the game until your next move.

This serves the same function as putting the car in sport+ no?

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

Dude don't be "that guy", burbles (especially popcorn/gunshots) are overplayed and a straight catless exhaust (no resonators or muffler) is plain disrespectful to people around you. As suggested above, try a mid-pipe (Single or EL), well under $2k and you'll delete the secondary cats and resonator, and combine that by hardwiring the valves open on the OE exhaust and I promise you'll be plenty loud, absolutely loud enough to be obnoxious under load. The best part is you'll still be emissions compliant unless they do a visual, then it'll depend on your state's sophistication with visual inspections

Yeah I should have been a little less dramatic. I'm not looking to be obnoxious (misleading title, I know) im really just looking for some burbles on downshift, louder, more aggressive note. I find popcorn/gunshot noises tacky and trashy. I should have been more clear.

Originally Posted by horsepower_and_hounds

AA single mid, MPE, BM3 GTS clone tune

Show me somewhere I can get that for less than $5k though 😭

Originally Posted by F80Danny2018

Gonna have to say the best bang for your buck is the AA Single Midpipe. Roughly under 1k installed & you get the loud pops and bangs here and there. Valves opened it sounds great, valves closed basically back to stock.

Thanks! Do you have this installed? Non-zcp? No tune?

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by Taco_Bueno

This serves the same function as putting the car in sport+

Kind of, the valves are still closed in sport/sport+ in certain situations like light throttle, under 3k, in a high gear cruising. Unplugging them will have them open all the time but depending on your exhaust setup this can get drony pretty fast. I’d recommend a valve controller so you have control over it like VSC2

[horsepower_and_hounds]

Originally Posted by Tecnniqe

GTS clone tune as in the trans and 0+ GTS map?

Got a video of how it sounds?

Yes 0+ GTS map. I ran stg1 then stg2 and the GTS map is the smoothes I have felt and the low lingering burbles are to die for. Nothing replaces what the M4 GTS sounds like. I am not chasing big HP.... I hooligan in the mountains and prefer a smooth tune

[65fastback]

Originally Posted by Taco_Bueno

I want to preface this question by saying I have searched and read every single downpipe/midpipe thread I could find and was able to come to a couple conclusions.

1. Catless downpipes make exhaust note significantly louder but will require a tune to clear CEL, you won't pass emissions, and is difficult to reverse the install. They also have a notable performance increase with a tune (~15-20whp)

2. Mid pipes change the note of the exhaust to a throatier note but don't have any performance increase or make the exhaust louder alone.

That being said, I'm a child and want loud exhaust with burbles. My car is a non-ZCP so the sound is lacking to say the least. However, I would like to do so on a budget as I know mods add nothing to the value of the car and can't bring myself to just burn $4-6k on a proper cat-back.

I was leaning towards the BM3 + DP package on XPH but after seeing some recent threads, I'm afraid I won't pass emissions.
I live in a part of texas that requires emission testing, unfortunately, and I would like to get the best bang (burble) for the buck under $2k. What would be the best route for me to take?

EDIT: Just to clarify I may have used a tad too much hyperbole in my question, I'm just looking for exhaust with some character, like burbles on downshifts and deeper more aggressive tone. I'm not trying to be tiktok with a car that sets off alarms and sounds like a Mexican revolution.

Do mid pipe swap first it will make a OEM muffler louder by quite a bit actually.

Id say hard pass on the burble tune thing ...that bs is almost over hopefully.