This stunning BMW M3 came in to have a custom bigger bore exhaust made by us.
Although this fifth generation M3 is already a much high performing version of the BMW 3 series and the F80 series has many striking features and characteristics; our client wanted more, so we gave him exactly that and turned his vehicle in to a howling Thunderstorm!
The original exhaust had two catalytic converters situated in the middle of the exhaust. We deleted the secondary cats and replaced them with two high-flow performance resonators. We did this because Catalytic Converters are a very restrictive element of the exhaust system. If you are looking to get the most performance out of your exhaust setup it’s advisable to get high flow sports cats in place of your factory restrictive unit. In this case the BMW F80 M3 has primary cats on the downpipe, they have been kept in place and only the secondary cats have been removed. This ensures that the vehicle is still MOT compliant and passes the legal emission standards for the UK. The system now makes way for better more sufficient gas flow by removing the OEM secondary cats and replacing them with our in-house custom-made high flow performance resonators, allowing for smooth air flow and minimal sound dampening just to take the edge off the system.
On a high performing vehicle, it is important to make modifications that will not hinder the execution within the engine bay causing any restriction or back pressure, therefore, we ensured that the exhaust is fabricated to a high standard in T304 stainless steel, a mandrel bent exhaust system in 3inch, a bigger bore, all the way to the rear of the vehicle.
The original bore size of the BMW F80 M3 measures out to just over 2.5inches. we implemented a bigger bore of 3inch to allow for maximum volume of air flow as our customer was looking to go down the tuning route and remap his vehicle for more power and torque.
The aim on this BMW was not just to increase performance but to also make it sound brutal. Once the exhaust work was complete, of course we had to test the sound and our client was mind blown!
This vehicle sounded incredible, so much that we named it the ‘thunderstorm’ which went quite well with the weather on that day. Our client left us very pleased and satisfied.
We at MIJ Exhaust Ltd have been in the automotive industry since the early 90’s and we love what we do. We are confident in our expert advice and skills which is why we offer lifetime guaranty on the exhaust we fabricate and fit in our premises.
A few days later our client called us back, explaining how the exhaust sound was ever so pleasing to him but was setting off car alarms and upsetting his neighbours. After analysing the possible steps, we could take, we decided that the best move forward was to install a valved back box.
If you want to know more about valved boxes, click here.
We are always looking out for our customers and try our best to cater for their specific requirements and it is still possible to extract better performance from your vehicle on a budget. We provide options that are unique to each individual and their vehicle. On this specific M3, to save our client some costs we integrated his stock valves back onto the rear section if the exhaust.
Why did we take this approach?
This setup gives our customers the option to sound like a thunderstorm when the valves are open but still give them the option to quieten the exhaust down with a flick of a button, for those times when you need to start your vehicle early in the morning perhaps and don’t want to upset your neighbours!
You can view photos of this in our gallery, watch a short video on our you tube and even videos from our client on our instagram page @mijperformanceexhaust