Car & Driver review

[mb135is]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

to those of you who have a 135is or have a Performance Exhaust----do you think it "drones" on the freeway as mentioned in the article?

thanks,
prospective 135is buyer

I think the drone is there, though initially I did not think it was. This might be because the sound is not what I typically think of when I think of a bad drone. It is definitely loud on the highway at the lower RPM range, but it is not bad to me, and this is the sort of thing that would bother me.

I wouldn't drive this car without the exhaust. It's just too good.

[thehalcyon]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

to those of you who have a 135is or have a Performance Exhaust----do you think it "drones" on the freeway as mentioned in the article?

thanks,
prospective 135is buyer

I just had my PE put on a couple weeks ago.

I can definitely say there is a drone on the highway between 2000 and 2700 rpms. It is a bit irritating at those revs compared to the stock exhaust. However, it's not a super loud drone.

On the plus side, It has taught me to be more fuel efficient on the highway commute. I used to just cruise in 6th the whole time. After the PE you can tell a lot easier now that you're in too high a gear from the drone. You can confirm it from the mpg readout... if its droning, shift down a gear...

I actually observed better fuel economy in 4th and 5th sometimes because the engine didn't have to work as hard to maintain the speed. Does that make sense? Not sure If I explained it correctly.


Id also reported a loss in HP when I first had it installed, It seemed to go back to normal after a day or so. Maybe the ECU was learning the new exhaust? not sure about that one, but the car feels just as fast as when I first got it now.


And even with the drone I would highly recommend the PE, the noise with the windows up isn't worth it, but when you crank them down ... oh boy. Really Really worth it. I just wish I could hear a little bit more of the burbling and crackle noises.

[ejm3]

I wasn't debating if the IS was worth the extra money or not I was just surprised the performance numbers weren't a noticably better than the regulat 135i.

Honestly if they had the is in 2012 and it was $2k-$2.5k more I probably would have just bought it.

[gregthegr8]

Originally Posted by ejm3

I wasn't debating if the IS was worth the extra money or not I was just surprised the performance numbers weren't a noticably better than the regulat 135i.

Honestly if they had the is in 2012 and it was $2k-$2.5k more I probably would have just bought it.

The only real performance upgrade on the IS is the PPK which adds the 20hp and 17 ft-lbs of torque, so only minimal gains which I think shaves 0.1 off the 0-60 time or what have you. The performance exhaust doesn't add any hp, and all the other fun IS parts are just cosmetic.

So, I'd say performance-wise, it's really only a slight/nominal upgrade, but the overall package is quite pretty and sounds great, too.

I also agree that if people were looking for a performance bang for their buck, their money would probably be better spent on the various aftermarket options available.

[tracer bullet]

My 2011 N55 w/ PE does drone a little at 2000 RPM. There's no question it's there.

However, given how great the exhaust sounds in general, and the fact that it's so easy to go from 5th to 6th or vice-versa and / or just change speeds by 5mph, the whole drone thing IMO is way overblown as being this gigantic problem that it really is not.

[fam]

Originally Posted by mb135is

I wouldn't drive this car without the exhaust. It's just too good.

It's pretty much ruined the idea of ever owning a car with a regular exhaust. Guess I have no choice but to go M2 in a couple years when my lease is up.

[mb135is]

Originally Posted by fam

It's pretty much ruined the idea of ever owning a car with a regular exhaust. Guess I have no choice but to go M2 in a couple years when my lease is up.

Exactly. I won't lie - there are times when I want the exhaust to shut up (job related, people around, cold start, scared children), but then I find a tunnel somewhere and giggle all the way through.

[Kouper]

I don't notice any drone, especially with the top down. Damn, it sounds good

So if it is really true that "every one of them has a drone," it sure doesn't bother me. Even on the freeway, cruising with the top up at lower RPMs, I do not notice any drone.... But drone or no drone, the PE is every bit worth it.

[mawtu]

I had the PE installed yesterday. I had them put the original exhaust in the trunk and had the seat down so the exhaust would fit in the car. I have been reading so much about the drone and I was nervous to have them put on the Y-pipe. I got my car back and the drone was awful on the way home. So I basically had a big hole open to the trunk and tube metal. When I go home I removed the exhaust from trunk and put the seat back up. I'm happy to say that the drone is much better and I think I can deal with it. The exhaust just sounds too good. Like some of the previous post I can modulate the throttle or change gears if someone is in the car. You have to expect that a PE exhaust is going to add more noise which in reality is pretty nice.

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by fam

It's pretty much ruined the idea of ever owning a car with a regular exhaust.

+1

I never wanted an aftermarket exhaust because I thought they were all obnoxious and too loud for a street car (and this was only considering exhausts in BMWs).

But I love it. The PE is the perfect exhaust for me. Besides, pull up next to a big truck/mustang, etc and you can't even hear your car, it sounds as quiet as a prius.

[pick333]

So did you like it or not? After reading the review, I still don't know.