For those with Maddad mid pipe

[mad4che]

Love the 1M... have kept it perfectly stock. But I think it's biggest (subjective) flaw is the lack of a nice sound from within the cockpit. The exhaust note just doesn't do the car justice in my opinion... Not to mention the annoying drone on the highway. Anyways, I've never been one to modify cars, but feel that in this case it would be justified. From what I've seen, something as simple as the Maddad mid pipe would solve these problems. I've heard the sound clips posted online and it sounds nice.... but does this sound resonate "inside" the car as well? Would really like to have the proper soundtrack to do this car justice with minimal mods (would like to avoid a slip on exhaust if possible)... Will the mid pipe alone help? Thanks.

[Pig Farmer]

This is not a perfect comparison, but on my n54 135i with the BMW PE and PPK, there was a bit of drone around 2,200 RMPs. Drone is kind of a bad description because it wasn't really present if the throttle was held constant, but it definitely dropped a few octaves if you put a bit of load on the engine. By 2,500 RMPs, the tone would rise and the sound smoothed out. When I upped the boost with a Cobb tune, this went away completely. In general, the tone is deeper and the volume is higher, but you can still hold a conversation or listen to the radio without any issues. In addition, there is no rasp whatsoever.

[NihonX]

I've not ran a maddad mid without catless downpipes, but I've had both at the same time along with the OEM axleback. With the downpipes mated to the mids there is still drone during certain RPMs while cruising, but the upside is the car sounds MEAN during idle and acceleration!

[bodega_bladerunner]

Does the 1m have the same exhaust that the msport 135 comes with? If so, I have the same question as the OP. I would like it to be a tad louder but nothing crazy, and I was wondering if the maddad mids would achieve that.

[GimmeanM]

Originally Posted by mad4che

Love the 1M... have kept it perfectly stock. But I think it's biggest (subjective) flaw is the lack of a nice sound from within the cockpit. The exhaust note just doesn't do the car justice in my opinion... Not to mention the annoying drone on the highway. Anyways, I've never been one to modify cars, but feel that in this case it would be justified. From what I've seen, something as simple as the Maddad mid pipe would solve these problems. I've heard the sound clips posted online and it sounds nice.... but does this sound resonate "inside" the car as well? Would really like to have the proper soundtrack to do this car justice with minimal mods (would like to avoid a slip on exhaust if possible)... Will the mid pipe alone help? Thanks.

I have the MadDad on an otherwise stock drivetrain. I felt the same as you that the sound was a little subdued with the stock setup. So far I really enjoy the MadDad. I haven't heard other mids to compare it to (N55 or Berk) but from the reviews the MadDad is supposed to be the most aggressive in sound. Cold start is awesome; snarly. In cabin you can hear it and know that it sounds different. However, while some passengers may guess or ask if it's been changed, I bet many won't know. So, it's not over the top by any means. Finish and fitment are great and the drone is cured. Apparently the sounds gets better as it breaks in as well. I love mine. I doubt you'd regret it.

[CarJunkie]

I've had mine on the car for close to a year and love it. I still occasionally notice a drone at about 2200 rpm, but not as noticeable as before. The sound with acceleration is pretty awesome, but not too loud. You can still carry on a conversation with your passengers.

Here is some open window action from the track, mostly 3rd and 4th gear. ***SKIP TO 1:50 for the in-car part, you wont hear anything on the exterior shots!***
Sound quality isn't great, but you can hear it pretty well.

[rad doc]

Maddad, yes! Awesome. Drone, who cares!

[1mGator]

Originally Posted by mad4che

Love the 1M... have kept it perfectly stock. But I think it's biggest (subjective) flaw is the lack of a nice sound from within the cockpit. The exhaust note just doesn't do the car justice in my opinion... Not to mention the annoying drone on the highway. Anyways, I've never been one to modify cars, but feel that in this case it would be justified. From what I've seen, something as simple as the Maddad mid pipe would solve these problems. I've heard the sound clips posted online and it sounds nice.... but does this sound resonate "inside" the car as well? Would really like to have the proper soundtrack to do this car justice with minimal mods (would like to avoid a slip on exhaust if possible)... Will the mid pipe alone help? Thanks.

You won't be sorry with the Maddad - have had mine on for 2.5 years and it has gotten better with age and perfect combination of mean when you want and subtle as well.

[OtakuRevel]

had the n55 mids. drone is minimal, but so was the exhaust note. then switched to mad dad and was very happy with the change. strong exhaust note under throttle but relatively tame while rolling through the neighborhood. drone was shifted slightly higher but seemed to be slightly quieter. now i am running akrapovic titanium axle back with mad dad mids and love it. in all aspects i love it. still a drone if running full open but near absent when in quiet mode.

[MPoweRo]

Yep agree. Mine is stock drivetrain except Maddad. It's getting better with age. Aggressive but not intrusive.

Go ahead and get one.

[nachob]

Anyone in San Diego or even LA with stock 1M and madad pipe? I would really love to hear it!

Thanks

[CarJunkie]

I just posted some video from the other day that was at a slower track, lots of 2nd and third gear. Check it out. Still all stock drivetrain except mad dad.

[mad4che]

Thanks to those who provided input... I had the MadDad mid pipe installed a couple of days ago and it is all that I expected it to be. The sound is much improved and the drone is minimized. On normal cruising, there is really no noticeable difference in sound. On start up and aggressive driving however, there is a much "throatier" growl to the exhaust. I have no experience with the N55 mid pipe but other than cost, I can't imagine anyone getting it as a "stand alone" option... perhaps if coupled with a axel back it would make more sense. I say this because the MadDad is not excessive in any way (in my opinion)... it's how the car should have sounded from the factory. In fact, I could easily handle a louder/even more aggressive exhaust note and might even consider an axel back at some point after giving this mod alone a fair shake. And I say this as someone who is pretty much against modifying cars in the first place. MadDad mid pipe is a great addition to the car!

[CarJunkie]

Agree!

[nachob]

Originally Posted by mad4che

Thanks to those who provided input... I had the MadDad mid pipe installed a couple of days ago and it is all that I expected it to be. The sound is much improved and the drone is minimized. On normal cruising, there is really no noticeable difference in sound. On start up and aggressive driving however, there is a much "throatier" growl to the exhaust. I have no experience with the N55 mid pipe but other than cost, I can't imagine anyone getting it as a "stand alone" option... perhaps if coupled with a axel back it would make more sense. I say this because the MadDad is not excessive in any way (in my opinion)... it's how the car should have sounded from the factory. In fact, I could easily handle a louder/even more aggressive exhaust note and might even consider an axel back at some point after giving this mod alone a fair shake. And I say this as someone who is pretty much against modifying cars in the first place. MadDad mid pipe is a great addition to the car!

. Thank you for that. A fellow member also recommends it and this sounds perfect. I really would like to know if someone in California has been able to get the car smogged with a madad and Stock everything else?

[ayao]

Originally Posted by nachob

. Thank you for that. A fellow member also recommends it and this sounds perfect. I really would like to know if someone in California has been able to get the car smogged with a madad and Stock everything else?

If you're lucky (or "know someone") you might pass since the resonators look like cats ... but the absence of a CARB approval sticker will cause it to fail visual if they're paying attention. Although, I wonder, how shiny is the finish of the pipe? If it's more stealthy it might be more likely to pass as OEM, if its patina matched the exhaust pieces around it.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by ayao

If you're lucky (or "know someone") you might pass since the resonators look like cats ... but the absence of a CARB approval sticker will cause it to fail visual if they're paying attention. Although, I wonder, how shiny is the finish of the pipe? If it's more stealthy it might be more likely to pass as OEM, if its patina matched the exhaust pieces around it.

I don't think anyone would notice at a smog place. What I wonder is that if you remove the cats the car's ecu will detect exhaust differential that might throw an out of range error code. All 1M s are smogged via the OBD port and off the ecu reports something out of range, it will fail. It might not also? That's why I'm hoping to find someone in cal that has passed smog test with it on. Thank you

[CarJunkie]

There is no O2 sensor after the secondary cats, so no code. But the sniffer may detect something. The pipe has a very OEM look.

[GimmeanM]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

There is no O2 sensor after the secondary cats, so no code. But the sniffer may detect something. The pipe has a very OEM look.

Exactly. The resonators on the MadDad look similar to the OEM cats and the finish looks the same too (unless the rest of your factory parts are showing their age). And if your test is simple OBD scanning then you'll be fine as the O2 sensors are upstream from this.

[nachob]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

There is no O2 sensor after the secondary cats, so no code. But the sniffer may detect something. The pipe has a very OEM look.

Cool. No sniffer on 1m all test OBD now. Thanks

[CarJunkie]

Did you order yours directly from MadDad? I got mine from Harold at HP Autosport, and couldn't be happier with their customer service. Of course, I never tried to return the MadDad.

The sound difference over stock is very subtle to my ears, and the fact that it is louder than stock is very well publicized, so I am wondering what you were expecting?

[Jet Mech]

Originally Posted by CarJunkie

Did you order yours directly from MadDad? I got mine from Harold at HP Autosport, and couldn't be happier with their customer service. Of course, I never tried to return the MadDad.

The sound difference over stock is very subtle to my ears, and the fact that it is louder than stock is very well publicized, so I am wondering what you were expecting?

+1. I ordered mine thru Harold also with no problems. The quality is top notch and sound is awesome.