A thorough Riss Racing review

[M3Newbie88]

Well like KeithLM I felt I should get some answers so I sent Anthony an email and heres one statement that I dunno if it is true.. maybe you can correct me if this statement is right or wrong Keith..

From Anthony "The problem with Keiths Downpipes was a back 02 Sensors. Not the downpipes"

So I get codes and fitment sucks so my problem is not similiar to yours now that seems to be what he is implying.. and guess what if the o2sim can't fix this code I've been dealing with for over 3 months and removing it did there is a problem with the downpipes.. and KeithLM let me know if it was indeed only your o2sensors because it seems they don't like to admit their fitment issues they have.

Oh and I must say reponses to pms and emails seem alot slower when you are not buying anything.. great eh..

[Riss Racing]

Originally Posted by 1LazyBmw

Well like KeithLM I felt I should get some answers so I sent Anthony an email and heres one statement that I dunno if it is true.. maybe you can correct me if this statement is right or wrong Keith..

From Anthony "The problem with Keiths Downpipes was a back 02 Sensors. Not the downpipes"

So I get codes and fitment sucks so my problem is not similiar to yours now that seems to be what he is implying.. and guess what if the o2sim can't fix this code I've been dealing with for over 3 months and removing it did there is a problem with the downpipes.. and KeithLM let me know if it was indeed only your o2sensors because it seems they don't like to admit their fitment issues they have.

Oh and I must say reponses to pms and emails seem alot slower when you are not buying anything.. great eh..

I just responded too your PM.

FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW:

We are opening a new shop location one mile from Crevier BMW! We have been doing this for the last week. Moving all product/ jigs/ welders/ lift/ machines over too the new location. We have been working from 9am - 11pm since last Thursday trying to get this done ASAP. We are waiting on internet to be set up at the shop tomorrow. As well as phone lines April 8th. I am sorry if the last couple days have been slow responses. However we work all day and respond to PMs/Emails when we get home since we have no internet there yet.

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by 1LazyBmw

Well like KeithLM I felt I should get some answers so I sent Anthony an email and heres one statement that I dunno if it is true.. maybe you can correct me if this statement is right or wrong Keith..

From Anthony "The problem with Keiths Downpipes was a back 02 Sensors. Not the downpipes"

So I get codes and fitment sucks so my problem is not similiar to yours now that seems to be what he is implying.. and guess what if the o2sim can't fix this code I've been dealing with for over 3 months and removing it did there is a problem with the downpipes.. and KeithLM let me know if it was indeed only your o2sensors because it seems they don't like to admit their fitment issues they have.

Oh and I must say reponses to pms and emails seem alot slower when you are not buying anything.. great eh..

I don't know what he means by "back O2 sensors". The primary problem seemed to be that the pre-cat O2 sensors were touching, a clear flaw with their pipes. However there could have been other issues, it seemed to be one thing after another. Odd that with catted pipes not only did I have to take the extra step of using the O2 sim, I apparently needed the adjustment harness also.

The first week my downpipes were worked on they were out of the shop most of the week for some special job making them hard to get hold of. While waiting for the downpipes to be shipped they were going through some sort of upgrade to their internet service or server, thus they were without internet access for a bit. Now they are moving shops. If they are going to pride themselves on their great service they need to better prepare for these contingencies.

[Juicer]

I just got the intake and scoops today. The black powder coating looks great IMO. Better than the earlier pictures where the intake was shiny black. I haven't got the plenum yet, I beleive it is on back-order. It looks like they ground down the welds on the scoops, which gives it a very clean appearence. I wonder if they can grind down the welds on the plenum also. If the plenum looked as clean as the scoops, I think everyone would be happy with the plenum's appearence.

[BlackjackMulligan]

Originally Posted by Juicer

I just got the intake and plenum today. The black powder coating looks great IMO. Better than the earlier pictures where the intake was shiny black. I haven't got the plenum yet, I beleive it is on back-order. It looks like they ground down the welds on the scoops, which gives it a very clean appearence. I wonder if they can grind down the welds on the plenum also. If the plenum looked as clean as the scoops, I think everyone would be happy with the plenum's appearence.

I'd be VERY interested to see a pic of the plenum you receive to compare it against the pics that were posted here.

[Juicer]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

I'd be VERY interested to see a pic of the plenum you receive to compare it against the pics that were posted here.

I don't have the plenum yet. I recieved the intake and scoops today (sorry for the typo on my previous post). When I get the plenum (It's on back-order I think) and the new bracket that I requested from Riss, I will be posting a full review with pics. I will also be posting a review when I get my exhaust which I will be installing myself. The review will be unbaised, be it negative or positive.

[KeithLM]

Be sure and check the inside of that intake and make sure it's clean. If they used the same kind of textured coating as they did on mine you need to make sure none of that crap is loose inside.

The plenum's welds aren't the only problem, the other issue is the edges are just cut poorly. Even if they fixed the welds it'd still look cheap.

What's up with that bracket they sent you? The reverted back to the original? Can't make up their minds apparently.

[Juicer]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

What's up with that bracket they sent you? The reverted back to the original? Can't make up their minds apparently.

I don't know what's up with the bracket they sent me. I was hoping for (and requested) the new bracket that they gave you. I thought they stopped using the flat bracket because it didn't work with certain FMICs (like the code3 which I have).

[BlackjackMulligan]

what are those square pieces in the photo above? Look at the edges, they look terrible!

[Juicer]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

what are those square pieces in the photo above? Look at the edges, they look terrible!

Those are the scoops.

[adrean8j]

Very interesting thread. Guess I am glad I only bought the catless dp's, occ, and scoops.
Oops..I got the DDV too....still not really feeling the intake or exhaust. After looking at your pics(thanks for finally posted those BTW...makes your claims much easier to believe) I am happy I went another route. I still believe that RR has some great customer service, BUT for some of these issues they should not have to field as many questions as they do if they had better fitment or R&D.

[tjockey]

Well I have all the RR products except exhaust and have had nothing but the best of service and have never had any issues with fitment or quality.
I did have some CEL glitches with the catless downpipes but all the guys at RR went to extra lengths to get them resolved. It didn't happen overnight, but they went above an beyond to help and can't complain at all about their resolve to get it done. These guys were developing products for the 135 when there wasn't exactly a plethora of choices. I vote for the gang at RR and look forward to new products.

[amsfoto]

I am happy with my RR exhaust, but the intake never looked good to me. I don't like the bends and the welding looks bad, although I'm sure it will hold up well. I decided to go with the much cheaper BMS dual cone setup and am extremely happy with it's looks and performance.

I don't see how a sharp bend in the intake piping could be good for flow? I'm no engineer though....

I can add that Riss Racing DOES have great customer service, but their products aren't up to par with other things available. I think with some more R&D and better quality control they could be doing much much better in this market. I would like to see them pick up their act.

[KeithLM]

Well they've received my downpipes, but I haven't received a refund yet. Not that I expected them to actually act on that quickly, not with their history on that so far. I'll be nice and give them a bit of time since their moving.

[M3Newbie88]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

Well they've received my downpipes, but I haven't received a refund yet. Not that I expected them to actually act on that quickly, not with their history on that so far. I'll be nice and give them a bit of time since their moving.

They contacted me today with a solution which is not a refund but to take back my catted dps and send me another one.. and see how that goes.. I havent responded to them because I am still debating on what I want to do because honestly even if they send me back some new special downpipes i have to spend more $$$ to get them installed and "IF" they don't work then removing it and dealing with all this again.. I might back a different request from them because it seems their catless pipe works better but I will let you guys know what I decide to do and if I indeed get another one I will write a review for sure.

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by 1LazyBmw

They contacted me today with a solution which is not a refund but to take back my catted dps and send me another one.. and see how that goes.. I havent responded to them because I am still debating on what I want to do because honestly even if they send me back some new special downpipes i have to spend more $$$ to get them installed and "IF" they don't work then removing it and dealing with all this again.. I might back a different request from them because it seems their catless pipe works better but I will let you guys know what I decide to do and if I indeed get another one I will write a review for sure.

They just don't seem to understand that we are not like Daniel, we can't install the downpipes lying on a bed of nails in a pool of lava with only a pair of plyers. We have to pay, and it's not cheap, to have these put on and off our cars. I'm down over a grand now just on labor, and it would be worse if COBB hadn't refunded some of what I paid them. I'm not rich, maybe all those people in California are, but I can't afford to jack with parts like this. Nor can I continually take time away from work to go to the shop and have it tended to time and time again.

[M3Newbie88]

Originally Posted by KeithLM

They just don't seem to understand that we are not like Daniel, we can't install the downpipes lying on a bed of nails in a pool of lava with only a pair of plyers. We have to pay, and it's not cheap, to have these put on and off our cars. I'm down over a grand now just on labor, and it would be worse if COBB hadn't refunded some of what I paid them. I'm not rich, maybe all those people in California are, but I can't afford to jack with parts like this. Nor can I continually take time away from work to go to the shop and have it tended to time and time again.

Same.. I am not loaded but honestly the amount we spent on the labour we could have gotten other mods.. and I was so planning on getting the DDV and maybe the exhaust now.. there is no chance in hell that would happen because first.. I already used the funds and 2nd I can't take all this again..

As for the people who got great fitment.. I dont think me and Keith are saying all their products suck.. they make good quality products but some just need a bit more of R&D and just want them to own up to it.. at the end of the day we all just want mods that work well and are quality built..

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by 1LazyBmw

Same.. I am not loaded but honestly the amount we spent on the labour we could have gotten other mods.. and I was so planning on getting the DDV and maybe the exhaust now.. there is no chance in hell that would happen because first.. I already used the funds and 2nd I can't take all this again..

As for the people who got great fitment.. I dont think me and Keith are saying all their products suck.. they make good quality products but some just need a bit more of R&D and just want them to own up to it.. at the end of the day we all just want mods that work well and are quality built..

Well I agree with you on some of your points, however I think a lot of their products could use a bit more effort. They definitely go cheap. With the intake it's not to hard to get it installed in a manner that fits, but to get everything lined up correctly it's a pain, and that's primarily because all you are sold is a bunch of straight pipes welded together. If they did the work right, and put some ribs on the small pipes, they would pop into the inlet pipes and be nice and snug, then all you have to do is tighten them down. But as it is you are left guessing as to whether or not you have them in far enough.

Now to be fair, they often (if not always) provide package deals, but look at these prices:
Scoops $119
Plenum $219
Intake $319
DDV $399

That's some premium pricing there, especially for this quality. The Injen is listed at $500 but looks to be a much more expensive design. Whether or not it provides better results I can't say, but it definitely looks like something that has more R&D and more expensive manufacturing costs.

The Riss full intake and DDV can be installed and will fit if you are given all the proper parts up front, do some additional reading beyond the DIY, and give Riss a call or two during the process.

[esscolab]

Originally Posted by BlackjackMulligan

Nice, detailed write-up. This, to me, is much more informative than the "other" posts like "Yipee, I just installed RR (insert part) and now my 1er is SICK!!!!!!!!!OMG!!!!

Anyhow, what really jumped out at me was the plenum. What a piece of $hit. And what did you pay for that lovely little turd?

Sorry for all your issues, I had recommended putting everything back to stock and I think that's the only way you're going to have satisfaction.

I totally Agree, there are some brainwashed idiots on here who boast about awesome gains for an air filter or other aftermarket mods. It's people like this who have convinced others to go for certain products without shoppoing around for alternatives.

I'm not for or against RR products but I do beleive you should way up all the options and shop around and not be taken in by some poeple on here who are RR mad.

[KeithLM]

Well after waiting for over 24 hours and not receiving any word on my downpipes I sent Anthony an e-mail. I'm now being told that they are inspecting the products and they will inform me when the refund is issued.

When are they going to realize that it is always better to be proactive rather than reactive in these situations?

[ichiban]

Well, i asked them to reimburse me for the extra cost of fixing clearance issues on the exhaust. Daniel said the exhaust shop went overboard when installing and should not have done the things they did. Their story is that the exhaust is totally fine, and that if i had took the downpipe off it's hangers then it'll drop thus aligning it with the midpipe, and the tip hangers needs only a small bend to make the tip fit. That's all fine, but shouldn't i be informed of this when i purchased the exhaust? It's not like it's standard procedure for a bolt on exhaust to need these modifications.

Oh well, you live and learn.

[KeithLM]

Originally Posted by ichiban

Well, i asked them to reimburse me for the extra cost of fixing clearance issues on the exhaust. Daniel said the exhaust shop went overboard when installing and should not have done the things they did. Their story is that the exhaust is totally fine, and that if i had took the downpipe off it's hangers then it'll drop thus aligning it with the midpipe, and the tip hangers needs only a small bend to make the tip fit. That's all fine, but shouldn't i be informed of this when i purchased the exhaust? It's not like it's standard procedure for a bolt on exhaust to need these modifications.

Oh well, you live and learn.

If there's such a simple fix, it seems to me the exhaust could be redesigned so that fiddling with the downpipes isn't necessary.