[Redbeemer]

A few days ago, I had a FabSpeed Sport Cat installed at Tim Duncan's (yes, that Tim Duncan!) Blackjack Speed Shop. The installation took less than an hour and they commented how well-made the Sport Cat was. They said they were familiar with FabSpeed products as they frequently do installations on BMW, Mercedes, Ferraris, etc. and have installed them before and found them to be of very high quality and precise fitment. Their charge for the work was significantly less than I expected. Anyway, the cat sounds great with more turbo sound and I can also actually hear the engine now above the fake Active Sound. The engine seems to rev more easily and even just driving around town, it seems the engine is not "working" as hard in higher gears. For those who may be considering the M Performance or similar exhaust, you may want to consider this instead. Those other exhausts give you no increase in HP, just a bit more sound and this sport cat does both for about the same price. If you want a louder exhaust, you can always change other exhaust components such as FabSpeed's muffler delete. I didn't want anything too loud, just a bit more authority to the engine and exhaust sound, but I also wanted a bit more horsepower and torque. If I decide to do a tune or even a piggyback, I feel this is a good place to start since it places more stress on the engine when you increase boost and opening up the exhaust reduces that stress. Also, as advertised, there is no CEL with the sport cat, unlike a pure downpipe. Finally, thanks to Bobby at FabSpeed for hooking me up with a good deal.

[ChrisFulton]

Originally Posted by Redbeemer

A few days ago, I had a FabSpeed Sport Cat installed at Tim Duncan's (yes, that Tim Duncan!) Blackjack Speed Shop. The installation took less than an hour and they commented how well-made the Sport Cat was. They said they were familiar with FabSpeed products as they frequently do installations on BMW, Mercedes, Ferraris, etc. and have installed them before and found them to be of very high quality and precise fitment. Their charge for the work was significantly less than I expected. Anyway, the cat sounds great with more turbo sound and I can also actually hear the engine now above the fake Active Sound. The engine seems to rev more easily and even just driving around town, it seems the engine is not "working" as hard in higher gears. For those who may be considering the M Performance or similar exhaust, you may want to consider this instead. Those other exhausts give you no increase in HP, just a bit more sound and this sport cat does both for about the same price. If you want a louder exhaust, you can always change other exhaust components such as FabSpeed's muffler delete. I didn't want anything too loud, just a bit more authority to the engine and exhaust sound, but I also wanted a bit more horsepower and torque. If I decide to do a tune or even a piggyback, I feel this is a good place to start since it places more stress on the engine when you increase boost and opening up the exhaust reduces that stress. Also, as advertised, there is no CEL with the sport cat, unlike a pure downpipe. Finally, thanks to Bobby at FabSpeed for hooking me up with a good deal.

I really appreciate you posting this info. I am seriously considering this as my next mod. I have two concerns that maybe you can comment on.
1. The increased engine sound is desirable but are you experiencing any RPM specific drone? Sound under acceleration I like, but if it drones it will drive me crazy. 2. I know the disclaimers about not being "street legal" and that doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is that it might void my cars warranty. Thoughts?
Thanks.

[gtmax500]

Originally Posted by ChrisFulton

I really appreciate you posting this info. I am seriously considering this as my next mod. I have two concerns that maybe you can comment on.
1. The increased engine sound is desirable but are you experiencing any RPM specific drone? Sound under acceleration I like, but if it drones it will drive me crazy. 2. I know the disclaimers about not being "street legal" and that doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is that it might void my cars warranty. Thoughts?
Thanks.

I installed the fabspeed sport cat about a year ago and I can tell you there is definitely no drone, especially when you have music on. I just uninstalled it for my first dealer service and I can't tell a difference at <2k rpm but anything above that it sounds really great. Definitely not too loud.

The only thing that bugs me is on a cold start, even in warm weather, the exhaust is significantly louder until the engine drops its rpm (about 10-15 seconds). For most people this is probably not a problem but I go to work very early and am usually the first to leave my cul de sac (however you spell that) and sometimes I'm a little self conscious that I'm waking people up.

Other than that it's an amazing piece of equipment and I highly recommend it.

[walnuttea]

Really wish they'd bring down the price a tad bit more! Product looks good.

[boostaddict305]

I ve had this fabspeed sport cat dp for about 6 months no issues and it sounds great well worth the money if you ask me

[kdog26372]

I've also had this sport cat and no issues, nice performance/sound improvement for about a year. Also no CEL. I would get this way before I'd get a zero power improvement muffler system. It truly does help the sound and burbles of the car. I had a friend drive away aggressively while I listened outside and it sounds pretty great.
Side note, some dude in my neighborhood has a newer M3 and that thing sounds like crap. Just a terrible sounding exhaust. The previous generation was 10 times better.

[Fabspeed Motorsport]

Originally Posted by Redbeemer

A few days ago, I had a FabSpeed Sport Cat installed at Tim Duncan's (yes, that Tim Duncan!) Blackjack Speed Shop. The installation took less than an hour and they commented how well-made the Sport Cat was. They said they were familiar with FabSpeed products as they frequently do installations on BMW, Mercedes, Ferraris, etc. and have installed them before and found them to be of very high quality and precise fitment. Their charge for the work was significantly less than I expected. Anyway, the cat sounds great with more turbo sound and I can also actually hear the engine now above the fake Active Sound. The engine seems to rev more easily and even just driving around town, it seems the engine is not "working" as hard in higher gears. For those who may be considering the M Performance or similar exhaust, you may want to consider this instead. Those other exhausts give you no increase in HP, just a bit more sound and this sport cat does both for about the same price. If you want a louder exhaust, you can always change other exhaust components such as FabSpeed's muffler delete. I didn't want anything too loud, just a bit more authority to the engine and exhaust sound, but I also wanted a bit more horsepower and torque. If I decide to do a tune or even a piggyback, I feel this is a good place to start since it places more stress on the engine when you increase boost and opening up the exhaust reduces that stress. Also, as advertised, there is no CEL with the sport cat, unlike a pure downpipe. Finally, thanks to Bobby at FabSpeed for hooking me up with a good deal.

Thank you for the awesome write up! I'm really happy to see that the Sport Cat is exactly what you are looking for. As I've stated before, I truly believe the Sport Cat is the best modification for our cars. It has been a pleasure working with you! If you need anything in the future, I will be happy to assist you but for now, go have some fun!

Originally Posted by ChrisFulton

I really appreciate you posting this info. I am seriously considering this as my next mod. I have two concerns that maybe you can comment on.
1. The increased engine sound is desirable but are you experiencing any RPM specific drone? Sound under acceleration I like, but if it drones it will drive me crazy. 2. I know the disclaimers about not being "street legal" and that doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is that it might void my cars warranty. Thoughts?
Thanks.

Although a couple people have already commented, I also wanted to chime in.

With just the Sport Cat you will have no issues with drone in the cabin. I ran just the Sport Cat for a couple months before scooping up the Muffler Bypass Exhaust and the Sport Cat alone provides a great sound without jeopardizing the interior sound experience.

In regards to warranty; I've had my Sport Cat, Muffler Bypass, Charge Pipes, Intake and ECU tune on my car for over a year now and have been in for multiple service appointments without any issues. Majority of the time everyone is more impressed with the quality of work than anything. If you have more questions about warranty, feel free to respond to my PM I am about to send you!

Originally Posted by gtmax500

I installed the fabspeed sport cat about a year ago and I can tell you there is definitely no drone, especially when you have music on. I just uninstalled it for my first dealer service and I can't tell a difference at <2k rpm but anything above that it sounds really great. Definitely not too loud.

The only thing that bugs me is on a cold start, even in warm weather, the exhaust is significantly louder until the engine drops its rpm (about 10-15 seconds). For most people this is probably not a problem but I go to work very early and am usually the first to leave my cul de sac (however you spell that) and sometimes I'm a little self conscious that I'm waking people up.

Other than that it's an amazing piece of equipment and I highly recommend it.

Thank you! The cold start is a little more aggressive but like you said, after about 10-15 seconds, it goes back to normal. If you are running just the Sport Cat, I'm sure your neighbors don't hear it.

Originally Posted by walnuttea

Really wish they'd bring down the price a tad bit more! Product looks good.

Shoot me a PM and I'll see what I can do for you!

Originally Posted by ***********305

I ve had this fabspeed sport cat dp for about 6 months no issues and it sounds great well worth the money if you ask me

Thank you!

Originally Posted by kdog26372

I've also had this sport cat and no issues, nice performance/sound improvement for about a year. Also no CEL. I would get this way before I'd get a zero power improvement muffler system. It truly does help the sound and burbles of the car. I had a friend drive away aggressively while I listened outside and it sounds pretty great.
Side note, some dude in my neighborhood has a newer M3 and that thing sounds like crap. Just a terrible sounding exhaust. The previous generation was 10 times better.

Glad to see you're still enjoying it! And I agree, E9x M3 > F8x any day of the week. That 4.0l V8!

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by ChrisFulton

I really appreciate you posting this info. I am seriously considering this as my next mod. I have two concerns that maybe you can comment on.
1. The increased engine sound is desirable but are you experiencing any RPM specific drone? Sound under acceleration I like, but if it drones it will drive me crazy. 2. I know the disclaimers about not being "street legal" and that doesn't bother me, but what does bother me is that it might void my cars warranty. Thoughts?
Thanks.

When you are just cruising, whether around town or at highway speeds, there is no drone. I would remove any exhaust that droned as it would get tiring very quickly. Under acceleration, the car sounds wonderful! As another member noted, it is a bit louder on cold startup, but I really don't think it is that loud and goes away after a few seconds. I have cars around me that sound much louder on startup in the morning. As for the warranty, that is a bit of a tricky question. BMW frowns on just about ANY modification to their cars, unless it is made by BMW and installed by them. I just had my car in for its first scheduled oil service, so of course, the car was up on a lift, and they did not comment about it at all. Whether or not they would try to deny warranty service if a major engine component failed, is another question and probably each set of circumstances is a bit different, so no one can say for sure that in every conceivable circumstance BMW would not object to the cat. Probably the most obvious "problem" is if your car failed its emissions test (if you have those in your state), BMW would likely lay the blame for that on the sport cat. We currently don't have emissions testing in my state/city, so I can't comment on whether the sport cat would pass or not. I guess if the worst case scenario happened and your car failed the test, you could put the factory cat back on for the retest. Other than that, I doubt you would ever have an issue with any exhaust mod causing a warranty problem....but as I said, some BMW dealerships take a dim view of any mod not using BMW parts and performed by BMW mechanics, so it sort of depends on your dealer to a certain extent.

[ChrisFulton]

Originally Posted by Redbeemer

When you are just cruising, whether around town or at highway speeds, there is no drone. I would remove any exhaust that droned as it would get tiring very quickly. Under acceleration, the car sounds wonderful! As another member noted, it is a bit louder on cold startup, but I really don't think it is that loud and goes away after a few seconds. I have cars around me that sound much louder on startup in the morning. As for the warranty, that is a bit of a tricky question. BMW frowns on just about ANY modification to their cars, unless it is made by BMW and installed by them. I just had my car in for its first scheduled oil service, so of course, the car was up on a lift, and they did not comment about it at all. Whether or not they would try to deny warranty service if a major engine component failed, is another question and probably each set of circumstances is a bit different, so no one can say for sure that in every conceivable circumstance BMW would not object to the cat. Probably the most obvious "problem" is if your car failed its emissions test (if you have those in your state), BMW would likely lay the blame for that on the sport cat. We currently don't have emissions testing in my state/city, so I can't comment on whether the sport cat would pass or not. I guess if the worst case scenario happened and your car failed the test, you could put the factory cat back on for the retest. Other than that, I doubt you would ever have an issue with any exhaust mod causing a warranty problem....but as I said, some BMW dealerships take a dim view of any mod not using BMW parts and performed by BMW mechanics, so it sort of depends on your dealer to a certain extent.

Redbeemer, I really appreciate the detailed and thoughtful response.
Eased my mind about any drone, as it sounds like you wouldn't tolerate it either. They no longer do a "sniff test" in my state, smog is a direct OBD hook up. I don't think most of the "smog monkeys" would catch the cat during their cursory visual inspection.
As for my warranty concern . . . well, still a little concerned but not a deal breaker. I'll just keep the OEM cat just in case I need to reinstall it for some reason . . .
Cheers.

[zipphreak]

Hi guys.. I agree this is a great cat but it is definitely not CEL free. Sound is definitely as good, close to full catless.



I have gotten CEL in multiple occasions.. First was driving on the highway normally no WOT, just long trips, 50-200 miles. It usually comes on towards the 150-200 mile mark. Second time i had my JB4 off completely at the drag way, and first launch half way down the straight the CEL came on.

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by zipphreak

Hi guys.. I agree this is a great cat but it is definitely not CEL free. Sound is definitely as good, close to full catless.

Attachment 1525562

I have gotten CEL in multiple occasions.. First was driving on the highway normally no WOT, just long trips, 50-200 miles. It usually comes on towards the 150-200 mile mark. Second time i had my JB4 off completely at the drag way, and first launch half way down the straight the CEL came on.

How long have you had your cat installed? I know that some of the early Fabspeed Sport Cats did throw CEL's and they quickly made a modification to it which eliminated the problem from what I have heard. I am getting ready to take a long trip over Thanksgiving where I will exceed the mileage you mentioned and I will report back here as to whether or not I get any CEL's. All of my driving since the installation has been around town, so no trips over about 20 miles at most. I hope you are wrong about this and I did note that you apparently have other mods which might possibly cause the CEL when used with the sport cat. I currently have no other mods on my car, so we will see what happens on my trip and thank you for sharing your experience.

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by ChrisFulton

Redbeemer, I really appreciate the detailed and thoughtful response.
Eased my mind about any drone, as it sounds like you wouldn't tolerate it either. They no longer do a "sniff test" in my state, smog is a direct OBD hook up. I don't think most of the "smog monkeys" would catch the cat during their cursory visual inspection.
As for my warranty concern . . . well, still a little concerned but not a deal breaker. I'll just keep the OEM cat just in case I need to reinstall it for some reason . . .
Cheers.

Yes, since my car only had about 8,000 miles on it at the time of the installation, my OEM cat was in great shape. I kept it for several reasons as I know that if I keep the car long enough, the sport cat will wear out like all cats and if I needed to replace it before I traded the car or sold it, I would have the OEM cat (and those aren't cheap!).

[ChrisFulton]

Originally Posted by zipphreak

Hi guys.. I agree this is a great cat but it is definitely not CEL free. Sound is definitely as good, close to full catless.

Attachment 1525562

I have gotten CEL in multiple occasions.. First was driving on the highway normally no WOT, just long trips, 50-200 miles. It usually comes on towards the 150-200 mile mark. Second time i had my JB4 off completely at the drag way, and first launch half way down the straight the CEL came on.

Hmmmm . . . No want CEL.

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by ChrisFulton

Hmmmm . . . No want CEL.

I am getting ready to take a 1,500 mile trip, so I will let everyone know if I have any CEL's after I return. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[ChrisFulton]

Originally Posted by Redbeemer

I am getting ready to take a 1,500 mile trip, so I will let everyone know if I have any CEL's after I return. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Safe & fun trip Redbeemer. 1.5K trip should be a good test.

[walnuttea]

Looking forward to the results ChrisFulton and Redbeemer!

[zipphreak]

Good luck on your long ass trip! Take many frequent breaks. Driving over tired is as bad as drunk driving.

This is a brand new fabspeed sport cat downpipe straight from the factory (bought from a reseller on the forum, XPH/xtreme powerhouse).. I bought this in the past month or so. The pipe came straight from Fabspeed, drop shipped, so it's very unlikely it's an old model.

I guess if you drive short trips, and drive the car easy it might not come on.. But as you can see there is no guarantee.

No one can guarantee a CEL free sport cat DP. It's mostly a marketing ploy.

[boostaddict305]

Originally Posted by Redbeemer

I am getting ready to take a 1,500 mile trip, so I will let everyone know if I have any CEL's after I return. Keeping my fingers crossed!

You should be good I ve had it for way over 1.5k no cel

[Fabspeed Motorsport]

We are working with zipphreak. It looks like he may have some other things going on that could possibly be triggering the code.

[walnuttea]

Any updates on this?

[Redbeemer]

Originally Posted by walnuttea

Any updates on this?

I don't leave on my trip until this Sunday, so it will be approx. a week before I can report any results. Just driving around town, still no CEL at this point.

[Liquidpaper]

I was one of the first to get the Fabspeed Sport Cat. The first batch threw a CEL because the downstream 02 sensor was spaced, assuming that the aftermarket cat was not effective enough to bring emissions down to OEM levels. As it turned out, it is as good as the OEM cat at dealing with emissions, so the redesign put the 02 sensor in the OEM spot, and no more CEL. I've had this on my car for about 1.5 years and it (1) sounds amazing (especially with the MPE, which I have) (2) does not throw a CEL, even though multiple track days and LA stop and go traffic road abuse.

Highly recommend this mod; it gives you (most) of the benefits of going catless (save for running 110 octane leaded racing fuel) without the drone, extra pollution, smell, etc.