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      09-11-2013, 09:52 PM   #1
AlphaAlpineM6
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Arrow Review: Alpha AMS Catless Downpipes & Installer Malek@MRF Engineering

Hey guys, I had posted this thread on m5post awhile back but I guess I forgot to post it here. Better late than never;


Hello fellow forum members,

Welcome to todays two part series. A review of the Alpha AMS downpipes, and the installer. Malek@ MRF Engineering. This is not a fan boy review, I tell it like it is. Good or bad so here I go;

The Alpha AMS downpipes; My initial goals were to amplify the sound of the waste-gates, BOV, and V8 burble without drone or an aftermarket aesthetic.

After lurking on the board and doing my research it seemed the downpipes were a no-brainer. I chose AMS because of their history with turbocharged motors.
They seem to have an outstanding reputation in the GT-R community. Saw a few of them do work at the ShiftS3ctor Airstrip-Attack, was very impressed.
Wanted to go with something that would be super reliable. Headache free. It seemed they fit the bill.

I contacted a very reputable installer I was familiar with when I was modding my M3, MRF Engineering.
The head engineer Malek, who has installed more ESS supercharges than I can count was more than qualified for what he referred to as an easy install.
Malek and I briefly spoke over the phone about the advantaged of catless downpipes on a turbocharged car, I was convinced.

A week later I had the downpipes. I'm going to be a tough critic and say the craftsmanship is by no means amazing. And by amazing I mean Akrapovic or Eisenmann quality.

Things like the o2 sensor banks were roughly sheared on the inside and welds weren't perfect, and not what I was expecting for almost 2 grand.
The secondary o2 sensors were relocated further down the pipe, which means you have to unclip the wire from the harness. The harness sits on top of the engine.
I would say this makes it pretty easy for the stealership to tell something has been touched, even if you're there for your routine service. Hopefully AMS will either relocate the secondary o2 sensors to match the factory location or provide a longer cable.

I've always been a fan of oem fitment. It was hard to get them to fit perfect. MRF was great at working around fitment issues. The biggest challenge was pulling out the stock downpipes.
Almost like pooling wisdom teeth, oversized and in a challenging spot to get full access to, at least from what I saw. Malek took his time and was patient with the install, making sure he wouldn't leave any scratches or scuffs.

Once the downpipes were installed it took some adjustment to get the rest of the exhaust system to clamp onto the downpipes.
The gasket was the trouble. AMS has addressed this issue and are now supplying fresh gaskets to their customers with the downpipes.
With shops installing this system all around the world I would suggest they include some instructions on the install.
With of a few examples of gaskets being installed incorrectly and causing excessive rattling noises and leaving their customers in the dark to figure things out, I can only imagine its a bit of a nightmare. Lucky for me, my installer knows his stuff.

Install done - fire the car up for the first time with a fully catless exhaust and WOW. So much louder, once the car was done idling it was a clean almost OEM sound, zero drone, no rattling.
Drove the car for a few miles let her warm up and then ripped it. Automatically blown away, much louder. My initial goals to amplify the sound of the waste-gate, BOV, and V8 burble without drone or an aftermarket aesthetic, met.
With the stock exhaust still intact it was very easy to moderate sound levels. Quiet when I need it, loud when I want it. It's worth mentioning you do smell gas. Auto-stop-start helps with that.

AMS thanks for designing these downpipes. I am happy with the them and I'm looking forward to installing your upcoming products. Three things to work on;
1. Install tutorial or even brief instructions. 2. Longer o2 cable. 3. The downpipes are $1,800 lets step up the craft. Otherwise like I said good product, happy with the result.

Another big thanks to Malek@MRF Engineering for a flawless install, and a reasonable install price.







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2008 M3 Sedan + catless + Tune
2012 CLS63 AMG
2014 M6 Coupe + catless + KW V3
2015 Porsche GT3
, 2015 M3, all stock, 1/1 Space Grey
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