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Originally Posted by Rob///M5
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Pulled the trigger on the Akra Evo. Basically boiled down to this:
- Balance. IMHO, the engineering, materials, build quality, weight savings, and small (but nonetheless there) HP/TQ increase fits the balanced approach of the M5 brilliantly.
- Sound. Went round and round on this. While I do think that other exhausts may be louder or have a more pronounced bass-like note, the Akra was the right combo of somewhat OEM sound with a bit more treble than the other exhausts. At least to my ears. Something that really helped (after Saturday's rev-fest!) was watching videos with headphones. Huge difference vs. computer speakers (on my 27" apple display) and I found very this much closer to the real-life exhaust notes. The Akra has a clean note.
- Tips. I like the E 102mm tips; similar to factory but more proportional especially with a dropped car and spacers. Taking that up one notch is the cutback on the Akra. Just another design element that is a little different. In my case I ended up going Ti tips, as I like the fact that they don't get lost in the rear diffuser like the CF. Also, another "win" is the ability to purchase the CF tips if I get bored. Not a bad option.
- Don't want to be a copy-cat. There are literally a half dozen Alpine White M5's here in the OC. A couple with E 102 tips (race and sport), RPI, and Akra CF. Since all of these have been done - and this is something to personalize the car, the Ti tips will be just different enough to set the car apart.
I don't think that anyone can go wrong with any of the available exhausts, and that is what I think makes the decision difficult. Horses for courses. Best part is if it does not live up to expectations I can always swap it out pretty easily. Or add downpipes
