CTS Turbo High-Flow Catted Downpipe

[x35250]

Does anyone have any experience with CTS Turbo products on their F10 M5 platform?

I know they're reputation is pretty good with the VW/Audi community.

I'm looking at their 200 cell catted downpipe for $799. The OEM heat shields work according to the install instructions. Price is pretty darn good and most people don't seem to have fitment issues on other BMWs.

I know this will throw a CEL. Working on that with my tuner if I go this route.

Just wanted some experience from the community with CTS.

[SmokinJoe]

These are interesting. Looks like they have a decent reputation and I like the heat shielding they have. Great deal for a catted downpipe assuming fitment is good. Do it and report back.

[1320racer]

Great price! I need to look a bit harder as the downpipes I see available from CTS don’t appear to have 200 cell cats.
Code: CTS-EXH-DP-0034

Never mind! I see they offer both catted and non catted downpipes.
Code: CTS-EXH-DP-0034-CAT

[mike@x-ph.com]

+1 for CTS, they make good quality parts.

Our sale ended for their products, but i will happily price match for forum members + free shipping

[co_pa]

+1 for cts quality. ran intercooler, intakes and charge pipes on my e90 335i.

for this platform, a set of dps and charge coolers are very reasonable. i may go stage II after all.

[x35250]

Thanks for all the replies!

Does anyone know if a 200 cell cat will throw a CEL. I guess my tuner will not code it out anymore. Pretty happy with my power levels and not looking to get a whole new tune because of it.

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by x35250

Thanks for all the replies!

Does anyone know if a 200 cell cat will throw a CEL. I guess my tuner will not code it out anymore. Pretty happy with my power levels and not looking to get a whole new tune because of it.

its likely you will get a check engine light from this downpipe.

[x35250]

I went ahead and bought the CTS Turbo catted DP and their charge pipes also.

Next issue.

This was just to improve the exhaust note. I was perfectly happy with my custom Stage 1 tune. Since the original tuner will not clear the CEL anymore, what other options do I have?

I did not really like using the BM3 Stage 1 OTS map. The AFRs were not great and the throttle was inconsistent. I'm also concerned the BM3 Stage 2 OTS map will be too generic.

Sounds like I may have to go with another tuner for a conservative map and no CEL...

[mike@x-ph.com]

Originally Posted by x35250

I went ahead and bought the CTS Turbo catted DP and their charge pipes also.

Next issue.

This was just to improve the exhaust note. I was perfectly happy with my custom Stage 1 tune. Since the original tuner will not clear the CEL anymore, what other options do I have?

I did not really like using the BM3 Stage 1 OTS map. The AFRs were not great and the throttle was inconsistent. I'm also concerned the BM3 Stage 2 OTS map will be too generic.

Sounds like I may have to go with another tuner for a conservative map and no CEL...

Or get a custom map with bootmod3

[co_pa]

i was going to say jordantuned until i saw that huge disclaimer on his site.

[TinCanSailor]

Originally Posted by co_pa

i was going to say jordantuned until i saw that huge disclaimer on his site.

Wow! No doubt.

[x35250]

Yeah! It would have certainly been a lot easier to get a mod to the existing map and be done with it. The map he made was great - very linear and consistent. Too bad I'll have to go a different route and drop a ton of cash again.

[co_pa]

good to hear someone on this platform vouch for carey (like there was any doubt). good luck in your search and report back, op.

picked up the charge pipes myself. can't beat the deal.

[TinCanSailor]

Wow, the price on the charge coolers is great!

[x35250]

Took delivery of the CATTED downpipe and the charge pipes. Both products look like quality builds.

The heat shielding layer on the downpipes are a very nice touch. The material is similar to what is on the firewall of the car. I'm sure thermal coating is better but this added feature will help more than a single-layer pipe that many people run. The stock heat shield fits also according to the directions. The flex pipe is also nice for any motor movements and vibrations. The visible welds look great.

New gaskets are backordered until February with FCP Euro (and even with local dealerships here). I'd rather not reuse any gaskets to avoid annoying leaks.

I may run the BM3 Stage II OTS map and datalog to monitor the idle, AFR, fuel trim, knock, and other parameters until I can pay for a new tune (without upsetting a certain somebody). My experience on the Stage I OTS map was not great. The car ran rough at idle, throttle was jumpy, and the AFR was a tad bit high (13's). The stock map was surprisingly the worst option with AFR hitting 14's, which I believe are not ideal for a forced induction car.

Right now, I am leaning towards BPM. Got immediate responses to my questions and the customer service is well documented. The common theme is throttle control being very smooth and power levels. I love using the BM3 platform though so it's going to be a tough decision.

Got some time to do more research until the gaskets come!

[x35250]

Photos below.

[co_pa]

products look great!
sub'd to see what route you go w/ the tune

[ECB]

I hope the downpipes fit and work perfectly. My concern would be the quality of the cats at such an inexpensive price, and the site says they will throw a code. I'd probably go catless if considering the CTS turbo product. Curious to hear updates. Happy New Year!

[x35250]

Originally Posted by ECB

I hope the downpipes fit and work perfectly. My concern would be the quality of the cats at such an inexpensive price, and the site says they will throw a code. I'd probably go catless if considering the CTS turbo product. Curious to hear updates. Happy New Year!

Yeah, I thought about the lesser quality cats too but we don't have emissions testing here. I chose the catted version because it sounded better to me (deeper/less pops) and will reduce the fume smell. I actually don't mind the smell but the rest of my family does. As far as I know, if the cat starts to go after a year or two, I don't believe there will be any negative effects. The cats are downstream of the turbo and out the exhaust.

[x35250]

I'm considering a custom dyno tune from Chicane Motorsports. They have a Mustang AWD dyno and support BM3 based tuning in-house. Plus, being local to me is a major selling point. There isn't a whole lot of information on them in the forums, but I know they're focused on BMWs and have their own E46 M3 street/track car that was tuned in-house using an S62 motor. They are also currently building an F10 M5 of an acquaintance of mine from the ground up. The big selling point for Chicane Motorsports is the price, reputation, being local, and the ability to live monitor or datalog the car easily with BM3.

Another consideration is BPM. I know a lot of people swear by them and their customer service is unmatched. I've exchanged a few emails with BPM already and they are GREAT. My only concern is the difficulty with trying to datalog and live monitor through other apps, such as Bimmercode or Testo. BM3 is easiest for me. It also doesn't seem like BPM, Evolve, ESS, etc. or any of these OBD tunes are really customized to the vehicle itself. They are much better than a generic BM3 OTS map and were refined over datalogging from hundreds/thousands of other cars, but I'm not sure if this is still as good as a unique tune specific to my car on a dyno or street.

Live monitoring is critical in my opinion. It's not just about the tune, but making sure my car is running mechanically sound. A boost leak or fueling issue, for example, will be noticeable through the monitors if you know what to look for. I'm hesitant to use a fire-and-forget approach on an FI car with a costly motor (and everything else).

[Bmyguy88]

Isn't the whole point of going anything catted so you won't have a check engine light or deal with having to tune it? You are saying with these they produce a check engine light even though they are catted? What's the appeal to these then?

[x35250]

The reason for getting these is to improve the sound of the exhaust note and gain a bit more performance. I could get to Stage II with these, but don't really want to wear out the stock clutch on the DCT.

Even with a Meisterschraft valvetronic catback exhaust on a Stage I custom tune, I always found the exhaust note lacking - too quiet and smooth. This held me back from fully enjoying the car.

To me, the catted DPs sound cleaner, have less pops/bangs, and are less raspier. They also smell less than catless.

These would pop the CEL because they are 200-cell while the stock DPs are 400-cell. The emission control system is smart enough to detect the difference. A high-flow 400-cell DP costs thousands of dollars more.

By getting a custom tune, I can finally get the sound I've been looking for all along with a tad bit more performance than a Stage I tune. I think it is well worth the cost.