B8.5 S5 Exhaust Recommendations

[A2K]

Looking for an exhaust system that adds some deep rumble to the exhaust note, but i do not want ANY droning. I was thinking to leave the stock down-pipes, so thinking just cat-back. From watching online videos, I've narrowed it down to:

- Milltek Resonated Valvesonic (valved) (expensive)
- ECS resonated (not valved)
- AWE touring (not valved)
- someone even suggested trying a X-pipe alone if all i wanted is a little more loudness.

Any thoughts/recommendations folks? thx.

[S5Black]

I have the Milltek resonated exhaust and couldn't be happier with it. (Non valved)

[03TLSinCO]

I replaced my center res with a Magnaflow non-res x-pipe. It added a bit of a deeper sound and some volume, especially at WOT (I have a Stage 1 tune, so redline is ~7.4k RPM), but there is minor droning in certain circumstances, like when going up a hill. I don't find it noticeable if I have the radio on, so it is very minor.

This is a very inexpensive way to modify your exhaust. If I decide to go in a different direction at some point, I'm only out about $250.

[dbtong]

I had the ECS x-pipe on my DSG for a while. It sounded good most of the time but when in the drone zone it was too much for me. My wife didn't mind it though. Drone/sound quality is subjective. I would still like to find a nice exhaust solution that sounds good to my ears so good luck. Would like to hear what you end up with since you're local, especially if yours is a DSG too.

[ciderian]

I had the ECS x-pipe on my DSG for a while. It sounded good most of the time but when in the drone zone it was too much for me. My wife didn't mind it though. Drone/sound quality is subjective. I would still like to find a nice exhaust solution that sounds good to my ears so good luck. Would like to hear what you end up with since you're local, especially if yours is a DSG too.

I have dbtong's X-pipe and I am glad he didn't like it because I love it !

The drone seems to appear on my car during low-load driving, usually uphill, between the 1.5k-2.5k RPM range. Outside of that situation, I think its a great (cheap) improvement to the volume/sound of the stock exhaust. There is a great "cross-over" effect from the X-pipe when low-speed cruising around town. It gets really loud under WOT - which I think is a best-of-both-worlds.

But like dbtong said, sound is subjective. The X-pipe is easy and low risk ($) to undo if you don't like it.

-Cid

[Mrads]

I ran a Milltek non-res system on my B8.5 S4 and a Stasis system on my B8.5 S5. I was happy with both from a sound perspective.

The Milltek was louder and had more drone. The stasis had a deeper tone and less drone. One of the members of our local Audi club called the stasis system the "Count Basie" of B8.5 exhaust. I assume that was a compliment.

That said, the B8.5, being a V6, is never going to sound deep and bassy like a V8. I have heard many guys' attempts at chasing that V8 sound only to devise a system that sounds good at idle and low RPM but sounded terrible in all other RPM conditions.

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[A2K]

I have the Milltek resonated exhaust and couldn't be happier with it. (Non valved)

did it come with new downpipes? (i just noticed the valvesonic kit comes with downpipes). any drone at all? thanks!

[A2K]

I replaced my center res with a Magnaflow non-res x-pipe. It added a bit of a deeper sound and some volume, especially at WOT (I have a Stage 1 tune, so redline is ~7.4k RPM), but there is minor droning in certain circumstances, like when going up a hill. I don't find it noticeable if I have the radio on, so it is very minor.

This is a very inexpensive way to modify your exhaust. If I decide to go in a different direction at some point, I'm only out about $250.

right! that's the exact logic i was thinking - its a small cost shot to take! thanks for the feedback!

[A2K]

I had the ECS x-pipe on my DSG for a while. It sounded good most of the time but when in the drone zone it was too much for me. My wife didn't mind it though. Drone/sound quality is subjective. I would still like to find a nice exhaust solution that sounds good to my ears so good luck. Would like to hear what you end up with since you're local, especially if yours is a DSG too.

thanks dave. yeah happy to meet up locally once i get a system installed. I'm hoping to hear some exhausts at the AGSV meetup in early May.

[A2K]

I have dbtong's X-pipe and I am glad he didn't like it because I love it !

The drone seems to appear on my car during low-load driving, usually uphill, between the 1.5k-2.5k RPM range. Outside of that situation, I think its a great (cheap) improvement to the volume/sound of the stock exhaust. There is a great "cross-over" effect from the X-pipe when low-speed cruising around town. It gets really loud under WOT - which I think is a best-of-both-worlds.

But like dbtong said, sound is subjective. The X-pipe is easy and low risk ($) to undo if you don't like it.

-Cid

fantastic feedback - thanks Cid. yeah i think the car is too quiet at idle, low rpm --> i think thats what im tryign to solve for -- but at the same time I rented a jag ftype once and the sports exhaust (click a button and car gets super fierce) was kinda badass :). SF is a lot of hills so good to know re: droning.

[A2K]

I ran a Milltek non-res system on my B8.5 S4 and a Stasis system on my B8.5 S5. I was happy with both from a sound perspective.

The Milltek was louder and had more drone. The stasis had a deeper tone and less drone. One of the members of our local Audi club called the stasis system the "Count Basie" of B8.5 exhaust. I assume that was a compliment.

That said, the B8.5, being a V6, is never going to sound deep and bassy like a V8. I have heard many guys' attempts at chasing that V8 sound only to devise a system that sounds good at idle and low RPM but sounded terrible in all other RPM conditions.

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I heard Statis shut down and you can find their designs from 3rd party manufacturers but lower quality control from those 3rd parties. and count basie definitely sounds like a compliment.

I did hear some crazy exhaust setups that sound great -- aka test pipes, non-resonated everything -- but that sounds like a nightmare for a daily driver so, no thanks.

[01northernS4]

I have the Milltek resonated exhaust and couldn't be happier with it. (Non valved)

+1

best exhaust ever for me on all 3 audis, v8, tt6, and now 3.0t

do it!

[01northernS4]

I ran a Milltek non-res system on my B8.5 S4 and a Stasis system on my B8.5 S5. I was happy with both from a sound perspective.

The Milltek was louder and had more drone. The stasis had a deeper tone and less drone. One of the members of our local Audi club called the stasis system the "Count Basie" of B8.5 exhaust. I assume that was a compliment.

That said, the B8.5, being a V6, is never going to sound deep and bassy like a V8. I have heard many guys' attempts at chasing that V8 sound only to devise a system that sounds good at idle and low RPM but sounded terrible in all other RPM conditions.

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At least on my car the millteck resonated sounds very deep and bassy... obviously not exactly like my b7 v8 s4 but pretty damn good... easily the best, deepest and bassiest imo of all I've heard on the 3.0t soo far.

I also have zero drone... I guess the resonators took care of that... and perhaps make the exhaust deeper?

[dbtong]

My wife had a Milltek on her B6 1.8T and that sounded fantastic. Very smooth and bass-y exhaust note. If that's what their 3.0T exhaust sounds like I'd be interested...but price.

@ciderian: Glad you like it. I think the experience is different on manuals or manual mode where you can minimize time in the drone zone. It was the worst for me on highway inclines when I'm usually in full auto mode. I really do miss the sound just driving around town for sure.

@A2K: Is your car manual or DSG?

[RaffianiS5]

I currently have a polo performance system on my 6mt b8.5 S5 and absolutely love it. I have a crappy drone zone (1900-2400rpm) but as ive been messing with the J pipes, its been getting better. I totally love the way it sounds outside of that range. I really wanted to steer clear of the "ricey" sound a lot of systems tend to have. I feel like this system really does bring the sound i was looking for, deep and throaty, plenty of rumble or "burble". It also seems to have ability to be loud when you want to and quiet when you dont. I was dead set on buying something valved and i can say im happy it. I bought it used for cheap, so in my eyes it was worth a shot.

That being said.. if anyone in here has some insight on tuning the J pipes please let me know. I have it pretty good at the moment, but what sold me was a ton of people saying there is 0 drone and im having trouble getting that. Ive made leaps and bounds since initial install but still not great. Any info is much appreciated.

Sound clip video directly from Polo's YouTube. -> https://youtu.be/ZNPKDX64rRM

[dbtong]

I currently have a polo performance system on my 6mt b8.5 S5 and absolutely love it. I have a crappy drone zone (1900-2400rpm) but as ive been messing with the J pipes, its been getting better. I totally love the way it sounds outside of that range. I really wanted to steer clear of the "ricey" sound a lot of systems tend to have. I feel like this system really does bring the sound i was looking for, deep and throaty, plenty of rumble or "burble". It also seems to have ability to be loud when you want to and quiet when you dont. I was dead set on buying something valved and i can say im happy it. I bought it used for cheap, so in my eyes it was worth a shot.

That being said.. if anyone in here has some insight on tuning the J pipes please let me know. I have it pretty good at the moment, but what sold me was a ton of people saying there is 0 drone and im having trouble getting that. Ive made leaps and bounds since initial install but still not great. Any info is much appreciated.

Sound clip video directly from Polo's YouTube. -> https://youtu.be/ZNPKDX64rRM

That sounds great. Probably too loud for me but still.

[Mrads]

I heard Statis shut down and you can find their designs from 3rd party manufacturers but lower quality control from those 3rd parties. and count basie definitely sounds like a compliment.

I did hear some crazy exhaust setups that sound great -- aka test pipes, non-resonated everything -- but that sounds like a nightmare for a daily driver so, no thanks.

Yeah Stasis is long gone. I found it used.

I have also heard that their exhaust design is available through 3rd party manufacturers but I don't known anyone that has gone that route.

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[Mrads]

At least on my car the millteck resonated sounds very deep and bassy... obviously not exactly like my b7 v8 s4 but pretty damn good... easily the best, deepest and bassiest imo of all I've heard on the 3.0t soo far.

I also have zero drone... I guess the resonators took care of that... and perhaps make the exhaust deeper?

Your resonated down pipes would definitely knock down the drone compared to the non-res. Not sure how they would impact tone of the system.

I can tell you the Stasis system is definitely beeper and bassier.

I have since sold my S5 and daily driving a b8.5 RS5 with a JHM exhaust. Now that is a f'ing glorious noise.

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[A2K]

@A2K: Is your car manual or DSG?

DSG.. does that chance the recommendation?

[A2K]

I currently have a polo performance system on my 6mt b8.5 S5 and absolutely love it. I have a crappy drone zone (1900-2400rpm) but as ive been messing with the J pipes, its been getting better. I totally love the way it sounds outside of that range. I really wanted to steer clear of the "ricey" sound a lot of systems tend to have. I feel like this system really does bring the sound i was looking for, deep and throaty, plenty of rumble or "burble". It also seems to have ability to be loud when you want to and quiet when you dont. I was dead set on buying something valved and i can say im happy it. I bought it used for cheap, so in my eyes it was worth a shot.

i gotta say that the polo system sounds pretty good! but just to clarify - Polo's system, bolted on, gives you resonation at 19-2400 rpm? doesn't that seem like a bad design job? or am i missing something..

[01northernS4]

DSG.. does that chance the recommendation?

yes and no...

some say you can stay out of the "drone rpm range" with manual transmission better by shifting... I say you can blip the paddle shifter on the steering wheel on DSG just as easy or even easier...

that being said if you have to shift out of a "drone rpm range", I say the exhaust is wrong and it would be better to find an exhaust that is properly designed to have no drone.

[S5Black]

did it come with new downpipes? (i just noticed the valvesonic kit comes with downpipes). any drone at all? thanks!

Full cat back system.

[usmcfieldmp]

FYI. I have a Polo system for sale. $1300 shipped CONUS.

My car was totaled - only reason it came off. It definitely sounds great. Windows closed, there was definite drone around 2k rpm in 6th and 7th gears under highway load. I didn't mess with the j-pipes too much for it because I rarely did long highway stints, but also typically had the windows down/cracked.

[A2K]

that being said if you have to shift out of a "drone rpm range", I say the exhaust is wrong and it would be better to find an exhaust that is properly designed to have no drone.

I agree entirely.

[ezridah]

Given you are in CA, if you don’t want to worry/hassle w exhaust and smog requirements, you want to get a full catback system. Some folks want to play by the rules and some don’t :). I have a B8 S5 w. JHM (fast intentions manufactured) full catback w JHM tune and it sounds fantastic. Diff engine I realize but think they have a system for the B8.5 (? Jake@jhm?) and their shop is striking distance from SF so they could do the install as well if of interest. I’m in the bay as well so could try to meet up if you wanted to hear/see it knowing it’s a different setup...

[dbtong]

Just checking in to see if you pulled the trigger on an exhaust.

[A2K]

Just checking in to see if you pulled the trigger on an exhaust.

I did - I purchased the Milltek valvesonic catback system from ECS in June but unfortunately shipping has been delayed until mid August. 😠

[A2K]

Given you are in CA, if you don’t want to worry/hassle w exhaust and smog requirements, you want to get a full catback system. Some folks want to play by the rules and some don’t :). I have a B8 S5 w. JHM (fast intentions manufactured) full catback w JHM tune and it sounds fantastic. Diff engine I realize but think they have a system for the B8.5 (? Jake@jhm?) and their shop is striking distance from SF so they could do the install as well if of interest. I’m in the bay as well so could try to meet up if you wanted to hear/see it knowing it’s a different setup...

Thanks for the offer! I have the APR stage 1 tune on my b8.5 so not sure if it will be apples to apples. But where is the JHM shop??

[dbtong]

JH Motorsports is in Lathrop.

Please share your experience/feedback on the Milltek when you get it!

[Mrads]

I did - I purchased the Milltek valvesonic catback system from ECS in June but unfortunately shipping has been delayed until mid August.

You will love it. I had the non-valved version on my B8.5 S4.

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[ezridah]

Yep - 90-120 min drive depending on where you live in the Bay and traffic of course.

[A2K]

You will love it. I had the non-valved version on my B8.5 S4.

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very much looking forward to it!! will make a video to record the before/after

[A2K]

Yep - 90-120 min drive depending on where you live in the Bay and traffic of course.

gotcha - im in SF right beside the Bay Bridge. but good to know.. 2 hrs isn't so bad. my performance shop is in santa clara so that's an hour away. and many times random drives end up in point reyes or santa cruz.. so 2 hr drives are not a problem :) thanks!

[Timpanogos Slim]

So i wonder if there is anyone here who has modified an S4 exhaust to work on an S5?

It does seem like it is probably just the mid-section that is different.

I'm a cheap bastard and there are so few S5 options . . .

[A2K]

So i wonder if there is anyone here who has modified an S4 exhaust to work on an S5?

It does seem like it is probably just the mid-section that is different.

I'm a cheap bastard and there are so few S5 options . . .

hahah that's hilarious.. but wouldn't the hooks/anchors/etc all be different? i dunno just guessing...

[usmcfieldmp]

They're not all that different. Another user on here put my old S5 Polo system on his S4.

It's a length difference of 1 or 2 inches, iirc; S5 being shorter, I believe.

[RaffianiS5]

i gotta say that the polo system sounds pretty good! but just to clarify - Polo's system, bolted on, gives you resonation at 19-2400 rpm? doesn't that seem like a bad design job? or am i missing something..

Yes, that is the rpm range that has the most drone. Id agree it isnt great, however at the time i found tons of reviews saying no drone, yet a handful still experienced sever drone. i got it used figureing it was worth the gamble. Sorry for the delayed response

[RaffianiS5]

Jumping back into this thread because I am tired of the drone with my polo system. I think I want a Milltek non res because I like the deeper note and it sounds "clean" to me if that makes any sense. I feel like it might have less drone than the polo, so what do you guys think? Or should I go with resonated? Is the valved worth the money?

I am not necessarily looking for the most quiet option, just something with less drone than what I have. As the exhaust has aged the drone has only gotten worse so now I'm looking elsewhere.

Let me know what you think!

[Mrads]

I ran Milltek non-res on my B8.5 S4 and it droned pretty badly between 2300 and 2900 RPM

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[RaffianiS5]

Based on the photos on the websites, the polo only has one center resonator where the milltek has 2, I would think that would help? Maybe not. Was yours 6mt or DSG? My S5 is manual.