How to configure your Rog exhaust

Choosing your exhaust.

Five decisions, in this order: each one builds on the one before, and the last no longer affects the sound. Before you start, here is what you are buying.

Your exhaust, in two parts

1. 1

   Step 1 of 5: Sound: the voice of your car

   An exhaust's sound is shaped in three places: its character, which you choose here; its intensity, which depends on the front section (step 3); and the volume of the moment, which you set with the valves (step 4).

   On some BMW M cars, the product page adds a decision before the character: the exhaust design. Standard keeps the engine's deep grain, Equal Length gives the pipes equal lengths for a crisper note, and Equal Length + Z-pipe pushes the voice towards a higher pitch.

   The character

   At the same price, two characters: the straight pipe, to hear the raw sound of the engine, unfiltered; the resonator, for a rounder, slightly softer voice. With either one, the exhaust stays fully sporty.

   

   Pure · straight pipe

   Same price

   

   Round · resonator

   Same price

   Our advice. The straight pipe if you want to hear your engine unfiltered, the resonator if you prefer a rounder voice. Exhaust resonator: what does it do?.

2. 2

   Step 2 of 5: Material: stainless steel or titanium

   The material changes three things: weight, sound and durability. It is a genuine technical choice, not just a matter of looks.

   304 stainless steel

   Base price

   Weight

   Baseline

   Sound

   Full and rounded

   Durability

   Withstands salt and winter

   Tough, corrosion-proof, with a full, rounded sound. The choice of most of our customers.

   Titanium

   Optional

   Weight

   Around 40% lighter

   Sound

   Metallic, crystal-clear

   Durability

   Does not rust

   Around 40% lighter than stainless steel for the same design, with a more metallic sound that turns crystal-clear at high revs. You then choose it in one of three colours, at the same price (step 5).

   Our advice. Stainless steel for a first purchase and everyday use; titanium if you are chasing every kilo and want a higher-pitched note at high revs. Over time, both last. Stainless steel or titanium: what really changes.

3. 3

   Step 3 of 5: Front section: sports catalytic converter or decat

   The front section is the downpipe on a turbo engine or the exhaust manifolds on a naturally aspirated engine: that is where the catalytic converter sits. After the exhaust itself, it is the part that matters most, for sound as well as for breathing. It is optional; on the product page, this option is called “Manifold”. When a product page does not offer it, the exhaust keeps the factory front section.

   Cat-back only

   Included

   7/10

   Factory catalytic converter retained

   You keep the factory front section. It already makes it a different car: most of our customers start here.

   200-cell sports catalytic converter

   Optional

   8/10

   Road use and inspection

   Emissions control stays in place, flow improves markedly and the sound gains presence. Our choice for the road.

   100-cell sports catalytic converter

   Optional

   9/10

   Inspection: depends on the vehicle

   Half as many cells: more breathing and more aggression at high revs.

   Decat

   Optional

   10/10

   Track use

   No emissions control: maximum flow and raw sound, for the track.

   Sound intensity, on a scale of 0 to 10

   1. 10/10Decat front section + Rog cat-back
   2. 9/10100-cell sports catalytic converter + Rog cat-back
   3. 8/10200-cell sports catalytic converter + Rog cat-back
   4. 7/10Rog cat-back only, factory catalytic converter retained
   5. 3/10Factory exhaust, for comparison

   Valves open. With the valves closed, every configuration becomes discreet again.

   Our advice. Your reference point is a score out of 10: 7 with the exhaust alone, 8 to 9 with the 200-cell sports catalytic converter, 10 with the decat version, for the track. With a remap by a tuner, it is also the front section that unlocks the power: your car's guide gives the figures.

   

   What about the engine warning light? With a sports catalytic converter, it can come on with some engines: the sensor placed after the catalytic converter measures a different level of emissions control from the original. It is not a mechanical fault, and a remap by a tuner sorts it out. The decat version almost always triggers it. Passing inspection with a sports exhaust.

4. 4

   Step 4 of 5: Valves: our remote or your factory valves

   The valves set the volume at every moment: closed, the gases pass through the muffler and the car keeps a sound close to the factory one; open, they take the shortest route. All that remains is to choose who controls them.

   Rog system and remote

   Included

   

   The exhaust comes with our valves fitted and a two-button remote, open and closed; a small control unit fits in the trunk. The valves stay in the position you choose, whatever the drive mode: open, they stay open; closed, they stay closed.

   Your factory valves

   Included

   • If your car has factory valves
   • Controlled by the drive modes

   If your car has factory valves, we deliver the exhaust with mounting points for them: your garage refits your valves there, and everything works as before, through the drive modes.

   

   Our advice. The remote if you want to decide for yourself, at any time; your factory valves if you value the standard drive modes. For inspection, present the car with the valves closed. On track, open them: that is where they come into their own.

   On the highway, with the valves closed, all the exhaust flow passes through the muffler, designed for long distances: no drone at a steady speed. You open up when you feel like it, not when the highway decides for you. Why our exhausts stay calm on the highway.

5. 5

   Step 5 of 5: Looks: titanium colour and tips

   The last step, and the freest. The titanium colour and the tips are purely aesthetic choices: they change nothing about the sound or the performance of the exhaust. Choose them with your eyes.

   The titanium colour

   Three colours, at the same price: brushed, gold or purple. They only apply to titanium; in stainless steel, the exhaust keeps the colour of the steel.

   

   

   

   The tips

   Depending on the product page, Rog tips in chrome, gloss black or blued titanium, included in the price, and on some BMWs, carbon tips with the M logo, as an option: forged carbon, black carbon or carbon and titanium. You can also order the exhaust without tips.

   

   

   

   

   

   

Exhaust chosen? Here is what comes next: From order to fitting.

What changes on your car, version by version, is in the guide for your model.

Questions.