to anyone who can explain this issue to me.

i have been looking for an aftermarket exhaust for my 06 mini S and came across a bit of a problem. most all the exhausts are going for 700-800 dollars and some of them are not true catbacks. but then there is Ireland Engineering who sells one for 400 bucks; the ower has years of bmw racing experience where most of these other companies don't. so why is IE exhaust half the price than the others?
to all my petrol heads out there, i need your guidence.

 

IE may have racing experience, but they can still use cheaper materials in the final build of the race proven design.

The more expensive exhausts made by the bigger names in the industry use higher quality materials. Materials that have been proven over the years and with millions of miles of real world testing.

I believe you get what you pay for, and that 'paying for the name,' in this case, does not constitute the doubling of the price.

 

Could be any number of reasons. More extensive R&D, better materials, or simply, just a name (more people will recognize Borla vs. IE).

 

so in the end what choice would be better to go with? does any one have a IE evhaust or has a friend that has one? do either of you have an aftermarket exhaust and if so what do you have?

 

check out scorpion exhaust. I put one on my 06 and I love it. Sorry I don't have any sound clips for you. It is a mild exhaust no drone on the highway. Pops like crazy especially when cold. Doesn't matter what gear your in. Let off the gas it pops and crackles. and it's only $550 for a full catback. http://www.bavauto.com/shop.asp

here is the only pic I have right now:

 

Not sure why someone that as seen an IE catback would think it's made with lower quality stainless steel. I've seen most of the catbacks on the market for the MINI and the IE is not made with any less quality then most others. Yes the org tip was nasty, but with feed back from NAM members we were able to get that changed to a much better looking tip too. I think the IE is the best value on the market and I have many happy customers running the system.

 

I have a Borla sport cat-back.


AutoXCooper, I only guessed at material quality as a possible explanation of why it is priced less.

 

It's all cool nabeshin. One reason IE parts are less expensive then many others is the lack of bling. They make great parts but without the fancy marketing, boxes and higher overhead of a pretty building. They also try to use same components on as many of the parts/cars they serve. All of which keeps IE prices low and gives us all more bang for the buck.

PS, you still have one of my fav sigs on NAM.

 

Low overhead was my next guess.

 

Save for a Miltek. Well worth it. It is not even comprable to the ALta sportone I had. What a bad experience.

Gl on your pick.

 

The thing I do not like about the IE exhaust is the way the single pipe exits into the two exhaust tips. Since the exhaust flows smoother into one tip than the other, one tip gets dark and the other stays cleaner. It just looks weird when you look at the tips and it bothered me. I suspect most people would not care that one tip is dirtier than the other.