x pipe only?
Attachment 207820
Here are two pictures from a member with the x-pipe and just straight pipe weld to the muffler.

Wow looks nice wondern how it sounds. I guess its just personal prefence!!!!! That looks like it would cost less too!!?
I wouldn't touch the cats at all ever: resale is a problem anywhere and here in CA you are dead with the smog folks, the car WILL NOT pass.
The X pipe is a nice touch in place of the resonator, the sound was a bit much for the first day or so but now I think it is just right-what the car should sound like. Still more subdued than a new CLS or E55 but a nice powerful hum in all rev ranges especially of course with your foot all the way in. Forr $200 out the door it was well worth it to me.
Instead of trying to go faster with each mod-we can spin the wheels from start already For Pete's sake- if your car has over 80,000 miles try changing the shocks and getting really good tires. It changed my car completely and is the most noticeable change I have done. A pleasure to dive, eats bumps, reduces float and now goes around corners like it is on a rail.
Tools and I are mortal enemies so getting the X pipe off of fleabay was a mistake. Just go to a performance shop and have them do the whole thing, even in Outer Mongolia it can't be over $300 and it is a great improvement to the car.
I see some drastically lowered 55s, huge rims, spoilers and blacked out chrome and I know that is not the original target market. Those guys like to hang out with the other rice rockets and peel out at the local Burger King.
Take your car up to 100 mph and drive a few hours, see how fresh you are after a long trip in one of the safest cars ever made and that is the target market. Last time I did that I went to change the music and get a CD on and looked up to see I was doing 120 mph, you would never know, rock solid and purring like a big cat.
Now if you delete 2nd cats and do high flow primaries and etc, then you will start making serious sacrifices.
AMS purposely designed its products to provide the same level of refinement & quality as OEM but improve on many of the cars design flaws. It is a true "sleeper" setup, its quiet when you want it, and sporty when you feel like driving more aggressively.
Hope that helps,
AMS
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
I am sure the AMS add ons are the best available and have thought about getting a pulley, Omey very kindly emailed me their package and it remains on the wishlist for after I get the wheels refinished, drip rails repainted and new headlight units.
Still, guys, these cars are very quick right out of the box. Hammer the car for 10 minutes on the twisties and for about a week the adaptive settings go to OMG and the car is just a screamer right?
here are some pictures of the pipe been put on. Ray told me to install it closer to the bend and have the mendrel bends coming out of the x-pipe instead of the other way. $100 for the installation....if anyone in the east coast who would like this mod and want to install it, pm me and I'll give you Ray's number. He specialized in exhaust mod.
delete cats and resonator
x-pipe - $30
labor - $100
cats recycle +$160
very nice mod and I made $30 doing it.

I would like to do the AMS headers and possibly high flow metal primaries, car already has x-pipe/resonator/!cat mod.
. I can also feel the smoother pickup from the higher rpms pulling from 80 to 100 on the highway. I might replace the 2nd cats with the shorter Magnaflow high flow cats this spring


