One of the easiest ways to upgrade your car is by changing its exhaust system. That’s, of course, as long as you’re not breaking the law. There are some tuners out there offering proper exhaust systems that allow you to remain CARB compliant and among them you’ll find the guys from Dinan. They’ve been in the business of tuning BMWs for decades and the latest cars in the Bavarian car maker’s stable are not left out.

The video below shows us exactly how different a BMW X3 M  sounds with and without the Dinan exhaust, in case you were interested in getting one for your own car. The BMW X3 M already has a nice sound to it and, if you’re buying it in the US, you won’t have to deal with pesky Otto Particulate Filters altering the sound of that marvelous S58 engine under the hood. The Competition model comes with a slightly different exhaust so you might not be as tempted to replaced it altogether.

Now, the Dinan exhaust comes in a number of formats and you can pick the one that’s right for you. You can go for a full setup or change certain parts of it. In this case, we’re looking at a partial install, an axle-back setup, including the rear muffler and a set of Dinan tips, of course. The cats are still in place and this isn’t a straight-pipe setup, either. This way, the car is still road-legal, with no potential issues for the owner.

As for the sound, you be the judge of whether it truly is a better overall acoustic experience or not. When it comes to the exhaust sound of a car, there are certain factors you need to take into consideration, not just the volume. Things like the frequency, pops and bangs or even design are all part of the decision-making process you should consider. After checking out both videos, what would you choose?