AWE Impressions After 1500 Miles

I just got the AWE exhaust installed last week before a long road trip. I have driven the car for about 1500 miles since last Wednesday so I think it has had plenty of time to let the exhaust settle in. After all the great reviews from this site my expectations were very high. It is true that the perfect exhaust note will vary from person to person, but after all the great feedback I was excited about the AWE product. Fitment and Install: My installer had no trouble with the exhaust and everything in the back lines up perfectly. It looks exactly like the stock fitment with the same tips. Sound: Off of idle it has a strange sound like the whole exhaust is vibrating. It doesn't really bother me and is hard to hear when inside the car, but is very obvious when outside and does sound a little strange. Has anyone else experienced this? When cruising, there is very little sound except when applying throttle. There is heavy reasonance under throttle between 2-3K RPMS but I am totally fine with it. I actually like laying into the throttle in 6th gear on the freeway to hear the booming bass. At wide-open throttle it is definitely louder. Between 3-5K RPMs the note is very clear. However, anything higher and the sound changes from a deep base note to something that sounds more like rushing air. It is not terrible, but not what I expected. It is more like a jet engine than a raw exhaust note. I am happy, but not as much as I thought I would be. I am disappointed in the high RPM WOT note and wish it had more meat like the UUC exhaust on my M3. It is better than stock but I might look at Tubi or Fabspeed to see what else is available. On another note, buying the exhaust off the AWE website was a snap. They had it shipped out the very next day and the whole transaction was very easy and uneventful.

That's strange. Comparing your impressions with previous members' who've had the AWE installed makes me think that you eithed got sent a bad unit, had it wrongly installed, or more likely that this is so subjective that no two people can agree on what sounds/feels good. AWE is highly rated by other members who installed it. http://www.planet-9.com/showthread.php?t=7832 Reading you feedback makes me think twice about buying an aftermarket exhaust.

Team, First, thanks for your order and honest review. Have you listened to the video we have posted on our site? Does the system sound radically different than in the video? If so, perhaps an alignment of the bracket support is needed. Some aftermarket exhaust users on this forum have commented that if the support bracket is not reinstalled properly, vibrations can be noted. While overall it seems you are pleased with the muffler, if you do decide that it is not for you, we do have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee (as with all our products). As you stated, sound can be subjective, but we do our best to provide as much info as possible so that prospective clients can make an informed decision. If you decide to remove it, just contact one of our sales people for the RMA procedure. If you have any questions at all regarding the muffler or our satisfaction guarantee, just drop me a line.

Excellent response Mr Sager

Thanks Todd for jumping in! When I read his post I wasn't sure if he had a loose bracket or if he was mistaking the air-cooled burble sound the exhaust has just off idle with a vibration. It sounds more like a loose bracket or something, I don't know if there is anyone else in his area that has an AWE exhaust but if so maybe they can get together and compare, otherwise the audio/video on your website or in our files section is another good idea.

Off of idle it has a strange sound like the whole exhaust is vibrating. This is odd There is heavy reasonance under throttle between 2-3K RPMS At 2K is where I thought something was rattling but it was just the low deep note bass sound causing keys, even the door lock to rattle slightly However, anything higher and the sound changes from a deep base note to something that sounds more like rushing air. I cannot comment on this, not gone about 4200K yet

First and foremost.. I'm extremely impressed with the response from AWE... This is the way business is supposed to be conducted and I don't hand out compliments lightly... I feel each exhaust has it's positives and negatives... Each owner's comments about their exhaust system is extremely subjective... I personally did not like the AWE or Fabspeed but many owners say the systems are excellent... It's not that they do not build a quality system, they do... I was able to drive a CS with each of these systems installed and decided they were not for me as I felt they lost the sound I was looking for at high RPMs... Also, the overall sound was not what I was trying to achieve... Unfortunately most of us don't get a chance to test out each system before we make a decision so we, go by someone elses subjective comments...

I will go and check the exhaust again today to see if anything is loose. I might not be describing the sound right so I will try to take some video and post. It really isn't a big deal, just thought I would mention it. The only issue that would make me switch exhausts is the sound at high RPM's WOT. I guess my preference is for more volume. I think the note in my BMW is perfect but a lot of people complain that it is too loud. I wish I had the opportunity to hear more exhausts side by side, but there are only a few Caymans in Seattle. Maybe someone in Orange County with either the Fabspeed or the Tubi would like to meet up while I am down here? Finally, If anyone is on the fence about getting this exhaust I would not hesitate. Dealing with AWE, the quality of the product and the ease of the install are second to none. I have no regrets in going through this process and the return policy is very rare in the industry. Thanks to AWE for making a great product and standing by it.

WOW you guys are all over it,that kind of service is what keeps peopl coming back!!!

Great response from A.W.E., it is good to know service like that still exists! Aloha Russ

Wow.... I am kind of blown away by Todd's response. I didn't think this kind of commitment to customer service still existed. I think I can speak for a lot of folks here when I say that AWE just gained a healthy dose of respect from me. Good luck Teamsketch. Please keep us posted.

Just placed my order yesterday for an AWE. It is on backorder and I will get it in about 3 to 4 weeks. I have read all the opinions but not had the chance to listen to or drive a 3.4 with it. Anyone in the So Cal area with one willing to let me visit and check it out?

chucko, Check with Zornet (PM/email him) he may be able to hook up with you.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. Honestly, we have our satisfaction guarantee just because we want happy customers. It makes all our lives better. Happy New Year to everyone!

I am disappointed in the high RPM WOT note I just got my car back from the dealer. Driving home on the highway I tried WOT but only to about 44/4500K and its sounded fine to me. Maybe the whooshing sound is just the gasses being expelled quicker

I agree it sounds good to about 4.5K-5K. After that I start to hear more and more "whoosh" and less real exhaust tone. It is starting to bother me in everyday driving. Today I drove a friend's Carrera S with a Tubi. Now that thing wailed! At WOT all I could hear was pure exhaust, no wooshing of air like there was a leak somewhere. Also I now have a really bad metallic rasp at 2000 and 3900 RPM. Maybe something is rubbing but it wasn't there 2 days ago and it is getting worse. It reminds me of my E46 M3 (yuk). I'll have to have the shop take a look at it when I get back to Seattle. Does anyone have Tubi or B&B installed on a Cayman in either SoCal or Seattle? I would really like to check out the sound.

Update The resonance is now coming at all RPM and is driving me insane. I talked to the installing shop and they are taking a look at the car tomorrow. They have seen this issue before and seem fairly confident that they can resolve the problem. Hopefully I will learn something useful that I can share with the group.

Update 2 Took the Cayman back to the shop today. After inspecting all of the mount points and taking a look at the muffler cans, the verdict is that one of the cans has some loose baffling that is causing the resonance. This is obviously not what I wanted to hear. I called AWE and they want me to send the exhaust back to them for inspection. So at this point I will have to pay for the AWE to come off, the old exhaust to be put back on, and vice versa when the AWE is returned. I am a little frustrated by all of this and hope that the return goes smoothly.

teamsketch- We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please call me either tonight or first thing in the morning. I will let you know how this will be handled.