AWE Touring exhaust on GT500

Rasmus

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Typically I wouldn’t post about a pair of mufflers, but I’m so damn impressed by AWE that I’m going to make an exception.

I have an ‘11 GT500, and it’s loud -- think lots of boost through a healthy exhaust. My old mufflers, Borla ATAKs, sounded okay at best, but they weren't quite aggressive enough. Also, a slight amount of drone would appear in the usual 1900-2000rpm range. I hate drone. Drone makes me want to light a car on fire.

Enter AWE. After more or less stumbling upon them by accident here on the forum, and seeing how they had managed to incorporate a Helmholtz style resonator in their Touring series mufflers, I decided to give them a shot. I ordered a set. A couple of weeks later, a box showed up.

What follows are my impressions during and after the install:

1) Very nice packaging -- This may be a frivolous observation, but if I buy new parts, I can’t help but judge a manufacturer on how they ship those parts out. In this case, everything was packaged safely, with care and consideration. The chromed tips being packaged separately in a foam lined box was a very nice touch. This was next level up from any other exhaust I had bought in the past.

2) Remarkable quality -- The build quality was the best I remembered having seen on any Mustang exhaust – and I have been through damn well all of them at this point. The welds looked very nice overall. The hangers were much bigger than average, very beefy, and felt incredibly sturdy. The tips were flawless. Someone took care fabricating this exhaust, and it showed.

3) Very easy install -- Total install time was about 37 minutes, from grabbing the jack, to having the car back on the ground. Bolting on a set of mufflers isn’t rocket science, but I am getting too old to take things for granted.

4) Otherworldly fitment -- For lack of better words, fitment was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Anyone who has installed a set of mufflers on a Mustang knows how big of a challenge it can be to get the tips aligned perfectly. Not the case here. I was very surprised.

5) No drone, perfect tone -- The tone turned a little deeper, and noticeably more aggressive. After the first test drive, and as I had been expecting, there was a complete absence of drone. The car was a much more pleasant experience to drive around at part throttle. At wide open throttle, all hell broke loose – as it should when you drive something as stupid as this. Perfect for the car.

All in all, if you're looking for a nice, aggressive sound, no drone, and what is probably the best quality and fitment, give AWE a try. I can't recommend them enough.

Shit’s good.

_Q7V2238-Edit.jpg _Q7V2263-Edit.jpg _Q7V2271-Edit.jpg


And yes, I'm the idiot who posts an exhaust thread without audio or video. I'll try to get something this weekend.
 

stkjock

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And yes, I'm the idiot who posts an exhaust thread without audio or video. I'll try to get something this weekend.


I was just about to post. WTF no idle, WOT, or cruising sound clips...???
 

redfirepearlgt

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Would love to hear an interior clip in 6th gear running 1900-2100 RPM pulling a hill steady in that range. And after the car has been running for longer than 30 minutes. That for me is the final proof that exhaust will not drone.

I have found that claims to "no drone" only hold up at early ownership...especially if they have deep tone. And the warmer the exhaust gets the more it will tend to drone. Drone is most noticeable puling hills in the 1900-2100 RPM range in high gear after the exhaust temps have reached their hottest state, usually after about 30 minutes of driving. Like you I hate drone. I will yield my skepticism when I hear glorious tone with no drone. Until then...
 

Rasmus

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I was just about to post. WTF no idle, WOT, or cruising sound clips...???

You hush your pretty mouth. It's been raining. Have you seen my tires?

Would love to hear an interior clip in 6th gear running 1900-2100 RPM pulling a hill steady in that range. And after the car has been running for longer than 30 minutes. That for me is the final proof that exhaust will not drone.

I have found that claims to "no drone" only hold up at early ownership...especially if they have deep tone. And the warmer the exhaust gets the more it will tend to drone. Drone is most noticeable puling hills in the 1900-2100 RPM range in high gear after the exhaust temps have reached their hottest state, usually after about 30 minutes of driving. Like you I hate drone. I will yield my skepticism when I hear glorious tone with no drone. Until then...

Sure, I understand the skepticism.

The scenario, as described, was how my Borlas droned as well; when warm and under high load. In my experience, the true skull splitting wonder that is drone, can be more than a little difficult to record on video, but I'll give it a try. Until then, I can only offer my word.
 

Rasmus

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:LMAO:

You need dry roads for an idle clip?? :poke:

If I only did idle, I knew you'd complain about me not doing drive.

If you were going to complain either way, I figured I'd save myself the hassle and just wait until I could do it all at the same time.

:whistling:
 

redfirepearlgt

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You hush your pretty mouth. It's been raining. Have you seen my tires?



Sure, I understand the skepticism.

The scenario, as described, was how my Borlas droned as well; when warm and under high load. In my experience, the true skull splitting wonder that is drone, can be more than a little difficult to record on video, but I'll give it a try. Until then, I can only offer my word.

I appreciate it. $650 is a lot of cash for a tone change. I personally appreciate you taking the time to do this. And additionally for taking the leap of faith on the product. I'm happy with my classic Gt500 mufflers and OR h-pipe. There is zero drone. BUT! If I could have some decibel back on exhaust without the drone just as you have described.....then Mr, that's having your cake and eating it to and I want a piece! LOL! Just trying to make sure your idea of zero drone and my idea of zero drone are consistent.
 

stkjock

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If I only did idle, I knew you'd complain about me not doing drive.

If you were going to complain either way, I figured I'd save myself the hassle and just wait until I could do it all at the same time.

:whistling:
:LMAO:
 

travelers

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I appreciate it. $650 is a lot of cash for a tone change. I personally appreciate you taking the time to do this. And additionally for taking the leap of faith on the product. I'm happy with my classic Gt500 mufflers and OR h-pipe. There is zero drone. BUT! If I could have some decibel back on exhaust without the drone just as you have described.....then Mr, that's having your cake and eating it to and I want a piece! LOL! Just trying to make sure your idea of zero drone and my idea of zero drone are consistent.

That's what I have except I also have 1 7/8" ARHs and a whipple 2.3 that have been installed for about 4 years and they seemed to have mellowed out very nicely and still no drone.
 

stkjock

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:perkinswhatever:
I think it was dry today.....
 

Speedboosted

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So the AWE Touring is louder than Borla ATAK? That's quite loud if true.
 

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