SoCalTim
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AWE Touring Catback Review
So, since I had the Corsa Sport catback on the car, the question could be asked why change when the Corsa catbacks are regarded as one of the best? Well, the Corsa sounded absolutely devine when accelerating with a heavy foot, but at most normal 'relaxed' accelerations in city driving it was almost none detectable. Now, of course that does play out to be the perfect Jekyll and Hyde exhaust, but it does lead to (at least in my case) driving with a heavier foot purely to hear that Corsa sound.
So I had been looking to switch it up to something a bit deeper, but not anything that was going to drone and give me headaches. When I heard AWE's promo video showcasing their new Touring model catback, I knew instantly I wanted to give it a shot. It sounded great on the their video, and we all know that cameras do not do audio pick up any justice, so I figured in person it would sound even better. And I was right. I'll comment on the sound at the end of this little review.
I purchased this exhaust through American Muscle, and as always their customer service was great. Super fast shipping, and zero issues.
Receiving the AWE box on my doorstep, the packaging was solid as you would expect. Everything comes in one large box, with plenty of that expanding foam inside to keep the contents well protected. The tips and hardware come in a separate foam padded box, which I must say is a very nice touch and lets you know this company takes their product quality seriously.
In the packaging photos below, I'd already unboxed everything and removed all of the top foam layer, so this isn't how it was delivered. I was literally just about to install the exhaust at this point in the evening, so everything was out and ready to go.
And so, I'm ready to get the install started. Time to remove the Corsa Sport catback and get this AWE onto the supercharged beast...
Dropping the Corsa catback down as one complete assembly. Easier to do it that way rather than splitting the axle back sections off first. Plenty of cardboard on the floor to ensure nothing gets damaged...
Putting the AWE together was a piece of cake. H-pipe went in, then I just slipped on the mid-resonators one side at a time....
And adjusted them for clearance around the rear differential to ensure nothing was close to touching...
Once it was all positioned correctly, I torqued it all up and fitted the tips. I went for the polished option, and I absolutely love the way they look from the rear of the car. (Car is dusty from some morning boosting shenanigans)
Sound Review
Having had the Corsa Sport catback installed for a year, I am very used to what my car normally sounds like. Let me start by saying their is a big difference in tone between this and the Corsa.
The best way I can describe it is a deeper version of the Corsa Sport, with no rasp in the higher RPM, and an incredible V8 rumble down low. It provided EXACTLY what I had been missing in my driving experience. That presence of sound in the lower RPM that reminds you that you are driving an American Muscle car.
So does that lower, deeper exhaust note come at the expense of drone? NOPE! I've had this on the freeway, cruising at various RPM's, going up and down through the gears for the past few days and have had zero drone experienced. There is more presense of sound in the car, but is not drone...it is the lower pitch exhaust grumble letting you know its there. Very pleasing to the ears.
Overall, I couldn't be any more pleased with the quality of this exhaust terms of both sound quality and fitment quality. Anyone considering an exhaust that gives plenty of volume without being ridiculously overbearing but still loud enough to raise a smile should definitely consider this AWE Touring. Sure, its not cheap, but you do get what you pay for.
I'll try and get a video at some point, but in all honesty the AWE promotional video will do a far better job of giving you an idea of sound!
[MENTION=28774]Josh/AWE[/MENTION] Two thumbs up for an outstanding product.
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