A.W.E. Exhaust Interior Drone FIX - First Impressions (PICS are up)
- YES, the "fix" can be retrofitted
- NO, I did not record any videos or measure the sound; I only used my god-given sensors and abilities (namely ear and butt dyno)
- NO, I do not work for A.W.E
- Pictures will be uploaded tonight
Original topic with user complaints and concerns regarding the high level of interior drone at low to mid level RPM's:
http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229649
My setup:
2007 Audi A4 2.0TQ Tiptronic with Catback A.W.E Exhaust (*no* aftermarket test pipe or down pipe)
Responding to the above thread, A.W.E offered to retrofit a new 'trick' onto my exhaust as a tester to see how effective it was at reducing interior drone. The actual modification is very simple and just consists of welding in a perforated section onto the inner wall of the exhaust tips.
My highly scientific test runs consisted of multiple trips on local roads and highways with several passengers (accelerating from 0-35mph, cruising at 45mph, cruising at 60mph and 75mph with occasional passing).
The results:
A significant drop in interior drone; 30-40% reduction (most reduction from 2200-3000rpm). Went from about 80% of the passengers complaining to ~20%. the exterior noise appears to be unaffected - it is still deep, smooth and sexy (people were asking me whether my car was a rs4) and the modification had no perceivable effect on throttle response.
update - 9/8/08 ... returned from road trip where i was usually cruising around 80-85mph, 2500-2800rpm. at these points, the 30-40% reduction in drone i thought i heard earlier is a little too enthusiastic. i would revise it to say that at these cruising speeds and rpm range, there is probably a 20-25% reduction in drone. still good, still noticeable, but not as significant as i originally thought. end update.
>2000rpm - very quiet, almost stock
2000-3000rpm - much, much better at highway cruising speeds.. before, the drone was unbearable for backseat passengers. there IS some drone, esp. when accelerating hard from a stop, but it's tolerable, much better than before. i actually like it - it's got an aggressive tone and lets you know you're on the gas but without the over obnoxious drone
<3000rpm - drone at higher rpm's was never too bad but it's almost all but canceled out now, just leaving a very nice aggressive growl
Conclusion:
Don't expect any miracles (Lexus tomb ride), you will still have some drone, moreso if you have a testpipe, but if you're looking for a significant / noticeable reduction of interior drone from 2-3k rpm range; this fix is money. A minimal amount of drone is inevitable in a high-flow system and maybe even desireable
Your more sensitive passengers, especially those in the backseat, will still complain but again, with a high flow system/aftermarket exhaust, I don't think you'll ever get 100% passenger satisfaction.
A.W.E's been great about this whole situation, and their customer service is top notch.. I'm glad to see companies like A.W.E, Stasis, etc. involved in the Audi community and responding to customer needs and complaints
I was bordering on ditching the exhaust because of the drone... With this new fix, I feel good recommending A.W.E's exhaust system whereas before, I had some qualms about doing so. Plus, the preforations on the tips look cool
Todd or someone from A.W.E will provide more details on availability but from what I know, the modified tips will cost $75 to order *OR* they'll weld in the fix for free if you send in your old A.W.E tips
More pictures on Page 2
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Originally Posted by viperdsa
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