AWE touring exhaust issue - HELP

[Trilly_Loomis]

Hey all!

went ahead and ordered the AWE touring edition exhaust during their sale a couple months back (maybe that’s the issue). Got the exhaust installed and double checked over. First day I immediately notice a sound that is best described as a tone shift in the exhaust note. Sounds like a trombone or a light saber as it swings through the air. Like a WOMPPP. The sound would only come at low RPMS and on downshifts around 2-3k range. Next day I took it to an authorized dealer (I have read stories about people who have placed claims with them, so I wanted to stick by the script in case). The dealer looked it over. We checked every clamp. No heat shields rubbing. Could produce the sound on lift. No leaks, etc. the sound appeared to be coming from either the middle muffler or the suitcase in the rear. But judging by the tone it has to be internal and nothing hitting the car. Have a chain started with AWE support but my first videos weren’t enough, and I haven’t received a response from the other 4 that I sent (super hard to film a noise with an iPhone….while driving). Was seeing if anyone else has had an issue like this as I’m trying to enjoy my car and my $1600 exhaust but I’m getting left in the dark here. And searching AWE issues just makes me more nervous with all the threads I’ve found. Pulling up to a cars and coffee sounding like I have a fart can on a type R isn’t fun ?. Anyone help!?

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[BiggusRiggus]

Is the sound kind of like a weird bass note that seems to happen when you let off the gas?

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

Is the sound kind of like a weird bass note that seems to happen when you let off the gas?

yup like a trombone pitch.

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

There have been issues with the muffler having something loose, but there have also been user error issues where the pipes weren’t bottomed out. Did the mechanic loosen all clamps and push the pipes absolutely as far back into the pipe as possible? If not, and there’s “slack” in the joining pipes, the notched part of the pipe ends could make the type of noise you’re describing as the air rushes over it.

The whole team at the shop loosened and pushed so you’re saying the notches could let air escape and make a similar noise? Someone had also mentioned the tips rattling but we checked that too. Like I said on the lift we pushed pulled tapped to try and mimick if there was a rattle or anything touching. I guess I can bring it over again and check again. Also I did notice every single one of the 3 exhaust outlets that the tips slide onto are bent/dented. But I don’t think that would effect anything

 

[BiggusRiggus]

If it is the noise I'm thinking of, then it is coming from the engine. My fl5 was making the same noise when it was stock, just quiter. I used to think other cars just had really loud bass. Its actually the reason I bought the AWE touring, to get rid of the noise (and make the car louder). It did not get rid of it, no exhaust will. After market exhausts will make it louder and change the tone. Again, thats if its the same noise. The noises I know are bad for exhausts are a wooshing or hissing noise and/or metallic rattle or clanking.

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

Air won’t escape at the notched ends, but if the pipes aren’t pushed together (called “bottomed out” in the AWE installation manual), there could be a resonating frequency created (think strumming a guitar string) for the length of the notch itself. When “bottomed out”, the notch lays against a ridge in the pipes, so you wouldn’t have the resonating frequency.

Dude thank you! I think that’s honestly the best way to describe why I’m getting a diff tone and like I said only at low RPMs. I’ll bring it back to the shop and make sure they are bottomed out see if that does the trick I guess.

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

Pipes are bottomed out. Everything reclamped. Same sound. Same RPMS. Day 8 of hearing nothing back from AWE. Starting to believe the horror stories about their customer service and their products. Sucks to be the 1/100 other satisfied people. Guess when Honda Pro Jason is your spokesperson you can get away with anything. Hopefully they respond soon.

 

[julianobl]

To OP, i know this might not be super helpful to your current problem, but I had the AWE Touring... and the noises, vibrations, rattles, and droning from presumed clamp leakages had me going crazy. I ended up replacing it with Remark Ti exhaust (flanged connections). The difference is astonishing, massive upgrade. Hope you resolve your issue!

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

To OP, i know this might not be super helpful to your current problem, but I had the AWE Touring... and the noises, vibrations, rattles, and droning from presumed clamp leakages had me going crazy. I ended up replacing it with Remark Ti exhaust (flanged connections). The difference is astonishing, massive upgrade. Hope you resolve your issue!

yea for a “no drone technology” product it sure has a lot of drone. Don’t have the cash to jump ship right now. Just hoping for some semblance of backbone to their product cuz the customer service is lacking and it takes a lot for me to get bent out of shape.

 

[Shingo Shoji]

Man, so sorry to hear this but thanks for sharing. Poor customer support really sucks.

 

[Trilly_Loomis]

BUMP for an update:

just wanted to hop on and update. Sent 4 videos to support about two weeks ago now. They responded last Wednesday and said they would listen that day and get back to me. It’s now Monday and nothing. At this point with how poor the customer service is, I don’t even want this thing on my car, despite the eye sore welds and the bent tips, I was looking past all that but man this just shows that fanboys will be fanboys and back a product that really isn’t all that. Anyways. Hopefully this story sways people one way or the other because an exhaust is a big choice for your car.

 

[SKINNIE]

AWE welds look like complete shit.

 

[apexracer1904]

Did you get any resolution? I also have the touring exhaust, waited almost 11 weeks to get it. I'm also having issues with the weird sound around 1800 rpms and really loud ar 2400 rpms. . I've adjusted this thing every which way you could possibly believe. Even purchased different brackets in an attempt to help it seal better. Mine's coming from the rear quarter of the car, from inside the car it's massively loud I took a 360 cam video from the back but it's muting the sound a bit. I've had the car up four times. Something I noticed where the rear section meets the back end mid pipe, it doesn't seem like it can actually bottom out as everybody says it has to. It's almost like that mid pipe is a little bit too short. Where the lower control arms connect to the rear suspension, there's that section in the Middle where the lower control arms connect to and if you try to push it all the way up the end piece of the exhaust would actually hit it. I've sent multiple videos, photos Etc. It's only been a few days but they ask you not to take the exhaust off and I unfortunately live in California where the police look for any reason to pull you over and smog you by way of State ref so I'm trying to get them to expedite responses. My car only has 3,000 miles on it. We've made sure multiple times that there's no metal on metal, all the heat shields are intact with no rubbing, nothing loose. With the stock exhaust there's zero noises.

Can really hear it towards the end of this video.

 

[Websitesdown]

Did you get any resolution? I also have the touring exhaust, waited almost 11 weeks to get it. I'm also having issues with the weird sound around 1800 rpms and really loud ar 2400 rpms. . I've adjusted this thing every which way you could possibly believe. Even purchased different brackets in an attempt to help it seal better. Mine's coming from the rear quarter of the car, from inside the car it's massively loud I took a 360 cam video from the back but it's muting the sound a bit. I've had the car up four times. Something I noticed where the rear section meets the back end mid pipe, it doesn't seem like it can actually bottom out as everybody says it has to. It's almost like that mid pipe is a little bit too short. Where the lower control arms connect to the rear suspension, there's that section in the Middle where the lower control arms connect to and if you try to push it all the way up the end piece of the exhaust would actually hit it. I've sent multiple videos, photos Etc. It's only been a few days but they ask you not to take the exhaust off and I unfortunately live in California where the police look for any reason to pull you over and smog you by way of State ref so I'm trying to get them to expedite responses. My car only has 3,000 miles on it. We've made sure multiple times that there's no metal on metal, all the heat shields are intact with no rubbing, nothing loose. With the stock exhaust there's zero noises.

Can really hear it towards the end of this video.

I'd say it's like a horn effect sound. Like the exhaust has a gasket hanging inside of the pipe loose and the exhaust is making it like a whistler. Not that there is a gasket hanging in there anywhere, just saying that's what it sounds like.

There's a toy that you spin around in circles and it makes that noise.

Whirly tubes.

 

[Bigfx]

That is so weird, can’t believe customer service won’t help yall out. Same thing happened with mbrp exhaust too. I am keeping my fingers crossed I have over 2500 miles on mine and zero issues, I installed it myself so I took my time and torqued it all to spec and checked at 500 miles for any movement and re-tightened it where needed. I wouldn’t buy this exhaust again though after hearing how yall were treated. The only thing I can say was all my pipes lined up perfectly and there were zero fitment issues and plenty of adjustability to make sure nothing hit. Also my welds looked fine to me, maybe they changed the original design? Either way good luck and hopefully they do something or they will lose more customers.

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