AWE track or touring for 4.2V8...?

[Diesel S5]

Thoughts, opinions...? 🤔

[NVMarkus]

Want drone or no drone?


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[DreDay]

Track and don’t look back.


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[Ape Factory]

I've had the track extreme and currently have the touring. I have an RS5 but it'll pretty much apply to your S5.

The touring is loud enough for people to take notice, especially at 3K plus WOT or even mild throttle. Zero drone and you get the benefit of a free flowing downpipe design. You don't realize how loud it is until you go past a wall or row of cars and the sound reverberates back towards the car. Cops will take notice if you're being careless. The one downside is the resonators are large. I have a steep driveway and they'll knick the edge of the garage floor. I don't have clearance issues anywhere else. They're not very heavy.

The Track extreme replaces the touring downpipe resonators with straight pipes. Cops will arrest you for this one.

The track uses the OEM downpipes but all other parts are the same. Same mufflers, pipe diameter, etc... and it is louder than the touring although you're probably giving up a small handful of hp as it's a more restrictive design.

The track extreme drones pretty much all the time although on the highway it's tolerable up to a point. Nothing sounds better at redline, it's truly out of this world and does a good impression of an F1 car (at 8300 rpm). It'll make people do a quadruple take. I think it sounds a bit too American Muscle below 5000 rpm. Above that, it's quite exotic. You'll also get burbles on slow shifts with any of them.

[Sazexa]

My vote would be for something like the Touring exhaust, but with non resonated down pipes.

I've done three custom set ups so far, and, they're probably relative similar to certain exhaust set ups in terms of volume. I mean, personally I drive a S5 with no mufflers, just the factory down pipes and don't find that bothersome. The cops in my area don't tend to mind either. Theoretically this is louder than say the AWE Track exhaust, but, it doesn't bother me anyway. Only sometimes on the highway when going up a steep hill it's a little droney, but, nothing I dislike.

If you don't mind it a bit louder, something like the Miltek non-resonated down pipes and the AWE Touring kit would add a nice little power bump and throttle response, and not blow out your ear drums, while still sounding impressive when rolling by on-looker.

[JoshDub]

I have the track with stock downpipes (and a manual). If I were to do it again, i'd get the touring. The track sounds phenomenal, and while it doesn't drone most of the time, sometimes it's just too loud for my tastes.

[Zonsolo]

Touring here with stock down pipes and I sometimes wish it was a little louder until like was mentioned above about getting to hear it bounce off a building or tunnel.

[bknewtype]

track. always track.

[Mops@Nemesis]

Track and don’t look back.

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track. always track.

Dre and Steve know what's up!

[11S5V8]

Big fan of the touring. 2011 S5 4.2 here. I see myself getting down pipes in the future when I go supercharged but as for daily driving/highway it is just loud enough. As someone here said no drone and at 3k it really opens up. Love the sound personally. I do a bit of highway driving so drone was an issue and a concern of mine. Again, very happy with the touring AND I got it second hand from a friend for $500 so can't really beat that!

[invncble]

I have the track with stock downpipes and I love it. I've heard the track with the AWE downpipes and it was too loud for my tastes. However, usually the consensus is that if you have an auto you should go touring. There seems to be a drone in the auto due to not easily being able to higher lower gears.

[gqambitions]

go track and let that v8 sound be heard

[HP Hungry S5]

I have the touring with non-res DPs and it is plenty loud for me. I considered the track but my STI is already stupid loud and I do not need 2 cars to make me go deaf haha. No drone is always a plus.

[brilliant_black]

The AWE touring is a complete system designed to give you more growl without a lot of drone or being obnoxious and I understand the price of that.

What I don't understand is why the AWE track is $1800 wtf?!?!? This is what the AWE track is:


It is basically a muffler delete with a different center resonator. IMO you can save a lot of money if you get rid of the mufflers and swap out the center resonator for something else.

I have a muffler delete and this is what mine sounds like when it is slightly cold:


Highway pull with almost full throttle(filmed in mexico btw):



If you want sound without too much drone or risk of being pulled over I would say the AWE touring is worth it, BUT if you do want to make your car LOUD then just do a custom solution instead of spending so much money on the AWE track.



IMO the ABSOLUTE BEST sounding exhaust for this car is the capistro, but it is very very expensive.

[Diesel S5]

I’m leaning towards the touring cause I did a rear muffler delete and it’s a little overkill for my taste... it’s like always “on”, cruising highway at 70-80 and the exhaust note is still prominent, not obnoxious or droning just doesn’t need to be there at partial throttle at high speeds...

[Sazexa]

Then what you want is a valved exhaust. Basically any static set up you're going to have noise there.

[brilliant_black]

Then what you want is a valved exhaust. Basically any static set up you're going to have noise there.

AFAIK the only valved exhaust for the V8 S5 or even the B8.5 S5 is the armytrix or the capistro and both are extremely expensive.

AWE switchpath doesn't exist for the older cars, but get maybe OP can get in tough with them. Who knows maybe they might be able to make something for him.
The switchpath system is operated by it's own remote separate from the vehicle. A retrofit could be possible...

[Diesel S5]

Then what you want is a valved exhaust. Basically any static set up you're going to have noise there.

Some noise is ok, it doesn’t need to be intrusive...

[spax_ar]

jhm test pipes , awe non res dp , touring cat back. exotic v8 goodness. the high rev raspy shred of the v8 makes me giggle every time. not too loud to piss off the neighbors but when you are on it everyone is looking