Did a search but came up pretty short, never seen a full review on what people think about them

-Build quality
-Cat count, it believe all gen ones are three hundred cell and the gen two are 200 cell. Not sure why they went 300 if this is true
-Pipe diameter
-And probably most important to me, livability. As in drone, cruising in the 2-3k range and overall exhaust volume in the cabin of the car. I don't want any of that.

I have had multiple exhaust systems and they all were not right. I find them all to be to loud. Just want something I can live with. Interested in ep stage one and stage two quiet and milltek but the barely come up for sale. Anybody know if there similar in sound levels to awe?

 

I think you would love our X-cellerator 2.5 quiet cross-flow system. It was designed with your exact goals in mind and achieves them very well. We have developed an extremely rare combination of fantastic sport sound without the headaches and tiresome, annoying in-cabin sound that you describe.

We also offer a loud version for those that want it that way...Below is a you tube video link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgxMQe7KIy4

 

Appreciate the info John anybody with awe experience?

 

Don't post much but read and love this forum. I have AWE on my 02 x50. Had tubi and the drone would split your head open. The AWE is better but you still have drone until you hit 3k rpm. If I had to do it all over again I would have gone EP.

 

That's the kind of info I'm interested in. There website would have you believe differently. They say no drone period. Hearing from owners sure helps. If anybody can agree or disagree please speak your mind.

 

Yep, I have the setup too with headers and it is nice but there is drone. They are full of crap saying otherwise.

 

So far everybody I have spoken to either here or through pm says it does. That's pretty lame and totally misleading. Unless a bunch of guys come forward with a different opinion. Nothing yet though.

 

From what I can tell most systems do have drone. I think those that don't can be counted on one hand, and I don't think you'll need all your fingers!

 

Just something to note...every exhaust has drone, and how bad it is really is totally subjective. For example, I'm pretty sensitive to drone and don't want it, and for that reason always avoided the fabspeed units which people claim to be bad in this regard, but then a buddy got one and I absolutely loved it! just goes to show that you really need to listen for yourself and make your own conclusion. Also, I've heard exahusts on different cars with different setups that sound completely different, so just because an exhaust sounds one way on a car with alph 28's doesn't mean its going to sound the same (or have any more or less drone) as an x-50 with stock k24's and ported headers, for example. I have no experience with AWE but would not be so quick to conclude that their advertising is misleading. Good luck!

 

I would also like to add an experience I had on my E46 M3. It's not a 996 turbo exhaust, but the theory should be relative.

I have a UUC Motorwerks exhaust on my E46 M3. At 2,500rpm the drone was so bad you had to stay in 5th gear at 65mph, because 65mph on 6th was exactly where the worst drone occurred. The resonance was so bad at 2,500rpm, that it felt like my head was going to implode.

I talked to the company and they suggested that I loosen all the fasteners on the exhaust, start the car, let the car warm up and then retighten the exhaust fasteners. They mentioned something about the metal being under tension causing the increased drone.

I was very skeptical, but it wasn't hard to do and it didn't cost anything, so what the heck. After doning the above, the drone is 1/3 of what it used to be and the resonance that made my head feel like it was going to implode is completely gone.

This may explain why some companies don't believe their drone is bad and others buy it and it's terrible. It may also explain why the drone can be different from one car to another.

Just my 2 cents,
Steve

 

Gearhead check out our Maxflo Exhaust system with 200 cell Sportcats designed for the TipTronic/Cabriolet Turbo. This system will keep drone/resonance to a minimum compared to our standard Maxflo Muffler system as the interior of this muffler canister features a perforated core. You will still improve the sound at WOT, but when cruising around 2400RPM the sound will be similar to the stock tone. http://www.fabspeed.com/996TT_X50_GT2.html

 

Thanks Joey, will check it out. Had the moderate six speed gen 3 version and found it a little too loud in the cabin. Not sure if this is drone just volume. Probably a tip/cab version would have been better.

 

Steve thanks for the idea, never heard that before. Exhaust leaks yes but not metal expansion causing it. Going to try that next time.