GEN 2 [LISTEN] Presenting the AWE FG Exhaust Suite. Available now.
- Thread starter Josh/AWE
- Start date
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NE26
Member
Installed the 2FG last night. Cold startup is louder/deeper and sounds great. Jumping on it a bit around 3000/4000rpm really lets out a bark. So far I love the change. Its easy going on the highway and around town at steady speed, best of both worlds in my opinion.
OP
OP
Happy you're enjoying it! Throw a video up when ya can.
Khamis
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How will it sound with the catted sod downpipe??
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OP
OP
Which configuration, K?
Khamis
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Meant SPD downpipe with adaptors. I had to remove my borla atack from how noisy it was!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Finally installed the AWE FG exhaust on my 2018 Raptor, which is otherwise mechanically stock: no DPs or SPD turbo adaptors or tune, etc. I also have not turned off the “enhanced engine noise” feature. I went with the complete 0FG system, which includes the full resonated cat-back exhaust (1FG + 2FG) and double-walled 5” tips.
First impression? Sounds great!
I think it’s important to note a few things:
1) If you are considering an exhaust upgrade in hopes of making the V6TT sound like a V8, forget it … you’ll be wasting money. The 3.5L will never sound like the 5.0L. Ever.
2) If you are planning an exhaust upgrade but don’t want the sound to change *inside the cabin*, keep your stock system … any aftermarket exhaust is going to be louder in the truck. The point of an exhaust upgrade is improved/enhanced sound (and performance). It can’t just be “louder” on the outside.
3) I’ve only logged 300 miles since picking the truck up over the weekend. That’s well below the 800-1000 mile break in, so the exhaust note and overall sound isn’t final yet … it will “settle down” even more.
I haven’t read through every post in this thread, so some of my observations below may have been pointed out already. I will come back with another review after the system is well broken in. I also plan to upload audio and video clips; unaltered, organic, from-the-device stuff. I’m a photographer, not a videographer or sound guy. I’d like to include more with this post, but it’s been raining and that alters what you hear from both inside the cabin and externally.
Cold start: Impressive, deep growl. The note is audibly ‘throatier’ than stock, without sounding like a wet fart. It sounds really, really nice at idle once it’s warmed up too.
Normal acceleration, engine/exhaust cold: Before the engine has fully warmed up — driving immediately after a cold start — the exhaust note from in the truck is a bit unsettled. It sounds aggressive, if a bit raspy in spots. This settles quickly as the system warms up.
WOT: This is where it sounds f*ing awesome. Aggressive, accentuating engine noises, some rap and crackle. Freeway on-ramps and tunnels are a blast.
Normal acceleration, engine/exhaust warmed up: Very, very nice tonality. Sounds are more pronounced across the rev range. The system is deeper and throatier than stock, without being annoying our sounding like it’s trying to be loud for the sake of being louder than stock. When decelerating, the exhaust even crackles a little bit on downshifts. Love it.
Around town / daily driver usage: This is what a hi-po motor should sound like. It doesn’t sound like an ‘angry tractor’, the way many V6TT systems sound. I actually think the Ford Performance team have done a nice job making the HO 3.5L V6TT sound subdued yet sporty, so to speak, in stock form. They have so many restrictions to deal with, I think the factory set up is a nice balance … and good for most people. The AWE system wakes this motor up, and makes the truck sound like a *performance* vehicle. It isn’t obnoxious, and won’t (shouldn’t) **** off the neighbors. My V8 M3 with full Akrapovic Ti (titanium) system on cold start can be heard from blocks away. The neighbors know when I’m coming and going, and it’s obnoxious when started at early/late hours. I fired up the truck at 6:15 am Sunday and, while definitely deeper (louder) than stock, I didn’t feel like I’d have to apologize later in the day.
Freeway: Similar to around town, but more ‘settled’ overall. You know it’s there if you’re on the throttle, be it light/modulated inputs or on the gas/WOT.
Drone: This system does NOT drone, in a technical/literal sense. My observation is, what those who’ve noted “droning” are really hearing is simply an exhaust that’s louder and more pronounced than stock when the engine is under load … especially when lugged down. The resulting steady/constant exhaust note could be misinterpreted as drone. And, unfortunately, since Ford’s shift algorithms and transmission logic favor efficiency over performance, the 10-speed box will go to the highest gear as soon as it can. Around town, at almost any urban/suburban speeds from 35-45+, this means 10th gear. In those situations, with even the slightest throttle input, the exhaust emits a deep, steady note. Let off the throttle and the cabin goes quiet (almost totally); step on the gas (greater throttle input) and the exhaust note moves in pitch correspondingly to more of a growl. That ‘steady note’ is pronounced. I didn’t find it annoying or intrusive, and none of my family complained as passengers (they didn’t say anything, to be honest, and my wife and daughter always make note of how much louder my AWE equipped Audi is). So, lugging the engine — 9th or 10th gear at speeds under 50, with the slightest throttle — definitely creates a deep, constant exhaust note from inside the cabin. This can easily be offset, if found to be annoying, by locking out the top two gears. With engine speeds over 2k RPM, that exhaust note is erased.
Tips: I really like the factory exhaust tips; they look great and are plenty big as to exude "performance truck". That said, the AWE tips are *fantastic* and accentuate the aftermarket exhaust noise. Going with 1FG -- full exhaust system, just without the tips -- would keep a stealthier profile ... enhanced noise without any flash. But I have to say, these 'bazookas' are worth going full monte (0FG).
I have not tried the truck in Sport mode to see if that made any difference, given how it alters the shift patterns and tends to hold gears longer — i.e., keeps the engine spinning at higher speeds.
So far, I’m very happy and would recommend.
A few quick clips. Sorry for vertical format, as they were done with IG Stories in mind.
Cold start. This is literally the morning after install was complete (i.e. 0 miles on system)
First drive, sound from inside the cabin under moderate acceleration. This is seconds after the cold start above.
Warm start. I'd been driving around a good 2-3 hours prior. Ambient temp is cold though, 26F
And finally (for this post), a stupid clip of my Frenchie (because cute) that shows cabin noise under steady (light) throttle input at highway speeds (probably 55mph in 10th gear here). No drone!
First impression? Sounds great!
I think it’s important to note a few things:
1) If you are considering an exhaust upgrade in hopes of making the V6TT sound like a V8, forget it … you’ll be wasting money. The 3.5L will never sound like the 5.0L. Ever.
2) If you are planning an exhaust upgrade but don’t want the sound to change *inside the cabin*, keep your stock system … any aftermarket exhaust is going to be louder in the truck. The point of an exhaust upgrade is improved/enhanced sound (and performance). It can’t just be “louder” on the outside.
3) I’ve only logged 300 miles since picking the truck up over the weekend. That’s well below the 800-1000 mile break in, so the exhaust note and overall sound isn’t final yet … it will “settle down” even more.
I haven’t read through every post in this thread, so some of my observations below may have been pointed out already. I will come back with another review after the system is well broken in. I also plan to upload audio and video clips; unaltered, organic, from-the-device stuff. I’m a photographer, not a videographer or sound guy. I’d like to include more with this post, but it’s been raining and that alters what you hear from both inside the cabin and externally.
Cold start: Impressive, deep growl. The note is audibly ‘throatier’ than stock, without sounding like a wet fart. It sounds really, really nice at idle once it’s warmed up too.
Normal acceleration, engine/exhaust cold: Before the engine has fully warmed up — driving immediately after a cold start — the exhaust note from in the truck is a bit unsettled. It sounds aggressive, if a bit raspy in spots. This settles quickly as the system warms up.
WOT: This is where it sounds f*ing awesome. Aggressive, accentuating engine noises, some rap and crackle. Freeway on-ramps and tunnels are a blast.
Normal acceleration, engine/exhaust warmed up: Very, very nice tonality. Sounds are more pronounced across the rev range. The system is deeper and throatier than stock, without being annoying our sounding like it’s trying to be loud for the sake of being louder than stock. When decelerating, the exhaust even crackles a little bit on downshifts. Love it.
Around town / daily driver usage: This is what a hi-po motor should sound like. It doesn’t sound like an ‘angry tractor’, the way many V6TT systems sound. I actually think the Ford Performance team have done a nice job making the HO 3.5L V6TT sound subdued yet sporty, so to speak, in stock form. They have so many restrictions to deal with, I think the factory set up is a nice balance … and good for most people. The AWE system wakes this motor up, and makes the truck sound like a *performance* vehicle. It isn’t obnoxious, and won’t (shouldn’t) **** off the neighbors. My V8 M3 with full Akrapovic Ti (titanium) system on cold start can be heard from blocks away. The neighbors know when I’m coming and going, and it’s obnoxious when started at early/late hours. I fired up the truck at 6:15 am Sunday and, while definitely deeper (louder) than stock, I didn’t feel like I’d have to apologize later in the day.
Freeway: Similar to around town, but more ‘settled’ overall. You know it’s there if you’re on the throttle, be it light/modulated inputs or on the gas/WOT.
Drone: This system does NOT drone, in a technical/literal sense. My observation is, what those who’ve noted “droning” are really hearing is simply an exhaust that’s louder and more pronounced than stock when the engine is under load … especially when lugged down. The resulting steady/constant exhaust note could be misinterpreted as drone. And, unfortunately, since Ford’s shift algorithms and transmission logic favor efficiency over performance, the 10-speed box will go to the highest gear as soon as it can. Around town, at almost any urban/suburban speeds from 35-45+, this means 10th gear. In those situations, with even the slightest throttle input, the exhaust emits a deep, steady note. Let off the throttle and the cabin goes quiet (almost totally); step on the gas (greater throttle input) and the exhaust note moves in pitch correspondingly to more of a growl. That ‘steady note’ is pronounced. I didn’t find it annoying or intrusive, and none of my family complained as passengers (they didn’t say anything, to be honest, and my wife and daughter always make note of how much louder my AWE equipped Audi is). So, lugging the engine — 9th or 10th gear at speeds under 50, with the slightest throttle — definitely creates a deep, constant exhaust note from inside the cabin. This can easily be offset, if found to be annoying, by locking out the top two gears. With engine speeds over 2k RPM, that exhaust note is erased.
Tips: I really like the factory exhaust tips; they look great and are plenty big as to exude "performance truck". That said, the AWE tips are *fantastic* and accentuate the aftermarket exhaust noise. Going with 1FG -- full exhaust system, just without the tips -- would keep a stealthier profile ... enhanced noise without any flash. But I have to say, these 'bazookas' are worth going full monte (0FG).
I have not tried the truck in Sport mode to see if that made any difference, given how it alters the shift patterns and tends to hold gears longer — i.e., keeps the engine spinning at higher speeds.
So far, I’m very happy and would recommend.
A few quick clips. Sorry for vertical format, as they were done with IG Stories in mind.
Cold start. This is literally the morning after install was complete (i.e. 0 miles on system)
First drive, sound from inside the cabin under moderate acceleration. This is seconds after the cold start above.
Warm start. I'd been driving around a good 2-3 hours prior. Ambient temp is cold though, 26F
And finally (for this post), a stupid clip of my Frenchie (because cute) that shows cabin noise under steady (light) throttle input at highway speeds (probably 55mph in 10th gear here). No drone!
OP
OP
Wow, Rob. That was a good read, thanks for that. I am glad you and the doggo are loving life, and thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to more videos! Sounds fantastic.
Looking forward to more videos! Sounds fantastic.
kid icarus
Full Access Member
Josh - do you have plans for a quieter system?
Onemoosehorn
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Seriously....... you can’t just go away?
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