Queram

I wish we had a sub forum under this 997 board for those of us who were interested in modifications. Some say always doubt aftermarket tuners ( I agree not all of them provide decent products) however you should also doubt the manufacturer since they have to deal with emissions (for example I do not give a **** about CA or Swiss or German emissions) and marketing is a huge factor in this. If the rumored facelift and powerbump is true I bet that will come from a header, air, ecu combination.

allegretto

20HP makes the owner feel better, but as someone pointed out, it's like adding .25 in to your Johnson.

I have added the EVO SC to my car and have a dyno proven 95 WHP increment. WIth a little more optimization we may get 10-20 more. But the story is not over (what a long strange trip it's been). I will write the story when it's over.

In the meantime Stephan, Nate and the gentlemen at Imagine Auto are at the head of the class in my book.

OCBen

You're misinformed.

Our 997s came equipped with headers straight from the factory. A header is just another name for an exhaust manifold, though most people think of the tuned, performance type when they think of headers. But these are not at all illegal anywhere, so long as the cats and mufflers haven't been bypassed and the car still passes smog.

gmoney99

HP gains can be had, most gains will come from the higher flowing (or even removal) of the converters. Then you have the nosie regulations that countries and states have so theres more power to be had there. To sum it up, if you want to break some Federal laws and local noise regulations theres probably about 15-20hp to gain.

For the record Im usually one to swap out converters for high flow units and throw in exhausts on all my cars. Never had a problem in CA, I make sure they pass sniffer tests. So long as theres a cat good chance it will pass the visual too.

gmoney99

Swapping the headers is illegal in CA unless it has a CARB EO number stamped on there. Cat back is ok so long as it meets noise regulations although some cities and the CHP can ticket you for 'modified exhaust' then you have to go tell the judge it meets noise regulations and you get it thrown out and all it costs you is your time - ridiculous I know but thats how it works - cops discretion.

If you exhaust does meet noise regs keep the cert in the car and hand it to the Police if pulled over. I think this would be rare on a P car though, more common with Mustangs and Evos.

icruze

Herman,
Are you getting the work done locally? Chi-Town Rennlisters want to know. I hope you kept your pre-Mod lap times at the ACC for comparison.

allegretto

I am indeed and it is a "delicate" question. If anyone wants a more complete discussion please contact me directly at;

630-368-6100 wk
630-915-6100 cell
708-460-7390 home

or

hsloane@covad.net

I have not saved lap times because I am always tinkering with line/exit speed/technique at ACC and I'm not sure it is the best indicator. I'm not as reproducible as an Andretti.

I do have the dynos however.

Alan Smithee

I'm not.

"Headers" is a universally used term for aftermarket/modified exhaust manifolds. As gmoney99 said, they aren't legal in CA unless they are CARB approved...which I've never seen.

Will a car pass a smog test with an aftermarket header and stock cat and exhaust? Maybe. Will it go unnoticed in the visual test? Maybe. Does that mean it's legal? No.

Mike/A.W.E.

Hello-

I just wanted to drop a note. Since our dyno test using "Speed's" 997, our sales have jumped dramatically. I have end users and other shops calling us to order and many refer to that thread.

I cannot get over the amount of positive feedback we received. Thank you to all of you that have placed orders.

If you have any questions, please call or email us.

AWE Tuning
http://www.awe-tuning.com/

gravedgr

Mike,

While I'm glad you have seen positive results and I'm glad you had the ***** to put your product up to to a public test (and public scrutiny), I should note that sales of cheap and/or worthless products typically spike right after their infomercials air.

I'm sure the publicity had its intended effect - generate sales, not prove anything. I'm sure you're well aware that those who did not believe, do not believe; and those who did believe, are now more likely to buy. Marketing 101.

allegretto

What's not to believe?

20HP and "Boss Sound" for a few/several grand. It is what it is.

MichaelL

The post by gravedgr mistakenly puts the wrong spin on this entire issue. I started the original thread as a note to the forum about some modifications that I did to my car that worked out successfully and provided results that generally met the manufacturer's claims.

Unfortunately, many of the responding posts were the usual mindless naysayers and comedians. Facts go out of the window and are replaced by opinions or trash postings.

The manufacturer, AWE, stepped up to the plate and backed up his mouth with his money. Of course he was looking to make sales and promote his product, everyone does that. Without sales and profit, there is no aftermarket industry.

Allusions to cheap products and infomercials are unfair and do not represent the merchandising that AWE had done.

gravedgr

I thought this thread was started by stom_m3.

What are the facts here? That the A.W.E. system makes more power than the stock exhaust? I would tend to agree with you, and I think Mike has done a successful job of proving this. I don't agree that anyone has proven any aftermarket exhaust makes more than 20 or so crank (not wheel) HP, since as we all hopefully know, dyno results are extremely unreliable (regardless of who does it, or how closely you try to match the settings and conditions).

Absolutely agree, and I would also agree (as I indicated in my post) that Mike is marketing his products well.

Are you saying that what I said is not true, or you just don't like the comparison? I'm guessing the latter, so I will revise my comparison: I'm sure that sales of Craftsman tools, Goodyear tires, and Interstate batteries also go up immediately after a NASCAR race (i.e. marketing venture for the vendors).

Is that comparison more fair? I think you are misunderstanding me:
1) I support Mike and A.W.E. (if I were buying an aftermarket exhaust, I would buy theirs - I have asked him about his headers);
2) I think Mike has done a better job than other vendors at establishing that aftermarket systems can increase horsepower over stock;
3) I don't believe that anyone (A.W.E., Fabspeed, etc.) has proven the gains they claim from aftermarket systems.

Is that clear enough?

OCBen

Oooooh .... Bartender, I'll have what MichaelL's drinkin'.

MichaelL

The offer that Mike made to install & test his system for free for a volunteer was part of the responses to a thread that I started regarding an AWE system fitted to my car and the somewhat lengthy series of posts that followed. Sorry for the confusion on my part.

There probably isn't any topic on this forum that has contained more hyped claims, negativity, misinformation, unrestrained enthusiasm, low quality humor and bad recommendations than exhaust systems. Lowering the car is running a close second.