Hello,

One of our local dealerships was kind enough to give us a car for development.

With all new products we first start with extensive dyno testing and data logging in stock form. A solid and consistent baseline is the name of the game. We use our in house Mustang Chassis Dyno.









When we get all of the information we need, the car is then moved to our prototype lift. This is where Ron, our Chief Fabricator, does his job. He along with our engineering staff will then design a working prototype using computers and classic hand fabrication that gets retested on the same dyno. If they like what they see and hear, it will then get moved back on his lift. He will then design a jig so the system can be reproduced.







We take great pride in the fact that our products are made here from start to finish. PLEASE, if you are ever in the Philadelphia area you must stop by for a tour. We have 22 full time staff members that would like to meet you.

I will update this post with information as I get it. Please do yourself a favor and suscribe to this thread. You are sure to learn something about proper product development. This is something all Porche owners should now come to expect.

Have a nice day.

 

Nice Mike! Look forward to it.

 

That's awesome. I've read that the "position" of the catalytic convertors on the 997.2 cars is going to complicate the efforts to produce an exhaust system that remains CARB compliant but if anyone can do it... it's probably you guys.

Keep us in the loop.

BTW - since you guys are working on the 997.2 systems, maybe you should blow out the systems for the old, outdated 997S'

 

Mike,
I would expect nothing less from AWE. Perfection and great customer service

 

Interesting thread for sure. We wait updates

 

Thanks for the post Mike. As a new 2009 Carrera S owner I am very interested in a better sounding exhaust system for my car. Also if it increases performance all the better.

So far all I have seen is the X-Pipe from Fabspeed and I hear Sharkwerks is working on an exhaust.

I just hope someone comes out with a great solution to the very quiet poor sound of the stock exhaust system that is a fair price. To be honest some of the prices I have seen and/or heard about are very high. I need a unbelievable bang for the buck exhaust system.

I am really only looking to get the 3rd/center muffler removed and some free flowing awesome sounding side mufflers.

 

+1

 

Also could you post the base line dyno results you got? THANKS!

 

Please post the dyno results. If you extensively tested the stock car as you said, dyno testing data is not an update. Don't tease us, just post the results.

 

I don't think AWE is teasing us in a bad way...they are just letting us know they now have a car and are doing R&D on the exhaust and will have something forthcoming.

I do agree though and hope they publish there dyno runs so we can see the stock runs on their dyno vs a different type of dyno some other company's use. It would be eye opening and very interesting to see the different interpretations of various brands of dyno's.

 

Great thread. Can't wait to see what's next.

 

Updates:

First, here is a baseline dyno sheet of the 997.2 C2S 6 speed. Based on a claimed 385 crank hp, a 1.12 correction factor is suitable to estimate crank hp from whp.




Next, some prototyping pictures.

The OEM header is a tortuous design intended to package the cat close to the exhaust ports to enhance cold emissions output. Further, the primary tubes are hydro formed to allow access to the flange bolts. This all adds up to a lot of potential power to unlock:




We completely digitized the fender muffler, header/cat, and center muffler cavities on the car which then allowed us to do some header CAD and CFD modeling based on bend radii, tubing length, and tubing diameter. We relied on past 3.8l development to guide us here with some basic component characteristics. Here is a fully CAD modeled header:





We then got to work on mocking up some actual test headers. Even with our prototypes we will back purge our welds to ensure minimal burn through for optimized internal tube flow.




At the same time, we have been jigging for new fender muffler replacements, which has been going quickly:




We intend to test center muffler replacement sections, and began by digitizing the OEM component:




We have played around with H and X pipe configurations on various mid and rear engine vehicles, and we have not found it to be a suitable power solution when tight radii are used to enter and exit the cross over or there is a long distance to bridge between bank runs. We see best success on front engine cars where we can make the transition into the X cross over more gradual, or can bridge the banks in 2" or less on an H-pipe, which then has the intended increased scavenging affect. For example, here is an X pipe prototype we did a while ago for the Gallardo. This designed sounded absolutely incredible, but lost power in the upper portion of the rpms where the tight radii became a bottleneck. We have seen similar negative results on other applications.



We will prototype a cross over on the 997.2 simply because there is some harmonic balancing happening in the OEM center muffler due to the shared can, but even with careful CFD modeling ahead of time, we do not expect any different power results than what we have seen in the past. We'll share our findings.


Finally, I'd like to address some concerns out there about our choice of muffler shape. It has been suggested that it is impossible to build a flat or square shaped muffler that will not crack. While I do admit that it more difficult to create a stable flat sided design, it is not impossible, and not only have we evolved our mufflers to cope with the stresses seen with a flat sided design, we are pleased to provide proof that even Porsche will uses a flat sided muffler when needed.

For example, look at the picture above of the center rear muffler. It is triangular in profile, with flat stamped end caps. Like us, the factory has incorporated stress reducing/stabilizing elements like the use of internal side to side braces/pins, and flanged lateral seam welds on the cans. The OEM 997 GT2 center muffler has mostly the same construction.

Even the OEM fender mufflers have a flat profile on one side, as seen in this picture:




So to set the record straight, there is no inherent inferiority in using a flat sided muffler design as long as the stress propagation properties are accounted for, as they are in the latest designs from us and Porsche.


Any questions regarding our R&D on this new model, please ask! We pride ourselves on doing the far majority of our engineering, fabrication, and manufacturing work in house, and try to be as transparent as possible when it comes to our design philosophy and methods.

 

Todd, excellent fab work there!

I especially like seeing fabricators take the extra step to ensure quality construction. Not many people backpurge their welds; nice to see you guys doing things the right way!

 

Todd, great write up and thanks fo the post. As a new 2009 Carrera S owner I want the best the best bang for the buck with an exhaust system and am waiting to see what you and some others come up with. I do hope to buy something soon because the car is so quiet I can't hear the sound of the engine during a DE with my helmet on and the windows down. I key off the sound for shift points sometimes.

1-What do you think about eliminating the heavy side mufflers and using a free flowing center muffler?

2-Does the stock center muffler keep the exhaust flow seperate with 2 U bends or is it a crossover X or H design inside the center muffler?

3-When do you feel your new 2009 Carrera S systems will be available?

4- What do you think about building a header with a built in cat and small muffler straight to the tips? This would eliminate all the extra piping in the back. Due to the small muffler this might be a louder system but track/DE guys would probably like it.

 

Thanks for sharing Mike!

Got a couple of questions:
- Will the cats be repositioned or are they staying on the headers?
- What is the inner design of the factory's primary muffler?