AWE Tuning Audi TT RS Build Thread

[jibbed]

Hey Guys,

Great car - good to see such rapid development!

Curious Black BeauTTy - did you dyno the car back to back with the muffler bypass open vs shut? Would be curious to see if there's any gains there?

[Black BeauTTy]

I know they did flow measurements on it during the development phase in each mode but not sure about dyno. I seriously doubt there is any measurable difference though. It is a very free flowing design in the valve-closed position. In fact, they tested the back pressure at redline in the forced closed position and it was still fine. I know it sure sounds faster though!

[TT--AUDI--S4]

I've been following the AWE development with interest and excitement.

My last Audi had their stage II catback system and GIAC tune.

My Cayman S has their catback system, which had impressive rwhp gains and a proper sound fitting for this Porsche muzzled from the factory.

The Switchpath system sounds perfect for me, but given that I already have the OEM sport exhaust it's difficult to spend nearly $3000 on a replacement system.

Good work AWE nonetheless.

[Marty]

AWE: how much iteration did you do on the exhaust design to "tune" the sound, and what exactly did you do?

[Will/AWE]

Great question. This should provide some additional info:

In the case of the TT RS, when boost is under 10psi, exhaust is routed through the rear muffler and Helmholtz resonator path. The Helmholtz resonator is tuned to cancel the resonance that naturally occurs in the 2000 rpms range (what TT RS owners sometimes complain about), and the perforated core muffler is tuned to muffle higher frequencies, which become more prevalent with higher rpms. The combination of traditional muffling (perforated core with wrapped packing materials), and sound cancellation (Helmholtz resonator) produces extraordinarily civilized volume with a pleasing tone.

Then… Anything over 10psi opens the Control Valve for minimized backpressure, dumping most of the exhaust gasses out the driver side tailpipe. However, a discrete central resonator upstream takes the harsh edge off this “straight piped” flow. A small amount of gas flow still runs through the rear muffler and Helmholtz resonator path, which further contributes to the symphonic sounds generated by this exhaust.

Developing an exhaust system is indeed a combination of art and science…certainly both go into every AWE Tuning exhaust system. Definitely the case with the TT RS (this is personally one of my favorites).

[JohnLZ7W]

In the case of the TT RS, when boost is under 10psi, exhaust is routed through the rear muffler and Helmholtz resonator path. The Helmholtz resonator is tuned to cancel the resonance that naturally occurs in the 2000 rpms range (what TT RS owners sometimes complain about), and the perforated core muffler is tuned to muffle higher frequencies, which become more prevalent with higher rpms. The combination of traditional muffling (perforated core with wrapped packing materials), and sound cancellation (Helmholtz resonator) produces extraordinarily civilized volume with a pleasing tone.

Any way to swap in a muffler that doesn't clip the higher frequencies? I think that might be why the AWE exhaust has lost the characteristic 5-cylinder tone

[Black BeauTTy]

Any way to swap in a muffler that doesn't clip the higher frequencies? I think that might be why the AWE exhaust has lost the characteristic 5-cylinder tone

I think you need to hear it in person before making that statement. I don't think it lost any of the character. On the contrary, it has been enhanced to my ear. There isn't much character changing tech going on in straight pipe mode, so how could it lose any character? It emits the sound it is supposed to IMO.

[JohnLZ7W]

I think you need to hear it in person before making that statement. I don't think it lost any of the character. On the contrary, it has been enhanced to my ear. There isn't much character changing tech going on in straight pipe mode, so how could it lose any character? It emits the sound it is supposed to IMO.

A couple folks that were at the meet said it sounded like the videos (shrugs). I'm sure it sounds great, just not for me. So far APR sounds closest to what I'm looking for and the sport exhaust with cat delete will hold me over for awhile.

[Will/AWE]

Any way to swap in a muffler that doesn't clip the higher frequencies? I think that might be why the AWE exhaust has lost the characteristic 5-cylinder tone

We have done a lot of 5 cylinder work with the VW Rabbit, Golf, and Jetta, and the TT RS exhaust has the same core harmonics. It is slightly subdued due to the fact that a turbo is muffling the exhaust sound, but that exotic tone you hear is because we know how to work with, not against, the 5 cylinder engine.

Try these (better) videos, which in my opinion do the system more justice-

[Will/AWE]

There’s nothing wrong with a little sibling rivalry. More about the just released AWE Tuning TT RS Catalog, right here.

[jibbed]

Hey guys (you may have already answered this - so apologies if you have) - but are you planning on releasing a turbo-back system?

[Will/AWE]

It is something that we are currently looking into, but no firm plans have been set

[R5T]

Thanks for your interest everyone! The AWE Tuning TT RS Front Mount Intercooler will not require any modifications. It is a simple bolt on AWE Tuning performance upgrade that utilizes factory hoses, designed to work perfectly without modifying any factory safety equipment. Core and end tank assembly is included, of course along with all necessary installation hardware.

The TT RS end tanks as noted are CNC machined from a single block of 6061 aluminum, and are quite significant to ensure the smoothest flow possible, utilizing a high efficiency bar and plate intercooler core.

The hp gains were significant- max gains of 17hp @6150rpm, and torque was increased by 17tq max @4050rpm, while IATs were lowered by 22 degrees F. We also saw a .8psi decrease in pressure drop (-73%) over stock. As with all AWE Tuning products, there will be no CEL when running our intercooler. Guaranteed.

Stay tuned for more as we roll out more from the TT RS catalog, for the pending release later this week!

Will the front bumper fit straight on again or does it need some modification/cutting to fit.

[Will/AWE]

There is no bumper modification required to run the AWE Tuning TT RS Intercooler.

[R5T]

There is no bumper modification required to run the AWE Tuning TT RS Intercooler.

THX, good to know.

[R5T]

I would use a set of these.

[Marty]

I would use a set of these.

All that corrugated pipe? Yuck.

[R5T]

All that corrugated pipe? Yuck.

It's the same with the OEM stuff.

[Will/AWE]

Audi’s TT RS is cool. The AWE Tuning’s TT RS is 25 degrees cooler.



CNC’d end tanks and a massive 80% increase in cooling area translate into max power gains of 17hp and 17ft-lb tq.



Learn more, here

[R5T]

Audi’s TT RS is cool. The AWE Tuning’s TT RS is 25 degrees cooler.



CNC’d end tanks and a massive 80% increase in cooling area translate into max power gains of 17hp and 17ft-lb tq.



Learn more, here

It's the best TT RS FMIC as a direct replacement i have seen so far.

[Will/AWE]

Thanks!

[Marty]

Audi’s TT RS is cool. The AWE Tuning’s TT RS is 25 degrees cooler.

Thanks Will. Could you add the test procedure / context to this graph to help make it meaningful? For example:

1) Was the ambient temperature the same when each curve were taken?
2) Was the intercooler initial temperature (the aluminum temperature) the same when each curve was taken?
3) How does the difference between the curves change after repeated pulls?

[Will/AWE]

Thanks Will. Could you add the test procedure / context to this graph to help make it meaningful? For example:

1) Was the ambient temperature the same when each curve were taken?
2) Was the intercooler initial temperature (the aluminum temperature) the same when each curve was taken?
3) How does the difference between the curves change after repeated pulls?

1) Ambient temperature was ~60 degrees F. All testing was done within 2hrs so this only fluctuated a few degrees. A correction was then applied to normalize the data.

2) We didn’t monitor the surface temperature but we did monitor IATs to make sure we returned to a steady state condition.

3) The delta between the two fluctuated only 3 degrees over 5 back to back tests.

[Marty]

1) Ambient temperature was ~60 degrees F. All testing was done within 2hrs so this only fluctuated a few degrees. A correction was then applied to normalize the data.

2) We didn’t monitor the surface temperature but we did monitor IATs to make sure we returned to a steady state condition.

3) The delta between the two fluctuated only 3 degrees over 5 back to back tests.

Thanks. Looks like some great work. Was all the testing done on a stationary car on the dyno?

Also, how do the core dimensions of the AWE unit compare to the stock core? It says "80% more area", but do you have the numbers?

Oh, and is there an intro special on these things, or what?

[Issam Abed]

Will,
where do I sign up for one? This is the best TTRS intercooler I have seen on the market to date.

[Black BeauTTy]

Also, how do the core dimensions of the AWE unit compare to the stock core? It says "80% more area", but do you have the numbers?

It's listed earlier in the thread...basically 6x6x22 without end tanks.

[Will/AWE]

Thanks. Looks like some great work. Was all the testing done on a stationary car on the dyno?

Also, how do the core dimensions of the AWE unit compare to the stock core? It says "80% more area", but do you have the numbers?

Oh, and is there an intro special on these things, or what?

IAT testing was done on the dyno. This was done to minimize the amount of variables during testing. Unfortunately no intro special on them.

[Will/AWE]

Will,
where do I sign up for one? This is the best TTRS intercooler I have seen on the market to date.

Thanks! Shoot me a PM and we can get you in line!

[Marty]

It's listed earlier in the thread...basically 6x6x22 without end tanks.

Looks like ~6"x5.8"x22" from the earlier post, thanks. Now I just have to search around to dig up the stock intercooler core size...

[Black BeauTTy]

Looks like ~6"x5.8"x22" from the earlier post, thanks. Now I just have to search around to dig up the stock intercooler core size...

OEM is 3x6.3x21 I believe.

[R5T]

OEM = 535mm x 160mm x 80mm, 6,848cm³)

Inch = 21.1 x 6.3 x 3.15

[Black BeauTTy]

OEM = 535mm x 160mm x 80mm, 6,848cm³)

Inch = 21.1 x 6.3 x 3.15

Nice precision!

[R5T]

There is not much more to gain size wise, but a lot of gain in flow.

[bigstu]

OEM = 535mm x 160mm x 80mm, 6,848cm³)

Inch = 21.1 x 6.3 x 3.15

This is an example of why I Mr. R5T. I swear he is secretly a GmbH engineer

Thanks again for all the info you provide Hans!!!

[Marty]

There is not much more to gain size wise, but a lot of gain in flow.

What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the stock intercooler is especially lossy compared to aftermarket ones? Is there any data to support this?

In an intercooler, you'll get a reduction in static pressure across the intercooler due to the temperature drop of the air itself, plus a reduction in pressure due to "frictional losses" of forcing air through the pipes in the first place.