As we’ve said before, the stock exhaust of the BMW F30 328i is less than exciting sounding, and less than ideal for performance – and sound. The BMW F30 328i sports a rather potent turbocharged four cylinder engine (N20 or N26), however, since it’s a four banger, it can be tricky to make it sound good and avoid that “Honda Buzz” that’s so unpleasant to so many ears. With hundreds of man hours in developing and tuning the tone and acoustic behaviors of their exhaust systems, Mod Expert Blake knew that setting the owner of this F30 up with an F30 exhaust from AWE Tuning was just the ticket.
The owner of this F30 328i wanted to avoid cutting the rear bumper, so a single-exit dual tip configuration like stock would be necessary – of course, a new exhaust would fill out the openings much better. Since the exhaust makes up quite a bit of the rear end appearance of your car, a set of handsome Chrome Silver tips would do quite nicely – so Mod Expert Blake suggested the AWE Tuning Touring Exhaust with Performance Mid-Pipe for BMW F30 328i with the single-exit option and Chrome Silver tips.
Like any turbo car, the F30’s N20 turbocharged four cylinder responds well to basic bolt ons, in the case of the AWE Tuning Touring Exhaust, the freer-flowing AWE setup, the system yielded a max gain of 13hp and 13ft-lbs of torque over stock, which isn’t bad at all for a catback only.
Check out the dyno graph for yourself – AWE is meticulous about testing and data – there’s a solid 10hp/7tq increase across the power band for a consistent power increase.
How is AWE able to get those gains out of an exhaust that delivers the bark you want when you stomp on the go pedal, yet doesn’t give you a headache on the freeway? That comes down to their “180 Technology”at work inside their muffler and resonator units, which have been tested for hundreds of hours on AWE’s in house dyno to get it just right in terms of power, and to make sure they achieve their goal, every curve and contour of their 3in diameter exhaust is CNC mandrel-bent for ideal flow.
While most manufacturers put a lot of effort into their parts, AWE puts an almost OCD-like level of attention to detail and testing to getting everything PERFECT – in addition to the hours on the dyno, the systems are street tested in the real world for sound and to ensure that there’s no check engine light (they guarantee it) or any other nagging issues.
The dual-walled Chrome Silver tips are a great compliment to the car’s white exterior.
Here we can see the AWE Tuning Performance Mid-Pipe, which takes the AWE system from Axle-Back to Cat Back and offers a more sophisticated sound and greatest power gain. This removes the factory secondary cat (on N26 Motors) and replaces it with a resonated straight through 3” T304 stainless steel tube mid-pipe.
Here’s how those chrome silver tips look from below.
Here’s a close-up of the Chrome Silver tips, which fill out the opening in the factory rear bumper beautifully, and the etched AWE Tuning logo adds a nice touch.
Here’s how the system looks overall installed on the car.
Here’s the straight-on view from behind. The tips are large, yet not over-the top – which fit the character of this exhaust system perfectly. After the install, we had the chance to go out and get an earful of this system for ourselves. Our firsthand impressions were that the system is very quiet, mild and reserved when cruising around, ideal for anyone who wants a bit more growl out of the car but doesn’t want to upset their significant other or the neighbors, yet pipes up with a unique sound unlike any turbo four we’ve heard when you really lay into the throttle.
Have a listen to the sound for yourself in the video sound demo below.
If you’re looking for an exhaust that can be both conservative and aggressive at the same time, you’ll definitely want to check out one of these exhausts from AWE – Mod Expert Blake tells us the customer likes the new sound as much as we do. If you’re the type of person that demands quality, this F30 Exhaust sounds as good as it looks.
We hope you enjoyed the photos and video, and we’ll see you next time!
Want to know more about modding your BMW F30? Need something installed? Talk to the Mod Experts like Blake (x8011 for Blake), give us a call at 714-582-3330 to chat with our team of experts or stop by the ModAuto showroom in La Habra CA during business hours (8-5 M-Sat) and talk to our experts in person.
Story & Photos Nick Gregson