By AWE Exhaust and Stainless Works Downpipe for the Focus RS
In this article, we’re gonna take a close-up look at the downpipe and cat-back exhaust system we’ve chosen for our 2017 Ford Focus RS build. We are building our way up to our big turbo upgrade so we need high flow but it’s very important to us that this thing does not get obnoxious sounding. We don’t want a crazy loud exhaust system, especially not in a four-cylinder that can get raspy and droney. As we looked around in the industry we realized that finding the performance plus a manageable, clean and tight sound without spending a horrendous amount of money was actually going to be pretty tough, but we landed on a really great solution.
VIDEO: AWE EXHAUST FOR THE FOCUS RS
The Downpipe
Let’s start by taking a look at the downpipe. Since we live in California, that means a catless downpipe is basically out of the question, and in addition to this, we don’t want it to be crazy loud and raspy. For these reasons, we are definitely looking for a high flow catted downpipe which typically ranges in price between $700 and $1,400 and we really wanted to try and keep that in the lower end of that spectrum. That is where Stainless Works exists because they make a full 3-inch high-flow catted downpipe that is full TIG welded T409 stainless steel and it comes in under $800.
While Stainless Works might not be a brand you tend to hear a lot about in the small-displacement sport compact cars, it is definitely a brand worth taking a look at. They’re made entirely in the United States with USA-sourced materials making sure that you’re getting a top-quality product. The craftsmanship is really worth noting here, especially for the price point that it comes in at, and of course, it’s made with all the fittings that go right up to the OEM connections just like stock and it’s gonna bolt right up to the turbo and connect right back to the cat-back.
SHOP THE STAINLESS WORKS DOWNPIPE FOR THE FOCUS RS HERE!
The Cat-Back Exhaust
Speaking of the cat-back exhaust system there are tons of options in the industry for the Focus RS and frankly, the selection process was a little bit daunting. Now we wanted it to be an increase in performance and sound but we didn’t want it to be crazy loud. We wanted it to be designed to work with a higher flowing downpipe and not just designed to work with the OEM downpipe because an aftermarket downpipe could introduce some rasp and drone. We also wanted to make sure it was high-quality but we wanted to keep that cost in check. Some of the systems out there work with the OEM valve system so it can be run quietly at a cold start, but then if you want to open it up and make some noise you can do that as well. Those systems can start to get pretty expensive, and it wasn’t a feature that was really important to us.
For all of these reasons, we’ve decided to go with the resonated version of the AWE Tuning Touring Exhaust. They make this in a non-resonated and resonated version and if we were not running an aftermarket downpipe we would stick with their non-resonated version which is tuned to sound perfect with a stock system. Since we are doing this high-flow downpipe, the resonated version is engineered to work with that extra flow and will prevent any drone and rasp.
THE DETAILS OF THE AWE EXHAUST
You can choose this system with dual tips that are 4.5 inches an angle-cut and either polished or for a little bit more you can get this nice diamond black that we’ve opted for. It also includes this little dongle that you can plug into the valve because there is this is not a valve system and this will prevent you from throwing any warning lights. The whole system will set you back around $1,500 but for an extra $100 you can buy their Touring to Track edition conversion pipe which allows you to basically have both the Track Edition if you want to make a little more noise, or they’re Touring if you want to sound a little bit more refined. In addition to the great sound, they have dyno-proven gains of 22 horsepower and 19 pound-feet of torque with this exhaust system on a stock Focus RS without a downpipe.
AWE’S OTHER OFFERINGS
AWE does make a range of systems for the Focus RS as we said resonated and non-resonated Touring edition they also make their Track Edition and their Track Edition is less expensive it’s just a little louder than we wanted. They also make their SwitchPath system which includes their remote-controlled valve system so you can set it to the quiet mode or loud mode but that was just a little bit more expensive and it was a feature that’s not very important to us.
We have had several of AWE’s products on our different vehicles because they always take the time to really engineer that signature AWE sound which is aggressive but without that drone or rasp and that’s why they’re able to give you that no drone guarantee alongside their fitment guarantee on top of that. These things always line up perfectly when you’re installing them and that’s because these guys have great attention to detail and precision in manufacturing exhaust systems. These systems are also made in the USA from USA-sourced materials.
BUY THE AWE TOURING EDITION (RESONATED) EXHAUST FOR THE FOCUS RS HERE!
BUY THE AWE TOURING EDITION (NON-RESONATED) EXHAUST FOR THE FOCUS RS HERE!
BUY THE AWE TRACK EDITION FOR THE FOCUS RS HERE!
BUY THE AWE SWITCHPATH EDITION EXHAUST FOR THE FOCUS RS HERE!
Just a note that all the links above will take you over to Motoroso.com, and there you can reach us on LiveChat or you can always call us toll-free at 833.MOTOROSO. If you’d like to learn about all the cool Mishimoto cooling mods that we did on our Focus RS to help things run smoother check that video out below. Thanks for reading!
