AWE has turned its attention to the Civic Type R's fancier cousin with a pair of cat-back exhaust systems. Enter the Touring Edition and Track Edition, with both packing a full 3.0-inch frontpipe that will mate to the factory downpipe.
Dyno-proven maximum gains of 4 horsepower and 6 pound-feet of torque at the wheels with the stock downpipe also need to be mentioned. Attached in the photo gallery, the dyno graph shows a baseline of 315 horsepower and 276 pound-feet (374 Nm) of twist with the standard exhaust, followed by 319 horsepower and 282 pound-feet (382 Nm) for the Touring Edition.
At the crankshaft, Acura claims 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet (420 Nm) from the K20C turbo inline-four engine. That's 5 more ponies than Honda's Civic Type R, which carries a starting price of $44,795 sans destination charge. Integra Type S? That'd be $51,800 before taxes and options such as the carbon liftgate spoiler.
Pricing for AWE's exhaust system kick off at $1,245 for the Track Edition and $1,695 for the Touring Edition, with both offering chrome finishers or Diamond Black tips for a few extra bucks. The 4.5-inch finishers feature a stamped AWE logo. Each of the three exhaust tips is individually adjustable, as per personal taste.
Manufactured at the company's production facility just outside Philly, these systems come with a Perfect Fitment Guarantee, a No Cel Guarantee, and a Lifetime Warranty. Although the Track Edition cannot be returned for sound reasons, AWE offers a solution in the form of a $795 conversion kit to Touring Edition spec.
Alternatively, $395 gets you the conversion kit from Touring Edition to Track Edition. Made from T304L stainless steel, the bolt-on exhausts require no motor mount removal for installation. Both come with all the necessary hardware.
Photo: AWE
The provided valve plug simulator has to be plugged into the valve motor connection, whereas the provided cable tie will be used to secure the exhaust valve wire out of the way. AWE says the sound and the volume will settle with usage, and the company also recommends 800 to 1,000 miles to break-in the aforementioned exhausts.
Prospective customers of the Touring Edition exhaust will be treated to a drone-canceling resonator with a small drain hole that allows condensation to escape. To this effect, water drops just under the resonator's area are normal.
That said, Acura's take on the Civic Type R is one of only a handful of manual-equipped compacts on sale today in the United States. In addition to the Integra, Integra Type S, Civic Si, and Civic Type R, those in the market for such a vehicle are further presented with the likes of the front-biased Hyundai Elantra N, Mazda3 Hatchback 2.5 S Premium, Toyota GR Corolla, Subaru WRX, as well as the Volkswagen Jetta GLI.
Those who crave rear-wheel drive need to consider the MX-5, the GR86 and BRZ, the GR Supra, Nissan Z, Ford Mustang GT and Dark Horse, as well as the BMW M2. As for those who can't do without some off-road capability, there's the Jeep Wrangler, the Gladiator, Ford Bronco, and the new Toyota Tacoma.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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