AWE Tuning Project 700S
*Layout
Longitudinal rear engine, all-wheel drive
*Engine
3.6-liter flat six, dohc, 24-valve, turbocharged and intercooled, AWE exhaust manifolds, 200-cell catalysts, mufflers, AWE VTG turbo-chargers, AWE/GIAC software
*Transmission
Six-speed manual
*Suspension
Moton Clubsport coilover shocks, H&R springs
*Brakes
F: Brembo GTR eight-piston calipers, 15-inch rotors
R: Brembo GTR four-piston calipers, 13.6-inch rotors
*Wheels and Tires
BBS Motorsport, 8.5x19 (f) 11x19 (r)
Michelin Pilot Sport Cup
235/35 (f), 305/30 (r)
*Performance
Peak Power: 680 hp
Quarter mile ET: 11.2 sec
@128 mph
Inside AWE
sign hangs over the doorway of AWE's dynamometer proclaiming the "Moment of Truth." Minute traces of metal and fluid tattoo an otherwise immaculate floor-residual 'truth' I'm guessing. This is the place bench tuners avoid, where cars are strapped down and prodded to dizzying revs, the place where claims of huge power are reduced to mere whimpers. You dance here or you don't dance at all.
Following the 'dyno creed' is a tough path. But for some, it's the only path. "There's a bunch of parts I'd love to build... parts I have built," says AWE's Todd Saeger. "But then we get to the dyno and they prove to do little or sometimes nothing to improve performance. I'm not going to sell something like that. Doesn't make any sense. We live and die by the dyno."
In the spirit of old-school speed shops, AWE is a place for serious players, guys more concerned with trap speeds and top end than chrome-covered pipes. The East Coast mentality tends to place performance ahead of aesthetics. Places like Englishtown Raceway are the places to be on Friday and Saturday nights-for car guys, anyway.
I've know Saeger for more than a decade, back when a MkII GTI and Corrado were parked in my driveway. If I had a problem, I'd either call Saeger or Ron Wood at VW Specialties-I'd usually be on the road by dinnertime. AWE's history isn't especially unique. Like many high-end tuners, Saeger started by fixing friends' VWs and air-cooled Porsches, restoring them, making things more efficient. As time progressed, Saeger found his passion was slanted towards making things go faster. Air and Water Enterprises (AWE) was born.
AWE's facility has grown from a simple one-room garage to more than 10,000 square feet. The stuff you see hanging on the walls of its showroom is stuff AWE builds in its back rooms-and there are many rooms, all filled with big, serious-looking machines. AWE's sales manager, Mike Romano, lets me play with a custom-built contraption that tapers exhaust tubing, allowing perfectly mated connections. "This is a very specialized machine," he explains. "No one really builds a device that does exactly what this thing does. We had to describe what we wanted to do and the engineer designed it specifically for the types of tubing we would be using. It was God-awful expensive, but the end result is much better than the standard split-flare ends on most exhaust systems." I watch the machine in quiet awe as it reduces stout, thick-walled pipe as if it was made from Silly Putty. I need one of these.
This is the easy part of building an AWE exhaust system. The real craftsmanship comes from the skilled hands of employees like Kyle Shaffer. He sews up a Porsche header system, his hands moving with machine-like precision, carefully checking alignment every few welds. Given their complexitiy and AWE's quality requirements, Shaffer can only produce a handful of these each week. It's best not to rush art.
After Shaffer finishes his work, it goes to Eric Langsteen, who carefully grinds down offensive edges and puts a smooth finish on the interior. When he's done, it'll be smoother than a baby's bottom (and much shinier). While examining AWE's Porsche Turbo exhaust, one can't help noticing the precision and consistency of the welds. It a shame the exhaust cans are hidden, as guys like Sean Makosky spend hours at the buffing wheel ("the dirtiest place on earth"), giving them mirror-like finishes.
Saeger is quick to place AWE's success on the artisans who work there. Although designing speed parts is a daunting task, replicating the results is even tougher. "There's a huge amount of hand craftsmanship in AWE hardware," says Saeger. "We fabricate each component as though they were going on our own cars. It takes longer, but I'd rather have one perfect end product than a bunch of mediocre ones."
AWE's manufacturing capabilities are augmented with CAD and CAM, and multi-axis CNC machines. Flow benches, CC devices, chip swap/burn tables and a multitude of other go-fast apparatus can be found under its roof. Although AWE builds many of its own products, it doesn't build everything. The outside components used are some the industry's best, including GIAC, BBS, Motul, VFE, Samco, and Bilstein.
For the record, the term 'tuner' has been bastardized beyond all recognition. Some 19-year-old kid bolts an intake and exhaust to his car and he's a tuner. That's a shame, because AWE is the genuine article, the place where cars leave with more performance. Until we think of a better term, we'll just need to refer to AWE as a solid bunch of guys dedicated to making cars go faster. Maybe 'speed shop' ain't so bad after all. -Les Bidrawn