A Solution for the Audi S5’s 'Power Deficit'

For those of you who have recently purchased an Audi S4 or S5 and find the power from its 3.0-liter supercharged V6 lacking, don’t worry. AWE Tuning out of Willow Grove will help you with your power shortage.

The 21-year-old performance engineering firm, which focuses on Volkswagens, Audis and Porsches, very recently released a slew of go-fast (go-faster?) parts for the already potent 333-horsepower S4 and S5. Yep, that paltry horsepower figure is lower than that of the previous generation’s 4.2-liter V8, but, as is the trend, the new 3.0T engine has forced induction. (The “T” stands for “supercharged.”)

And that means the potential for monster gains.

“There’s always something in there, you just have to figure out how to get it out, while maintaining reliability and durability,” AWE Tuning’s Vice President of Marketing Jesse Kramer said. 

The newly introduced parts include things like a freer-flowing exhaust, a better-breathing carbon fiber intake system called S-Flo, a smaller supercharger pulley, and a supercharger cooling system called ColdFront that divorces the car’s cooling system from the supercharger’s cooling system.

All of the bits help yield a staggering 488 horsepower — about 40 more horsepower than an RS5. 

“This is totally new stuff,” Kramer said. “Some of our turbo and supercharger products have 500 hours of R and D. Additionally, these cars are track tested, dyno-tested and, most importantly, driven.”

At any time, AWE has between five to six development cars. And the test mule for the new S4/S5 parts is pure eye candy … and it’s the only one of its kind in the country. The car is a Samoa Orange metallic B8.5 S5, and is verified to be the only S5 in America with this paint scheme — which is normally reserved for the flagship R8.

One of the cool things about the in-house S5 is that it’s a “build project,” meaning pictures of the car have slowly been leaked to Audi-centric web forums. Kramer said a huge chunk of AWE's business comes from online enthusiasts.

In addition to the eye-grabbing paint, it’s fitted with Forgeline wheels, a discreet carbon fiber wing, 4-inch exhaust tips and Brembo calipers and drilled rotors up front. (The normally red Brembo calipers are painted silver … you know, so they don’t clash with the Samoa Orange.)

The seven-speed S-Tronic S5 is also really comfortable. It’s currently fitted with the “touring” version of AWE’s exhaust and down pipes, which is less rumbly than the “track” version, Kramer said. While driving the S5 around Willow Grove — and catching plenty of second glances — the car was surprisingly quiet, until you mashed the throttle.

“You can hear some supercharger whine and some exhaust love,” Kramer said. “You can hear it and feel it, but the exhaust never drones.” 

The parts aren’t exactly cheap — the exhaust is about 2 large, the carbon fiber intake is $600, and the ColdFront cooling system is about $1,300 — but you’ll have more horsepower than an RS5, along some serious stump-pulling torque. And more importantly, you won’t have to worry about having less horsepower than a 2004 S4.

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AWE Tuning is located at 2385 Maryland Road, Willow Grove. For more information visit awe-tuning.com or call 888-565-2257.