[Coming Soon] AWE SwitchPath™ Exhaust for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing

[Christian/AWE]

LUXURY. WITH TEETH.

Presenting the AWE SwitchPath™ Exhaust Suite for the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, coming soon:

Sign up to be notified when it's ready to roll.

• Dual 3” valved catback configuration
• Utilizes factory valve motors to retain all factory drive mode valve functionality
• Max gains of +11 hp and +3 lb-ft of torque at the wheels
• Bespoke X-pipe for an exotic, rasp-free tone
• Bullet-style resonators facilitate a smooth soundtrack with valves open
• No sagging: SwitchPath™ keeps the same ground clearance profile as stock
• Signature 4.5” double-walled, slash-cut tips available in chrome silver and diamond black
• Handcrafted from CNC mandrel-bent, U.S.-sourced .065”-wall T304L stainless steel
• Less is more: clean, straight-through design maximizes performance
• Pure bolt-on, no-cutting required
• Perfect Fitment guarantee
• AWE No CEL guarantee
• Lifetime Warranty

 

[1Evil55]

Excellent!
The video sounds killer. What wheel is that?

 

[rubberduck]

Why is it so hard to make an exhaust tip that matches the OEM style? The round tips look plain awkward on the 5BW. I’d be totally in on an exhaust with OEM style, until then I keep waiting. C’mon AWE help a fella out.

 

[Todd]

Why is it so hard to make an exhaust tip that matches the OEM style? The round tips look plain awkward on the 5BW. I’d be totally in on an exhaust with OEM style, until then I keep waiting. C’mon AWE help a fella out.

It is so hard to make a bespoke exhaust tip that matches OEM style... because it is so hard.

An OEM-style tip requires extensive tooling investment to create the unique shape, on the order of $25k+. That's just for the tips (each side is specific, unlike the round tips), in addition to all the design and tooling costs already required for the rest of the exhaust system.

And because these bespoke tips would only work on this specific application, there's just no real amortization opportunity for that big investment. In order to capture required margin, it would drive the BW MSRP to a point that is unacceptable to the market.

At the end of the day: there are only hundreds of potential buyers for these exhausts, given how limited production the BW has been, which means no real business case to recapture all the tooling and substantial engineering design time.

The round tips are more "universal" in the catalog, which means the up-front costs are easily covered.

 

[beamon]

Why is it so hard to make an exhaust tip that matches the OEM style? The round tips look plain awkward on the 5BW. I’d be totally in on an exhaust with OEM style, until then I keep waiting. C’mon AWE help a fella out.

Crest Performance Dynamics offers oem tips for CT5-V Blackwing with 3 different exhaust choices,

CT5-V Collection

Performance exhaust upgrades for the Cadillac CT5-V and CT5-V Blackwing. From catback systems to downpipes, our precision-engineered components are designed to maximize the performance of your supercharged LT4 engine while delivering an unmistakable exhaust note that turns heads.

crestperformancedynamics.com

 

[rubberduck]

Looks like it’s not that hard after all. But I really would prefer a Catback. I really wish Milltek would make a system for the 5BW, but that is a pipe dream. Their stuff is incredible.

I don’t want universal, I want awesome.

 

[Christian/AWE]

It is so hard to make a bespoke exhaust tip that matches OEM style... because it is so hard.

An OEM-style tip requires extensive tooling investment to create the unique shape, on the order of $25k+. That's just for the tips (each side is specific, unlike the round tips), in addition to all the design and tooling costs already required for the rest of the exhaust system.

And because these bespoke tips would only work on this specific application, there's just no real amortization opportunity for that big investment. In order to capture required margin, it would drive the BW MSRP to a point that is unacceptable to the market.

At the end of the day: there are only hundreds of potential buyers for these exhausts, given how limited production the BW has been, which means no real business case to recapture all the tooling and substantial engineering design time.

The round tips are more "universal" in the catalog, which means the up-front costs are easily covered.

Thanks Todd. Spot on.

We focused our R&D and Engineering resources to make what we feel is the best sounding exhaust on the planet for the 5BW, we think you guys will dig it - we'll be releasing more info (and sound clips) in the coming days, stay tuned!

 

[Christian/AWE]

Excellent!
The video sounds killer. What wheel is that?

Thank you, we put a lot of effort into the soundtrack. Wheels are Brixton Forged CM5-R.

 

[Todd]

Looks like it’s not that hard after all.

lol, somehow I knew you were going to say that.

Apples to oranges, my friend.

That system relies on customers cutting off their valves and OE tips and sending them in. Then they get recycled into axle backs.

That's one way to do it, I guess... not really scalable into a durable supply to meet customer expectations of a major brand, but definitely ok for very small volumes.

 

[Spyder043]

I’m on the side of wanting to retain the stock tips too. The circular tips looks so out of place