There's no questioning how great the stock NPP sounds, especially with the fuse pulled and the valves wide open. But I wanted something more. The C7Z is such a ridiculous car (full stop) and I get so few days a month with it that I want each mile to be an experience. So, after extensively researching available exhausts I decided to try something a little different than the tried and true Borlas, Corsas, BBs, Magnaflows, and Akrapovics. Mostly because everyone else has the latter. But partly because I'm not keen on cutting my stock exhaust (Corsa) or paying $5-6k (Akrapovic).

In my search for more volume, the aFe Mach Force XP exhaust jumped out at me. I loved that it retained the NPP valves but also offered a straight pipe — I'm sure is just LOUD and LOUDER. Perfect. I also loved the single-walled tip design. Looks more race car IMHO. Also gave me McLaren F1 vibes. The problem with this exhaust is that nobody has it. Not installed. Not in stock. Nada. I only came across one other C7 with it installed. ONE. So of course, I had to have it.

I placed my order back in January 2021 with the original estimate being 8-10 weeks. I waited and waited... and waited. And then I waited some more. COVID really F'd up supply and production timings. At least I wasn't waiting for a C8. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I got word that my exhaust was finally in the production queue and would be delivered shortly thereafter. It arrived this week, 3 days early no less, and my initial impression is beyond impressed. The quality is stellar. The welds are gorgeous. It appears properly engineered not cobbled together. Dare I say it's nearly as nice as the Akra. On looks alone, this exhaust is severely underrepresented in the C7 community. Which is surprising given how ubiquitous the C7 aFe intakes are.

Plan is to install the exhaust tomorrow after which I'll share pics as well as a few videos for the before/after audio. I have no clue how it will sound (especially paired with my Borla catless x-pipe) but I think it's going to be a nice surprise.

A few pics of the exhaust post-unboxing:












To be continued...

 

wow! beautiful for sure.
i saw this when looking for exhaust specifically with npp and not pieced together (meaning ton of clamps for over axle pieces and tips) but i couldnt spend that much $ on just the axleback so i went with the flowmaster outlaw setup.

 

Where did you purchase it at?

 

not sure where op purchased but here is one location https://weaponxmotorsports.com/produ...nt=37646356241

 

@daveb91 Currently, they're only made to order through aFe regardless who you purchase from.

 

I finally had a chance to install the aFe last weekend. Set up to clean up took about 1.5 hours with the rear valance being the most time consuming simply because of the number of bolts. Had I used a drill it would have taken half the time. I then lifted the rear of the car on jack stands high enough where I could comfortably get underneath and wiggle the pipes in place. The stock mufflers fell right out. Maybe 2-3 minutes for each side.



With both off the car it's pretty easy to see how well engineered AND small the aFe unit is compared to OEM. I didn’t weigh them but the aFe was noticeably lighter. From here I transferred the hangers and the NPP actuators. Took another 5 minutes total. I jacked up the x-pipe a little and the aFe pipes slipped right in. I’d say 5 minutes per side. Easy. I did notice that one of the tips was out of round, likely from shipping or maybe it was me... who knows. Not the end of the world. I'll round it out one of these weekends.



I snugged everything up and started her up.






First impression: with valves open it’s loud. No surprises given they’re straight pipes. With valves closed it’s just a bit louder than the stock NPP in Track mode. However, the tone and character is completely changed. Still no pops and crackles (something about the stock Z06 tuning) but it’s deep, with a racecar rumble. Braaaaap!

I switched between valves closed and open but didn’t rev too hard to not **** off the neighbors too soon. The iPhone mic doesn’t do it justice.



And here’s a little bonus launch control action.



Verdict after a few days is that the aFe Mach Force XP is not for the faint of heart. It sounds incredible with the windows down and valves open and there’s no more drone than the stock NPP — closed valves, seventh gear on the highway, and it’s perfectly livable and sane. My wife, who thought the stock exhaust was loud, was surprised that it wasn’t that much louder but also by how much better it sounded.

Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

 

Good grief.....I have the AWE touring with 3" X-pipe.....that is loud as F....I can't imagine what this is in person!

 

It's loud but not obnoxious. Sounds really good to be honest.

 

howdy. any chance that you are selling your awe x pipe? thanks.

 

I love this design, how is the valves closed on the highway and around town? Is there any drone?

My M7 GS with valves open on the highway it can drone and be annoying in 7th gear. I have stock manifolds/cats but with a AWE x pipe and stock mufflers.