AVO Turbo Kit Owners Topic

[gdrider77]

Originally Posted by InvalidJohnny5

I was thinking of getting the Perrin CAI, does the induction sound fairly naice?

Yes. In my case it made a huge difference. It really helps with the sound. Just sounds great. I love the sound of it. I will try to get a sound clip soon. Need to wait for the weather to get nicer. Also don't have my car at the moment. In for a nice long tuning session.

[InvalidJohnny5]

I'm not gunna lie I like how quiet my car is cause no one can tell it's boosted...but I do want that sweet induction noise you and sportsguy had. Video sounded naiiiiice

[deucethemoose]

I'll start by saying that my car has had issues, however this is not due to the AVO kit. This is Toyota/Subaru's fault. After my kit was installed I was getting a LOT of P000B, P0017, P0019 CELs. This was due to a faulty oil pressure valve on the motor and was replaced under warranty by the dealer. The problem was always there, but was exacerbated by the addition of forced induction. It also meant that I needed to uninstall my AVO kit and return the car to stock to have the work performed. I am planning on the kit being reinstalled by Drift Office in the coming months after I have put sufficient miles on the car - insuring that the CELs are gone.

In terms of function - the kit did/does not have any problems. No leaks, no nothing. My AVO over pipe would rub the crossmember on occasion, but if you spend any time under the car you know the tolerances in that area are already tight. If I wanted to spend more time adjusting the exhaust I'm positive I could get it to fit without rubbing, but it was what I considered a minor issue, especially since I planned on revisiting the exhaust as a whole when 3" offerings became more prevalent.


I went with the AVO kit because of the factory-style mounting solution that mimics the placement of Subaru's factory DIT architecture, minus a top mount intercooler. The kit as a whole shows a very thought out process to keep under hood temps as low as possible while maintaining an OEM appearance. This isn't just a slapped together kit or a "toss the biggest turbo we can fit and call it a day" design. You're not obligated to purchase the kit. If you don't want to buy it then don't buy it. We're not going to twist your arm.



TL;DR

Aside from my over pipe rubbing the crossmember once in a while, no issues.

[AVOturboworld]

Originally Posted by vgi

so you think a bit thicker flanges wouldn't help then?
and again, a genuine question, what's the reason no one else running a different kit has reported similar issue. if you think that those folks who did installation of those manifolds are knuckleheads and didn't know ftw they were doing then state so.

A thicker flange may help, but only to a degree. It'll also put more stress on the studs and nuts, which are not that strong and can stretch. It's always a balancing act.

There isn't a single other kit on the market like ours, so it's very much apples to oranges to try and do a comparison like that. There also doesn't seem to be any other kits with the sheer number of units out there that we have, and most of the posts on those other kits are shop installs.

at last, i could bet that you guys could figure this out and make your kit 100% solid, without estimating those %s of unlucky people vs plenty of worldwide happy customers. and that is the reason I posted.

To make it 100% solid, I'd have to make sure that 100% of the people doing the install do it 100% right, and that 100% of the tuners doing the tune do it 100% right. Not even Toyota or Subaru get it 100%, there's a reason for warranties.

That doesn't mean we don't work on improving when we do find issues. The first manifolds we did didn't have brackets at the turbo end, we added that after testing. We added in heat shields above the turbocharger. We changed the ceramic coating material after finding out the first manufacturer far overstated the capabilities of their coating. We changed the bends of our exhaust manifold to give more clearance with the undertray.

In other words, we are not afraid of making changes. And we can, as despite constant efforts to insinuate otherwise, we make it all in-house. That actually does increase the costs of the kit, but it also ensures we can make those changes and improve the product.

[Mr.Jay]

I've been AVO turboed since Nov and I drive my car hard.I give out test runs to lots of people who beat on the car. I am starting my autox season soon and plan to bring the car to track as I did when it was NA. If there are any issues they will show up however I have had no hiccups at all.

My kit was installed and tuned by @Drift-Office. I have nothing but good things to say about the exp and about how I feel towards my car.

[BRZranger]

Quick background: I had the very first US AVO stage 1 production kit on my vehicle in January 2013 at 6500 miles. Drift Office installed and tuned the kit. I am currently at 16,500 miles right now. I haven't tracked my car, but I push it hard as a daily, and for weekend drives from Washington down to Oregon.

If I were to do it all over again, I would still go FI, and I would still choose AVO turbo, installed and tuned at Drift Office.

I'll be bringing my BRZ down to Drift Office next week for scheduled maintenance and I'll post any new findings.
@vgi, I think it's good that you're critically analyzing your options and I'm interested to see what you end up going with.

[nataku]

Originally Posted by AVOturboworld

I got one of the exhaust manifolds back that the customer was worried about - and just as discussed in another thread, the flange surfaces themselves were actually flat, it was simply that they were not on an exact flat plane to each other.

I believe this was probably my manifold based on our interactions. I'd like to thank you again for the customer service. Not every manufacturer would have provided the new manifold free of charge in such a situation.

Originally Posted by vgi

do you mind me asking how come out of all the turbo kits (not counting all the NA headers) only AVO customers reporting these problems?

I do think this is a legitimate question worth asking, and I'm not completely satisfied with the responses thus far. I am, however, completely satisfied with my customer service experience.

Here are the arguments I have seen thus far:

1. It has been stated that flex-joints are a solution of a sort. Borla uses them and found out why flex-joints aren't ideal; bad welds will crack and you will have angry customers.
2. The headers can twist under heat-cycling and therefore the flanges will end up being off-plane from each other, this is normal. I have yet to hear of this issue with literally any other aftermarket header. At the same time I understand why this really isn't an issue. With a thick gasket and properly torqued bolts, millimeters of play become inconsequential, and the very slight stresses on the manifold will likely work themselves out over time.

I understand that you guys at AVO have a lot of experience with the oddities of flat-four header design. What I don't understand is why this issue isn't more prevalent in other aftermarket manifolds. When I ask others about this they tell me the metal should not heat-cycle on the car and that it should have settled during the manufacturing process.

All-in-all I am still a very satisfied customer. I think this kit provides a unique solution in the sheer unevenness of the headers (super rumble) and the hard hitting and impressive torque numbers (good luck finding such a good torque/whp ratio elsewhere). I have spent a lot of money modifying on top of this kit, and I don't regret any of it.

TL;DR I had "bad" headers and still recommend the AVO kit.

[Pete156]

I had @Drift-Office install my AVO kit. Five thousand miles later I have zero issues whatsoever. Car runs cool with stock cooling system even when climbing altitudes. Try that with a front mount. I would do it all over again in an instant. I am very, very pleased.

[tonyfrs86]

Ive put at least 15, 000 miles on my AVO kit and not a single problem. Car runs great..its basically like getting the car if it came with a factory tutbo. It has great turbo placement and design and stays extremely cool. After driving I can pop my hood and place my hand direcrtly on one of the ceramic coated pipes. Also the turbo kicks in at alot lower revs and the power follows all the way through very smoothly. This was exactly what I was looking for in an FI kit when I went to see bob. I wanted linear performace and thats what I got. I originally wanted a supercharger but after speaking to bob he explained alot about FI and helped me make an informed decision and saved me alot of cash compared to other kits. I have to say bob knows his stuff and he would never throw one of his customers under the bus to make a quick buck. Thats one reason he only does in house tunes . Im extremley happy with driftoffice and AVO. They do alot of good work and it shows.

[Skorov]

Originally Posted by Sportsguy83

See above.. REALLY nice i'd say.

Totally agree. I just added the Perrin CAI to my wishlist.

[SkAsphalt]

I will be installing the AVO kit myself this spring and plan on traveling to Drift office for a proper tune (and maybe look everything over to ensure I didn't mess anything up) The AVO kit is a great kit, well made and matches my needs. Clearly Bob is a fantastic tuner as well, because his reputation makes me want to drive over 1600 km to see the guy

[Touge_ninja]

Originally Posted by SkAsphalt

I will be installing the AVO kit myself this spring and plan on traveling to Drift office for a proper tune (and maybe look everything over to ensure I didn't mess anything up) The AVO kit is a great kit, well made and matches my needs. Clearly Bob is a fantastic tuner as well, because his reputation makes me want to drive over 1600 km to see the guy

You won't be disappointed if you have him tune your car.

[Drift-Office]

Originally Posted by Touge_ninja

You won't be disappointed if you have him tune your car.

Again, I'm not the only face of Drift-Office, and it's a TEAM effort here. Let's not forget about Bill yeah?

Cheers!


Bob @ Drift-Office, LLC

[Pitman]

I had my AVO kit fitted last august, (first UK / EU customer kit) and have had absolutely no issues at all. Fensport, the EU agents, are definitely up there amongst the beat, and Adrian Smith, the boss man at Fensport, and the tuner, is without doubt the beat there is.