Fast Intentions TDX Catback Exhaust Install Review with PICS!!
 

Without further hesitation, here is my review of the infamous F.I. TDX catback exhaust system:

So, I have been wanting to change out the stock exhaust since I bought the car back in June. I finally got around to doing so during the late summer, but I didn't know what options to choose (i.e., 12" resonators / 18" resonators / no resonators, HFC?, CF option), so I emailed Tony and got my first taste of great customer service. He let me know all of my options and suggested what he thought I would be happiest with, all without trying to take advantage of my wallet. I wound up getting the 18" resonators/non-CF option and HFCs.

I received my exhaust system about a month later (due to the huge demand for this incredible exhaust). I unwrapped it from the massive amounts of bubble wrap, and to my dismay it had arrived damaged courtesy of UPS (see below pics). :shakes head: :mad:

I called Tony right away and, long story short, he started building me a new exhaust right away after I sent back the damaged one. He was available every time I called to ask him any question I may have had or to voice my concern about any step along the way. Even though UPS denied the damage claim, I received my new (undamaged) system less than TWO weeks later!! Now, that is what I call great customer service! :tup:

I had the system installed this past Thursday, which took about 2 hours total. Once installed, the tech started the car and boy oh boy did it rev to life!!! I couldn't contain my excitement and I was grinning from ear to ear like the Grinch on Christmas Day! When other guys say videos don't do the tone of the exhaust justice, let me tell you that they aren't kidding. The tone is SOOO deep and exotic that it still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Note: I dynoed the car before and after for the entertainment and curiosity of those performance buffs out there. :driving: Keep in mind that I already had the Stillen G3 intakes installed PRIOR to the "before" dyno! I won't continue to ramble on about my personal story, so below you'll find my review summary along with some pics for your visual pleasure. However, I, unfortunately, don't have a video camera so no videos are included. Please don't hesitate to PM me with any questions/comments/suggestions!!

Looks/Quality: (10/10) The welds on every piece were meticulously done, and the quality of steel is superb. The cans and resonators are super smooth and shiny. I even took the time to look for fingerprints and could find none whatsoever!

Fitment: (9/10) There were no fitment issues between F.I./F.I. pieces or F.I./stock pieces. But after the installation, the left tip was not perfectly aligned so it had to be adjusted. A small 5-minute setback; nothing to complain about.

Sound: (10/10) This thing is incredible. For those who've seen/heard every video related to this exhaust absolutely cannot appreciate the superior tone it offers. It is very deep, throaty, and has no hint of "rice" at all. As expected, the HFCs do present with a noticeable hiss upon deceleration between 2-3K RPMs. The exhaust note is fairly quiet when cruising, but roars to life upon moderate-heavy acceleration. The sound is sexy as hell and EXOTIC EXOTIC EXOTIC!!!!!

Performance: (10/10) WOW! You don't realize how restricted a sports car really is until you take those restrictions away. The car pushed hard before upon heavy acceleration, but now it truly hauls ***! Together with the intakes, HFCs and exhaust, I can definitely tell the car can breathe freely and put its power to the wheels. (See dyno results below for further info)

Practicality: (8/10) The cans do ride pretty low to the ground, but I don't see a time when they would scrape unless one forgets to be careful. Originally, I was going to get the straight X-pipe, but Tony talked me out of it especially since I've got a 7AT. I am glad he did. The exhaust with 18" resonators is PLENTY loud, and I'm only a 25-year-old guy. I like loud, but any louder would surely get old very quickly. And for those complaining of the high-pitched sound coming from the ECU (myself included), this exhaust takes care of it! There is a slight drone during cruising under moderate load. With light or no load, however, (i.e., coasting) there is no drone at all. This car is my daily driver and I know I will not tire of hearing the exhaust note on a daily basis. In fact, since the installation last Thursday, I've been driving in manual mode ~80% of the time. :yum:

For those still debating on which exhaust system to buy, I strongly urge you to go with this system. Tony really is the best guy you will come across in terms of receiving spectacular customer service. He will go above and beyond to ensure you, the customer, are 110% satisfied. And I promise you that you will not find a better bang for your buck than this system right here. :happydance: :bowrofl:

Again, let me know if you've got any questions/comments. Until next time! :hello:

Eric


http://www.the370z.com/attachment.ph...1&d=1257893712

Looks great! and so do those numbers! 50hp gain?!

50 hp...holy sh*t! wtf?!

i think i need to get mine out to the dyno again...intakes + hfcs + exhaust = 50 hp???

my god, my brain is failing to comprehend this....

The only thing holding me back right now is the clearance. My front spoiler drags pretty good comin up the driveway. Anybody have a clue of the max angle of entry before contact.

O.K. here is my thoughts. Now, this specific car has:

Stillen Gen III intakes
Fast Intentions High Flow Cats
Fast Intentions TDX Cat Back Exhaust

Keep in mind, it is also a 7AT (Automatic Transmission)= A slightly higher percentage of drive train loss.

Now, I am the manufacture of the exhaust and I can tell you there is no way this car picked up 50 RWH (Rear Wheel Horsepower). Don't get me wrong, I wish this was the case but it is not. I think what happened was the car was originally dynoed in a lower gear 3rd or 4th for the baseline by accident. Now, from the number of roughly 306 which looks very accurate I know the car was dynoed in a 1:1 gear for the after session. The car showed very low numbers stock and this is what leads me to believe this about the gears.

Now, the cat back exhaust proven to make over 20 RWH and the HFC's are good for another 5-6 up top but the HFC's show their biggest contribution down low and in the mid range. As for the intakes well I would be satisfied if I saw 8-10 RWH from them! Now add this all up and you end up with 32-36 RWH on the high side. Lets be conservative and say these three mods compounded together will give you 28 RWH. Pretty respectable in my book. Now with all of this said, the number I just posted above will be slightly lower on the Automatics over the manual transmission.

This car dynoed in the correct gear should show a baseline of 268-280 RWH and once these mods are on we are seeing around 305-315. If anyone has any questions about what our exhaust actually dynos, just check out this link:

http://www.the370z.com/exhaust-intak...und-clips.html

On a side note:

Eric,

The car looks great with the exhaust. Thank you for being patient throughout the fiasco with UPS. Do not hesitate to ask if you need anything...

Thank you, Tony
Fast Intentions Inc.
(818) 882-2788

ah, that makes sense about the gear ratio. I knew something seemed a little out of place. Can't wait to hear this exhaust in person! Once I do I know I'll HAVE to buy it:bowdown:

Thanks, Tony. Again, I appreciate everything you've done for me! Good luck with the long-tube headers!! :tiphat:

I think 50 is on the high side too but I wouldn't doubt the true number is closer to that than 28. I think there's alot of variables with this car on the dyno. The oil temp. issue makes it hard to get repeatable numbers, some people's cars seem to take longer to learn the mods than others (ecu reset vs. learn), and the intakes are problematic to measure results since dynos won't be able to simulate the amount of air when at speed. Either way if there's a noticeable enough difference in how the car pulls that's better than any dyno result. I remember Z eliminator being disappointed with his dyno results and him later posting that he had to be making well over what the dyno told him, which is hard to deny since he ran a 12.8 at 110 with poor traction. Granted he has the better gearing also.

The clearance shouldn't be an issue. I haven't had a single problem with it.

would you consider me a retard if I stare at your avatar expecting the girl to do something else:bowrofl:

great write up, i'll be ordering one soon:tup:

Yep, they are worth every penny!

It's good to see that I can help do my part with product sales. Maybe that entitles me to a discount on further merchandise. What do you say, Tony??? :tup:

It's killing me...
 

What does HFC stand for? and what is HFC? In regards to an exhaust sytem?? I'm ignorant!

High Flow Cat 😉