Fast Intentions 18" CBE Review

m4a1mustang · 11-11-2009, 06:33 PM

My thoughts on Tony and the CBE:

Customer Service: As all of you know, Tony has been very open with the community from development to filling orders. He's there when you need him and you can really tell that he and his company take customer service very seriously.

When I was ready to order I gave Tony a call thinking he'd take down my info and that's it. Instead, he took almost half an hour to discuss the various options with me and make a recommendation based on the wants and needs that he got out of me. I called asking for the 18" CBE and HFCs and he talked me down to the CBE alone. I listened, but a few weeks later I called and added the HFCs to the order... turns out I should have listened to Tony in the first place as the CBE was plenty enough!

Bottom line... listen to Tony... he knows what you want better than you do!!!

Quality: Product quality is top notch. Tony uses only high quality materials and his welds are fantastic. I have to say that the style of the tips would not have been my first choice but I still think they look very good.

Install: There are plenty of pictures up of installs so I am not going to bother to post any (actually, I didn't bother to take any!), but I will say that it's very straight forward. If you can tell the difference between a ratchet and a wrench you can do this in your garage!

I did it by lifting the car up at the rear, placing it on jacks, and removing the stock system. It's bolted on very tight so it took a breaker bar to get some of the bolts loose. It was a little difficult getting some leverage to get the X-pipe free of the stock cats but all in all it was not too difficult. Something like WD40 to cut into the stock bolts and make removal easier is probably a good idea.

All of the FI pieces were in very good shape and very easy to install. They line up pretty easily although we did have some difficulty getting the driver's side tailpipe/tip to line up evenly with the passenger side. Wasn't too hard.

Sound/Driving Impressions: Contrary to popular belief, I love this system. I quickly found that the 18" CBE is plenty loud enough for me. Volume is almost directly comparable to my 2003 Mustang GT which had a catless X-pipe and Magnaflow CBE, which uses straight-through mufflers similar to the FI CBE.

It is definitely a lot louder inside the car than out given the lack of any sound deadening in our cars.

The sound quality is just fantastic. When people ask me to describe the sound I tell them it's 4.6L 4-Valve Mustang Cobra mixed with a Ferrari 355. It really has an exotic but deep/throaty rumble in the lower RPMs like the pre-2005 Ford 4.6Ls and then screams up top ala F355. Don't get me wrong... it's not exactly one or the other, but if you can just imagine putting those two sounds together it's pretty damn close! Tunnels and the FI CBE are just a blast!!!

I have to say that with some mileage on the system (about 3000 miles now) the sound seems to mature. It's slightly quieter now than it was before (this is either due to some of the initial packing burning off of the mufflers allowing them to absorb sound more efficiently or me just getting used to the sound).

My only complaint is highway driving... it's a little but much for long trips. Moreso for my girlfriend than me. It's really not bad at all if you are on flat highway where the car isn't really under load, but if you have to drive through hilly areas or mountains and are in that 2-3k rpm band it gets very, very loud! But other than that the sound is just fantastic. I love it and don't regret getting the system at all. I only wish I had listened to Tony from the get go so I wouldn't have had to gone through the process of buying and immediately reselling the HFCs, but alas.

Performance wise... there are gains for sure. This product is dyno proven and you can feel it when you press the loud pedal... better response all across the RPM band. Coupled with my Injen's the engine has gotten rid of a lot of that rough edginess it had at the very top end... it definitely feels like it breathes better.

In all, I am very satisfied with the product and with Tony's service. I really love the sound of this car.

kannibul · 11-11-2009, 06:49 PM

Mine should be here Friday, and I plan on putting it on that night or Saturday, depending on how rough my Friday is (I'm upgrading our phone system tomorrow after work, and putting out the after-fires Friday)...

Either way, it will be done!

When you jacked up the back, where exactly did you jack the car up and where did you place your jack stands? How high were you able to get it?

I'm thinking I might head out to the garage and start taking off my stock exhaust now (since I don't drive it daily) - lol!

Knives · 11-11-2009, 07:07 PM

Nice write-up. Did you follow the suggested break-in method of doing 3 hot and cold cycles?

I should be installing mine (along with other things) this Saturday, won't be able to dyno though, which is a tad disappointing.

11-11-2009, 06:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6962	Fast Intentions 18" CBE Review My thoughts on Tony and the CBE: Customer Service: As all of you know, Tony has been very open with the community from development to filling orders. He's there when you need him and you can really tell that he and his company take customer service very seriously. When I was ready to order I gave Tony a call thinking he'd take down my info and that's it. Instead, he took almost half an hour to discuss the various options with me and make a recommendation based on the wants and needs that he got out of me. I called asking for the 18" CBE and HFCs and he talked me down to the CBE alone. I listened, but a few weeks later I called and added the HFCs to the order... turns out I should have listened to Tony in the first place as the CBE was plenty enough! Bottom line... listen to Tony... he knows what you want better than you do!!! Quality: Product quality is top notch. Tony uses only high quality materials and his welds are fantastic. I have to say that the style of the tips would not have been my first choice but I still think they look very good. Install: There are plenty of pictures up of installs so I am not going to bother to post any (actually, I didn't bother to take any!), but I will say that it's very straight forward. If you can tell the difference between a ratchet and a wrench you can do this in your garage! I did it by lifting the car up at the rear, placing it on jacks, and removing the stock system. It's bolted on very tight so it took a breaker bar to get some of the bolts loose. It was a little difficult getting some leverage to get the X-pipe free of the stock cats but all in all it was not too difficult. Something like WD40 to cut into the stock bolts and make removal easier is probably a good idea. All of the FI pieces were in very good shape and very easy to install. They line up pretty easily although we did have some difficulty getting the driver's side tailpipe/tip to line up evenly with the passenger side. Wasn't too hard. Sound/Driving Impressions: Contrary to popular belief, I love this system. I quickly found that the 18" CBE is plenty loud enough for me. Volume is almost directly comparable to my 2003 Mustang GT which had a catless X-pipe and Magnaflow CBE, which uses straight-through mufflers similar to the FI CBE. It is definitely a lot louder inside the car than out given the lack of any sound deadening in our cars. The sound quality is just fantastic. When people ask me to describe the sound I tell them it's 4.6L 4-Valve Mustang Cobra mixed with a Ferrari 355. It really has an exotic but deep/throaty rumble in the lower RPMs like the pre-2005 Ford 4.6Ls and then screams up top ala F355. Don't get me wrong... it's not exactly one or the other, but if you can just imagine putting those two sounds together it's pretty damn close! Tunnels and the FI CBE are just a blast!!! I have to say that with some mileage on the system (about 3000 miles now) the sound seems to mature. It's slightly quieter now than it was before (this is either due to some of the initial packing burning off of the mufflers allowing them to absorb sound more efficiently or me just getting used to the sound). My only complaint is highway driving... it's a little but much for long trips. Moreso for my girlfriend than me. It's really not bad at all if you are on flat highway where the car isn't really under load, but if you have to drive through hilly areas or mountains and are in that 2-3k rpm band it gets very, very loud! But other than that the sound is just fantastic. I love it and don't regret getting the system at all. I only wish I had listened to Tony from the get go so I wouldn't have had to gone through the process of buying and immediately reselling the HFCs, but alas. Performance wise... there are gains for sure. This product is dyno proven and you can feel it when you press the loud pedal... better response all across the RPM band. Coupled with my Injen's the engine has gotten rid of a lot of that rough edginess it had at the very top end... it definitely feels like it breathes better. In all, I am very satisfied with the product and with Tony's service. I really love the sound of this car. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

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11-11-2009, 06:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
kannibul A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Jenks, OK Posts: 2,281 Drives: 370z Touring/Sport Rep Power: 266	Mine should be here Friday, and I plan on putting it on that night or Saturday, depending on how rough my Friday is (I'm upgrading our phone system tomorrow after work, and putting out the after-fires Friday)... Either way, it will be done! When you jacked up the back, where exactly did you jack the car up and where did you place your jack stands? How high were you able to get it? I'm thinking I might head out to the garage and start taking off my stock exhaust now (since I don't drive it daily) - lol!

11-11-2009, 07:07 PM	#3 (permalink)
Knives Enthusiast Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: New York Posts: 293 Drives: 2009 370z 6MT Rep Power: 15	Nice write-up. Did you follow the suggested break-in method of doing 3 hot and cold cycles? I should be installing mine (along with other things) this Saturday, won't be able to dyno though, which is a tad disappointing.