Yet another FI CBE (12in res.) review!

nuTinmuch

So how a car sounds is a pretty big deal to me. Having a unique, characteristic tone is part of the whole experience in my opinion. When I'm around a C6 Vette the characteristic sound of the LS3 on that car is just wonderful. Same with a WRX or any boxer engine. It just roars in the most perfect way.

So needless to say, when I heard the stock Z I was a little iffy about it. While it doesn't sound bad, it doesn't really sound exciting either. It just sounds like a high-strung engine, not one you would expect in a sports car. However I knew no matter what car I bought I would most likely be lightly modding it, so I started looking around youtube/forums for sound clips of various exhausts. I happened on to a couple here and I was completely blown away. Pretty much all of the respective companies eat the stock exhaust note alive -- not to mention even the modest gainers were putting up some decent numbers.

The one system that caught my attention immediately though was Fast Intentions. I thought it was impressive how much respect the community had for Tony. In addition, the sound clips people had posted (and the huge gains compared to virtually all other manufacturers) sold me 100%. Once I was comfortable I placed my order around late February.

Well, a month and some change later and here we are -- I received my package Thursday:



I un-boxed everything and was immediately impressed by one thing -- the insane packaging. I don't have pictures of it as I was pretty much like a kid on Christmas ripping through it all, but still: It was packed like precious cargo.

The only problems I could find were two dings on the passenger side muffler section. One was on the tip and another was on the can. I don't have a picture of it, but they were both very small dings that are not visible when the exhaust is actually under the car, so it doesn't bother me.

Anyway, Saturday morning I went to install it over a buddies house. So tl;dr, here is my review:





Ease of Install: 10/10 -- Quite frankly, it was perfect. It only took 1 hour to remove the old exhaust and install the FI CBE. This was at a very relaxed, leisurely pace too. We weren't rushing or trying to be fast at all, we just took our time and everything went perfectly. We did not have to adjust anything and the overall fit of the exhaust was perfect.

Sound: 11/10 -- Yeah. No joke, the 12in resonators take this to 11. Sound clips on youtube do not do this thing justice at all. I'm honestly not sure if I will take any myself simply because it just does not give you the full picture. I mean, first of all -- it is loud. Not -too- loud, but loud. You are going to hear your car and it is going to be wonderful. The low RPMs growl and burble, the vicious machinery of the stock amplified by something of an organic rumble. It sounds characteristically VQ -- but meaner. When you pass the 5k mark it -screams-. I have nothing to compare the sound to at all, really. I spent the weekend at Redline Time Attack and heard quite a few cars at WOT -- and honestly, I think it sounds sort of like a GT-R which does make sense and will probably make more than a few people happy.

Oh, and drone. Keep in mind I have 12in resonators here: Yes, there is some. It does not appear until you are around 65-75 and on the throttle, but the thing here is that I've never had or experienced -any- exhaust that is above stock volume that does not produce a sound during these conditions. Your engine is going to be working and therefore it is going to produce a noise.

I drove for an hour to Redline and back during the weekend with a friend in the car and there wasn't a single complaint -- just a whole lot of "holy **** this is awesome." So yeah, is there a little drone? Sure. Is it going to give you a headache and make you sell the exhaust or even avoid these conditions? No.

One more note: It burbles -- only slightly -- but it burbles. If you're like me, this will make you drive around with no music and your windows down listening for it. It's like a symphony.

Performance: 10/10 -- As advertised. Of course, no dyno here but I certainly can feel a difference. The low end feels mean and a little more savage. It's awesome. My gas mileage is going to be terrible. Thanks, Tony!

Oh, also downshifting. Let's talk about it. You will be an addict once you feel and hear it. Trust me.

Overall Quality: 9/10 -- Why no 10 here? Well, two things. First would be the small dings in the exhaust. While they are minor and I understand these things do happen, it did stand out to me for a bit. The second thing is the lack of a rear gasket between the cats/y-pipe(s). It is suggested you reuse the stock ones I believe, but we decided to pick up some new ones to throw in there just to be safe. It would've been nice to have that as part of the package.

Finally, I'll end with a note here:

I was #100 and right now I think Tony has passed or is about to pass 140. Out of all those exhausts sold most "reviews" look just like mine. I think that says a lot about the quality of this product. You can say what you will but I honestly do not think any vendor on this forum has the communities respect like Tony -- which is why you can now consider me an official FI .

I'll try to get more pictures/videos (maybe!) and possibly a dyno up soon. Also I apologize if there are a few grammatical errors in here, it's been a long morning for me.

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nuTinmuch! -- Platinum Graphite 370Z -- Check out my Gallery thread here!