| Knives |
11-18-2009 02:48 PM |
Ok, so there have been a ton of reviews about the F.I. TDX catback already. And I wasn't going to do a review, but after driving it, I just had to comment.
Firstly, Tony's customer service is amazing. Very informative, helpful and no sales pressure whatsoever. I went with the 18" resonators, and the exhaust was shipped exactly in the timeframe Tony quoted. Packaging was immaculate, you can tell Tony and his team took the proper precautions.
Sound: (10/10) As others have said, there is a bit of drone around 2-3k cruising range, but it is to be expected and it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Someone else said this, but the Youtube videos do not do this exhaust justice. Upon acceleration the sound of this exhaust is out of this world, bar none the sexiest exhaust note of any car I've ever driven. I drove around for a solid hour just accelerating to keep hearing that deep/exotic tone the exhaust has, smiling the entire time. Another important aspect is the fact that it is not so loud that it hinders conversation with someone sitting in the passenger seat (I've had an exhaust on a prior car where you had to raise your voice to communicate). I foresee no problem tiring of this amazing exhaust note on my daily commute and certainly not under aggressive driving.
Performance: (10/10) Now, I couldn't dyno the car after the install, but you can certainly feel that the car is less restricted now. Throughout the entire rpm band the car feels more responsive and at round 4-5k, the car comes to life. Honestly, just comparing my car pre-T.I. catback to now, you really get a sense of how restrictive the stock exhaust really was. This car feels like it should now.
Looks/Fitment/Practicality: (10/10) The exhaust uses high quality steel and the welds are a thing of beauty, almost a shame they're hidden once installed. Installation was a breeze, no fitment issues and no adjustments needed to be made. As far as looks, the exhaust passes with flying colors, the tips are not too big (no hint of "rice" there) and they do not stick out far past the bumper (reference Stillen's exhaust). I also love the fact that the exhaust tips are angled in (like the stock tips), making it more flush with the bumper. I live in an area with a ton of bumps and dips, and I foresee no problem in scraping this exhaust at all, even if/when I end up lowering the car.
From customer service to the exhaust itself, I honestly could not be happier. I would have no problem recommending Tony's exhausts to anyone looking for a top quality product.
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