FastIntentions 2.5" True Duel Stainless Steel Exhaust for the G35 w/ Metallic Cats
#1
03-12-2007 | 10:27 PM
FastIntentions 2.5" True Duel Stainless Steel Exhaust for the G35 w/ Metallic Cats
REVIEW OF: FastIntentions 2.5" True Duel Stainless Steel Exhaust for the G35 w/ Metallic Cats
(pics are in subsequent posts to this one)
Ordering
The exhaust was ordered through e-mail with Tony at FastIntentions. There was a holiday sale going on but we negotiated a slightly better deal that I thought was a really fair price for what looked to be a top quality exhaust system. Tony actually honored a price from a prior sale because I wasn't ready to make a purchase at that earlier date. Off to a great start here. The bad news was that once your order goes in, it's in a pipeline for manufacturing and takes several weeks to complete. I think mine was about 5 weeks but I was told the estimated date for completion ahead of time and FastIntentions delivered the week I was promised I would receive it.
Shipping and Packaging and Material Quality
Two large boxes were delivered (I think by UPS) and they were reasonably heavy. I had to carry them from my neighbor's house to mine and it was good exercise let me tell you. One of the cartons was damaged in one corner so I was a bit worried, but the contents were very nicely packaged in multiple layers of bubble wrap. Bottom line: everything arrived nicely packed with no damage and no missing pieces. The extra touch? I had asked for 2 extra bungs for the metallic cats for when I go to forced induction (for additional oxygen sensors). I found that the bungs were not only in place and nicely capped off, but also had antiseize already placed on the threads - really nice! Everything was taken care of before shipping. The parts themselves looked to be really high quality with no spurs or irregularities. Nicely finished with nice solid appearing welds. No imperfections to be found...
Installation
Taking out the stock cats is not really hard once you know how to approach it. I actually was worried about it and bought an impact wrench/drill with 400 ft-lb of torque (the highest I could find that was electric). It was useless - returned it the next day. If you have a 15 inch breaker bar it is really easy to get everything loose. Access two of the three cat bolts on each side from the engine compartment. You will need approximately 24 inches of extension for your breaker bar to reach easily. To get to the driver's side cat you need to remove the air intake tube, which is very easy. You can access the passenger side directly from the engine compartment. Just shine a light down there and it all becomes intuitive. Once loosened, the car needs to be raised (I used 4 jack stands for support but started with ramps to get the car high enough so that I could get my jack under the front jack point). Then I jacked up the rear differential and put jack stands in the rear. Because I am paranoid I keep 2 extra jackstands in place (at the rear diff and at the front jack point, just in case). You're going to be spending some time under the car so might as well feel safe down there. Also lift the car as high as you can. If you have to squeeze under, it is tiring to work under the car. With the car high and rolling around on a creeper, it makes it fun and easy to get the work done. The instructions provided by FastIntentions is excellent. It took me the entire day to take off all the stock parts (see pic 1). When you put the oxygen sensors back in you will want to use antiseize compound. I don't recall if that was mentioned in the instructions. The only other thing was that I forgot to lift the passenger side muffler PRIOR to tightening everything down, which meant that the piping was resting on the sway bar when I finished up. NOT GOOD. I ended up taking paint off the sway bar and having a nasty metallic clanking till I fixed that. Aargh. A quick call to Tony confirmed that you are supposed to have someone hold that part up while you tighten the x-pipe down. Well, I wasn't going to get my wife under the car, so I used a spare jack stand with some padding and propped up that part of the exhaust while I was tightening everything down (the 2nd time around). Take a look at the pic for the distance I was able to get between the sway bar and the pipe - actually not bad given the tight clearance in that area (i put some silicone RTV goo on the sway bar at that point as an indicator to tell if it rubbed off or onto the pipe while driving). Last point: the G is longer than the Z and the S pipes are extended using clamps, which Tony admits is the weakest link in the chain. I thought the clamps were tightened down, but they were not. So I had a small exhaust leak from there, which I only noticed because of black soot that became apparent when I took a look a few days later. I tightened those clamps to 45 ft-lbs and the problem was solved. The other issue about the instructions was that torque specs were NOT provided. I broke a few bolts tightening to 40 ft-lbs and even one at 35 ft-lbs. This only happened the 2nd time around when I loosened everything up and then readjusted and retighted all the bolts. Perhaps this weakened them??? Anyway, I would recommend no more than 32 ft-lbs or at least have some spare bolts around (very easy to match at Lowes).
The Sound
The sounds is a deep, meaty growl on start up. It sounded like a throaty V8 engine when I first heard it. For those of you who think this is just slightly louder than stock: you all are insane. I don't know how loud you like it, but this thing is pretty darn loud. Everyone I know who has driven behind me when I floored it also thinks it's loud. It sounds nice mind you, but it's not quiet. It starts out deep and then picks up some high frequency harmonics above 3k rpm that give it quite a unique sound - really an amplication of the VQ engine I suppose. It is really impressive from the outside. Sound clips do not do it justice. Couple of issues here though: below 40 degrees F the sound becomes louder and deeper, which results in a drone below 2k rpm when the accelerator is pressed. It's like a subwoofer in your head. I mean it's the same sound that sounds good on the outside of the car, but in the cabin when it's cold, it is somehow amplified and resonating (resonating you ear drums). I installed this thing in January and I was thinking to myself - what have I done with my civilized sports coupe! Fortunately after the first 100 miles or so, that "resonance" mellows. Also now when temps rose above 50 degrees, the "drone" or resonating low frequency sound is gone and just replaced with an even low frequency tone that does not drone. It is still LOUD (IMHO). You will know how much load you are placing on the engine because you can HEAR it. Just depress the accelerator pedal a tad and HMMMM - your VQ engine talks back to you! It is really an exciting sound that has added a level of excitement to driving this car. When I pass my buddies, they hear that exhaust note, see the shiny exhaust tips and mufflers, and see my G fly by and a single thought comes to mind: "tight!".
The Performance
Well if anyone has caught my thread over at my350z.com, I am now running severely lean after adding this exhaust set up (had the MD 3/8" spacer before). I am hitting 16 AFR in the midrange during a WOT run. I was doing better but then decided to do an ECU reset and my AFR and performance went to crap. About 4 months after getting my 2004.5 5AT coupe (in Sep 2004), I picked up a GTECH-RR (courtesy of this site and EverythingG35.com - thanks guys!). I have tracked performance mods using this device, which is VERY consistent. I have a few stretches of country highways here in NC where i can open her up now and again when no one else is around. My 0-60 was consistently 6.3 - 6.6 when I first got my G and my 1/4 mile was in the mid to upper 14 sec range. With the spacer, I was able to get down to low 6s and occasionally break into 5.9. I did a few 1/4 mile runs, which were mid 14s. The next best performance boost came when putting in Royal Purple into the rear differential. It dropped my 0-60 time by about .3. I was now running about a 5.6 consistently and getting to 14-14.1 in the 1/4 mile with an occasional high 13. I took out the G after the FI exhaust and cat setup and could not get traction in 1st gear with VDC off on my 255R18 Michelin PS2 summer tires as it was about 35 degrees outside. I was hitting 0-60 times from 5.2 - 5.3 secs though. An amazing boost. I hit a 1/4 mile time of 13.5-13.6. Quite happy with the performance, but for me it was about preparing for forced induction, while enjoying "no loss" in the interim. To that end, this system certainly delivers and more.
Conclusion
The sounds clips on the fast intentions website really are accurate (but listen to the clips with a good sound system that has a nice SUB!). The exhaust will add a new element of exhiliration to the driving experience. The customer service is OUTSTANDING. Tony is a pleasure to speak with and he picks up the phone immediately. No middle man - no run around. You'll be talking to the expert if you have any questions. This is a very high quality exhaust system that sounds terrific and is backed up by great customer service. I still want my cabin to be SILENT so I'll be doing some more sound proofing, but I think most of you would be loving the sound that filters in. It certainly gets your heart pounding when you take it above 4k rpms...
(pics are in subsequent posts to this one)
Ordering
The exhaust was ordered through e-mail with Tony at FastIntentions. There was a holiday sale going on but we negotiated a slightly better deal that I thought was a really fair price for what looked to be a top quality exhaust system. Tony actually honored a price from a prior sale because I wasn't ready to make a purchase at that earlier date. Off to a great start here. The bad news was that once your order goes in, it's in a pipeline for manufacturing and takes several weeks to complete. I think mine was about 5 weeks but I was told the estimated date for completion ahead of time and FastIntentions delivered the week I was promised I would receive it.
Shipping and Packaging and Material Quality
Two large boxes were delivered (I think by UPS) and they were reasonably heavy. I had to carry them from my neighbor's house to mine and it was good exercise let me tell you. One of the cartons was damaged in one corner so I was a bit worried, but the contents were very nicely packaged in multiple layers of bubble wrap. Bottom line: everything arrived nicely packed with no damage and no missing pieces. The extra touch? I had asked for 2 extra bungs for the metallic cats for when I go to forced induction (for additional oxygen sensors). I found that the bungs were not only in place and nicely capped off, but also had antiseize already placed on the threads - really nice! Everything was taken care of before shipping. The parts themselves looked to be really high quality with no spurs or irregularities. Nicely finished with nice solid appearing welds. No imperfections to be found...
Installation
Taking out the stock cats is not really hard once you know how to approach it. I actually was worried about it and bought an impact wrench/drill with 400 ft-lb of torque (the highest I could find that was electric). It was useless - returned it the next day. If you have a 15 inch breaker bar it is really easy to get everything loose. Access two of the three cat bolts on each side from the engine compartment. You will need approximately 24 inches of extension for your breaker bar to reach easily. To get to the driver's side cat you need to remove the air intake tube, which is very easy. You can access the passenger side directly from the engine compartment. Just shine a light down there and it all becomes intuitive. Once loosened, the car needs to be raised (I used 4 jack stands for support but started with ramps to get the car high enough so that I could get my jack under the front jack point). Then I jacked up the rear differential and put jack stands in the rear. Because I am paranoid I keep 2 extra jackstands in place (at the rear diff and at the front jack point, just in case). You're going to be spending some time under the car so might as well feel safe down there. Also lift the car as high as you can. If you have to squeeze under, it is tiring to work under the car. With the car high and rolling around on a creeper, it makes it fun and easy to get the work done. The instructions provided by FastIntentions is excellent. It took me the entire day to take off all the stock parts (see pic 1). When you put the oxygen sensors back in you will want to use antiseize compound. I don't recall if that was mentioned in the instructions. The only other thing was that I forgot to lift the passenger side muffler PRIOR to tightening everything down, which meant that the piping was resting on the sway bar when I finished up. NOT GOOD. I ended up taking paint off the sway bar and having a nasty metallic clanking till I fixed that. Aargh. A quick call to Tony confirmed that you are supposed to have someone hold that part up while you tighten the x-pipe down. Well, I wasn't going to get my wife under the car, so I used a spare jack stand with some padding and propped up that part of the exhaust while I was tightening everything down (the 2nd time around). Take a look at the pic for the distance I was able to get between the sway bar and the pipe - actually not bad given the tight clearance in that area (i put some silicone RTV goo on the sway bar at that point as an indicator to tell if it rubbed off or onto the pipe while driving). Last point: the G is longer than the Z and the S pipes are extended using clamps, which Tony admits is the weakest link in the chain. I thought the clamps were tightened down, but they were not. So I had a small exhaust leak from there, which I only noticed because of black soot that became apparent when I took a look a few days later. I tightened those clamps to 45 ft-lbs and the problem was solved. The other issue about the instructions was that torque specs were NOT provided. I broke a few bolts tightening to 40 ft-lbs and even one at 35 ft-lbs. This only happened the 2nd time around when I loosened everything up and then readjusted and retighted all the bolts. Perhaps this weakened them??? Anyway, I would recommend no more than 32 ft-lbs or at least have some spare bolts around (very easy to match at Lowes).
The Sound
The sounds is a deep, meaty growl on start up. It sounded like a throaty V8 engine when I first heard it. For those of you who think this is just slightly louder than stock: you all are insane. I don't know how loud you like it, but this thing is pretty darn loud. Everyone I know who has driven behind me when I floored it also thinks it's loud. It sounds nice mind you, but it's not quiet. It starts out deep and then picks up some high frequency harmonics above 3k rpm that give it quite a unique sound - really an amplication of the VQ engine I suppose. It is really impressive from the outside. Sound clips do not do it justice. Couple of issues here though: below 40 degrees F the sound becomes louder and deeper, which results in a drone below 2k rpm when the accelerator is pressed. It's like a subwoofer in your head. I mean it's the same sound that sounds good on the outside of the car, but in the cabin when it's cold, it is somehow amplified and resonating (resonating you ear drums). I installed this thing in January and I was thinking to myself - what have I done with my civilized sports coupe! Fortunately after the first 100 miles or so, that "resonance" mellows. Also now when temps rose above 50 degrees, the "drone" or resonating low frequency sound is gone and just replaced with an even low frequency tone that does not drone. It is still LOUD (IMHO). You will know how much load you are placing on the engine because you can HEAR it. Just depress the accelerator pedal a tad and HMMMM - your VQ engine talks back to you! It is really an exciting sound that has added a level of excitement to driving this car. When I pass my buddies, they hear that exhaust note, see the shiny exhaust tips and mufflers, and see my G fly by and a single thought comes to mind: "tight!".
The Performance
Well if anyone has caught my thread over at my350z.com, I am now running severely lean after adding this exhaust set up (had the MD 3/8" spacer before). I am hitting 16 AFR in the midrange during a WOT run. I was doing better but then decided to do an ECU reset and my AFR and performance went to crap. About 4 months after getting my 2004.5 5AT coupe (in Sep 2004), I picked up a GTECH-RR (courtesy of this site and EverythingG35.com - thanks guys!). I have tracked performance mods using this device, which is VERY consistent. I have a few stretches of country highways here in NC where i can open her up now and again when no one else is around. My 0-60 was consistently 6.3 - 6.6 when I first got my G and my 1/4 mile was in the mid to upper 14 sec range. With the spacer, I was able to get down to low 6s and occasionally break into 5.9. I did a few 1/4 mile runs, which were mid 14s. The next best performance boost came when putting in Royal Purple into the rear differential. It dropped my 0-60 time by about .3. I was now running about a 5.6 consistently and getting to 14-14.1 in the 1/4 mile with an occasional high 13. I took out the G after the FI exhaust and cat setup and could not get traction in 1st gear with VDC off on my 255R18 Michelin PS2 summer tires as it was about 35 degrees outside. I was hitting 0-60 times from 5.2 - 5.3 secs though. An amazing boost. I hit a 1/4 mile time of 13.5-13.6. Quite happy with the performance, but for me it was about preparing for forced induction, while enjoying "no loss" in the interim. To that end, this system certainly delivers and more.
Conclusion
The sounds clips on the fast intentions website really are accurate (but listen to the clips with a good sound system that has a nice SUB!). The exhaust will add a new element of exhiliration to the driving experience. The customer service is OUTSTANDING. Tony is a pleasure to speak with and he picks up the phone immediately. No middle man - no run around. You'll be talking to the expert if you have any questions. This is a very high quality exhaust system that sounds terrific and is backed up by great customer service. I still want my cabin to be SILENT so I'll be doing some more sound proofing, but I think most of you would be loving the sound that filters in. It certainly gets your heart pounding when you take it above 4k rpms...
#4
03-12-2007 | 10:42 PM
This is the undercarriage with no exhaust. I had taped up the o2 sensors as they are fragile and 1 fell down!!! Thank goodness I had the car high enough that it did not strike the concrete!
By the way that one jack stand is there as a back up - the car is actually held up at the correct jack points behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels.
By the way that one jack stand is there as a back up - the car is actually held up at the correct jack points behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels.
#5
03-12-2007 | 10:46 PM
Here is the installed exhaust showing the sway bar clearance. Looks like a ton of clearance on the passenger side, doesn't it. Now look at the second pic once the car is off jack stands. The sway bar moves up and the gap is less (2nd pic). Before I adjusted, the two were in contact at this point. Now there is a solid clearance. I put the blue silicone RTV goo so that I could test to see if they actually touched during driving (which they do not).
#7
03-12-2007 | 11:51 PM
what a great review.....i have the same drone on my FI exhaust too
with the 300 cell HFC, it's sooooo loud =) btw, how are you measuring your performance like that? How can you tell u're running lean and measure your 1/4 mile or your 0-60 so accurately. I'm more interested in how u're monitoring your AFR. Did you dyno or u're using electronics cuz I can't seem to find that GTECH-RR on everythingg35.com
with the 300 cell HFC, it's sooooo loud =) btw, how are you measuring your performance like that? How can you tell u're running lean and measure your 1/4 mile or your 0-60 so accurately. I'm more interested in how u're monitoring your AFR. Did you dyno or u're using electronics cuz I can't seem to find that GTECH-RR on everythingg35.com
Trending Topics
#8
03-13-2007 | 12:05 AM
Do you have a 5AT? The problem is that the torque converter is spinning (non-locked) below 2600 rpms, so the rpms will hold steady there for awhile. Thus the drone issue is more apparent than for the 6mt. If you put the car into MM mode, you can keep the revs above 2800 or so and avoid the "trouble zone". I already had dynamatted some of the trunk and doors so it's really not too bad in the cabin at all. I am going to finish the job by sound proofing the floor and adding a layer of closed-cell foam. I've got a nice audio set up so I want to be able to appreciate it.
The good news is that cruising at highway rpms, the system is very quiet and that's where I spend most of my time so not much of an issue for me.
I use CIPHER (from uprev.com) to monitor the stock ECU. It is really a fantastic tool. See my post in the tuning section in my350z for an idea of the kind of stuff you can log.
The GTECH I won (free)! It was a promotion from EverythingG35.com for premier members on this site. Premier membership is well worth it for all the savings you can potentially get from vendors. Highly recommend it as it doesn't seem to ever expire!!!
The good news is that cruising at highway rpms, the system is very quiet and that's where I spend most of my time so not much of an issue for me.
I use CIPHER (from uprev.com) to monitor the stock ECU. It is really a fantastic tool. See my post in the tuning section in my350z for an idea of the kind of stuff you can log.
The GTECH I won (free)! It was a promotion from EverythingG35.com for premier members on this site. Premier membership is well worth it for all the savings you can potentially get from vendors. Highly recommend it as it doesn't seem to ever expire!!!
#10
03-13-2007 | 01:01 AM
i actually have 6MT and i noticed that around 2k-2.5k, i'll get the "hum" in my cabin. i think i need to sound proof my cabin also. RC, is there a good site for me to learn how to dampen my car as i have an audio system also
also, i have a 2003.5 and i don't think there O2 sensors for me to track AFR right? they only started including wideband on 2004+ i believe so that means i can't fully utilize the cipher tool then?
also, i have a 2003.5 and i don't think there O2 sensors for me to track AFR right? they only started including wideband on 2004+ i believe so that means i can't fully utilize the cipher tool then?
#11
03-13-2007 | 01:07 AM
You are correct on the O2 sensors actually being narrow band up till 04.5 cars. Did you get extra bungs on your HFCs? You can add a wideband there if you want to read your AFR. On the other hand, I don't know the resolution of the narrow band O2 sensors (and CIPHER does allow you to read those also). I would shoot uprev a note and ask them about that.
There is a great DIY guide posted by "shooter" on this site called I believe "sound proofing the G". You can reduce road, engine, exhaust noise remarkably. Also you can get dampening materials for much less money nowadays. Check out www.bquiet.com. Get a 50 ft roll. Pick up some foam if you want to go all out (they block different frequencies) and use the insulation and spray stuff like shooter did and you will have one quiet G!
Of course, you could also add a pair of turbos to quiet those hfcs down a bit!
There is a great DIY guide posted by "shooter" on this site called I believe "sound proofing the G". You can reduce road, engine, exhaust noise remarkably. Also you can get dampening materials for much less money nowadays. Check out www.bquiet.com. Get a 50 ft roll. Pick up some foam if you want to go all out (they block different frequencies) and use the insulation and spray stuff like shooter did and you will have one quiet G!
Of course, you could also add a pair of turbos to quiet those hfcs down a bit!
Last edited by rcdash; 03-13-2007 at 01:12 AM.
#12
03-13-2007 | 01:10 AM
Originally Posted by Bigguy2000
When viewed from the rear my left side muffler (resonator) is slightly lower. It appears yours may be also.
The tips are perfect though and I'm not bitching ..... just wondring.
LOVE THE FI !
The tips are perfect though and I'm not bitching ..... just wondring.
LOVE THE FI !
#14
03-13-2007 | 01:25 AM
If you are going to have cats with turbos, then metallic hfcs are the ones to get. Warranty? With FI? Those two don't go in the same sentence together 
An exhaust shop can drill in a bung for you. I knew I would be needing it, so Tony did it for $20. Well worth it. I just need to unscrew the caps and plug the sensors in.
An exhaust shop can drill in a bung for you. I knew I would be needing it, so Tony did it for $20. Well worth it. I just need to unscrew the caps and plug the sensors in.