Thanks for all the info guys, seems like you can't really go wrong with Crawford or FI...

Anybody else with input, keep it comin

 

My vote goes for fast intentions. Though I don't have HFC, I do have a pair of their resonated test pipes... great quality pipes

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i used to have an electronic exhaust cutout welded into my stock midpipe.

 

Crawford here

 

I don't think they'll give you the same or more power gains as a catback exhaust... I'm assuming FI & Crawfords produce around the same performance gains, so I just want to get which ever one would make my stock exhaust tone louder than the other

 

Fast Intentions FTMFW!!!

 

+1 on the mounting issues. This is the main reason why I haven't picked up Cats yet. I am trying to find a set which are reasonably priced which use the stock mounting brackets. If FI modified their setup to use the tranny mounts, then I probablly would have bought those already. I have a FI exhaust waiting in the garage to go on before spring and I will probablly just install the cats and the exhaust at the same time.

 

I can personally vouch for what Tony is saying. I have the FI exhaust and HFC's and they work perfectly together. There are no issues at all due to no mounting brackets. The fellas at GTM also commented to me what a nice setup the FI exhaust and cats are. You will not be disappointed at all.

 

Why do you care so much about the mounting brackets?

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Because they keep NVH down and keep the torquing loads on the exhaust down. The purpose of the bracket is not to support the weight of the OEM cats. It's to limit movement.

 

I understand that. But how do you know the purpose of the bracket is actually put in good use with the OEM setup (or any other aftermarket setup)? There's always all those hypothetical ideas floating around. Some of them are true, and some of them aren't proven to serve much purpose.

Having the brackets on was a nice thing, since there was really nothing to lose even though they aren't proven to have a significant effect. But having them off shouldn't be an issue either.

These brackets are something I can live without. The quality, fitment, & craftmanship of the test pipes I installed are top notch (although im sure the brackets are not really there to address the issue of quality or fitment).

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Haha high flow cats, i wish i was doing that again To the O.P you shouldn't be worrying about anything, its only Cats man haha, simple and easy to install stuff and worth the mod. I'm using the Kinetix HFC and honestly like it, but if in my opinion, Fast Intention all the way!!! No questions ask, no point in researching more, get F.I! Get it and it will fit, dont trip

 

Can you tell us the advantage (other than price, if applicable) over Crawford?

 

would an engine torque damper like Stillen resolve?... If not, please expound...

 

As much as I appreciate your passion for the product you chose... I think it's bad advice to give... If someone told me "no questions asked"... and "no point in researching more" about ANY of my mods, I would ignore everything they had to say!

One of the most important things an enthusiast should do is research their @ss off!!!! Not only to determine specifics about the product they intend to buy, but to feel 100% confident that they made an "informed" decision.

This is true for any purchase - not just automotive. I researched bed manufacturers, TV, Computer, etc... I don’t base it on money; I base it on usage... If it's something I will use daily, or weekly, I want to know everything about it.

If it's my car... That's another story... I've done things that aren’t researchable... But at least others can research and learn from my issues, or triumphs