Hotrodz Fast Intentions Twin Turbo Review
Acknowledgement:
I want to first thank my friend, mechanic, and tuner Sebastian Chacoff as he has provided me with solid advice and service over the last year. I made the choice to have him tune my Nismo last year after reading about him and his business SpecialtyZ on the Forum and on Mike Bonanni’s blog. He and his crew will be the only shop to do any meaningful work on my Z.
Equally speaking I want to thank my new friend Tony for all he has done to provide me with the best of the best for me and my car. Some of you might want to know why there is so much hoopla around Tony and his products and customer service. Well the answer is easy; Tony is not just focused on selling a quality product but thrives on the shared experience that he has with every one of his customers. My (our) joy and satisfaction fuels his passion. What’s not to love about that???? Also I want to acknowledge Dan, the man behind the design of the turbo kit. He was very gracious in sharing his knowledge and experience in bringing this very special product to the market. It was a very cool experience watching Dan turn a wrench while work on Terrible’s Z. Let’s put it this way, I don’t think the wheels in Dan’s head ever quit turning on how to improve on an almost perfect design!
The Back Story:
My journey for more power began shortly after adding on a few bolt on parts and getting a tune. After reading everything I could hear on the forum and having talking and trading stories with my brothers who are motorsport junkies, well I started contemplating the merits of either a supercharger or twin turbo. I traded a few emails with Seb on GTM products as there were not many other products to choose from and I knew Seb was very familiar with GTM. Then it happened, Fast Intention announces that they would be offering a new twin turbo kit unlike no other on the market. I was excited to see what was going to transpire and what the pricing for this new kit would be. My budget for my build was $10,000 and I was in the middle of planning a 17 day trip to Europe with my wife and daughter. Let’s just say the trip was cramping my style LOL. I sent Tony and email fairly quickly after his announcement and he needed a significant down payment which I did not have at that time.
As we all know GTM came out with their kit shortly after and they promised a quality unit at a story book price. I waited for a while as I really wanted the FI Kit, but I did not want to miss out on such a great deal that GTM was offering. I finally committed to the GTM group buy when the number of those wanting to purchase the kit was at the third tier. In fact, I was number 51 which meant the price went to the third tier. I was very anxious about the release and when it might come out as my trip to Europe was in early May. I traded several emails with GTM and sent them a down payment right before I left on vacation. I wanted to be among the first to receive the kit. Not too long after returning home GTM announced that they were looking at the end of June early July release. I sent them more money.
Time passed by and I had paid them all but about $1,500 to my bill which included downpipes as well. I knew I wanted a 3” exhaust and the only one I wanted was the FI exhaust. It was the end of August and my financial situation had changed. I began talking to Tony about my exhaust and his twin turbo. I also called Seb and spoke with him after having spoken with Tony as Seb was responsible for tuning Terrible’s car and had a working knowledge of the kit. I was convinced that I really wanted this kit. Tony was not pushy, but really wanted me to consider switching over to the FI kit. He pointed out a couple very compelling points, I was having SpecialtyZ do the install and they are one of the few FI certified installers and FI need them to do an install to certify them and give them feedback from an independent perspective. He said if I would consider making the switch he would make sure I would have the first kit installed by someone other than FI. The only question was could I afford it and get a refund from GTM.
As you know I decided to make the switch. I called GTM and asked for a refund. They said cool send us an email and we will send you a refund. I did and I received a call from Sam asking me why I wanted a refund. I told him the truth that I had change my mind and was considering a change in direction. He was on to me and asked what my plans were? I told him and he ask me to give him a chance to make me a mind blowing offer. The offer included the MHI kit with upgraded Garrett turbos, 3” down pipes, 3” exhaust, GTM radiator and 34 row oil cooler at a very good discounted price. I turned it down!!! And after about two or three weeks of telephone calls, emails and Sam being out because of health concerns, I received a full refund. The rest as they say is history.
Bob’s Build List:
Fast Intentions Twin Turbo Stage I Kit
Fast Intentions 3” Down Pipes
Fast Intentions 3” TT-TDX Exhaust
Fast Intentions 34 Row Oil Cooler
Specialty Z SZ Max Street Clutch & Flywheel
Blitz SPC i-D Spec-R Boast Controller
Whiteline Differential Bushing
Eibach Sway Bars
I chose the component listed as I wanted the best free flowing turbo setup possible along with those driveline component to that will add to performance and reliability. On that note, I want to point out the not so obvious to some. There has been a lot of talk on the cost of FI TT kit. People have made comments such as “I don’t need to pay extra for a bunch of shinny parts and most of them you can’t see” and “I just want a kit which performs like OEM.” First off, the finish on the parts used in FI kit is a result of their attention to detail. It’s not all about autistics about the fit and finish of the parts. Many of the fittings were designed to eliminate flow and failure points as a one piece properly designed piece that will perform better and more reliable than a two part piece made for mass production. It is a commitment to quality control as all of the parts manufactured for production were completed by local vendor here in the good USA. This meant that there was face to face interaction between Dan, Tony and the vendor. I am confident that there were no compromises or short cuts made just to get the kit out on some predetermined deadline. I say this because I witness Tony in action when he received some parts from a vendor that were not to his standard. He sent them back even though this was the second time they had screwed up the order. He and his team spare no cost to bring forth a quality product.
Engine & Drive Train:
The overall appearance of the engine was perfect. The engine was clean and looked brand new. The setup looks totally like OEM in that there is very little that tips off that the engine has been modified. The sound is just like a sports car should be, distinct (head turning) and just loud enough to make you want to hear more. Because of the design of the manifolds and down pipes the turbos perform efficiently. There is no turbo lag and the spool up is incredibly fast. Sorry Terrible, but both Seb and Tony said they spool faster than your or Seb’s stage II GTM TT. It was pretty cool seeing them both light up when they gave me there impression. The car just wants to make boost!
The Fast Intentions Oil Cooler does what it is supposed to…keep the oil cool. The highest temperature that I have experienced is 224. It averages about 184. I reached 244 on a stretch of road that is high speed and twisty at the same time. My speed averaged between 65 and 100mp so I’m in third gear for all ten or so miles. Once I backed off and then leveled out to 80mp on the freeway it returned to 184 immediately. This was nice to see as my Z tends to run oil temps a little on the high side.
The SZ clutch and flywheel is a precision made product capable of holding the torque being made. The entire kit weighs about 31 pounds. I have not noticed any noise or chatter, but I have spent most of my driving time in a 4x4 truck so I’m accustom to noise. The clutch feels way better than OEM IMHO. It is more alive and responsive. I find it easy to change gears quickly when necessary to do so.
The upgrade in bushings and sway bars makes all the difference in keeping the car connected to the ground. There is absolutely no wheel hop and I have not experienced the car wanting to step out on me. It’s just a matter of waiting for the tires to hook up.
Drivability:
This is where this kit shines. I know I have not driven as many supercars or pony car as many of you on the forum, but I have been behind the wheel of enough to know that a Z with this kit will shine with the best of them. When I think of drivability my first of go to speed and acceleration. This kit brings great power and it comes on quickly. From full stop there is no way to overcome the fact that Z’s are slow off the line and is the sole reason there are no 10 second cars. First is to short and so is second for drag racing. There is so much power brought on so quickly you aren’t going to cover much ground in quickly in those two gears, but when it hooks up in third gear…hold on. The acceleration is incredibly quick and controllable. It will set you back in your seat. What I mean by controllable is that as long as the car is pointed in a straight line it does not step out on you or push you one way or the other as I have had seen or experienced with some built pony cars. You definitely need to make sure your braking is up to the job given the increase power. Driving home was fun as making passes was easy and quick. The biggest worry is, can the people who want to keep up stop as fast as I could. Also, the kit will make boost in all gears. Just as Terrible stated you don’t have to drop gears if you are cruising at 70mp and you need to get on it in 6th gear. I made 8psi in 6th gear on one run.
Throttle control is another important factor for weekend warriors and racers. Being able to moderate your speed heading into and mostly out turns is critical and because the power comes on smoothly this is not a problem. I have not found any issues modulating or feathering the pedal on sweeping turns or a series of s turns. It is simply mind blowing to be able to feather the power through a turn and then lay in down once you got it pointed down the next straight away. Cy, you are going to love your set up!
Having said all of this, the car is very compliant as a daily driver. I can easily drive it without boost. Not sure why…but it’s very doable. The funny thing is that even when I drive it without mashing the pedal to the floor, the responsiveness is better than it was before. The car just begs you to make it go. Seb told me the car will make boost just on a gradual uphill climb. It does, it’s not much, but it doesn’t like losing speed. I watch it make boost while being on cruise control!
Parting Shot:
In the last part of my 1st career I was trained and educated as quality manager and was a State quality examiner for AZ State Quality Award program. The program is based off the Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria. All I am saying is that I know good business practices and what it takes to make a quality business. Fast Intentions and SpecialtyZ are in a league that few can compete with because of their commitment to quality and customer service. They are committed to making the whole transaction to project completion one that their customer will not forget and that their product will exceed your expectation. This is what they have done for me and I am glad to tell you all about it. So a little advise from an old guy; you don’t want to spend money on your most expensive possession (for some people) and only want an OEM reliability or operation. I don’t! If it does not work any better than OEM why install it on my vehicle. So do yourself a favor and save up your money and buy this kit. You won’t be sorry. Please PM me if you have any questions you don’t wish to share and just like Terrible if I have the time and you are passing through or I’m in your town and you would like to go for a ride…let’s do it!
