Been holding off on my review because I wanted to post some vids of the insane power but drag day is a week away and track day two and a half. So I decided to do a review with some pics followed by the vids in a few weeks.
Where to start? Maybe with a simple summary, “wow”.
And I don’t mean wow just because of the raw power. Lots of superchargers and turbo kits have power. But what I find astonishing is how effortlessly the Fast Intentions twins bring on that power and how clear it is to me that if Tony and Dan built a system for themselves this would be it; it is not just a bunch of parts. It is a commitment to quality and performance fueled by their honest and true passion.
Presales:
When I first contacted Fast Intentions I was expecting a series of email exchanges. I’m not a turbo expert so was ok with that. I had lots of questions and didn’t want to waste their time educating me. Tony would have none of that. He told me that he would rather talk about what I wanted to accomplish than communicate via email.
I’m glad he did. Before I sent my deposit we probably spent three hours on the phone over the course of two weeks with a few email clarifications along the way. Tony’s main concern was understanding what I wanted to do with my car short term and long term. Was it a daily? Drag? Track? Was I going to build the motor and push in to the 700 and 800 hp range? How did I like it stock (to make sure they didn’t make things I don’t like worse).
I had done some research and thought I knew what ‘parts’ to put together but after talking to him it was clear that I didn’t know a thing. He suggested downsizing several items and eliminating others all together; all along the way educating me.
What I Ordered:
- Twins w/Garrett GR28RSR turbos
- Bosch 650cc injectors
- Upgraded fuel system (ended up being the FAST-500)
- Test pipes with 2.5” non-res catback (100 cell inserts)
- Specialty Z 6 puck and flywheel combo
- Setrab 32 row oil cooler
- Tilton CSC
- HKS Racing M Series spark plugs
- Whiteline rear diff bushings
- Uprev w/three tunes (5 maps)
- Full installation done by F.I. including the eBoost2 boost controller
Why am I including the non-turbo items? Because Fast Intentions understands that turbos don’t exist in a vacume. Our cars do not come stock with forced induction. Some parts are not meant to be pushed to 600 hp. Of course they will sell you a ‘kit’ but at least look at what else they make available because it is made available because you –will- need it.
I placed my order will full confidence that the car would be returned to me and perform –reliably-.
Build Impressions:
It is my belief that people tend to have a very narrow focus of view when making comments like ‘the build quality is excellent’. They seem to look at weld quality and make broad stroke statements based on them. I am not a build quality expert but it is hard to imagine how what I received could have been of any better quality; even down to the seals being o-rings instead of gaskets. Just amazing.
Some people have commented that the Fast Intentions setup is not self-installation friendly. I’m not going to disagree. But the reason it is not friendly for most of us is that it is designed with efficiency and performance in mind over many other things. “Oil filter is in the way and routing around it will decrease efficiency…so move it.” And oh by the way, “Lets use stainless braided lines and milled parts for the relocation.”
Ok, removing my washer fluid reservoir was a surprise! I had a good laugh at that. But really…washer fluid or perfect placement of the intakes? There is still room in the area so I’ve decided to have a custom aluminum reservoir made. But you can just as easily get a small plastic one too. In the end I appreciated that Tony and Dan have their priorities straight!
It’s interesting because ‘efficiency’ turned out to be amazingly stealth. At shows I get a lot of people coming by to check out the engine bay. They are almost universally shocked to see what looks like a stock bay with polished intakes. I’ve had a number of people pull back and bend down to look at the intercooler because they thought my car wasn’t ‘that’ car.
Insanity:
I thought that I was crazy when I swore the turbos began to spool at 2500-2800 rpms with full boost around 4500 but someone else posted their thoughts just a week ago and said the same thing so I’m going to call it confirmed. These things spool fast, come on hard, and don’t ease up all the way to redline. And against Tony’s advice…they’ve seen it in several gears.
I think the way the power comes on is the biggest surprise. I’ve driven several boosted cars before and most of the time you have to use the throttle to keep boost out of turns. That and there is that ‘turbo surprise’ at some ‘magical’ rpm. Not here. In fact the power comes on so quick that I really have to be careful when coming out of turns. It’s like driving a new car and I love every minute.
Bottom line is that if there was one thing missing from the Fast Intentions setup it is new tires. They need to be wide and sticky. It isn’t hard to spin the OEMs in third.
Bottom Line:
The wait is worth it and the value is excellent. There really isn’t any better way I can close the review.
--Arrvaxx
-
Arrvaxx’s turbo ‘break in’ procedure. Or, “How I beat the hell out of Tony and Dan’s creation and survived. Or, "How I gave Tony and Dan a head full of gray hair!"