AAM vs Fast Intentions - Need Help With Comparison
 

From what I've been able to discern (please correct me where I am wrong or if I am missing something), here are the pros and cons of each kit:

Fast Intentions - Pros
* High quality kit
* Supports big power
* Excellent fit and finish
* Excellent reputation and proven reliability of kit

Fast Intentions - Cons
* Long lead times
* Poor dealer network (Jotech says they won't give them dealer pricing on a kit)

AAM - Pros
* High quality kit
* Supports big power
* Excellent fit and finish
* No modifications needed to install (Is this the same with the FI kit?)
* Maintains OEM easy access to change oil and filter (Is this the same with the FI kit?)
* Kits in stock
* Established dealer network

AAM - Cons
* New kit so reliability still needs to be proven

Is there anything else I'm missing?

From what I can put together, I can get the same or similar quality with the AAM kit without having to wait for the kit to be built and with a better dealer network. Is this correct or am I missing something?

Also, does the FI kit keep the OEM oil filter locations so that one can still easily change your own oil?

Thanks in advance!

Did you even get quoted a lead time from FI?

Your forgot the following Fast Intentions pros

Best customer service in this industry (IMO)
More real world testing
More independent dynos
No permanent modifications necessary.
Changing the oil is still not a issue

Cons
Cant think of any lol

Lead time is not so much of an issue. What is the average lead time? I thought it was 2 months from all the other threads. The biggest issue for me is dealer network. My local installer really doesn't want to use them because they won't get dealer pricing. The relationship I have with my installer is important because if anything goes wrong, I'm taking my car back to them and not to the maker of the kit.

How have others gotten around this? Do they just buy the kit directly from FI and take it to their installer? (This doesn't make for a happy installer though)

We choose to sell the Fast Intentions kit here, they are selective on their dealer network so they do not have overlapping dealers in the same regions. This lets them have a central point of contact with a shop that they trust. This allows them to have full faith in every kit they sell and have installed to stand behind the product.


As for the kit itself, after installing a few of the FI kits I can 100% say this is one of the most well engineered aftermarket automotive kits we have ever had our hands on. You can tell by how each item is laid out, and designed that the utmost care went into every detail. The filter is not in the stock location, but it is very easily accessible.


But a huge reason I love this kit is the support, Kevin and Tony over at FI are some of the best in the business. No question is to small, and every phone call is taken with a great attitude. This to me is worth more than money will ever be in this industry, dealing with a manufacturer that not only cares about their product, but both the end user and installer as much as FI does is a rare find these days. I can not say enough good about those guys.



Take that however you please, but I will recommend FI to anyone that ever asks.

Hmmm... Good points. Do you know who their dealer is in the Dallas, TX area?

From what I can discern both companies make a quality kit. In that case I would recommend doing more research on the turbos themselves. I believe AAM uses the EFR turbo which I have heard great things about. I think and correct me if I'm wrong but FI uses the greddy turbos.

Look into which turbo better suits ur needs and wants and go from there

The 8-12 week lead time is for their exhausts. I don't believe any TT lead times have been quoted anywhere on the forum.

Also, FI is very picky with who they work with because at the end of the day they are also putting their name on the line if something goes wrong. Your installer should still be happy they are getting the business even if you buy the kit from FI directly as that is as good amount of billable labor IMO

You cant go wrong with either, both amazing kits!

True. Do you know who their dealer is for the Dallas, TX area?

FI uses garrett turbos with tial housings in their stage one and the new "xonarotor" HTA-2828 / 3579 turbos on their stage 2-3 kits.

I do not off the top of my head, but shoot them a call and chat. I promise you will not regret that call.


If you are willing to ship the car, would be more than happy to chat with you. We have at least one car up here from TX right now actually.

I just going to start with I'm a FI fan boy...that is kind of funny because I'm and old Black guy! I digress...outside of TerribleONE I have the longest running and most miles on the FI kit and it seems to get better with time. I have had zero issues with their components. No oil or boost leaks. I know traveling to LA just to visit FI might not work for you but if can do it, you will buy the kit on the spot. As Tony proudly proclaims no details were to small to go unnoticed. Why visit because you can see the product first hand and get as much detail as you dare to digest from not only Tony but the man behind the engineering, Tony's partner Dan or the Wizard of Oz as I have nick named him. The kit is flawless and desinged to be part of the engine not just a bolt on. Every part works with engine to get the best performance possible.

Back to the shop itself...it freaking immaculate. Tony and staff keep the place as if it were a show room. They are ocd about cleanliness and keeping everything in order.

To pile on Daelen's points. FI has never been in the game to sale the most kits on the market, their goal is to sale the best kit on the market at a fair price and to choose dealer as was stated above.

I don't have anything negative to say about AAM as I have purchased several items from them in the past and their customers service was very good.....but Tony, Dan, Kevin and the list goes on are now part of my extended family and that's worth way more than their kit. So come join our family!

Lol..no this is not a paid advertisement...I got a T-shirt for my purchase! :p

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Well said. F.I. FTMFW

You should just call fast intentions and talk with them for a bit. They would be more than happy to speak with you.

Hey Bob. You're not old, just look that way. :icon17: You left me an opening, so I had to take it. :D

When I got my full exhaust from FI. I had a couple of phone calls to Tony. He answered every question. And I met Tony and the crew at ZDayZ. Nice group.

Lol, yes I did and it's a good my fair haired brother. Last year was a blast meeting you and hanging with the FI gang for the week. Looking forward to it again here in a few months.

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Ok, it seems clear that FI is the way to go. I guess my next step will be to speak with them directly and formulate a game plan. Thanks everyone for your input! I really appreciate it.

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I would be in line for a kit from FI, just got to many other money pits going on at the moment. This suxs for me.

We will be waiting when you are ready to jump in!

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You will not be disappointed!

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Since Fast Intentions came around its been my one stop shop to build the car like i have wanted. You can say i am also a fanboy. Their exhaust and twin turbo kit are top of the line products and their customer service have always been 2nd to none. Very proud to still be the only one to have their kit in P.R. Call them you won't regret it!

Simply because Jotech was not selected does not mean FI has poor dealer network. Tony's made it clear that he was going to be selective on who carries his product. Not a knock on Jotech. Just relaying a conscious business decision.

Since you are already in Texas, why not go for AAM? Jotech is close by and will provide the support you are looking for. That is unless you can find a shop that carries FI and can service your vehicle. I'm sure there is one in DFW.

Strange question on the OEM oil filter location btw.

FI has a huge following, so there will be more people voting for them. I vote for the AAM kit just looking at what parts are what and the ease of installation from my buddies.

AAM vs Fast Intentions - Need Help With Comparison
 

Edit - If Tony's cool with it than so am I.

Not entirely true - we just were one of the first to install the kit outside of AAM whom never encountered the issue which we were challenged with, thus we took it upon ourselves to find a solution on our own. We did report our findings/adjustments to AAM in the end, whether or not changes were implemented to subsequent kits I do not know. :icon17:

When I was purchasing my setup FI didn't have a kit for the G and wouldn't sell me one, on the other hand AAM allowed for my car being a test mule which worked out for me in the end.

I think the main difference between the kits are the turbos. The EFR turbos on the AAM kit are internally gated and also have recirculated bovs. This makes install slightly simpler, but makes maintenance of said parts more difficult. Also since the bovs don't vent to atmosphere the signature turbo purge sound is not there unless dual port valves are installed (this requires notching the passenger side motor bracket). Since FI uses external wastegates and vta bovs maintenance of those parts (if any) should be easier and of course the purge sound is there!

Another difference is the stock crash bar can be used with the AAM kit, but FI does offer a crashbar of their own (which looks quite sexy :yum:).

I think your best bet is to contact both manufacturers and compare all facets from design, price, install difficulty, maintenance, and customer service.

Jotech is a standup place and regardless of which kit you choose I'm sure the end result will be many smiles per hour! :tup:

Hey, if you're cool with it then great. I'm of a mind that the consumer shouldn't have to reengineer something that's sold as bolt-on. At the end of the day, you've got a monster of a car. I just think they should have brought some solutions to the table for you.

But you have to keep in mind at the time of my purchase the kit had never been fitted to my vehicle before. We were allowed to take the project on knowing there might be tweaks needed and agreed to report back our results. AAM did try to support us but, again, they never encountered the issue before. I appreciate the opportunity AAM gave us and the end result.

On the other hand, the situation we encountered is probably one of the underlying reasons why Tony wouldn't sell me an FI kit and I respect that decision. :tup:

Fair enough. You've got a hell of a car. I just didn't realize it was so different that you need a scavenge pump when a z does not. Not sure how, but fair enough. Statement retracted.

I think we can both agree we're lucky that a certain local shop can figure out the kinks in a build like that. That's why they're on my speed dial.

First, how is having an elite exclusive dealer network a bad thing? You have certified installers and dealers that know the product inside and out, vs the alternative, whoring and discounting "special offers" and discounts every chance you can with any pickup online store possible to advertise for them (not mentioning any names, but I think you can get the hint)

As for the systems themselves, they actually are both extremely different. Internal vs external optional waste gates, completely different turbos, sizing of the intercooler, etc

Honestly the ONLY pro to the AAM kit would be retaining the oem crash bar(to those who that's important to), but FI (as detail oriented as they are) made an after market tow hook bar from roll cage tubing, probably just as, if not stronger then you OEM crash bar.

Last but not least, take a CLOSE look at all the actual craftsmanship between the two kits from current customers review photos. You'll see a large difference between the quality of bends, welds, and attention to detail between the two.

FI cons? = zero, maybe that they don't give discounts for advertising purposes, because they have no reason to! The kit sells itself. No discounts, undercutting, marketing gimmicks needed. You get what you paid for, period.

It's going to be hard to get a real comparison here since a good comparison will come from people who have experience with both kits, which will probably only come from people in shops.

From what I have seen, both the FI kit and AAM kit are great kits. I personally own the AAM kit and from a hardware standpoint, the kit is awesome. I haven't installed it yet, so I don't have anything first hand to say about performance. The AAM kit comes out of the box good for over 700whp with the right fuel upgrades. I don't know if you have to buy a turbo upgrade to reach that power with the FI kit. I personally like the idea of the internally gated wastegates and "BOV" on the EFR turbos. It makes plumbing easy and I'm a "sleeper" fan.

Fast Intentions has a huge following here on the forums therefore you will get a lot of people saying they prefer Fast Intentions. They do have great products, so that's for good reason. However, AAM seems to be the red headed step child here. People will say the FI kit is better and not really know much about the AAM kit. I have had good experiences with AAM as a company and their products. The best 350z exhaust is the AAM single IMO, which is why I modified one to fit my 370z. What I'm saying is AAM offers some great products and it's easy to overlook when the forum favorite is FI.

Based off of my observations only (note not experience because I can't comment on both) I don't think it's really a matter of which kit is better per se, but more of which you prefer. Read up on FI and AAM builds and see what you personally like and dislike about both kits. If you want a BOV, FI will probably be a better buy for you. If you like sleeper and OEM fit, AAM is a good choice. I'm pretty sure if you talk with owners who actually own their respective kits, they will all tell you they love them. You may have to seek out the AAM owners as there aren't as many as FI owners, but if you're going to be making the plunge and are on the fence, doing your diligent research on each will benefit you.

Thank you for the thread. Great questions and I feel that you have narrowed it own to your two best choices for twin turbo options. I've read through both pages and the members have spoken. They have all given you great feedback.

I want to nip one thing in the bud right away. We do not have a "poor" dealer network. Daelen from MA Motorsports said it best. We logistically do not like our certified installers overlapping. It's out of respect for their business and territory. A lot of businesses still rely on their local markets. We have a great dealer network! It can always stand to grow and get bigger. Jotech did reach out. We spoke multiple times about selling to them. I never told them that I wouldn't sell to them. They chose not to purchase from us! Out of respect, I won't air as to why.

Currently our closest certified installer to you is in Austin, TX. JMS Racing is one of our first and these guys get it right! They know their stuff and cover a wide range of specialty. Not just Z's.

As for our lead times, everything is built here in house or state side. It takes time and we are very meticulous about what we do.

Please feel free to reach out to us directly. We can discuss options and and answer any questions that you have.

Thank you
-Tony

Like I said, you should just call fast intentions.

As stated before do your research as to what exactly you're looking for and your goals and then go from there. From personal experience one thing is for sure been part of this forum for years is that Fast Intentions has proven themselfs that customer service comes 1st and in my humble opinion they are the best.

Do you guys have any certified installers in the midwest yet (or plan to)?

+1 On Daelen's feedback. :iagree:

Though I have a different application than many of you, FI and MA Motorsports work very well together.


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Sean

Both of these are tied IMO. I think they both are stellar! They both put crazy power for a darn good price. I don't have anything bad to say. I would not hesitate to buy either kits personally. I just wanted to DIY thing so I went BP. Now that I have gone BP, I have learn a lot! If I had to do it again, I would buy the one that your local installer is more familiar with. I would still DIY it in my garage but knowing and having someone that if familiar with the kit can make you or break you. Both have great CS, but if you don't know what is what, how do you get it fixed when you can't tell them the problem? This is where a good shop comes in. They can look at it and Bam, "ohh it's this or that."

YzGyz

Lets wake this thread up!!

Question for anyone that has lowered vehicles... Which would be a better choice? or do both cans roughly end up around the same level?

Are you asking about the exhausts? This thread is debating the turbo kits.

My only complaint/issue with the F/I kit has been the oil returns. The turbos smoke from time to time as the returns back up. I just tell people that's how you know it's fast, now.

Are you sure? Why would we talk about turbos in the Forced Induction section? ;)