| elliotty |
05-18-2012 07:45 AM |
As some may know, I was the purchaser of #003 of the 3” F.I. TDX Exhaust. Below I have put together a “complete” review for everyone’s reading pleasure! Enjoy! :tiphat:
Purchasing Experience 9/10: I knew I was going to need a larger diameter exhaust with my TT kit, as my car had an Invidia Gemini exhaust prior to F.I., and it was way too much of a choking point coming from the 3” down pipes. Once I spoke to Ron and found out that Tony was going to offer a 3” version of the TDX, it was a no-brainer. I purchased my exhaust from Tony over the phone in early 2012. He walked me through my options (100 CEL Cats vs. No Cats), and I made the decision to ultimately go with cats to avoid being harassed by law enforcement, emissions, etc. Tony kept in touch throughout the build process, letting me know of any little event that could potentially delay delivery (Sorry Tony, I had to take one point away here for making me wait so anxiously!).
Quality/Appearance 10/10: I think this is no surprise here. Everyone on the forum who has purchased an F.I. exhaust, either directly from Tony, or used from another forum member, has seen the quality I am talking about. The welds are perfect, bends are flawless, and the muffler cans/tips shine like no other. Even the packaging was top-notch. It took me almost as long to unpack the exhaust as it did to install it. The gaskets and hardware Tony provided with the kit were also of the highest quality. I have no doubt the exhaust will outlast the car. The tips do get dirty pretty quickly, especially in the rain and combined with the richness of WOT. I have already gone out and picked up a can of the Eagle One Never Dull – it works wonders.
Ease of Installation 10/10: Tony engineered the exhaust off another GTM TT car he had access to locally. I expected fitment issues, just due to the fact that every car and every TT install is a little different. The installation went flawlessly. With myself and a helper, I was able to get the removal of the Invidia and install of the F.I. done in less than an hour (it did help that we had access to a lift!). Tony’s instructions are excellent, and the install is a snap. When I installed my Invidia exhaust, I had to add washers to the mounting bracket on the Driver’s Side of the muffler support, to adjust the tips to sit evenly. I had no such issue with the F.I. exhaust. Everything bolted up perfectly and sat evenly on the first try. I tightened down all the bolts, fired it up, and had zero leaks. I did experience a little vibration from the passenger side heat shield near where the exhaust bolted to the down pipe, but with a little persuasion of the heat shield, I got rid of the rattle.
Sound 9/10: The exhaust sounds amazing, period. It is a nice deep rumble that is not too loud, but lets you know that it is there (I have already set off a car alarm with a cold start!). Under acceleration, it sounds aggressive, but not raspy or high-pitched. The combination of the turbo spooling with the exhaust note is music to my ears. I did take one point away for the drone at highway speed. It is there, and can get annoying at very particular RPMs – but come on, it is a TT monster of a sports car; there is no reason to complain here.
Performance TBD: I can already feel the turbos spool quicker, you can tell the car can finally breathe easy. I am seeing about a 1psi increase in boost at WOT with my current boost controller settings (what used to be about 6psi is peaking at 7psi now). I plan to get the car to the dyno in the next couple weeks (work has been crazy and I haven’t yet had the chance) and will update my rating once I have a dyno chart to show. Unfortunately, I will not have a before/after F.I. dyno chart, but may try to dyno on open down pipes for comparison purposes.
Overall, I cannot be more satisfied with the exhaust. Thank you Tony and the rest of the F.I. team for putting such hard work and attention to detail into your products. If anyone has ANY questions at all related to ordering, installation, sound, etc. please do not hesitate to PM me. I will try to get some videos and dyno charts put up when I get around to getting them.
Thanks again F.I.! :tiphat:
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