blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Those came out really nice J, looks completely factory and like you mentioned, adds sport over glitz. Definitely a keeper!

InfiniteSmoke

About time you did the fogs, lol.

Now if you do black contrasted headlight(s) with a hint of white it will complement the entire front (grille - fogs) perfectly.

twin_snails

iTrader: (2)

I have a hunch that you may be down shifting a little bit more. It sounds quite nice when decelerating in 3rd gear, waiting until the rpms hit about 2,800 and then shift to 2nd. Total ear candy!


Looks good John! A nice and unique treatment that I don't recall seeing on anyone else's car.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I'd love to mod the headlights someday. Nothing too dark, just some gunmetal, and an amber swoop, the way 180Customs does it. No extra lighting, just paint. It's on the list, but unscheduled, so if it happens, that means it's at least two years out, if not more.

InfiniteSmoke

^Excellent. At-least it is on your list. That what counts. And yes that would be great esp with the amber swoop.

Best of luck!

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Maybe it's because I don't see all the other glossy black pieces to get a sense of how it's tied together, but the gloss black of the fog light trim seems to clash with the black on the honeycomb panel they mount too


It's subtle. It looks OE. It certainly doesn't look bad. But I agree with your IDK sentiment.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

That's correct. But to argue the point, it's only something you can observe in direct sunlight, like in that picture. In most perspectives, the honeycomb back-plate is in shadow, so it doesn't matter.

And I'm still feeling ambivalent the day-after.

Originally, the plan was to re-do the amber tint over the lenses. I didn't do that, and on both the tint is getting rough with nicks. The thing that held me back (aside from the PITA effort), was that I'm entertaining the idea of LED replacement lenses.

Lego_Maniac

iTrader: (3)

Just an FYI on the PITA effort, BlueBat sells pre-cut amber overlays for the fogs

RexHavoc

iTrader: (7)

Looks good to me John, hope the paint holds up okay. My wrap is starting to come off, I'm wondering if paint is the way to go.

Knightjs

iTrader: (1)

Not feeling the painted rings, personally. Makes the amber lenses appear even darker. With the chrome trim they sort of "pop".
Out of curiosity, do you still have your old maxima? I used to hang out on maxima.org and have followed your excursion here onto myg37. I passed my 03 TE maxima on to my wife with 172k on it. I now have an '11 g37 sport 6mt in vibrant red. Definitely awaiting your in depth review of the Fast Intentions.

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I understand what you're saying about the fog rings. It articulates why I think I like the chrome better, too. But like I said, it's going to stay as is, for at least this year, unless or until I replace the fog assemblies entirely. We'll see.

No, I sold the Maxima to a friend from the Org. He continued to mod the car (coilovers, and some visual mods) over the next two years, then about a year ago it got totaled (he's OK). So, no more Maxima. She'd dead.

That 2003 TE of yours is a rare car, particularly if you got it as a 6MT in Polished Titanium.

That's a very unique pair of Nissans in your garage. Love it.

STownSaint

Agreed, gloss looks fine, but matte black seems more congruent in that area, for the exact reason you mentioned.

As much as I shy away from PlastiDip, it seems to be the most viable option, as it seems it would be more resilient than paint, regarding its exposure to road debris, etc

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

Pics and thoughts on the topic coming up, but for now, here it is fired up for the very first time, and driven out of the shop.

Holy crap, I feel like a 40-year-old kid again!

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Looks great, but that little taste is just reeling us in, look forward to some slammin through the gears.
Nice work J!

Rochester

iTrader: (9)

I bought the catback through 1CleanG here on the forum. When going through Lance, you get a small discount over FI direct, and you get a single point of contact through PM on the forum. He’s very professional, but he’s not the manufacturer, so as middle-man there’s only so much info he can provide along the way. The upside is that he only takes $300 to place the order, and the balance when FI starts the actual build. For a lot of people, there’s value in that lay-away process.

FI claims 10 to 12 weeks from Order to Delivery. It took 14 weeks to get mine; extended because of a supply issue they were having with tips. Stuff happens, and I get that. In hind-sight, I was getting pretty anxious as the weeks slipped by. Pretty normal stuff, I suspect.



PLANS

Originally, the plan was to buy the ARK Grip exhaust. The noise that catback creates is so sexy because of the Helmholtz resonators at the cans. But it also has a history of so-so fitment, compromised clearance to the pavement, and truly hideous exhaust tips. I switched to FI because of their reputation here on the forum, and having seen a few FI exhausts over the last couple of years. Plus, my resonated cats are FI, and I’m very happy with them.



PACKING

All parts came in one large, 75 pound box. Everything was bubble-wrapped to death. No dents, no scratches, no problems. For transport, the parts fit in the trunk fine, with the X-pipe in the backseat.



INSTALLATION

The old exhaust dropped straight down in one piece. The new exhaust went up one section at a time. The install was effortless. However, my mechanic did not want to re-use two of the 2-bolt gaskets, and FI only gives you two. You need four. So I reached out to FI today for two more, and they’re shipping them to me this week. (And charging me. Oh well.)

The nuts & bolts that come with the kit are nickel-plated zinc. IDK why they aren’t stainless steel, but that’s what FI gives you. So I’m buying replacement nuts & bolts in SS, swapping them in when I get back to the shop next month.

There wasn't enough clearance beneath the mid-frame cross-member, probably because these are 2.5" pipes. So we put two SS washers underneath the contact points, to lift the bar 1/8" to 1/4". That did the trick.

The cans only have one hanger, whereas the OEM cans have two. That leaves one un-used hanger each on the car. He might weld a custom hanger to the back of each can in order to pivot the cans counter-clockwise a few ticks. Making that assessment in a few weeks, after things settle in and I go back for follow-up on the install.

Installation took maybe an hour, with another hour of just d1cking around. No real surprises.



SOUND

These are 2.5” pipes, with 18” resonators matched to FI’s resonated HFC’s. The sound is deep, and loud, but inside the car it’s really nice. At idle and at speed, you can *barely* tell the exhaust has changed. Of course, once you blip the throttle… then it’s obvious. However, there’s zero rasp. It’s a very modulated sound.

The only time there’s drone is when you gently throttle the higher gears. Like if you want to slowly accelerate while in sixth gear. It sounds much better to shift down to fifth in those situations.

The absolute best is from a standing start, under strong load and rowing through the gears around 4500. That sound is absolutely intoxicating. WOT to redline just seems noisy.



Da HISS

AroundTheG37 has been complaining a lot about this hissing noise he gets in his FI setup. And as much as I'd like to dismiss it, he did share a video with me once in proof, and it's a real thing on his car. I can't say yet for sure whether or not my car will suffer the same, but I didn't hear it today.

If it shows up, I think I need to get acclimated first. And even though, I'm predisposed not to care. If it doesn't show up, all the better.



POWER

Honestly, I can’t tell, but it’s only been Day One. Launch feels about the same, and holding the gears to redline feels about the same. However, there have been a few moments where I swear mid-range was more powerful than I’m used to. I can live with that. The cats were a power mod, no doubt. And maybe the catback all by itself would have been a noticeable power mod. But as the car is currently setup, feels about the same. Someday it will get tuned.



WRAP-UP

Sound is fantastic. Fitment was spot-on. Build quality is exceptional. Cans & tips are freaking gorgeous. Power add is meh, considering I already have high-flow cats, and my car isn't tuned.

For a top-shelf exhaust, FI is kind of cheap with the gaskets and bolts, which is odd... risking a negative consumer opinion on the little things. If anything, they should be including *extra* gaskets, as well as SS hardware. If that stuff matters to you, then be prepared to take care if it on your own, and keep the big picture in perspective. Because the big picture is awesome.

I’ll be going back to my mechanic next month, installing the replacement gaskets, nuts and bolts. (As well as those Vert Cradle Braces, and the custom rear coil spring bushings.) He may or may not be welding on another set of hangers.

I’m going to need some more seat time in the car. And I should play with the video camera more. Until then, here are some pics.