If you’re interested in upgrading muscle cars, you may have heard people talking about the FAST intake manifold and question whether it’s worth the money.
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As many car crafters know, swapping out the factory-provided intake manifold with a new, better-designed one can improve vehicle performance, horsepower, and torque.
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However, there are many different options on the market for those looking to swap out their stock intakes and it can be difficult to know which product is the best.
The FAST intake is considered a classic in many circles, and many builders consider it the gold standard for aftermarket composite intakes.
In this article, we’ll be going over what exactly a FAST intake is, how it compares to other popular options, and if it’s ultimately worth its hefty price tag.
Keep reading if you want to find out if the FAST intake is worth the money!
What is a FAST Intake Manifold?
To start out, let’s go over what exactly a FAST intake manifold is.
Intake manifolds are an essential part of a car’s engine, and many car enthusiasts recommend swapping out the factory-provided intake manifold for a FAST intake manifold to see improvements in performance, horsepower, and torque.
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Based on the name, you might think that a FAST intake manifold is one that operates with more speed, but it’s just an acronym for the company that makes them!
That’s right, FAST intake manifolds are intake manifolds manufactured by a company called Fuel Air Spark Technology.
All FAST LSX manifolds boast an impressive list of features, including:
- a state of the art modular design that allows for quick disassembly
- proprietary precision injected molded polymer for lighter weight and heat resistance
- streamlined runner design for maximum horsepower gain
- improvements in throttle body sealing flange, O-ring, and mounting
Overall, most will agree that installing a FAST intake manifold in your muscle car will lead to improved specs.
However, with prices for intake manifolds on the Fuel Air Spark Technology website ranging from $973.95 to a hefty $1,065.95, many buyers will be wondering: even with all these great features, is the FAST intake worth the money?
In Which Muscle Cars Can You Install a FAST Intake Manifold?
When considering whether or not to install a FAST Intake Manifold in your vehicle, it’s important to make sure you’re looking at the right product— like cheap Corvettes.
FAST makes a variety of high-performance intake manifolds, so it’s crucial to choose the right intake to install in your muscle car.
Whether or not you choose to install a FAST brand Intake Manifold or not, make sure to do your research and look at the full list of FAST manifolds to insure you’ve selected the right one.
With the FAST LSX Manifolds, every unit has a modular design, so the whole thing comes apart easily and individual runners can be removed for custom porting.
To determine which piece of equipment you need for your vehicle, establish whether your car has cathedral-style ports, rectangular-style ports, or raised rectangular ports.
This detail will be crucial in determining which FAST intake manifold to purchase.
Because of the wide range of ports that can be accommodated by the FAST intake manifold, many different muscle cars can have one installed.
The FAST website provides a list of the types of engines their different models of intake manifolds can be attached to:
- GM LS1, LS2, and LS6
- GM LS3, L99, and L76
- GM LS7
If your muscle car has one of these types of engines, you would be able to install a FAST intake manifold if you selected the right model for your vehicle.
Is it Better than Other Intake Manifolds?
Now that we’ve gone over what a FAST intake manifold is and which types of muscle cars can have them installed, let’s compare it to some other options to determine if it’s truly worth the money.
For most car crafters, the stock intake on a muscle car is one of the first things they swap out on a new build.
Looking at the numbers, it’s clear that while many of the General Motors stock intakes are well-designed pieces, the FAST intake manifold does make a big difference when compared to the stock intakes.
When tested, a stock LS3 intake had a peak output of 556.3 hp at 6,500 rpm and 497.2 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm.
When the FAST LSXr was tested on an LS3 engine, output peaked at 566.3 hp at 6,600 rpm and 515.3 lb-ft of torque.
With an apples-to-apples comparison, it’s clear that the FAST LSXr outperforms the GM stock intake manifolds.
While it’s clear that the FAST intake provides huge improvements over the GM stock intakes, there are still other options out there on the market.
In a test of LS1 intake manifolds, many different market options were tested, including:
- Weiand Intake
- BBK SSI
- Holley Mid-Rise EFI
- FAST LSXr 102mm
- MSD Atomic Airforce
Of course, these different options vary greatly in price, weight, and other aspects of performance.
However, if you’re looking to increase the horsepower and torque of your vehicle, looking at a direct comparison can be useful.
Out of all of these LS1 Intakes, the FAST LSXr 102mm was by far the highest performance with an average horsepower of 450.0 and an average torque of 468.4 lb-ft.
The second-fastest intake manifold was the MSD Atomic Airforce, coming in at 442.4 hp and 460.0 lb-ft.
Both of these options are the most expensive on the list, but they are also clearly the highest performance choices.
Just like the expensive Nissan GTR.
Out of the cheaper options, the BBK SSI was the highest performing, with tests showing average horsepower at 439.2 and average torque at 458.2 lb-ft.
In second place we have the Weiand Intake at 438.3 hp and 457.7 lb-ft of torque, and in last place is the Holley Mid-Rise EFI with 424.9 hp and 442.4 lb-ft of torque.
What’s interesting here is that the intake with the lower retail value, the BBK SSI, ended up having the highest average power production out of the cheaper models on the list.
The lightweight BBK SSI is constructed from cast aluminum and has a flexible bottom cover for easy installation.
So, is the FAST Intake Manifold Worth the Money?
After reviewing all of the features of the FAST intake manifold and comparing it to other options on the market, it’s time to address the ultimate question: is the FAST intake worth the money?
The answer is a bit more complicated than a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no.’
While the FAST intake manifold provides greatly increased horsepower and torque compared to the stock GM intakes, it all depends on your budget and personal preferences when it comes to upgrading your muscle car.
If you don’t have the budget to spend almost a grand on an intake manifold but still want to improve your vehicle’s horsepower and torque, there are cheaper options that you can install in your car.
While the BBK SSI doesn’t provide nearly as much hp or torque as the FAST intake, it retails at almost half the price and still provides improvements to vehicle performance compared to the stock intake and would be a great option for a budget build.
If you’re a crafter with a little more money to spend on your build, the FAST intake could absolutely be worth it for you.
When it comes to the more expensive aftermarket composite intakes, the FAST intake is the most popular for a reason.
Compared to alternatives like the MSD Atomic Airforce, the FAST intake is much lighter and easier to install and customize due to their modular design.
While it’ll cost you a pretty penny, if you’re looking for the intake with the easiest installation process and highest average power production, the FAST intake is worth the money!
