dSpaceman

iTrader: (2)

Just bought the Invidia Gemini catback and thought I'd offer some feedback for those of you who are considering it and/or are looking for exhausts in general. I bought it from GTMonster (a new vendor, but extremely helpful and offered me a lot of insights as I am still new to the automotive world). Ordered it Wednesday, UPS managed to deliver it by Friday It was picked up and installed on Saturday, and here is my verdict (this is entirely opinion based, so there's no sense in arguing. That being said, any cold hard facts will be appreciated):

First off, the sound is amazing, both from inside the cabin and outside. I didn't think it was possible, but it somehow improved the sound from stock. The car gives a deeper, meaner growl, and there's the popping sound at the end of revs. I've been cruising with this since then (trying to break it in as quick as possible), and I have yet to notice any drone. The sound inside the cabin is to kill for. It has such a deep tone that you feel very racecar inside. I had it installed at a shop and it took them under 45 minutes, so I can only assume fitment was good as well.

Now of course there's a flip side. I was a bit disappointed at the volume of this exhaust. I initially settled with the Gemini because I didn't want an overly, obnoxious loud exhaust as I do daily this car, and any chance of drone would not be worth it. However, I want my car to be reasonably loud, be it idling or driving. Idling, I would say it's equal, if not quieter, than stock. I literally did not know my car was on the entire time when I walked into the shop after it was installed. Did some recordings on start up and drive by, and was even more disappointed at how quiet it really was.

Was it worth the money? I would say so, as it is a quality brand/sound and does not run me over a grand. Not to mention zero drone is the most important. Will I be making changes? Yes, because I can't stand how quiet it is. Most likely will be doing a cat delete with test pipes.

On a side note, anyone know if I need to tune my car with test pipes? I read a lot on it but have no definite answers. Some say the car performance will be off, but no real harm. Others say the ECU will not adjust properly, thus the car will be running too lean, etc. Also, would my test pipe have to match the size of my Y pipe? I'm thinking of getting Berk test pipes.

Here are some videos I took after installation:




Keep in mind that the exhaust still needs to be broken in, but this gives you a rough idea of how loud (or quiet) it is.

07HR

How did it feel power wise? I'm sure it will sound a little louder after a good set of test pipes. I recommend art or ark pipes to reduce rasp. I got cnt racing test pipes (ark replicas), for half the price and have little to no rasp but made my dual exhaust sound louder/better IMO.

dSpaceman

iTrader: (2)

Pretty much the same, not too sure cause I only drove it for a couple weeks before I got test pipes. The TPs, on the other hand, definitely felt like a loss of power.

07HR

What test pipes did you use? I read about people loosing low end power with them but I barely noticed that with mines, especially after a tune.

dSpaceman

iTrader: (2)

Im running Kinetix right now. Initially decided on Berk because of no CEL but they were constantly on back order. Luckily the Kinetix didnt give me CEL either. There was a very noticeable drop in low end power for me after the TPs were installed.

ashram

iTrader: (1)

I definitely recommend getting a tune it will help you get the most out of your boltons . but I would not get the car tuned until you've bought all your go fast mods , youll save money in the long run this way .

I got my 07 tuned when I got my art pipes and gained about 20 whp I now have the invidia Gemini. So I need to get a new tune to maximize my exhaust gains .