cole10

Hey Guys,


I wanted to do a little review on my setup...and for other people who are running the Invidia Gemini Cat Back exhaust system. I know theres not alot info out there on what test pipes work well with this exhaust system, so here you go!


I wanna first thank a fellow member: blnewt
He has a great review on the OBX Resonated test pipes, and for anyone interested here it is:


https://www.myg37.com/forums/engine-...est-pipes.html


And if you are going to do Installation by yourself he also has a very informative thread on what you need and how to do it, which was very helpful as well:


https://www.myg37.com/forums/g37-sed...y-be-atch.html


After researching about basically every Test Pipe that's on the market I came across the threads above and I was convinced enough to go ahead and order the OBX Resonated Test Pipe. Initial impression was that they were packaged great and got delivered to me in less than a week which was nice. Everything was just as member: blnewt described in his review. In other words I was a happy customer.


Installation: So after the pipes sitting in my trunk for about three months I finally got around to installing them. The installation was not very forgiving to say the least. What my buddy and I thought would be a 2-3 our max job turned into a 5-6 hour struggle haha. But it was totally worth it, so if you have the resources and a good friend to help with install, do it! Basically the removal of the stock cats is was what took up the whole process. Even after soaking all the bolts in wd-40 it was a pain in the butt to remove them. The top bolt on the passenger side was awful and we actually didn't even break the bolt loose...instead we broke the stud using about 4 extenders, a swivel and a floor jack handle for more torque haha. (note: if you can remove your intakes, do it, you get more space to work with and a more direct path to the bolts...that's what we did...super easy especially if you’re running stillen gen 3 intakes). So after getting the stock cats aka (the demons) off we moved on to installing the new test pipes. (note: if you don't have a o2 sensor tool, rent one from autozone or whoever rents them out near your location) it was pretty easy from here, especially since we had an impact gun. I got berks 3 flange gaskets and used those over the ones supplies in the kit. The other ones were fine but i've heard people having problems with that gasket so I didn't want to risk it. Once we got everything tightened up we started it while it was still in the air to check for leaks. (also don't forget about getting a plug for the extra o2 sensor).


Sound: It is so much better...why did i not do this right off the bat haha. It really makes the Invidia system come to life. It sounded good before but you could tell there was more in there and it was almost restricted in a way. Now is seems free and it has that crisp sound I was looking for. Personally, I could go louder but for a DD that I drive a lot I still wanted the luxury of listening to music at a normal level and being able talk on the phone. There's really no rasp that I can hear and I think it's due to the nature of the Invidia system being more deep and burbly in a way compared to other aftermarket exhaust out there and the resonated test pipe over a straight TP. To me the OBX resonated TP and the Invidia Gemini Cat back system are a great pair. They sound great together and they both are a more reasonably priced products on the market. The only problem i have with them is around 2000 RPM there's a pretty predominate hiss, i'm not sure if that's because the new TP dont have the original gasket setup as the stock cats do or what but it's there and i'll just have to get use to it. Overall I am very happy with this set up and the sound from thee test pipes (OBX) paired with the Invidia Gemini cat back system. If you have any questions let me know, i'm not on here much so if I don't reply try my email: colemillerd@gmail.com

cole10

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Great job on the review, and unfortunately OBX isn't carrying those RTPs anymore, or at least is out of stock. It's possible that they resemble the Fast Intentions so closely that they may have run into a patent issue perhaps. But if they do become available again they are a great bang for the buck addition for sure.

Lucasmdemele

i just ordered a set of test pipes from a forum member should I buy gaskets before install or are the ones on the car metal re-usable?i just had one stock cat replaced a few months ago so I should only have to fight with one side hopefully just want to have everything ready before I tear my car apart thanks in advance Lucas

blnewt

iTrader: (13)

Be sure to click on that second link in the first post, will make removing the CATs easier. I would recommend new gaskets and a smear of high temp RTV on both sides of the gaskets. Also use some copper-based anti-seize on the new bolts.

djdiskino

Bumping this review, I have the same pipes ready to install but the only thing keeping me on the fence is how much gas smell do these generate? I should say is it noticeable in the Cabin or is it outside the car only? My concern is my fiancé complains about my winter beater that has an exhaust leak up front that gets sucked in a little bit in traffic through the A/C

MaQG37

iTrader: (4)

Windows up, it's not bad at all. Windows down and idling for a bit, you can smell it for sure. It's more noticeable to people sitting behind you in traffic.

source: ran catless for ~2 years.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

Boo on test pipes. And boo on OBX. They got a bad name in the SE-R world for copying SR20 headers back at the turn of the millennium.

With that said, nice write-up though punctuation could be improved. I found it harder to read than it could be.

cole10

Hey, sorry for late response but they do come with replacement gaskets. I went ahead and got Berks Gaskets since they are much better quality another option would be Z1 motorsports gaskets. You don't wanna risk a gasket failing and having to do the whole instillation again.

cole10

I mean with any test pipe your going to get that smell whether you like it or not. But its not over bearing at all. You wont smell it through the AC but you will notice it time to time at stop lights with windows down. Hope that helps.

cole10

Different strokes for different folks. As far as copying that's not in our control but that's the advantage you get coming into a market. Think of how many songs on the radio share the exact same beat and similar choruses and melodies.

There's not much diversity for test pipes they are either resonated, straight pipe or high flow cats. So I could see copy cat problems.

Sorry you found it hard to read I'll be sure to simplify more on my next write up. Thanks for your voice!

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

Your text doesn't need simplification, it needs punctuation.

I am a firm believer in intellectual property rights. You copy my stuff to make money, I'm gonna sue you into the ground. This isn't China. And your music metaphor fails; every few years, some songwriter is suing another artist for plagiarism. George Harrison was sued for this and lost.

cole10

"I am a firm ''''''beliver'''''' in intellectual property rights."

Bro, this is a forum for cars not a scholarly review. I'm not the best writer obviously. I was just trying to give people some information about the test pipes I paired with my exhaust system since there isn's much info out there on the Invidia Gemini set up.

slartibartfast

iTrader: (7)

Thanks for pointing that out. I can't proofread my own writing to save my life.