I was actually a little surprised... I don't know how much I completely trust them given my perceived condition of the equipment. Also, I hadn't done an ECU reset and the temps were different between the stock and Invidia runs (warmer at the time the stock was done). Anyway, I know nothing about this stuff other than to say I'm pretty sure there are some gains... safe to say 8 to 12 hp.

 

Gains are not bad at all! Very nice investment IMO

 

I can absolutely feel the car pull harder. Especially in 3rd gear and higher... seems like there is a little more grunt.

When I was getting the car dynoed, there was a chevy cavalier putting 580hp to the ground . The shop was also putting a turbo kit in a pontiac sunfire that was supposed to end up 400+hp at the wheels. Both of those cars would be seriously fast but with FWD would be a NIGHTMARE to drive fast. Could you imagine flooring a front wheel drive car coming out of a corner with 580hp under foot

Anyway, seems like a waste to me on a cavalier and sunfire to drop $10k plus into turbo kits and then have the car fall apart...

 

+1. Especially since they already have 20" rims that maybe worth $10,000 on them also. What a terrible waste of money. Thanks for the review and dyno. I like this exhuast.

 

OK... going back for another dyno today Why? Just because.

 

thanks for the review, liking the exhaust so far
would be nice if someone could compare the gemini to the stock exhaust, kinda hard to make out the difference from different videos especially with other mods.

 

30-40% louder than stock
Much deeper than stock
Similar overall tone other than deeper

 

gthal....since you've had this exhaust for a little while now, have you noticed any difference in MPG? I know most aftermarket exhausts will improve MPG. Thoughts? I'm likely going to order this in the next 24-48 hours.

 

Can't say... I never really watch the MPG. If anything, mine got worse because my foot got heavier... When the car sounds this good, I have a tendency to develop a disease called "heavy foot-itis"... no known cure.

 

LOL LOL

Same with me, I use to shift at 3k rpm to avoid getting more attention than i should since the POPO'S around my area are pretty strict. Funny part is i find myself shifting at 4.5k rpm now just so i can hear it growl...

Damn disease... no cure for sure

 

GREAT review!

 

Some of you commented about the tip size... I took a few pics showing the new Invidia tip next to the stock tip and me holding the tip for perspective. In the first picture the Invidia is closer to the camera so take that into account... definitely bigger though. Hope this helps.

 

1 Week Update:

So the exhaust has been on for a week and still so impressive. The tone has gotten a little deeper and the volume has increased maybe 5% to 10%. After I had the car dynoed, my brother-in-law and I were driving home and his comment was that he thought the exhaust was perfect in tone and volume. Although he also liked the Tanabes I had before, he thought they were a little "boomy" in the cabin. In retrospect, that is actually a great way to describe the difference. The Invidia is quieter than the Tanabes in the cabin but the main reason they seem quieter, IMO, is that they are less boomy. They probably have a comparable volume but because they are less boomy, they are more pleasant and refined in the cabin.

WOT... still sound AMAZING... maybe even moreso than when they were first on. I love the fact that they don't have the backpressure "fart". Drone on the highway in a 6MT is non existent. You can hear the exhaust for sure but it isn't a drone unless you are lugging in a gear way too high for your speed. Can't say for certain that the 7AT guys would have the same experience (as the car always defaults to such a high gear) but I would expect it would still be fine.

So after a break in period and living with the exhaust for a while, I can say that my initial review was dead on for me... the Invidia Gemini is the perfect blend of looks, tone, cabin volume, quality, value and performance. I'm very happy I came across Lou's thread... now it's on to a strut brace and new rims...

 

thanks for the great reviews, updates and comparison pics since the tips appeared smaller than stock, but actually are not.

I was also wondering if the noise level quieted down or got louder.


A+ thread

thanks

 

Agreed! Thanks for the update and more pics. This is definitely going to be my exhaust. Probably gonna wait til I get my quarterly bonus from work for some extra cash, but that shouldn't be too long from now. Appreciate the hard work of your review gthal!