Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Well I'm off to see if I can get this put on.. Wish me luck! Hopefully he will be there, and not busy.. and be ready to do it I'll text and take pictures if appropriate during the install (maybe).. I will text on the forum though hehe.. I think you guys are up and about.. about 1pm there now I think. Take care Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Awaiting; "I love my new exhaust" post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I like the invidia with the titanium tips are you back yet ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Well,.. Exhaust is on! ......and,.. I ended up doing it myself,.. that keeps happening.. I went down to my Mechanic first thing,.. and he wasn't there! He was going to be there in an hour,.. BUT, they had 8 jobs in front of me and there was no way they could get to my car today at all. I was bummed out to say the least,.. So I went and grabbed 2 more jack stands, some PB Lube.. and drove home. The removal of the stock exhaust went as easy as it possibly could have gone! I guess I got lucky to some degree,.. but instead of just wrenching the nuts by the Cats and Y pipe.. I decided instead to hold the Ratchet on them tightly and use a hammer to hit the wrench with hard quick knocks.. (Nothing hurting anything.. just I figured it gave me a shot to break the nuts first try..)... And it worked. Every single nut broke on the 2nd or 3rd hit .. Then I just Ratched them off. No stripping of the nuts,.. Once I got the Cat bolts and Y pipe bolts loose I wasn't worried about the bolts further towards the rear of the car. I got the factory exhaust off in 20 minutes! Hardest part for me was getting it out of the hangers (I didn't unbolt the hangers.. ). Then of course the Invidia Gemini Exhaust went on beautifully as expected. Did notice one thing,.. either I was missing a set of Gaskets from Invidia.. OR,.. they mean for you to re-use the gaskets that go to the Cats. Either way I re-used one "set" of gaskets. Checked for leaks,.. tight as it can be. In fact,.. my factory exhaust had a little "rasp/gurgle" when you let off the gas -- That is now gone.. it's 100% smooth, so there must have been some sort of small leak with the stock exhaust? The Invidia Gemini catback took me about an Hour.. I was really taking my time with it.. And the tips took longer than I expected, but got them lined up to my liking. Here's the car with exhaust on.. bolts "hand tight" and before I put the tips on. A few views of the Exhaust.. mainly to show the Passenger side pipe going Under (or over.. however you want to say it) the sway bar. Some random Pics of the Tips/Back of the exhaust: I love it! Sounds SO deep.. Under 2500 RPM it sounds the loudest.. maybe that will change as it "breaks in".. I don't know. And,.. yes.. I want it louder. lol.. Don't get me wrong I love this , perfect sound -- But I need just a bit more ,.. so I wonder if I should go with HFC's or Test pipes.. (I just don't want the Light to come on..) And not sure which will keep the great sound but maybe open up the sound once you pass 2500 Rpm to 5500rpm (Very quiet in this range). Also,.. my Gas mileage is going WAY down now. I have been shifting at 2100-2500 rpm.. There is NO way I can keep my driving like that now with this exhaust.. Oh dear :/ Believe it or not I noticed that it seemed to bump up power in the lower RPM range,.. not sure if that's normal for this exhaust? But I feel it down there, and it seemed to flatten out the power band a bit for me.. and I knew it would be strong up high due to the motor/exist power band. It Smokes some.. it SMELLS.. so it needs some breaking in. And , I've read that they get just a touch louder and richer sounding after some breaking in (This true?) Thanks for the recommendations guys,.. this IS the perfect exhaust,.. It's definitely sexy, retains the VQ sound, is louder.. and it's SUPER SUPER Deep .. way deeper than I thought. I just installed this incredible sound system and now I'm driving with the windows down and Head Unit/Radio turned off lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Awaiting; "I love my new exhaust" post. I LOVE MY NEW EXHAUST!!! haha.. But, I do want louder.. more more! haha.. I like the invidia with the titanium tips are you back yet ? I do too, it's so sexy. It too me so long cause I came straight back and went to work.. Had to install it myself cause of the shop being booked all day.. Don't regret it one bit now of course! lol.. Total self install time: 1:20 minutes.. I couldn't believe how easy it was! I spent 120 Hours on the overhaul of the interior and rewire/speakers/amps/ etc.. This was like replacing a couple bulbs on the Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Great news it's all fitted. If you want it louder then it's Berks HFC's or de-cats next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Great news it's all fitted. If you want it louder then it's Berks HFC's or de-cats next. Berks FTW 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Great news it's all fitted. If you want it louder then it's Berks HFC's or de-cats next. Great news it's all fitted. If you want it louder then it's Berks HFC's or de-cats next. Berks FTW Berks have two votes.. is that the Invidia of the Cat world? Also... I keep reading this exhaust gets louder over time. I know it's true to some extent,.. but how have you guys noticed it's sound after 100, 1000, etc miles? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Smoke is usual at first as it burns off cr*p inside the system and then as it bed's in the sound will change. I had Berks HFC's fitted at the same time so can't say for certain whether the exhaust got any louder but the tone definitely changed for the better imo. Berks & Invidia are a very popular combo ~ you could try something different (Arc etc) but I have no idea how that would compare. All I do know is I love the sound from my Berks & Invidia set up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydbax Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I was really expcected MUCH worse gas mileage with this car.. while it's certainly not GOOD.. it's sustaining 23.5-29Mpg.. Averaging 23-24mpg with ciy driving. Which is a testament to how light I can keep my foot and my shift points. THough I do have a stong feeling the MPg is going to fall significantly with this new catback.. UK Zedders be aware that USA MPG is different to UK MPG as the US gallon is different to ours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 I was really expcected MUCH worse gas mileage with this car.. while it's certainly not GOOD.. it's sustaining 23.5-29Mpg.. Averaging 23-24mpg with ciy driving. Which is a testament to how light I can keep my foot and my shift points. THough I do have a stong feeling the MPg is going to fall significantly with this new catback.. UK Zedders be aware that USA MPG is different to UK MPG as the US gallon is different to ours Heh.. Yes, these cars do get substantially better gas mileage than I anticipated. I do 99% city driving, and averaged 24-26mpg.. After installing this CBE system my Average dropped to 13.5 mpg. lol.. Now I'm sure I'm not going to be that bad on it in the long run, but the CBE just begs you to have a little more fun with the car (Not break the speed limit, get pulled over stuff (if you have discipline).. but just totally throw the gas mileage out the window and play with the shifts/revs much more... -- Heck I was revving the engine at stop lights a little just to hear it.. sigh,.. I'm sure people thought I was juvenile.. but hey, I just put on a CBE! Give me a break. I'm sitting here and I'm about to go get in my car and drive it around just to hear the exhaust.. it's THAT GOOD. You'll be the same. And trust me, it's a cinch to install -- You don't even need to friend to help.. I didn't. The ONLY part that could use a third hand is getting the stock muffler out of the hangers and down.. use your knee's,.. (or a friend.. makes it more fun (but can make it slower as well ). The gallon is different? How so? A gallon is a gallon? Do you mean the total miles per tank (Are your tanks a different size?) Enumerate Algernon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Smoke is usual at first as it burns off cr*p inside the system and then as it bed's in the sound will change. I had Berks HFC's fitted at the same time so can't say for certain whether the exhaust got any louder but the tone definitely changed for the better imo. Berks & Invidia are a very popular combo ~ you could try something different (Arc etc) but I have no idea how that would compare. All I do know is I love the sound from my Berks & Invidia set up. Can you link me your Berk HFC's? Seems like the HFC's are quite expensive.. but the Test pipes (more power).. but risk the CEL are under $200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydbax Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) 1 US gallon = 0.832674 Imperial gallon (UK measure) The US gallon in a little more than the UK one so the conversion to MPG gives you a bigger number. We discovered this when my little bro imported an AMG V8 and noticed the discrepancy between the petrol (gas) he was putting in and the indicated MPG on the trip computer!! Also congrats on the exhaust, that's the one I'd go for too, tho I'd be torn between the rolled or straight cut titanium tips Edited February 7, 2014 by Floydbax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 (edited) 1 US gallon = 0.832674 Imperial gallon (UK measure) The US gallon in a little more than the UK one so the conversion to MPG gives you a bigger number. We discovered this when my little bro imported an AMG V8 and noticed the discrepancy between the petrol (gas) he was putting in and the indicated MPG on the trip computer!! Also congrats on the exhaust, that's the one I'd go for too, tho I'd be torn between the rolled or straight cut titanium tips I see. Makes sense.. I get 26mpg city,.. 30-31 highway. With exhaust I'm at 13.5 lol.. I'll settle down in a few days. Doing the math (off the top of my head ) -- My 26 mpg city (driving light).. equates to 21.649524 MPG for your "Imperial Gallon". Just a wild guess though.. As for the tips -- I initially was Stock looking plain stainless steel rolled tips all the way. I thought the blue looked dumb,.. ricey,.. stupid. Then, in a day or two I started looking at them again lol.. and I went from thinking they were juvenile to obviously thinking they were MUCH better! As for Straight vs Rolled -- To me BOTH have the angle (Here's on of my tips): So it was an easy choice.. The rolled looks MUCH more "expensive/Wellbuilt/nice" than the thin walled tips. Now if the rolled tips didn't have that slant in them.. I'd be on the fence .. but with the cut angle.. It's absolutely no question for me. You also have to remember everyone seeing your exhaust tips 90% of the time are seeing them from the back.. So the rolled tips come into play here.. think about exhaust when you see it most of the time? For me it's driving, and seeing a car in front of me. Do what I did.. keep looking at them and keep an open mind.. you'll come to a definite decision! Also,.. Invidia kept the tips off and they Clamp on (VERY VERY strong bolts that clamp them).. and when I installed mine they fit on extremely tight before you tighten them.. So tight I had a hard time adjusting them (they don't just slide in and out.. you have to put force on them to move them.). But the point is,.. worst case scenario you can buy tips and swap them out. I also went with the Titanium (blue) tips because that coating polishes right off in 10-15minutes of work if you wanted the regular stock looking all stainless/chrome look. Which I have no intention of doing, but it's an option, so you effectively get both tips in a manner of speaking. Edited February 7, 2014 by Chromatic 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Let the exhaust bed in over the next coue of weeks and hear the sound improve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Let the exhaust bed in over the next coue of weeks and hear the sound improve Yay! -- I'm still gonna get some Berks.. :Evilgrin: .. You guys have created a money eating demon in my brain! Wow,. this is getting addicting FAST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulletMagnet Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 ***BREAKING NEWS*** The UK strain of the highly contagious Zeditis virus has crossed the Atlantic and claimed it's first victim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Smoke is usual at first as it burns off cr*p inside the system and then as it bed's in the sound will change. I had Berks HFC's fitted at the same time so can't say for certain whether the exhaust got any louder but the tone definitely changed for the better imo. Berks & Invidia are a very popular combo ~ you could try something different (Arc etc) but I have no idea how that would compare. All I do know is I love the sound from my Berks & Invidia set up. Can you link me your Berk HFC's? Seems like the HFC's are quite expensive.. but the Test pipes (more power).. but risk the CEL are under $200. I bought my Berks HFC's from a trader on here; Tarmac Sportz ~ (2003-2006 cars) http://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/GB/Berk_Technology_350Z_03-06_Metallic_High_Flow_Cats/BT1401-HFC-MET_.aspx (2007-2008 cars) http://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/GB/Berk_Technology_350Z_07-08__High_Flow_Metallic_Cats/350Z-BT1407-HFC-MET_.aspx You could always PM Chris at Tarmac Sportz to see what he can do for you but I suspect it will still be cheaper to buy them from the US. Worth noting you may still get the CEL (EML) come on even with decent high flow Cats although it is less likely. The only real way around it is a re-map (tune up) which ultimately will help you get the most from the mods your doing and improve the car greatly imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 Made a video with an old Kodak Camera and Iphone due to them having different audio,.. Not much to them.. and tried to use a dB meter on one,.. but Battery on my old Kodak Camera lasts about 1-2 minutes from 100% to empty,.. so no luck there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 8, 2014 Author Share Posted February 8, 2014 ***BREAKING NEWS*** The UK strain of the highly contagious Zeditis virus has crossed the Atlantic and claimed it's first victim lol.. I may have the UK strain.. but the US strain is Alive and well.. I'm double infected Smoke is usual at first as it burns off cr*p inside the system and then as it bed's in the sound will change. I had Berks HFC's fitted at the same time so can't say for certain whether the exhaust got any louder but the tone definitely changed for the better imo. Berks & Invidia are a very popular combo ~ you could try something different (Arc etc) but I have no idea how that would compare. All I do know is I love the sound from my Berks & Invidia set up. Can you link me your Berk HFC's? Seems like the HFC's are quite expensive.. but the Test pipes (more power).. but risk the CEL are under $200. I bought my Berks HFC's from a trader on here; Tarmac Sportz ~ (2003-2006 cars) http://www.tarmacspo...1-HFC-MET_.aspx (2007-2008 cars) http://www.tarmacspo...7-HFC-MET_.aspx You could always PM Chris at Tarmac Sportz to see what he can do for you but I suspect it will still be cheaper to buy them from the US. Worth noting you may still get the CEL (EML) come on even with decent high flow Cats although it is less likely. The only real way around it is a re-map (tune up) which ultimately will help you get the most from the mods your doing and improve the car greatly imo. Yeah you guys have it cheaper -- I've found sites a little cheaper than that even in UK "Money".. problem is the conversion to US is terrible.. My "guy" gave me a price of $450 for the Berk HFC's.. Which is fair I suppose, but that's a lot at this point. Anyone have any experience, or read/heard anything about the Berk Test pipes? They are much cheaper,.. and if they would sound good I would go that route right now.. If I need the HFC's.. it will be a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleR Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 1 US gallon = 0.832674 Imperial gallon (UK measure) The US gallon in a little more than the UK one so the conversion to MPG gives you a bigger number. We discovered this when my little bro imported an AMG V8 and noticed the discrepancy between the petrol (gas) he was putting in and the indicated MPG on the trip computer!! Also congrats on the exhaust, that's the one I'd go for too, tho I'd be torn between the rolled or straight cut titanium tips You have some of that backwards. The US gallon is smaller than the UK, so we actually get a higher MPG rating than they do. So 26 USMPG = about 31 IMPG. But seeing these numbers makes me think that there is no different in the UK and US trip computers because 31 MPG city driving would be bloody incredible and about what most will get on long journeys on A roads and motorways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floydbax Posted February 8, 2014 Share Posted February 8, 2014 (edited) Sorry no, the US gallon is smaller than the UK gallon. So you get more! Edited - bad maths Edited February 8, 2014 by Floydbax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Drove the car more.. just got back from a "joy ride" if you will,.. tonight. It's loud enough! lol. Doubt it got any louder,.. but it's considerably louder than I was saying yesterday. The exhaust DOES have drone. BUT,.. I don't think an aftermarket exhaust exists on the planet without drone somewhere in the RPM band.. For this exhaust it's VERY low in the RPM band.. go drive around with gas on the pedal at 2k-2400rpm with this exhaust (radio off) and tell me there isn't a "drone" of that lovely deep note . The good news, I LIKE drone -- Everyone says how they hate it , but it's really the drone you might get cruising on the highway, etc.. Thing is with this car, if you drive it like I do.. you can be in 6th gear at 2-3k rpms at highway speeds.. or close enough -- It's geared so spread out that this car, while built for the peak power in the upper RPM range, cruises all day long at 2k-3k rpm.. I'll say if you are driving above 3500rpm you could shift (unless you are breaking the speed limit on the highway) (These are approximations, so do get pedantic on me ) So the Test pipes, etc are a no go for now. Loving it.. and the sound will only get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chromatic Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 (edited) Delete me please Edited February 9, 2014 by Chromatic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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