Invidia Gemini CBE & ARK Test Pipes Review

jcosta79

Some of you may know that I had ARK test pipes installed on my 2012 Nismo along with a K&N Typhoon and a tune about 2 years ago. Well I finally installed an Invidia Gemini exhaust on the car.

Here are my thoughts & ratings on a 1 - 10 score:

Fit & Finish - 10
The exhaust came fully boxed, wrapped and protected. Each piece fit without any issues, basically like OEM. Nothing had to be adjusted, just bolt-on. (I did not install the exhaust, Jotech Motorsports did, but I watched them do the whole install in about an hour)

Sound - 9
Holy cow this system sounds good! It is not overly loud and it has zero, and I mean zero, drone. It sounds stock on idle but when you put your foot in it, it sounds growly and mean. The sound is very refined and sporty, basically what this car should have sounded like from the factory. The only reason I did not give it a 10 is because I wish it sounded a little louder as you approach redline. The engine noise almost cancels out the exhaust noise at that point. But when you blip the throttle and in the low to mid RPM range it sounds wicked!

Exhaust Tips - 8 (9.5 UPDATE)
They look good and are quality pieces. I wish they were larger (they are 4 inches vs the stock Nismo tips which are 5 inches) and I don't like that they are bolted versus welded on and you can see some of the bolt sticking out when looking at the tips after it's mounted on the car. I got the rolled stainless tips, but they also offer rolled titanium and straight titanium. (Bolts were rotated. Cannot see them now)

Power - 10
I have not had it dynoed yet because they had both dynos busy today, but as soon as they have an opening they will bring me back in to run it on the dyno to see what the final numbers are. From seat of the pants I can tell you that this system is much better tuned than the stock Nismo H-pipe. Low end and mid range throttle response is MUCH better. The x-pipe and the OEM pipe diameter size (2.3 inches) help keep exhaust flow high which helps with torque. Top end power is marginal. I can't really tell if it's making more or not. This is obviously a system designed for N/A applications and will not be the exhaust of choice for FI.

Value - 10
Total cost of the system was $910 shipped from Redline 360. I can't think of another exhaust anywhere near this good for that price.

Overall Score - 9.5
Excellent exhaust that was well-engineered, well-built, and is an excellent value. You cannot go wrong with this exhaust.

NOTE: Since I already had ARK test pipes on the car I can only give my opinions based on this already existing setup. My car was also previously tuned with UpRev by Jotech, so if you install this system without tuning, your results may vary.

Once I get the car re-tuned and dynoed I will post the results.

Here are some crappy pics:

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2012 PW NISMO #0559 - GT Spec Brace Kit - Swift Springs - ARK TP & Invidia CBE K&N Intake - UpRev Tune - 15mm Z1 Spacers & Studs - StopTech Slotted Rotors & SS Lines - ZSpeed CMAK with Stage 2 Clutch and Lightweight Flywheel