I've had my 2016 GSF for a few months now and had been exploring catback exhaust options for a while. My objective was power gain and sound enhancement. I know that the power gain is roughly the same for all the catback exhausts that are available for our cars so the driving factor was exhaust note. The topic of exhaust note is highly subjective. I personally wanted to achieve more loudness over the stock exhaust without going overboard with it as I daily drive my car. I also wanted a more refined/exotic sound rather than an American big V8 sound. From listening to various clips online, I really liked the Invidia exhaust note. Unfortunately, the Invidia catback exhaust is only made for the RCF as far as I know. A few threads/youtube videos I found suggested that folks have fitted the Invidia catback on the GSF successfully with slight mods so I knew this was possible. Thanks to this thread by @LAK1NGS (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...own-hands.html), I pulled the trigger and purchased the Invidia exhaust for my car. @sickpuppy pointed out that the extension appears to have 'crush bends' which would be restrictive to the flow. I know the power gain is not HUGE so to lose some hp to a bend would suck. Mandrel bends were suggested by @1A1 .
I called a few shops around in Houston and most shops didn't even have the supposedly expensive equipment required to take a piece of pipe and perform mandrel bends. My understanding is that they sell pre-bent mandrel-bent pipe extensions but I couldn't possibly have purchased those ahead of time as I had no idea as to the shape/angle/size/length of pipe required and the chances of a shop having the perfect piece lying around were pretty low. One shop that specializes in mandrel bending actually said it would cost a grand or more to do it and 'unless you're tracking, it's not worth the money'. So I was about to just give up on having the extension mandrel-bent and decided to just go with the 'crush' bend option. I had a very bad feeling about this though. I could not justify spending ~>$1,000 to install a ~$1,500 exhaust. I would rather get rid of the Invidia and buy a Joe Z exhaust that's made for the GSF.
Anyway, on the day of the install I went to the shop and spoke with the owner who has a lot of experience under his belt. They weren't a 'performance/race/track' focused shop but still had a good reputation and lots of experience. His son and a few other guys were the ones who would be doing the install. I explained to him that this exhaust is from another car and I know for a fact that this exhaust can be fitted on to my GSF with some modifications (as done by @KOOLFELLA@LAK1NGS@504GSF etc.). I emphasized that my preference is to not do this in a way that creates any restrictions.
Here's a picture of the stock exhaust:
The Invidia exhaust, when bolted on to the headers, is too short. In other words, the pipe downstream of the headers is unable to reach the mid-pipe (see picture below). What they ended up doing was GENIUS, IMO. They took a piece of pipe with a similar ID as the Invidia pipe, welded flanges on both ends and bolted one end to the mid-pipe and the other end to the pipe that's bolted to the headers. Therefore, eliminating the gap. In the picture below, the left side has the extension bolted on whereas the gap is visible on the right side pipe.
Here's are pictures with both the extensions installed.
This was fantastic as it kills two birds with one stone. A) No restrictions in the air flow B) No butchering of the beautiful Invidia exhaust and no permanent modification. So I were to sell the exhaust years down the line, it could be installed on a RCF with the extension removed or on a GSF with the extensions bolted on.
You can see though the the Invidia exhaust tips are too short. I already knew this. We made a cut in the middle of the pipe that goes from the muffler to the tips (all 4 of them). They then welded extension pipes on all 4 of them to bring the tips out. It's not visible. See before/after pictures.
BEFORE
AFTER
Overall, I'm very happy with the install. Yes, we did cut the Invidia tips to extend but that's a fairly minor modification and could be reversed if needed I'd imagine. The rest of the exhaust though, is intact and performing as it should.
THOUGHTS
Overall, I feel the car is more responsive and pulls harder. Almost like it should've been. It feels more 'complete' now. There's no drone. You can barely notice the exhaust is there while driving 'normally'. Upon flooring the gas pedal, it sounds beautifully exotic - almost like it should've been from factory. I feel like if this is how they sold the car, no one would complain. It's very OEM-feeling (quiet all the time but loud when you floor it). The loudness/tone is very balanced. I often find myself cracking the window down to hear more (our cars are very well-insulated). From the outside, it's VERY noticeable as you fly by. So far, 100% satisfied.
BTW, it cost $200 and 2 hrs for the install. I was going to upload a video but the file format is not supported here. There are plenty of youtube videos out there though!
Hope this helps anyone looking to do something similar. Thanks to all those that contribute to the CL forums greatly benefiting guys like me.
I've had my 2016 GSF for a few months now and had been exploring catback exhaust options for a while. My objective was power gain and sound enhancement. I know that the power gain is roughly the same for all the catback exhausts that are available for our cars so the driving factor was exhaust note. The topic of exhaust note is highly subjective. I personally wanted to achieve more loudness over the stock exhaust without going overboard with it as I daily drive my car. I also wanted a more refined/exotic sound rather than an American big V8 sound. From listening to various clips online, I really liked the Invidia exhaust note. Unfortunately, the Invidia catback exhaust is only made for the RCF as far as I know. A few threads/youtube videos I found suggested that folks have fitted the Invidia catback on the GSF successfully with slight mods so I knew this was possible. Thanks to this thread by @LAK1NGS (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...own-hands.html), I pulled the trigger and purchased the Invidia exhaust for my car. @sickpuppy pointed out that the extension appears to have 'crush bends' which would be restrictive to the flow. I know the power gain is not HUGE so to lose some hp to a bend would suck. Mandrel bends were suggested by @1A1 .
I called a few shops around in Houston and most shops didn't even have the supposedly expensive equipment required to take a piece of pipe and perform mandrel bends. My understanding is that they sell pre-bent mandrel-bent pipe extensions but I couldn't possibly have purchased those ahead of time as I had no idea as to the shape/angle/size/length of pipe required and the chances of a shop having the perfect piece lying around were pretty low. One shop that specializes in mandrel bending actually said it would cost a grand or more to do it and 'unless you're tracking, it's not worth the money'. So I was about to just give up on having the extension mandrel-bent and decided to just go with the 'crush' bend option. I had a very bad feeling about this though. I could not justify spending ~>$1,000 to install a ~$1,500 exhaust. I would rather get rid of the Invidia and buy a Joe Z exhaust that's made for the GSF.
Anyway, on the day of the install I went to the shop and spoke with the owner who has a lot of experience under his belt. They weren't a 'performance/race/track' focused shop but still had a good reputation and lots of experience. His son and a few other guys were the ones who would be doing the install. I explained to him that this exhaust is from another car and I know for a fact that this exhaust can be fitted on to my GSF with some modifications (as done by @KOOLFELLA@LAK1NGS@504GSF etc.). I emphasized that my preference is to not do this in a way that creates any restrictions.
Here's a picture of the stock exhaust:
The Invidia exhaust, when bolted on to the headers, is too short. In other words, the pipe downstream of the headers is unable to reach the mid-pipe (see picture below). What they ended up doing was GENIUS, IMO. They took a piece of pipe with a similar ID as the Invidia pipe, welded flanges on both ends and bolted one end to the mid-pipe and the other end to the pipe that's bolted to the headers. Therefore, eliminating the gap. In the picture below, the left side has the extension bolted on whereas the gap is visible on the right side pipe.
Here's are pictures with both the extensions installed.
This was fantastic as it kills two birds with one stone. A) No restrictions in the air flow B) No butchering of the beautiful Invidia exhaust and no permanent modification. So I were to sell the exhaust years down the line, it could be installed on a RCF with the extension removed or on a GSF with the extensions bolted on.
You can see though the the Invidia exhaust tips are too short. I already knew this. We made a cut in the middle of the pipe that goes from the muffler to the tips (all 4 of them). They then welded extension pipes on all 4 of them to bring the tips out. It's not visible. See before/after pictures.
BEFORE
AFTER
Overall, I'm very happy with the install. Yes, we did cut the Invidia tips to extend but that's a fairly minor modification and could be reversed if needed I'd imagine. The rest of the exhaust though, is intact and performing as it should.
THOUGHTS
Overall, I feel the car is more responsive and pulls harder. Almost like it should've been. It feels more 'complete' now. There's no drone. You can barely notice the exhaust is there while driving 'normally'. Upon flooring the gas pedal, it sounds beautifully exotic - almost like it should've been from factory. I feel like if this is how they sold the car, no one would complain. It's very OEM-feeling (quiet all the time but loud when you floor it). The loudness/tone is very balanced. I often find myself cracking the window down to hear more (our cars are very well-insulated). From the outside, it's VERY noticeable as you fly by. So far, 100% satisfied.
BTW, it cost $200 and 2 hrs for the install. I was going to upload a video but the file format is not supported here. There are plenty of youtube videos out there though!
Hope this helps anyone looking to do something similar. Thanks to all those that contribute to the CL forums greatly benefiting guys like me.
I have a few questions since I almost did this while waiting over 2 months for my Apexi non resonated mid pipe to come in. I was pretty unsatisfied with all the piping size changes (4 total) that I found running the Apexi mid pipe with Tanabe axle back exhaust. Not very performance oriented if you ask me. I might still run the Invidia setup as well because of this and sell the current exhaust, however it sounds absolutely great with this setup!
1. What is the exhaust piping size on the first two primary sections behind the manifolds where the O2 sensors are. My Apexi primary mid pipe tubes are 2.5".
2. The piping size that goes between those primary (O2) sensor pipes and attach to the axle back mufflers. My Apexi secondary mid pipe tube is only 2.375".
3. The piping size on the axle back mufflers. Tanabe axle back muffler pipes are the largest at 2.75".
4. What size is the connection point that bolts the axle back to the mid pipe section. Tanabe and Apexi still utilize the OEM donut at this junction which necks all the way down to 2.0" which is a joke.
Unfortunately I don’t have any measurements. You could perhaps talk to the vendors or see if any other member has those. It’s advertised as having 70mm/2.75in diameter but not sure if it’s the same throughout or if it varies from primary to mid-pipe to axle back.
Unfortunately I don’t have any measurements. You could perhaps talk to the vendors or see if any other member has those. It’s advertised as having 70mm/2.75in diameter but not sure if it’s the same throughout or if it varies from primary to mid-pipe to axle back.
Yeah I saw no mention anywhere that I could find of all the piping size differences. Like I said I might still go with the Invidia if I can sell the setup I just installed. I just want to make the Invidia is the same size front to back. I prefer the X pipe over the H pipe so I was planning on cutting out the H and installing an X. If I get the Invidia though it has the X but I would replace the resonators with straight pipe because it does sound pretty good now. Any video of how the car sounds with your new setup? FYI I had my mufflers ceramic coated black to cut down on the bling from the polished cans.
I've had my 2016 GSF for a few months now and had been exploring catback exhaust options for a while. My objective was power gain and sound enhancement. I know that the power gain is roughly the same for all the catback exhausts that are available for our cars so the driving factor was exhaust note. The topic of exhaust note is highly subjective. I personally wanted to achieve more loudness over the stock exhaust without going overboard with it as I daily drive my car. I also wanted a more refined/exotic sound rather than an American big V8 sound. From listening to various clips online, I really liked the Invidia exhaust note. Unfortunately, the Invidia catback exhaust is only made for the RCF as far as I know. A few threads/youtube videos I found suggested that folks have fitted the Invidia catback on the GSF successfully with slight mods so I knew this was possible. Thanks to this thread by @LAK1NGS (https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...own-hands.html), I pulled the trigger and purchased the Invidia exhaust for my car. @sickpuppy pointed out that the extension appears to have 'crush bends' which would be restrictive to the flow. I know the power gain is not HUGE so to lose some hp to a bend would suck. Mandrel bends were suggested by @1A1 .
I called a few shops around in Houston and most shops didn't even have the supposedly expensive equipment required to take a piece of pipe and perform mandrel bends. My understanding is that they sell pre-bent mandrel-bent pipe extensions but I couldn't possibly have purchased those ahead of time as I had no idea as to the shape/angle/size/length of pipe required and the chances of a shop having the perfect piece lying around were pretty low. One shop that specializes in mandrel bending actually said it would cost a grand or more to do it and 'unless you're tracking, it's not worth the money'. So I was about to just give up on having the extension mandrel-bent and decided to just go with the 'crush' bend option. I had a very bad feeling about this though. I could not justify spending ~>$1,000 to install a ~$1,500 exhaust. I would rather get rid of the Invidia and buy a Joe Z exhaust that's made for the GSF.
Anyway, on the day of the install I went to the shop and spoke with the owner who has a lot of experience under his belt. They weren't a 'performance/race/track' focused shop but still had a good reputation and lots of experience. His son and a few other guys were the ones who would be doing the install. I explained to him that this exhaust is from another car and I know for a fact that this exhaust can be fitted on to my GSF with some modifications (as done by @KOOLFELLA@LAK1NGS@504GSF etc.). I emphasized that my preference is to not do this in a way that creates any restrictions.
Here's a picture of the stock exhaust:
The Invidia exhaust, when bolted on to the headers, is too short. In other words, the pipe downstream of the headers is unable to reach the mid-pipe (see picture below). What they ended up doing was GENIUS, IMO. They took a piece of pipe with a similar ID as the Invidia pipe, welded flanges on both ends and bolted one end to the mid-pipe and the other end to the pipe that's bolted to the headers. Therefore, eliminating the gap. In the picture below, the left side has the extension bolted on whereas the gap is visible on the right side pipe.
Here's are pictures with both the extensions installed.
This was fantastic as it kills two birds with one stone. A) No restrictions in the air flow B) No butchering of the beautiful Invidia exhaust and no permanent modification. So I were to sell the exhaust years down the line, it could be installed on a RCF with the extension removed or on a GSF with the extensions bolted on.
You can see though the the Invidia exhaust tips are too short. I already knew this. We made a cut in the middle of the pipe that goes from the muffler to the tips (all 4 of them). They then welded extension pipes on all 4 of them to bring the tips out. It's not visible. See before/after pictures.
BEFORE
AFTER
Overall, I'm very happy with the install. Yes, we did cut the Invidia tips to extend but that's a fairly minor modification and could be reversed if needed I'd imagine. The rest of the exhaust though, is intact and performing as it should.
THOUGHTS
Overall, I feel the car is more responsive and pulls harder. Almost like it should've been. It feels more 'complete' now. There's no drone. You can barely notice the exhaust is there while driving 'normally'. Upon flooring the gas pedal, it sounds beautifully exotic - almost like it should've been from factory. I feel like if this is how they sold the car, no one would complain. It's very OEM-feeling (quiet all the time but loud when you floor it). The loudness/tone is very balanced. I often find myself cracking the window down to hear more (our cars are very well-insulated). From the outside, it's VERY noticeable as you fly by. So far, 100% satisfied.
BTW, it cost $200 and 2 hrs for the install. I was going to upload a video but the file format is not supported here. There are plenty of youtube videos out there though!
Hope this helps anyone looking to do something similar. Thanks to all those that contribute to the CL forums greatly benefiting guys like me.
Name of Houston exhaust shop? I am ordering the RR racing Bazooka and I want to go to a reputable shop.
Looks amazing! Congrats!
Update: After several months and several thousand miles of driving, the sound has gotten much better (deeper/louder). I still daily drive the car and have ZERO complaints. I often crack open the window to hear more of the exhaust note. Plenty of surprised folks and compliments received.
You should ask that exhaust shop to make copies of those extensions and sell them on here LOL. Im in the process of finding a shop here in San Antonio to do the exact same thing to my RCF JoeZ catback. I want them to use the same stainless steel as the JoeZ though.
