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Old 07-05-2018, 03:33 PM   #1
TheShaddix
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Default Invidia R400 Gemini for 2015+ WRX

Installed this exhaust a few weeks ago and I am absolutely amazed by the sound, look, and overall quality. Not sure how to structure this review without blabbering too much, but I'll try my best to convey my thoughts. If you want to see my video of this exhaust with sound clips, etc. just go to my channel "TheShaddix" on youtube. Check out my IG at craft_tech if you want to see some pics of it.

Look and quality:

Best look of any exhaust, hands down. The 4" tips fill the bumper openings perfectly. None of the other systems have that awesome single-walled fat tip look. They all sort of look oem and the nicer options always end up being muffler deletes which sounds like crap on this car (especially with an aftermarket jpipe). The mufflers look amazing design-wise and how they still tuck in and not hang low. The piping and welds are top notch, all stainless and super thick. I doubt you can put a dent in any of the piping. I would rate it 10/10.

Weight: it is not light by any means - 4 pieces in total - the heaviest being the midpipe. I would say it's the same or even heavier than stock, but once you hold the piping it makes sense. It's built like a tank and is thicker-walled than stock which feels hollow in comparison and looks like a bunch of sink piping welded together. It just feels cheap. It's perfect for a stock wrx, but once you go stage 1 or 2, a proper 3" system is a must. The J-pipe is 3" so it makes sense to have it flowing evenly all the way through.

The sound: this is by far the best part of the exhaust. From all the systems i've heard on these cars this is hands down the most pleasant. Everyone who hears it likes it. The sound reminds me of supras and skylines with their single exit exhausts that have that deep and rich sound accompanied by the turbo spool and bov sounds. It's never raspy, no matter what rpm or throttle level. When people complain about the drone with the r400, they are absolutely correct - there is drone! But it's not your typical annoying drone that you get when removing the resonator or doing a delete. It's more of a pleasant hum that's constantly there and varies depending on the rpm. On the freeway in 6th at around 70-80 it sounds perfect. When I first installed it and drove home (about a 100 mile trip) I almost hated it and started looking for solutions. The next day I drove to work and loved the sound so much that I cannot picture not having it now. I drove it on the streets which made me appreciate it. Now I like it both on the street and freeway as I got used to the drone. It just takes a day or so. There really isn't any way around it with 3" exhausts unless they use some clever resonator systems like the Ark system, but that one looks meh in comparison. With the windows down it's amazing and with windows up it's just slightly more muffled but you feel it through the entire cabin. It made the car 10x more fun to drive. It reminds me of the Greddy Ti exhaust I had on my 350z which had the same deep sound. I hate raspy, high-pitched exhausts, so this is great for me. At full throttle it sounds addicting and has a mean growl. It's hard to put into words but no one in their right mind would be left unimpressed, lets just leave it at that. It sounds phenomenal on the outside too if you hear it drive next to you.

The cost: I got mine used for 650, picked up locally, so can't complain about my cost. I was about to buy it new from import image racing as they have the best pricing on this. I would recommend stainless tips as the titanium ones are a total waste of money and just hide in the darkness of the bumper, especially on pics and videos. Stainless tips look more aggressive and classy. The titanium ones end up staining over time and the only way to clean them is to polish them which makes them look stainless... You get my point. I'll just polish mine eventually as mine are Ti.

The verdict: Don't waste money on anything else, just get the r400 and a catted or catless jpipe as it'll sound better together rather than on its own. If you're sensitive to any drone like the guy who sold this to me, then skip this exhaust altogether and go with Ark grip (as he did...) or something else (avoid muffler deletes at all cost). If you're like me and don't mind some drone and actually like some sound when you cruise, then this is perfect for you. The sound is always there at any rpm, even on cruise control on the freeway, so it feels like you're engaged in the driving rather than just going along for a quiet ride and yawning from boredom. There is that perfect level of sound any exhaust should have and this one hits it right. Anything less and you might as well keep it stock. Anything louder and it'll get annoying fast. If a slightly louder sound is wanted from this r400, then the midpipe could be custom built to remove the resonator, but the drone will increase respectively. The opposite holds true as well if the drone is too much for you - just have a muffler shop weld a bigger resonator (stupid idea but better than going back to stock).

A few tips for the install: Make sure you have a good amount of clearance under the car, especially where the jpipe/midpipe connection is. The mufflers ended up sitting really low and off-center in respect to the bumper cutouts and looked ultra dumb, so I bought really strong zip ties from Lowes and used those on the hinges where the rubber hangers sit and just pulled them closer together. Those areas don't get that hot so it won't melt the zipties. You can try stiffer hangers but if the exhaust sits uneven, zip ties are the only solution! I want to adjust mine a bit more so it sits really close to the bumper (looks better that way). It won't melt the plastic. Also, if the tips sit too far out it means you're using too thick of a gasket from jpipe to exhaust. This is what determines the tip position as it's not adjustable otherwise. You can get a 2x thick gasket for it or use no gasket and just apply a bead of high temp silicone to add/reduce how far the tips sit.

Let me know if you have any questions, just hit me up via PM or here. I am really excited about this exhaust and usually don't care for writing reviews unless it's something that gives me a wow factor and has to be shared. I've read tons of reviews on the MAperformance site and watched a bunch of videos. None of that is as good as the thing looks/sounds in person. Just keep in mind, when people say there is no drone they are bs-ing: there is drone. The question is whether or not the drone level is right for you.
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Old 08-01-2018, 04:22 PM   #2
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they are pretty nice. great review
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Old 08-11-2018, 08:31 PM   #3
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Love the sound of the exhaust. Thanks for the review
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Old 08-11-2018, 08:32 PM   #4
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Great review
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Old 08-23-2018, 09:38 PM   #5
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I appreciate your insight!
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Old 10-27-2018, 08:06 PM   #6
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I'm looking into getting these in the future for my girlfriend, so thank you
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Old 12-09-2018, 01:44 PM   #7
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Hey everyone, just a small update to this thread... I recently did a resonator "delete" on my R400 and I dig the subtle change. Not as much difference on camera, but very noticeable in person. Just a simple chop and replaced with a straight pipe at a muffler shop for around 100 bucks.

What's the difference? You get way more turbo spool at any rpm, also other small sounds that were muffled and lost in the resonator. The sound, overall, became a bit crispier and clearer, if that makes sense... The exhaust is naturally very deep in tone, so this mod sort of cranks up the treble and lowers the bass. Check out my video on it on my channel (TheShaddix).



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Old 01-13-2019, 10:32 PM   #8
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Thank you for the in depth review. Getting a CBE soon for my CVT. I have been looking at almost every option out there, narrowed it down to this, AWE, Mishimoto, and ETS. Think I might go for the r400, I keep going back to it, even though a lot of people have it (I am in oregon and this and Nameless are the most popular out here). Can't get the invidia downpipe just yet as i like my warranty but once that is up, yes.
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Old 01-29-2019, 01:11 PM   #9
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Got my R400 installed last week and have been immensely enjoying it. It seems very loud to me inside the car on cold start but seeing as this is a much deeper sound than stock... it actually does not shake my building in the morning, which was a good unseen benefit for me (and my wife seeing as I leave for work in the morning while she is still zzz). There is a bit of a drone, especially when you get >2k RPM's but like TheShaddix, I really enjoy the drone. I have a 2016 WRX Limited so I do have better sound isolation than other 2016 models so that probably helps keep it down when the windows and moon roof are closed. The quad tips are 4'' and look glorious on the car, a full 1'' wider than stock and even stick out about a full 1'' longer than stock, which gives it a nice look from the sides.

The only negative I have is the tip fitting when installed. The passenger side fit perfect, equal distance on both sides to the back opening. The driver side, on the other hand, was leaning a lot to the right, very close to touching the sides. I had to do some slight adjustments to make it even and look good.
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Old 01-29-2019, 01:14 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Quark View Post
Got my R400 installed last week and have been immensely enjoying it. It seems very loud to me inside the car on cold start but seeing as this is a much deeper sound than stock... it actually does not shake my building in the morning, which was a good unseen change for me (and my wife seeing as I leave for work in the morning while she is still zzz). There is a bit of a drone, especially when you get >2k RPM's but like TheShaddix, I really enjoy the drone. I have a 2016 WRX Limited so I do have better sound isolation than other 2016 models so that probably helps keep it down when the windows and moon roof are closed. The quad tips are 4'' and look glorious on the car, a full 1'' wider than stock and even stick out about a full 1'' longer than stock, which gives it a nice look from the sides.

The only negative I have is the tip fitting when installed. The passenger side fit perfect, equal distance on both sides to the back opening. The driver side, on the other hand, was leaning a lot to the right, very close to touching the sides. I had to do some slight adjustments to make it even and look good.
Hey, take a look at my yt channel, I have a video on how to fix the fitment issue with zipties. I had to do that on my r400 as the tips sat really uneven and low. My channel is the same name as here. The video is the one with the black wrx.
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Old 01-29-2019, 01:17 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShaddix View Post
Hey, take a look at my yt channel, I have a video on how to fix the fitment issue with zipties. I had to do that on my r400 as the tips sat really uneven and low. My channel is the same name as here. The video is the one with the black wrx.
I watched all of your R400 videos prior to clicking the purchase button. very informative and helpful... appreciate it a ton.
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Old 01-29-2019, 01:20 PM   #12
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Thanks! Yeah just use those fat zip ties from Lowes, that's what I did. Unless you've already fixed it all the way. Check out my Instagram at craft_tech to see how it currently looks. The tips sit super close to the bumper now, no issues with the plastic melting. Looks way better.
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Old 04-22-2019, 10:48 AM   #13
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Is this loud enough so that i can avoid conversation with a passenger?
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Old 04-22-2019, 12:05 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johncar View Post
Is this loud enough so that i can avoid conversation with a passenger?
No, not loud enough for that. You'll still be forced into a conversation with the passenger. You'd need a single exit fully decatted system to accomplish the goal.
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Old 01-28-2020, 02:36 PM   #15
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I have the r400 on my 19’ sti and im looking at selling it and going with an ETS extreme. I dont like the drone and the ETS just sounds so much better than the r400. (Had it for 6 months)
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Old 01-28-2020, 04:20 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SubieSteveSTI View Post
I have the r400 on my 19’ sti and im looking at selling it and going with an ETS extreme. I dont like the drone and the ETS just sounds so much better than the r400. (Had it for 6 months)
If you're on a stock downpipe or jpipe, it'll sound like crap. Other than that, the drone is nonexistent after a day of driving. At least on a wrx...
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Old 01-28-2020, 04:31 PM   #17
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I have seen alot of your you tube videos, keep up the great work. Car looks awesome by the way.
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Old 02-27-2020, 10:30 PM   #18
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Thanks for the review. Anyone know how the sound compares to the Borla catback?
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Old 05-05-2020, 10:50 AM   #19
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Default Wanted it to be loud!

I have a r400 on my 19 wrx and i want it to be louder. I watch your youtube videos and i love the sound. The only thing is i am not ready to go catless jpipe and do some tunes. Can you just do a resornator delete without tuning? And will it be safe. Is their a aftermarket pipe that deletes the resonator or the only option is to go to a muffler shop and cut it ?
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Old 05-05-2020, 11:31 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rapt.i View Post
I have a r400 on my 19 wrx and i want it to be louder. I watch your youtube videos and i love the sound. The only thing is i am not ready to go catless jpipe and do some tunes. Can you just do a resornator delete without tuning? And will it be safe. Is their a aftermarket pipe that deletes the resonator or the only option is to go to a muffler shop and cut it ?
I have a catted jpipe but it does require a tune. No, they don't sell a pipe without the resonator, so muffler shop is the only way. Don't bother with it unless going with an aftermarket jpipe. This exhaust with the stock jpipe sounds ok, but you're missing out big time. Keep it as is until you're ready to go the 9 yards.
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Old 01-30-2021, 11:00 AM   #21
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very good review, I think I've seen you on youtube, if that's the same name you go by. I can't wait to get an R400 for myself.
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Old 07-08-2021, 12:57 PM   #22
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In my case I had one and I had to change it at 100 km because I could not stand the noise on the road, it is valid if you always want to be pressing the accelerator in that case it sounds fantastic. my car is STI not wrx maybe that's why.
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Old 08-15-2021, 12:05 PM   #23
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Great review was looking for an in depth look on these. I might be sold. Thank you!
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Old 08-20-2021, 10:38 AM   #24
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dominikid View Post
Great review was looking for an in depth look on these. I might be sold. Thank you!
hard to find right now, but i know a guy with a few
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