Hey guys and gals,
I'll probably post a review of the Injen SRI and some other things for those that are interested at some point, but here's one to hold you over for now......
I'll be reviewing the Injen Super SES exhaust system application for the Hyundai Tiburon GT (in my case, the V6 6spd) today, as well as providing some basic install instructions for you newbies out there.
I ordered and installed the cat back exhaust system just before the turn of the year, right around December 17th or so, and now I feel I'm in a good position to make a few comments about this system. As you'll probably notice by the picture above, the system is a rather attractive one in my opinion, as it comes in stainless steel with polished muffler canisters and a polished resonator just behind the cat. It looks just a little meaner than stock, which is more or less the look I was after.
Included in the exhaust kit are all of the bolts, washers, and gaskets you'll need, although I noticed that my particular kit was short by one gasket, so I needed to re-use one off of my stock exhaust, which was no problem as the pipe size isn't that much off from stock. The Injen measures 2.5" in diameter at the Y pipe. The bolts are smaller than the stock ones, so you'll need to plan accordingly and have the right socket size in metric of course.
The install itself was simple as can be - no directions neccessary. It's an hour job tops. If you're new to it, then all you have to do is simply orientate the pipes in the right direction (you can use the great undercar pictures posted by r100s in his For Sale thread as a guide to get you going). Once you have everything in order, simply put the rear of the car up on jack stands or a lift, then unbolt the stock exhaust (you might need some liquid wrench and a breaker bar depending on how rusted/frozen your stock bolts are). I sprayed mine with Liquid Wrench and let the car sit overnight, and the next morning I didn't even need a breaker bar - just a nice long ratchet handle, and they came loose immediately.
Next, take the stock exhaust off of the rubber hangers (use some WD-40 here to lubricate the hangers and save yourself some aggravation). Then replace everything with the new Injen! (Have a friend help you, or at least hand you parts).
Also, be sure and DO NOT tighten down the bolts yet as you'll need to do some moving and adjusting of the new system to make sure it is aligned as much as possible, and also you want to make sure the gaskets are even in between the pipe fittings. Once you are done, tighten everything down good and snug, and bring the car down. Then fire 'er up! NOW THE GOOD STUFF
After starting my car, I noticed a nice growl, similiar to a cross between say, a Borla and a Greddy exhaust note. Not obnoxiouly loud, but loud enough to get noticed. No Honda "ricer" sounds here! I have often compared the sound of my Tib to the sound of a Nissan 350Z, and I'd say that is as accurate a comparison as any. It sounds nice and even at cruising speed, and once you get on it, the sound rises in pitch and it shrieks like a Banshee! Really nice around town, but it will get you noticed when you want it. I personally feel the Injen sounds terrific when pared up with my SRI, also from Injen. They just seem to go great together both performance and sound wise, which is what components from the same manufacturer should do I suppose.
After about 3 or 4 weeks (this past weekend actually) I went under the car and tightened up the bolts once more as I had started to notice a slight drone and rasp under acceleration. Once I got the bolts snug again, the problem was solved, and I may be imagining this, but the exhaust note has smoothed out even more and it really sounds more like a Greddy system to me now, which is fine by me.
The only minor complaints I could list are the smell when you first install the exhaust and start the car. It is heinous, but goes away within a week. Also, the Injen Super SES moves a little much for my taste on the hangers. Even with everything nice and secure, you can move the whole assembly back and forth (left to right) by hand and get it to sway more easily than the stock system. Of course, not only is the Inen lighter than the stock exhaust, but the canisters are round and smaller as well, and I did lube the hangers, so this could all contribute to the issue. It has had no effect on the performance of the aftermarket system though, and I feel that it was a well spent $600 give or take $20 dollars. The only other complaint I have is that I could never get the exhaust lined up perfectly center. It just seems to want to lean a hair to the left on my car (driver's side).....not anything anyone would notice unless I were to point it out to someone, and you'd have to look for it really, but I'm a perfectionist freak. It does not touch the body work ever at any point though, so all in all, no worries.
I'm into the 2nd month of having the Injen system on my car, and I love it so far......no issues beyond what I have listed, and I felt that I gained a slight bit in the top end of the RPM range when I pared it with my Injen SRI.....not much mind you, but it is a "seat of the pants feeling" at around 5K when I feel the car takes a nice little jump in acceleration. I also did not notice very much loss of low end torque at all, but I also do not have headers yet, so we'll see. I hope this review possibly helped some of you out that might be on the fence concerning which aftermarket exhaust system to go with. There are many to choose from, and they all have slightly different attributes, but if you want a semi-stock look with a difference, and a nice, even killer tone with no rasp, then this might be the system for you. It's now up for consideration by you, the reader, at any rate.
Until another review, take care....
-CableTec
Original review date: Jan 14, 2006 - As an update, I've had the exhaust on for over year now, and no issues at all as of yet except an occasional raspiness (under hard acceleration) which I'm sure will be fixed by me going under the car and tightening down the exhaust bolts once again, or getting an insert to cut down on the drone a bit. We'll see what happens when I add headers and a high flow cat as well. Also, one minor annoyance is that my left exhaust canister seems to be sitting a bit low in relation compared to the right one. I either need a new hanger or I need to readjust the system itself. Other than that, the Injen system is doing perfectly well.
P.S. For this install....the bolts/nuts that come with the kit are metric size 14mm just for reference.
Well, it only took forever, but here are a few vid clips to give any of you that are thinking of purchasing this exhaust system an idea of how it sounds.
