So I was looking for a decat exhaust set up for my SVJ (based in the UK). I was looking for the typical F1 sound / scream so had shortlisted Gintani and Brilliant.
After watching numerous hours of youtube and social media videos and also after hearing a friends Gintani my view was that the Gintani had a lovely F1 sound but it was RAW LOUD sound.
The Brilliant on the other hand was a much more refind sound - very much F1 but way more "tuned".
The Gintani was much louder on start up (valved or not) compared to the Brilliant - this was the selling point for me as I live in a cul de sac so keeping my neighbours happy early mornings and late night was a win win.
The Gintani was also much louder with the vavles open in the low rev range from 1000-4000 RPM and I found that as you go faster it became less tame.
The Brilliant on the other hand really comes in to life after 4000 RPM where its an absolute animal of a sound!!
The build quality of the Brilliant vs Gintani is just a no brainer, The Brilliant is just a work of art to look at and the materials and weld felt a way lot better. Sasaki San takes great pride in his system and this is surely "visible".
The Brilliant comes with a remote valve controller kit (So you can keep the valves open as needed) as well which I think the Gintani does not have as standard.
Another big decision making point for me was that I was told that to get the full potential (sound / pops bangs / flames) from the Gintani requires the "Gintani map" which is the ECU remap.
The Brilliant does NOT need a map to sound immense and throw flames. In fact Brilliant do not recommend a map either so how they get this sound out of their system is just insane IMHO!
I am using an ECU Simulator on the Brilliant (as its a decat system) so no ECU light is on.
Price
The Gintani was circa £18,000 in the UK ($24,000) including fitting and the map.
The Brilliant was ordered from Vivid racing in the US - delivered including VAT, customs duty etc cost me £8000 and then another £1700 for heat wrap and fitting so a total of £9700 ($13,000)
Summary (IMHO)
The Brilliant exhaust is a much more "premium product" - better sound (refined), better construction, better at being quiet when you want it to be, and loud when you want it to be, and is nearly half the price! A complete no brainer.
The Gintani has a great sound...no doubt about it...however, the social media love and branding has made the brand what it is. Its just insanely LOUD but not refined at all. Also being US based is a big win for them compare to Japan.
Brilliant on the other hand , are not really on social media. I had to send videos to Sasaki San for him to share something on his Instagram as one of the videos of my car went viral last week! His response was "I don't know how to use Instagram but thank you for alerting me" kinda makes sense as he spends all his time on perfecting the sound coming out of his systems
There is a bit of a language barrier with speaking to the folks at Brilliant as English is not their first language but do not let this put you off!
Some videos of my car below, completely transformed an already amazing car - if you are thinking about it, just stop and do it!
(PS this post was in no way to offend the many Gintani owners and fans on here it was purely my view and my experience)!
After watching numerous hours of youtube and social media videos and also after hearing a friends Gintani my view was that the Gintani had a lovely F1 sound but it was RAW LOUD sound.
The Brilliant on the other hand was a much more refind sound - very much F1 but way more "tuned".
The Gintani was much louder on start up (valved or not) compared to the Brilliant - this was the selling point for me as I live in a cul de sac so keeping my neighbours happy early mornings and late night was a win win.
The Gintani was also much louder with the vavles open in the low rev range from 1000-4000 RPM and I found that as you go faster it became less tame.
The Brilliant on the other hand really comes in to life after 4000 RPM where its an absolute animal of a sound!!
The build quality of the Brilliant vs Gintani is just a no brainer, The Brilliant is just a work of art to look at and the materials and weld felt a way lot better. Sasaki San takes great pride in his system and this is surely "visible".
The Brilliant comes with a remote valve controller kit (So you can keep the valves open as needed) as well which I think the Gintani does not have as standard.
Another big decision making point for me was that I was told that to get the full potential (sound / pops bangs / flames) from the Gintani requires the "Gintani map" which is the ECU remap.
The Brilliant does NOT need a map to sound immense and throw flames. In fact Brilliant do not recommend a map either so how they get this sound out of their system is just insane IMHO!
I am using an ECU Simulator on the Brilliant (as its a decat system) so no ECU light is on.
Price
The Gintani was circa £18,000 in the UK ($24,000) including fitting and the map.
The Brilliant was ordered from Vivid racing in the US - delivered including VAT, customs duty etc cost me £8000 and then another £1700 for heat wrap and fitting so a total of £9700 ($13,000)
Summary (IMHO)
The Brilliant exhaust is a much more "premium product" - better sound (refined), better construction, better at being quiet when you want it to be, and loud when you want it to be, and is nearly half the price! A complete no brainer.
The Gintani has a great sound...no doubt about it...however, the social media love and branding has made the brand what it is. Its just insanely LOUD but not refined at all. Also being US based is a big win for them compare to Japan.
Brilliant on the other hand , are not really on social media. I had to send videos to Sasaki San for him to share something on his Instagram as one of the videos of my car went viral last week! His response was "I don't know how to use Instagram but thank you for alerting me" kinda makes sense as he spends all his time on perfecting the sound coming out of his systems
There is a bit of a language barrier with speaking to the folks at Brilliant as English is not their first language but do not let this put you off!
Some videos of my car below, completely transformed an already amazing car - if you are thinking about it, just stop and do it!
(PS this post was in no way to offend the many Gintani owners and fans on here it was purely my view and my experience)!
