When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
A trusted local mechanic is always a better choice than the Lexus dealership. The whole point of buying a Lexus is that the car is reliable and universally understood enough to be worked on easily by others. It's not an exotic luxury car that requires a special work. We must take advantage of its plebian status.
tl/dr: based on my limited understanding and experience, that intake doesn't look like it would help, and could even reduce real-world performance. Note that the claimed increased in HP is based on dyno numbers from an RC-F from 5 years ago - and that dyno was probably done with the hood open (which would allow plenty of cool air to be taken in), not closed (which would limit the intake to mostly hot air from the engine compartment) - and that makes almost ALL the difference - the rest depends on how much the intake interferes with the accuracy of what the MAF is measuring. Dyno numbers don't tell the whole story - if aem provided acceleration measurements with an IS 500 on the road with the hood closed on a not-too-warm, but not-too-cool (70F or thereabouts) day, I'd be less suspicious.
A slightly deeper dive:
I forget where I read it, but I'm pretty sure I've read and possibly heard in at least one YouTube video that nobody has been able to improve on the IS 500 stock air box, which is why there isn't a large selection of intakes that replace the airbox even though the IS 500 has been out for a couple years now. I haven't even seen anyone release mods for the ram-air portion of the stock intake to get more cold air in through there, which would typically be the low-hanging fruit for gathering more cool-air charge for the engine (most likely due to issues with confusing the MAF, if I had to guess). Based on the picture of that intake, it looks like it would be taking air in from the engine compartment which would almost surely be of no benefit at all when the hood is closed - it's not only about getting as much air in the engine as you can, it's about getting as much not-hot air in the engine as you can (while also not confusing the MAF). That's why RR Racing's claim that their heat-shield can result in a yield of up to 11 extra HP isn't unbelievable - it's allowing the intake to grab more cool air, as a ratio of its intake, than what is available from the engine compartment alone, and that cooler charge is what you really want - as well as making sure that any air coming in is being properly measured by the MAF, which the RR Racing heat-shield does not interfere with. I'm no expert, but if you want to hear it from an actual expert with decades of proven work in the performance industry, check out Gale Banks' videos on YouTube (Banks Power) - he can be salty at times, but the guy has been doing this stuff for decades and he's been doing it with data, not just by the seat of his pants - he is focused mostly on Duramax/diesel engines, but don't let that dissuade you - dig into his videos and you'll see he covers a lot more than diesel and has an amazing grasp on what does and doesn't work and why. He even has some videos specifically about intakes and about how dyno numbers can be deceiving. And, in this case, based on what I've learned from his videos (and 40 or so years of modifying and tinkering with cars myself - among other sources over those decades), I don't see that intake being of any real benefit in actual driving conditions (with the hood closed) - in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it resulted in a measurable loss of power (again, when used with the hood closed) or, at best, a mixed result (e.g. worse in the city, slightly better on the highway). Absent some form of real-world performance measurements (not open-hood dyno testing), I would recommend spending your money on something that has been tested in real-world conditions.
the best mod, IMHO of course, is what a member of fb did. he routed a flex tube from the passenger side lower grille and routed it up to the bottom of the air box; to more ram air into that side. I also believe he has the RR Racing shield to assist in blocking the hotter air in the eng bay
Yesterday, I installed Swift Springs, an Apexi resonated midpipe and Bonos spacers. Car looks and feels so good though the midpipe sounds a little underwhelming. Definitely better than stock but I will probably be adding an axle back too.
Yesterday, I installed Swift Springs, an Apexi resonated midpipe and Bonos spacers. Car looks and feels so good though the midpipe sounds a little underwhelming. Definitely better than stock but I will probably be adding an axle back too.
LOL, I was so impatient to drive it after the install I forgot to take good pictures. I will when the weather is better. Here are the before install and immediately after install side shots though. The front settled quick but it took a couple of drives around the block and the rears settled too. Drove it about 50 miles after the install and retorqued the lugs. Rake now looks perfect in my opinion.
Yep. The IS-F 6 piston calipers bolt right up to our stock front rotors with no modifications or brackets. All you need is to bend the dust shields a little to accommodate the bigger caliper.
01-18-24 | 08:55 AM
