lazerlazer

Hello everyone. Im 30 and will be 31 on the 15th of December. I currently own a 2007 Acura TL Type S with 60k miles, with some modifications including the following; Tein S Tech lowering springs, Koni yellow shocks, AEM V2 CAI ATLP J-pipe, 3rd cat delete, Billy boat performance exhaust & the type s comes loaded with the brembos navi bluetooth, etc etc, also have cross drilled and slotted rotors, i run dunlop direzza star specs z1 in the summer. Im pretty active on acurazine.com. Needless to say I like adding performance, and I like Luxury and performance.

I enjoy my FWD car especially in the winter, and i like my interior a little more than the IS-F, especially the door panels.... ( i run michellen x ice 2 in winter), but now my wife works in town so when it will be actually snowing i will be hitching a ride with her., but regardless i only work 2 miles from my house.

Anyway I've been lurking on here for a month or so, as im looking to selling my Acura and getting back into a Lexus with some real HP. The IS-F to be exact. I will be looking to sell my car in summer and hopping to get around $15k for it, and I'm looking to get a 2010 & newer IS-f with lower miles (no more preferably than 30k miles) for around $45,000 (if possible by that time.), bringing the final payment price to $30,000.

I have a few questions... For you guys and i found some out by researching on here. My questions is the difference of pre 2010 and post 2010 models. What i concluded are the following, please add

LSD in 2010+
2010+ Tach in center of instrument panel
2010+ different interior color/scheme????

What else is different between these years. also WHEN i do get my car one of the first things i will be doing is FULL exhaust.

What are my header choices??? Sickky is one of them... what are others?? I read reviews on the Sickky headers and probably will be staying away from those as problems/issues seem to have arisen..

To install the headers how labor intensive is it??? Is there a DIY? Do i need to pull/rock the motor? I can tackle most simple bolt on mods , but i wont be pulling the motor that's for sure. Is there someone in the Milwaukee Area/Chicago that is willing to lend a hand ?

It looks like i will be getting the JOe-z intake & the exhaust, but is there other full exhaust aftermarket manufacturers?

Is there any problems i should be aware about with these cars? any reoccurring common issues?

Thanks for your help! And hopefully you will see me soon enough on here with my new IS-F. I know its going to be a hard long wait!

BTW if you wanna youtube my car, you can find it by searching my name lazerlazer81

Gymkata

First of all...welcome. Second, that was a lot of questions. I will address just a few. The search function will be your friend when trying to find answers to these questions. There is a ton of info on this forum that answers every question you have.

I have Sikky headers and so do several other ISF owners I know in the MD/NVA area. All are extremely happy with the headers and have no issues whatsoever. Regarding exhausts you have a ton of options. The main routes that most go are a full catback exhaust from JoeZ, ISS Forged, or Borla. You really can't go wrong with any of them. Borla is the least expensive by a decent margin and will give you as much or more power gains, which is why I went for that brand. It is also extremely easy to install by yourself. Regarding prices for a MY2010 in summer 2013, I'm sure you could probably find a few ISFs in the $45k range at that time. I am not entirely sure, but the three changes you stated are the primary ones, and there was a wheel style change in 2010 as well (a slightly negtive change IMO). There are no major reoccurring problems with any year ISF that I am aware of. Most have had no problems whatsoever. I have a 2008 with 43k and couldn't be happier.

Once again "Search" is your friend, and happy ISF hunting.

Wakemaker8

iTrader: (1)

I just bought a certified pre-owned 2010 about 2 months ago for 47k so I'm sure you will be able to find something in your budget with decent mileage. I think the center tach is only MY11+ as my 2010 still has the side by side tach and speedo. Like gymkata said exhaust really comes down to sound preference. take the time to listen to different combinations on youtube to find what fits your liking the best.

Lexura1414

iTrader: (6)

2011 and up have the most changes i.e. suspension, LSD, center tach, better ride etc..

darbs242

iTrader: (5)

All of your questions have answer on here if you take some time to search. For the record there are no problems with sikky headers... Huge gains. You will not be doing the headers your self without some experience and a lift. Shops typically charge between 450-700 to change the headers. Cat back is easy. Hps or Joe z intake unless you plan to run a bottle then go injen. Should be able to find a 10-11 in that price range. Much bigger maintenance cost on brakes/ oil changes and tires than your TL. IS-F don't have known problems, clarkson claims he will eat his laptop if one brakes. Good luck on the hunt for a good deal.

lexsane

2010 and up also have the led day time running lights.

I went from a 2005 Acura TL A-spec with intake and exhaust to a 2008 IS-F...
the acura interior is nice but I hated getting beat by other cars with V8's..
That won't happen in IS-F

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

Guys, that simply is not true. There have been workmanship issues with Sikky as well as o2 simulator issues. And, there are folks running Sikky headers with PPE o2 simulators.

IMHO, both PPE and Sikky produce similar gains. The workmanship and fit and finish are superior on the PPE. The Latest PPE design does not require relocation of the dipstick.

And, as been suggested, the OP needs to do some searches and decide for himself which mods will suit his needs. This forum is an invaluable source of information on the ISF. I have made many decisions from the information gleaned here, and hopefully I have added information that will be of use to the new owner of an ISF and to the new members of this forum.

Lou

IceIridium

iTrader: (2)

Nope, 2011 and up only. (Unless you change them out. )

If you really want to get specific, most 2011's have LED DRL using a slightly warmer LED color temp inside a matte black headlight housing. However some folks reported bubbling of the inside paint from heat. Somewhere along the way between the 2011 to 2012 transition they updated the headlights with LEDs using slightly cooler LED color temp inside a gloss black headlight housing, along with added creases in the outer plastic lens (presumably to deflect sunlight). These are much less prone to the "bubbling" but some have still reported it especially those living in hot climate areas.

BULLIT

My car is a 2010 build MY11 update and has LED DRL's, updated steering wheel, suspension etc.

vbb

iTrader: (3)

LazerLazer has some more reading to do. I've never understood guys that plan out their power modifications before even driving the car in its stock form though. It's kind of like those people that put salt on their food without tasting it first.

My suggestion is to find a nice, low-mileage 2010 first, and then figure it out from there. If you look hard enough and wait a little while, you can probably even find a 2011 for maybe slightly above your price range, and that'll give you the new tach and DRLs if that's what you want.

MisterSkiz

iTrader: (2)

Congrats on making it past 30! :P I'm the same age.

If the car is going to be your daily driver, you need to think twice about putting headers on it.

These cars do not allow tuning like Honda, GM, Ford....so you cannot delete the functionality that will check for rear O2 Sensors and will trigger a Check Engine Light. The header manufacturers supply a module that modifies the voltage coming from sensors, however as has been shown on the forums, this sometimes still triggers a check engine light and can create headaches.

In regards to a catback exhaust, the OEM exhaust is actually pretty deep and has a ever so slight drone to it. As I have said in past threads, my toy car was a LS2 GTO with Full Long Tube Headers, No Cats and a catback exhaust with resonators only. While smelling like gas and the loud, raspy noise was fun for a little bit at a time, I couldn't imagine dealing with that day in and day out.

The IS-F does have a vaccum accuated intake that opens at around 3800rpms, and does make the car sound deep and throaty.

After a long day of dealing with moron business people, I love getting in my car that can be quiet and smooth, but I can turn into another animal as I please.

Also, the suspension is set up from the factory to be perfect for street/track handling. I wouldn't go ripping that out.....

IceIridium

iTrader: (2)

....So it's a 2011 model year built in 2010? That still makes it a 2011 car right?

flowrider

iTrader: (9)

When the headers and the o2 simulator are installed properly they work as intended. I can personally attest to that. Oh, I'm 74 and have been driving mildly modified cars for more years than I care to remember.

Lou

Roffles

I don't mean to derail the topic, but what do folks do in states where smog checks are required? California is so strict that most companies don't even bother trying to get smog certifications for their products. Even if it's a friendly place that lets you get past the visual inspection, I'm guessing +50whp headers are probably going to throw the car off the emissions passing baseline.

Gymkata

Hey Lou,

I know you are a big PPE fan (and from what I have heard they are great).

Please only quote me for your disagreement purposes if you have understood what I typed. I said that I and several other guys I know in my area that have Sikky headers are all very pleased with the product. None of us have had any problems with them whatsoever. Nothing I typed claimed to be speaking for everybody that has purchased Sikky headers. I was just pointing out that everybody I have personally met loves them to death.