toystry

So yesterday my Joe-Z intake tube arrived. Quality was superb, nice welds, hardware was good, my only gripe is that the color of the tube doesn't match the blue inside the engine bay as much as I thought it would. Oh well, not the end of the word but a better color match would have made it PERFECT.

I was going to do a how-to-video on this install, but it's really not needed. Unscrew the bolts, remove, reinstall, that simple. Only tools you need are a phillips or flathead (or 8mm socket), some windex or water as lubricant to slide the tubes on when reinstalling and about 20 mins to install.

Here are some pics:

Before (Stock intake tube installed):




After (Joe-Z intake tube installed):






Air Valve Modification:

EDIT: After running this modification two days I reinstalled it. I had a terrible lag/pause when trying to accelerate.

I also did the intake valve modification while I was under the hood. I had a box of plugs laying around which was convenient however you can also do this modification by simply unplugging the electrical harness next to the tube/intake valve. Not sure I'm a fan of this yet, I'll give it a day or two of driving but I may switch it back.

kareemRCF

Nice.

Is your filter stock?

Do you feel any difference in sound or performance?

Ryanmcd

I did that intake mod of having the flap open all the time, the car felt more sluggish at low RPM, not sure why maybe because at low speeds it was sucking in a lot of hot air or maybe the car was tuned for it to be closed. Let me know what you think but I changed it back after a week.

toystry

Yes, it's a stock filter. As for sound difference, it's more throaty with the valve open. The Joe-Z intake made no difference "sound wise". Sheet of paper inside that had directions said 4-6 whp is gained but I can't tell any "seat of the pants" difference. I didn't do it for HP gains, I just liked the look of the anodized intake tube look.

I thought the same thing on my first drive. I'm gonna give it a couple hundred miles and see how I feel about it. On a longer drive home this afternoon it felt more peppy, we will see though. I also don't like the idea of the air filter being exposed (open) at slower speeds (think dusty roads at low speeds).

mjeds

what exactly is the point of this air valve modification?

Ryanmcd

More intake noise

JCtx

I'm probably going to put mine back to stock as well. There's no drawback now that's cooler. But in summer, and especially in traffic, there's more heatsoak for sure. Granted, above 3,600 rpm the flap is going to open anyway. But when closed, the intake gets the air ahead of the hood's seal and radiator, so as cool as it's going to get. If I had an exhaust, I'd be inclined to have the flat closed all the time. But at WOT, airflow might be restricted. All depends if Lexus designed the intake before thinking of the flap or after. The passage is narrow but long. It might be okay, but until somebody checks how much air the engine needs at WOT @ redline vs the intake box, I won't close it. But I'm one who thinks that stupid gimmick should have been user-activated, just like the fake sound in sport+. I'd have only used the intake flap in sport+ rather than the fake sound. The worst thing with the fake sound is it doesn't work with the throttle closed, so it screams fake. He he.

Hey Toystry, I'd cap the valve as well buddy. I used small caps I had laying around from my motorcycles. Looks cleaner. And if you don't want a soft code in your ECU, don't disconnect the connector (you don't want any crap in there either). Let us know if you like it or not. But in summer, it'd definitely be better to reverse it.

LXSDO

As I've taken an understanding, ASC is not fake sound. The speakers emit frequency to cancel out unwanted sounds, thereby providing you more pure sound. Not something synthesized.

LXSDO

Was just thinking of doing the vacuum cap, but sounds like there's some trade offs.

Great looking intake!

JCtx

You need to take it back. IT IS synthesized. First of all, it says in the manual. But it's easy to prove by yourself. When steadily accelerating up a hill at 3K rpm or so (nothing changing), just switch between sport and sport+ and you'll immediately hear the fake noise on and off. By the way, it's just ONE speaker behind the dash, independent of the audio system. It's the #1 on the pic below. Sorry to disappoint you buddy. Oh, and in case you didn't know, there's another 'gimmicky' (but not fake) noise made by the intake above 3,800 rpm or so, but this one is made in any mode. The fake sport+ noise is made all the time, and on top of the intake one. Hope this clarify things.

05RollaXRS

It is not fake. Officially, they are 100% real noises. Only being added in S+. Those are all additional real noises being channeled into the cabin through the speaker, according to the chief engineer. These motor noises cannot be heard in the cabin in other mods due to deadening/insulation. The only trickery in it is, those are the specific frequencies the engineers wanted to channel into the cabin. With the ASC, they cancel out the unpleasant noise frequencies and only the specific frequencies the engineers wanted to be funneled into the cabin, are sent through the speaker.

ba2sy

iTrader: (1)

@toystry: How come it doesn't have the JoeZ sticker/decal?

LXSDO

Thanks for the info, I'll try your trick.

JCtx

The sport+ noise is fake man. I own the freaking car, and know what I'm talking about. It's the same with BMWs and other cars. Supposedly synthesized from the same engine, but synthesized nonetheless. It's a freaking speaker making the noise, for crying outloud. If you owned the car would easily test it the way I said, so you'll have to take my word for it. The intake noise above 3,800 rpm is not fake, and you hear it thru the firewall. This car has no piping into the cabin, which would have been better than opening a flap inside the engine compartment, where is hot as hell in summer (heatsoak). This car has absolutely no electronic cabin noise reduction. As far as I know, Bose has that patented... but it's crap. Have had several cars with that, and it makes no difference whatsoever in a car.

djeayzonne

ELP, why are you always so aggressive and melodramatic?

As much as you post, I think everyone would appreciate it if you toned it down a bit. Sometimes you seem to have good info to share, but TBH, I think most people just skim or completely ignore you because of your tone.