TrevorTran

So last week I ordered a polished Takeda intake from Josh at Meraki Autoworks for my 2013 GS350 F Sport. I live in Cali so I did have to meet up with him to purchase the intake.
First thoughts: there is a huge difference in sound between this intake and the stock sound generator! I'm glad I went with the Takeda instead of K&N or HPS. I had a K&N drop-in filter but didn't notice much of a change from stock, so I was eyeing the polished HPS intake, but it has been out of stock since forever. With the recent threads on CL pertaining to intakes, the Takeda intake kept popping up and so I looked more into it. I finally made a decision to just purchase this, even though it is almost double the price of the HPS, but I would say it is definitely worth it!

The box comes nicely packaged with the intake tube, filter, couplings, fasteners, heat shield, rubber moldings, license plate frame, and a plethora of stickers! The instruction manual is helpful but the pictures are in black and white which makes it a bit hard to see. There is an online PDF version of the manual which is in color, and it makes a world of difference when trying to follow the step by step instructions.
During installation, the instruction manual tells you to use a coupling from the intake to the throttle body that turned out to be a bit short. The intake tube would keep slipping out from the filter to the throttle body, and I wasn't able to tighten the clamps down correctly. Luckily, the package includes a longer coupling which says it is to be used on the RC350 per the instruction manual, but this is the one you need to use in order for the tube to be safely secured at both ends. Everything is pretty self explanatory, it took me about an hour to install including the removal of the stock intake.

After installation, I drove it for about half an hour and it threw a check engine light. I figured one of the couplings wasn't screwed on tight enough so it was probably an air leak. I continued driving it for the rest of the day with the intention of checking it at night to see what the problem was.
That night, I popped the hood, and what happened was the crank case hose slipped off the nipple of the intake and wouldn't stay on with the original clip. This seems to be a problem with the polished version since the smooth surface has no grip to hold the rubber crank case hose. (Not sure about the wrinkled black version, but I don't believe you would have this problem). So I had to go to Home Depot and purchase a hose clamp for less than a dollar which solved the problem! I drove the car around for another day and the CEL automatically cleared itself. I also noticed that when tightening the hose clamps, it is better to use an 8mm hex socket instead of a flathead screwdriver as the socket has more surface area to hold onto. I initially tightened all the clamps with a flathead when I installed the intake, and when I noticed the crank case hose issue that night, I used an 8mm socket to re-check the clamps and they were all still loose! So it is definitely recommended to make sure the clamps, MAF sensor, and crank case hose are all tight before test driving.

Overall, I definitely recommend the Takeda intake. I was all for the HPS intake initially due to it retaining the sound generator, but being that it was out of stock for so long, maybe it was a blessing in disguise. The Takeda has a growl around 3k rpm and above that really brings the car to life!
There are only two regrets I have: 1. I should've purchased this intake sooner, and 2. I am finding every excuse to mash the throttle for it to get up to 3k rpm and above just to hear the intake roar! Anything below 3k is quiet like stock, which is great if you just want to cruise and not attract attention. Now with my new driving style, this may mean more trips to the gas station, but with a car such as the GS350 F Sport, it's not the miles per gallon, it's the smiles per gallon!

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

Awesome man, you got me hyped for mine, I get it today. I was driving around last night and accelerated hard from a light with my stock intake and I thought that it sounded really amazing for being stock. If it gets any better I'll be really happy. I don't know if its the combination of my awd and the apexi accel I have on red, but my car just shoots off the line. I really need to do a 0-60 test with it because it feels alot quicker than what is claimed with stock, awd gives me instant traction. Happy to hear about the caveats as well to look out for so I dont throw engine codes. I went with polished also, I think it gives more contrast in the engine bay, the black looks too stock to me.

viperr

iTrader: (1)

Glad to hear you guys like your intakes. I think if I didn't get the exhaust, I would have gone the Takeda route rather than the HPS.

TrevorTran

I agree, even in stock form it sounds great with the sound generator. But I can guarantee that you will love the sound of the Takeda once you install it. I park in a structure at work, and I intentionally drive all the way up to the top so that I can hear the sound of the intake reverberating inside the structure as I gas it!
Yeah, I went with polished for the looks also. But let me know if you run into any trouble when installing! I think the intake paired with your apexi accel and awd would be a great combination! You're definitely going to have some fun

TrevorTran

What exhaust do you have? My next purchase will probably be the Joe Z catback exhaust for RWD.

jtrue28

Will this same intake fit 2016 models? Tried searching online to purchase one...nothing is showing up for my model year...

Glad this is a better option for an intake... Thanks for sharing OP.

TrevorTran

Yes it will. If you look at the link to the official aFe website at the bottom, it says

Also Fits:
2013-2017 Lexus GS 350/ F Sport V6-3.5L "

Here's the link:
http://afepower.com/afe-power-tr-201...-intake-system

Both polished and black will fit your 2016. The difference is the polished intake uses a dry filter, and the black intake uses an oiled filter. Not sure if there is any advantage to either, but I bought the polished for the looks, and no maintenance needed on the dry filter when cleaning. Hope this helps!

JM Auto Racing

iTrader: (1)

Yes it will.
We have some amazing low prices on this intake if you are interested!

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

Thanks Trevor for the great write up!

Yes sir, you can get your intake from us for a great price, like the OP did.

-Josh

e60bmw

iTrader: (1)

Just put mine in today, install was straight forward. Looks GREAT in the engine bay, I highly recommend the polished route. I took it around the block because its raining and just detailed the car but had to drive it. Accelerated past 4k, and I was kinda shocked at how loud it was, I love it! Lol
Can't wait to try it more, made me forget about the sound generator, it sounds like a animal. The design is really good IMO, alot of cars have it more as a hot air intake. The GS actually has air ducks which feed air into the stock airbox. The takeda uses a heat shield and lets the air ducks flow into the filter which is really good. There is also holes under where the air filter is which also helps have it as more "cold air".

mikesd1980

I agree with all above. I installed mines today as well. I forgot it was until I went to merge on the highway. Man this thing sounds amazing and it's real sound instead of the sound generator(fake sound)!!! Can't wait for my exhaust to show up. 🚘🚘🚘

viperr

iTrader: (1)

I have the Invidia catback exhaust. Based on all the many discussions in the past (to avoid using the search field), here is the most recent one from last week about exhaust comparisons: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...t-systems.html

Meraki Autoworks

iTrader: (8)

Everyone on this thread took advantage of our sale!

Invidia sale time?

-Josh

TheWizard

Excellent review.

Now all we need are pics.

Twidge

you will need to change the hose clamps so that it doesnt come off.. the wrinkle black intake falls off as well with the stock hose clamps on that vent tube