I was looking for a relatively inexpensive intake for my 2001 GS300. My goal was to find a cost effective way to increase MPG out of the heavy boat. Originally, I wanted to use the JoeZ intake from an IS300 but JoeZ was not sure if it would fit and didn't seem willing or interested to test fit one on a GS300 (he never got back to my first PM and finally responded to my second pm about a week and a half later). I decided to look around on my.is to see if I could find a cheap one for sale when I stumbled across this thread. (there are actually like 3-5 different threads if you use the search function on my.is)

http://my.is/forums/f88/cheap-intake-245979/

I found that a member there created a relatively cheap intake from an universal intake. The IS300 shares the same maf and engine as the 01+ GS300. I decided to take the plunge and try it on a GS300. It works with a few differences. The pipe does have an angle to it. You need to cut it so that it sits relatively flush with the stock intake box. I also noticed that the stock intake box with tubes on the IS300 is actually longer than the GS300 box. The MAF on the IS300 sits closer to the air filter than the GS300. Therefore, I had to cut off more material on the spectre pipe. (once you look at the pictures below you will understand what I am describing)

My plans are to sand blast the pipe with my media blaster and paint everything black. This is mainly to achieve a clean stock look and to avoid any potential hassles with CA LEO's (this is illegal in CA because it is not carb certified). If I ever needed to open my hood, most would not be able to tell a difference, especially since I am utilizing the stock air box. I would have went with a IS300 intake that was CARB approved but GlobeCLK mentioned that the bends in the IS300 intake are different and they may not fit without modification. The Fujita and WeaponR intakes are not CARB approved in CA and I will bet K&N will not be coming out with an intake for the 01+

The stock piece is actually quite restrictive and weighs a lot for a small piece. It has a baffled chamber to reduce air flow and noise.

After putting the tube in, the noise increased. I could feel a little more acceleration and the car seemed peppier. (This could also be all in my head). It will work with 98-00 GS300's (see the thread mcgong started below). I have not set off any CEL's. Hopefully I will see an increase in my gas mileage.

Please read the thread on my.is in detail if you are interested in doing this. You want to make sure that you leave the pipe "floating" in between the air box and the intake manifold to avoid any rubbing. Again please read the thread in detail.

I hope this helps anyone looking for a cheaper solution for an intake.

FYI, I am unsure if the IS300 JoeZ intake would work. My guess would be that it could work with some modification.

(mods please leave this thread in the main section for a few days so that more GS300 owners will be able to see it.)

 

Parts needed:

#1
Brand: Spectre Performance
Part#: 8219
Specifications: 3", 3" Coupler, 2-1/2" Reducing Ring, Breather Tube W/ Fittings
Details: Spectre's 3" Air Intake Kit Fits Many Applications And Features A 6061-T6 Polished Aluminum Body Tube, Mass-Air Flow Coupler/Reducer, Air Sensor Tube And Adaptors And Support Brackets.


#2
Brand: Spectre Performance
Part#: 8771
Coupler


#3
Metal Saw

#4
Common sense

#5
Patience

Parts 1 and 2 can be purchased at your local autozone / kragen / orileys or on amazon.
Part 3 can be purchased at home depot / lowes / home improvement store.

Parts 4 and 5 can only be achieved by doing.

If you purchase the parts @ autozone the cost is below.
*Universal Intake tube: $39.99
*Intake tube coupler: $4.99
*Tax @ 8.25% (CA): $4.54
*Total: $49.52

 

Pictures of the product installed.
*note these are not my pictures*
This is on an IS300 but should give you an idea of what it looks like installed.

http://my.is/forums/f88/autozone-int...er-mod-286976/

 

Do you plan to buy the heat shield to wrap around the metal tube...if not that tube will get all the heat from the engine.You can see its very close to the header...just my 2 cents.

 

Interesting....I may do this when I'm bored. I had an eBay intake, and it set off my cell later on because the positioning on the MAFS was not correct.

 

The stock piece has a really dinky heat shield. I doubt it helped much. I want it to look as stock as possible so I will not be adding one.

 

any hi-flow filter dropped in?? or just stock??

 

Using the K&N filter. You can use any filter that you prefer though.

 

I believe mcgong did the same thing a few years ago.

This is basically the same as the PLP (Pro Lex Performance) Intake.

 

Interesting, he did it on his 98-00 GS300.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...nt-intake.html

I am considering buying exhaust wrap to wrap around the exhaust manifold but its pricey. On top of that, the GS300 has pre-cats on the manifold itself. It would probably keep the heat down.

It looks like he created a custom heat shield.

 

Hi Chris

Congrats on your DIY intake install...


^^ Are you sure about that??

 

what's the point of this mod again?

 

these are the points....
2 gain some horsepower while attempting to keep a NON CARB approved intake unnoticeable which was stated in the pingu's first post (below)

 

if you paint that polished pipe in crinkle black it'll look even more like the factory did it and make it even less likely to get you in trouble

 

Great DIY, I always thought about doing this, now I know I can because someone else did