I thought it was a good article too...

For the record, Lexus could never be mad at me...

The "Joe Z Intake" for the IS250 / IS350 was released in the Spring of 2006..

**** F-Sport didn't come out till sometime in 2008.

Ever wonder why they didn't make another "Short Ram Intake" ?


Best Regards,

Joe Z

 

haha thats cool you were ahead of them.... got me there. i wish all lexus cars had your intake instead at the price you sell em for.
shoot me a pm once you get more ready to roll

 

well put my friend...cause i have mix and match stuff also.
and i would feel kinda bad if this exhaust said tanabe on it our something but like you say it has its own brand m2.... now i would never support a company making stuff under another companies name... thats stealing in my eyes.
good post. but some people are set in there ways and no matter what it is gonna be seen as not cool and some people are gonna dive in and get the deal and save some money to go elsewhere on the car.

this is the great thing about living in america...we all got choices and its a open market.
now only if we could get this damn gas to go down things would be in order lol

 

JoeZ,

Making another batch of your intakes?

 

Yes of course...

 

you're missing the picture.

if you've flipped through this thread and looked at the pics, it looks nearly identical to the tanabe touring medallion axleback system. so much so, you can probably pass it off as one to the unknowing consumer. it's visually obvious that it's a replica, even if it's not called a replica or if it's uniquely branded and marketed.

the context of my discussion is not about the global economy (that's saved for the debate section) but rather about the aftermarket performance parts industry. because the market has become so saturated with counterfeits, fakes, replicas, and knock-offs that these authentic parts manufacturers are feeling the hurt. you can make the argument that these manufacturers left the door open for for replica/knock-off companies to come in and erode their respective market shares, but it's with and from the support of the consumers in the form of buying these replica/knock-off products.

does an authentic body kit warrant its associated price? how about an exhaust system? wheels? if our collective consumer attitude (not just the 2is or lexus "crowd", but the entire population of automotive enthusiasts) is reflected in our preference for generic parts, these authentic manufacturers are likely to no longer cater to us (lack of demand and/or profitability), and those that are (barely) still in business will continue to command a premium knowing that it has to mark up its goods to (barely) break even.

just as much as you wish for people to get off their high horse and stop judging, i wish that automotive enthusiasts would stop supporting these replica/knock-off companies and support authentic manufacturers. if the lessons of BBS (bankrupcy/financial restructuring) and HKS (operations consolidation) aren't enough to prove that authentic aftermarket parts manufacturers are being hurt by these replica companies, we'll continue to see/read/hear more and more about these companies closing their doors.

/OT

 

I dont see this as a replica, for me a replica is a product that wants to be seen as another product, a replica uses confusing advertisement, and uses a marketing strategy to be placed over the real deal. The point of HKS is bad business management, when a big company drops and has to close out, its their own fault. Global market changes every single day and we all know that, so they should have been prepared for what was coming. I do admit HKS is a great brand and company but they have noone else to blame for this but themselves.

 

There are a lot of ways to spin this, but at the end of the day, competition is good for the consumer. Maybe they should have lowered their prices to see if increasing their sales quantity would have helped overcome their steep profit margins? Let's face it, there will always be someone trying to make it cheaper, better and more attractive. It fuels innovation within companies and drives competitive pricing. And if you can't differentiate yourself somehow in the market space, then you're failed.

 

I would say I am an image-aware consumer. I am really torn on the exhaust debate. I WANT an F-Sport exhaust, because it says F-Sport on it. Thats the only reason! It is "sanctioned" by Lexus, it "goes" with the car, and it has a stamp, that you can see, that says F-Sport. Same reason I bought the F-Sport intake over joe-z (sorry joe).

That being said, $1200 shipped from Sewell is quite a bit higher than $750 for Tanabe or $300 for M2. And with exhaust, you have volume to deal with. I want aggressive but not loud. So maybe for this particular decision I might go with Tanabe. But, I would rather pay $750 for a known reputable brand (if it is not going to be F-Sport), then take my chances with replica.

Money also comes into play. For some people, this car was easy to purchase as it is "cheap" (relative to what you get vs competition). For others, they stretched every last dollar and are eating rice and beans just so they can ride in their Lexus. For the first set, F-Sport or Tanabe, for the latter, there will always be a market for replica. And there is nothing wrong with that.

What I don't understand, is are these items (design wise) not patented? Can you not sue another manufacturer if in fact they are making "replicas". If they are just making "similar" but cheaper products, then that is nothing wrong just good old fashioned capitalism and competition at work. Then it just comes down to consumer preference. Cheap and no-name, or expensive and brand name. I choose latter, you choose former, nobody is wrong for either choice.

 

You gotta understand that m2 is not a replica. its just another brand that most people are not known to and it happens to be sold on ebay. If tanabe was not known and was sold on ebay vs. m2 being the popular brand, couldnt we also say that tanabe may have knocked off m2 and tanabe is an ebay brand? also, its not like m2 is calling this a tanabe style or T-style exhaust. so again, i dont see replica in this.

as for patents, even if this was a replica, tanabe cant do anything about it because its just not (keyword) identical or an exact copy. just like the jdm wheels vs. rota. rota doesnt make exact copies of the jdm brands. its similar. and thats exactly why even if the jdm wheels have a patent, they cant sue them. correct me if im wrong on this.

and yeah, this exhaust may be cheaper than most competitors. it makes sense for a lexus company to mark up their fsport exhaust because they are stealerships and they like to put a huge price tag on their products. and sure, tanabe can sell their exhaust for ~700, because its jdm, craftsmanship may have taken more effort and it requires shipping over here. m2 seems reasonable for it being a 300 dollar msrp axleback exhaust. it just so happens that this specific seller is selling it at a really good price, way below msrp. idk for sure but craftsmanship may not have been done as well as tanabe but quality sure as heck looks good on the m2. they may have just acquired resources at a lower price or even lower their price vs. their competitors so they can get more buyers to buy their exhaust over others. these are all possibilities. but again, like you said, some people care about the image of the product. to each their own. im all for quality and price.

lastly, a lot of people may say, oh, you get what you pay for. but hey! this m2 exhaust seems solid. we get more than we pay for. aside from that, its about about companies making that extra buck. if youve ever worked with distributors, they require you to have a price floor. you can't sell below this price. so they keep their image along with the final seller making a better profit. but when there is so many final seller-competitors out there, you might just have to sell at the price floor price just to get people to buy your product over the other guys same product. its how the economy works. you gotta play dirty to win over the consumers sometimes.

 

Do you still like the M2 after having it in for a couple of months now? Any check engine light or anything pop on? I know people are saying it sounds nice but did it actually give you some HP as well? I'm thinking of getting one myself. Thanks.

 

I got mine yesterday and let me tell you something.. It is amazing, the fit was perfect on my IS350, and sounds deep and aggressive but its not too loud for a daily driver. I installed as well K&N Intake, I would totally recommend this set up. Ill try posting a video on the weekend.

 

pretty excited to hear a video^^^

 

its an axleback. theres no o2 sensors for it.. nor do axlebacks generally give you significant, even if any, HP.

 

I'm actually thinking of taking off my HKS exhaust since it scrapes on my driveway everyday and buying the m2. Do you guys know how it would sound with the invidia mid pipe? I'm hoping the m2 won't scrape on my driveway so I can lower my car finally!