If you don't mind a little more engine noise, leave the covers off. It saves a few pounds. I made a bracket for the DI ECU out of aluminum strap.

You could, I run the Verus parts to dress up the engine bay. The OEM covers do quiet the DI quite a bit.

Just to sum up - a lot of the comments here seem to be citing a loss of money as a con to doing this intake manifold swap.

Doesn't that go for literally any part you buy for your car? Are you all just keeping your cars bone stock, because that's not what I intend to do with mine.

I am planning on getting a new exhaust and intake soon, and thought it about why not changing the intake manifold as well?

Why?

1.) Looks - yes looks. I like how the face lift one looks, and no while my car is not a show car and wont spend a lot of time with its hood open but just knowing its in there would make me happy, especially any time I do open the hood.

2.) There don't seem to be cons to doing it - I cited the minuscule power gain of 2~3HP not because I am after a power increase, just cited it as a pro. If I was after power gains, I am aware there are way better ways to do that.

I would do this at the same time as updating my exhaust and Intake - I am currently running HKS Spec L with an HKS GT-Spec exhaust manifold but it's a little too quiet for me.

Planning on upgrading to Tomei Xpreme Ti Type 80. Want to also put in the HKS Racing suction and as this topic is about also do the intake manifold if possible.

Yes I can get the car tuned.

The big con is it isn't worth the time and money to do it. EVEN if it is 100% for looks.

As Sasquachulator said there has been ALOT of tiny changes done.
Even worse... You sure as fk aren't the first person to ask this.
Also considering you're also looking at that intake system. Power isn't a thought.

But hey. If money, power and time doesn't matter. Go for it.

Just do it. I f there's a problem get back to the original one.
I was thinking about doing it too but I have other priority at this moment.
I installed an '17 oem intake with K&N filter and Perrin tube on my '15 FR-S to try to squeeze out the maximum hp NA.

I bought a bunch of oem parts from a guy and he added the intake for free. So I installed it without problems, the fit is a little bit tight.

Sometimes there is a little too much criticism in this forum but it's full of good people trying to give there 2cents to help.

If you want to do it, do it. If you want to justify spending the money on marginal gains, you are going to get pushback. Car guys are opinionated.

I bought a MY17 IM for my MY13, then had it extrude honed, then had the OEM TB bored. $1100 later my curiosity it satisfied and I asked no one’s opinion. I’d do it again.

I can't throw shade at how people spend their money, I own TRD door stabilizers :lol:

The only part you need of my17', its the differential. 4.3 will give you that sensation of power rather than "induction" noise.

I think you should do what you want to do and ignore us. But with that said you should at least think about the opportunity cost. Could that money and time do something else in the car or your life, other hobbies etc, that would be more meaningful and beneficial. If not, go red intake.

We need to inject some existential dread into modding cars while we over think it

That diff improvement is actually the best thing they did to the facelift cars. The grand total of all the other improvements was that massive 5HP (people please stop throwing out numbers for just the intake it does NOTHING on it's own) and I do not beleive there is a buttdyno in the world that can feel that. The changed final drive however gives the car a noctible feeling of "pep" on take off that the pre facelift just sort of lacks. It does however impact the mileage at highway speeds at a measurable level so like any change there is a compromise.

The average enthusiast butt-dyno can not differentiate between a placebo effect and actual gains.


BUT they will claim to be able to feel noticeable differences

My favourites will always remain:

"I got a lightweight battery and now my car no longer dives to the right" Actual quote!

And the many many times stated

"My light weight pully makes a huge difference in how fast the engine revs up. I can really feel it on launch"