amirza786
Senior Member
- First Name
- A
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2018
- Threads
- 87
- Messages
- 3,854
- Reaction score
- 3,947
- Location
- Northern California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2022 Polestar 2, 2010 Lexus IS 350 Sport
- Thread starter
- #1
If you own the X gen Si, you know that you have a pretty special car. But what if you are an amateur like me, want smoother shifting, better performance, but don't want to spend a bunch of money, or bolt on a bunch of aftermarket parts and turn under the hood into Frankenstein? No plans to race a Dodge Charger? Well you are in luck. For older and new Si owners, here are 3 must do "mods" that won't break the bank, or your car:
1. Drop in a K&N air filter or similar "dry" performance filter (for those that don't like the oil type filter)
Cost: $49 on Amazon
Why: Simply put, a K&N filter allows more air to enter your engine. The better your engine breathes, the better it performs. It's not going to give you a ton of power, but it will make your engine smoother. Some people state that a K&N filter lets in a lot of contaminants, but if you look at the published filtration on their website, it meets or exceeds the OEM filter in filtration. Plus it can be cleaned after 50K, up go 4 times. I have been using these filters for years, and none of my cars have ever had an issue, even after over 100K miles plus
2. Change out the factory fill Manual transmission fluid with Amsoil Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid
Cost: 2 quarts at $16 each plus 2 x crush washers at .25 cents ea. If you do it yourself, labor is free, $20 to $30 if you take it to a garage
Why: I have a multi-page post on this, so you can check out that post, but like many of you, I felt the shifting was not as smooth as it could be, and I also felt the transmission was just not performing well. After changing out the factory fill, life changed for the better! Smooth shifting, most of the notchiness gone, and generally my transmission performs one thousand percent better! Do it for your car, do it for your stick...just do it!
3. Ktuner with Two Step Performance stage 1 tune
Cost: $449 for a new v1.2 Ktuner
Why: Why not! I have another post on this as well, basically with Ktuner and the tsp stage 1 tune, you have a choice of 3 different maps, all you need is a laptop to install the tune, and you can drive your car in 3 different modes. Map 1 slightly enhances the driving experience, and Map 3 brings the cars whp to 237! That is 55 extra horses! I won't go into a lot of detail, you can read my post on Ktuner, but let's just say the performance increase without adding any additional add-on's is crazy!
So do yourself a favor, do these 3 mods, and your car will thank you!
1. Drop in a K&N air filter or similar "dry" performance filter (for those that don't like the oil type filter)
Cost: $49 on Amazon
Why: Simply put, a K&N filter allows more air to enter your engine. The better your engine breathes, the better it performs. It's not going to give you a ton of power, but it will make your engine smoother. Some people state that a K&N filter lets in a lot of contaminants, but if you look at the published filtration on their website, it meets or exceeds the OEM filter in filtration. Plus it can be cleaned after 50K, up go 4 times. I have been using these filters for years, and none of my cars have ever had an issue, even after over 100K miles plus
2. Change out the factory fill Manual transmission fluid with Amsoil Synchromesh Manual Transmission Fluid
Cost: 2 quarts at $16 each plus 2 x crush washers at .25 cents ea. If you do it yourself, labor is free, $20 to $30 if you take it to a garage
Why: I have a multi-page post on this, so you can check out that post, but like many of you, I felt the shifting was not as smooth as it could be, and I also felt the transmission was just not performing well. After changing out the factory fill, life changed for the better! Smooth shifting, most of the notchiness gone, and generally my transmission performs one thousand percent better! Do it for your car, do it for your stick...just do it!
3. Ktuner with Two Step Performance stage 1 tune
Cost: $449 for a new v1.2 Ktuner
Why: Why not! I have another post on this as well, basically with Ktuner and the tsp stage 1 tune, you have a choice of 3 different maps, all you need is a laptop to install the tune, and you can drive your car in 3 different modes. Map 1 slightly enhances the driving experience, and Map 3 brings the cars whp to 237! That is 55 extra horses! I won't go into a lot of detail, you can read my post on Ktuner, but let's just say the performance increase without adding any additional add-on's is crazy!
So do yourself a favor, do these 3 mods, and your car will thank you!
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