" . . . Oh yeah -almost forgot. found out they didn't gut the IAC -they just removed the female side of the connector where it plugs in."

Ah! So THAT explains it.


Some recent posts made even ME question what the heck is going on. Before I said another word, I took a few days to make absolutely certain there were any real differences from this mod.
First I have to tell you a comment my 28-year old sister made. She's living with me at the moment, her Toyota Tundra is in the shop, and she's always borrowing my Sportage for one thing or another. At 9pm Friday night I gave her the keys again and told her to "make sure and warm it up first". She returned twenty minutes later.
First thing through the door Brigette asks me, "Did you change your exhaust again?"
"Nope, I said. "How come?"
"It sounds really different now and seems to run better. I love it! What did you do to it?"
I told her what I did and said I was glad that she noticed it.

Aside from that, I had to teach a class this weekend and put over 150 miles on my Sportage on routes that took me up and down a steep canyon, highways pushing 85 mph, across some desert, gridlock traffic, and now I can finally come away with an honest view on all this.
More power? Yes, but it isn't mind-blowing. It hits a little harder right off the line, and is most noticable after 3,800 RPM. It shows up the best at highway speeds.
As I've said before, that RPM hold is totally gone, and that's the part I like the most. That, and the impression of much better throttle response. Startup in the morning isn't even an issue, and I see no change in gas mileage.
Having said all that, I hope me and "here" aren't the only two that have benefited from this. I think the main reasons we did is because we have the 5-speeds and our climates are mild. I really like this mod, and wish the same to others.