I was thinking it was a long shot that the TMIC was letting in enough un-metered air to be the cause; but I'm getting into long shot territory at this point of my diagnosis. May have to enlist some more professional help soon (smoke test, compression, etc)...
The IAM stayed at 1 for the first year-ish I had the car. Its my DD, and while I may drive "spirited", I don't street race or drive like an asshat. I didn't notice the IAM drop until after a coil shit the bed and just before replacing the timing belt/water pump (100K mainenance). Since then, I've triple checked all vac lines, changed spark plugs (it had 2 different model #'s, 3 different gaps, installed), cleaned the MAF. The march goes on..
As for 17psi max, I think Infamous wanted to just keep it within reason for safety. Previous owner may or may not have planned on getting a protune. But, with the stock TMIC and stock fuel, going past 18psi could be risky. I may eventually upgrade fuel and feed this BNR what it wants; but bills come first and so will a suspension. It's like driving a Westminster show dog. Sit boy! Sit!
I won't take up anymore of your thread. I really appreciate your help, and feel free to link/attach the pictures to your first post. Like I said, I wanted to help people as much as I could. Be on the lookout for a shipment to Delawhere..