Yes the manifold is designed for mid range torque. It does sacrifice a little power at the top end but it's only a few horses for a split second. Having driven the car before it was tuned I can't imagine how it pulls now. It was fast enough without the tune.
if you get one custom made it can sit as high as you need it to. I've personally made one for a slammed civic and it sat higher than the chassis rails. There was no possibility of it catching on anything.