Something different.....im back with a Lexus IS-F

[INASNT]

Very nice, really liked them when they first came out.

The ECU's were hard to crack for a long time..

You should upgrade to the LFA in a few years time.... Price when they got released and probably still are, are ridiculous.

[Lucas_R]

Very nice, really liked them when they first came out.

The ECU's were hard to crack for a long time..

You should upgrade to the LFA in a few years time.... Price when they got released and probably still are, are ridiculous.

Thanks mate - yes the ECU was locked out until around 2016 i believe and RR Racing in USA were the ones who successfully tuned them for the 1st time. I know BPS in Brisbane has tuned a few locally as well as Autowerks in Sydney, but i went with RR Racing for convenience of a hand held tuner (they use the same Powergate 3 hand control some VAG tuners use) and for their experience seeing that they have tuned hundreds of these cars worldwide.

LFA would be lovely. My brother (who works for Lexus) has been in the LFA on a track and said it was amazing.

[INASNT]

Thanks mate - yes the ECU was locked out until around 2016 i believe and RR Racing in USA were the ones who successfully tuned them for the 1st time. I know BPS in Brisbane has tuned a few locally as well as Autowerks in Sydney, but i went with RR Racing for convenience of a hand held tuner (they use the same Powergate 3 hand control some VAG tuners use) and for their experience seeing that they have tuned hundreds of these cars worldwide.

LFA would be lovely. My brother (who works for Lexus) has been in the LFA on a track and said it was amazing.

I was considering a new IS350 F Sport as a replacement for the MK6 R at one point but the lack of parts and tuning available at the time made me steer clear of it.

[Lucas_R]

I was considering a new IS350 F Sport as a replacement for the MK6 R at one point but the lack of parts and tuning available at the time made me steer clear of it.

Yes parts are few and far between and very expensive for what is available - regardless of which model Lexus. As much as i love the car i am already considering moving it on and buying something else which can be modified more easily (Mk7 Golf R or Audi S4 perhaps) and cheaply with more options. Perhaps something that is a bit better on fuel too haha.

[Lucas_R]

I do 6 month oil changes on my cars (overkill perhaps, but cheap insurance to know the oil is clean and not contaminated) and it was time for another one over the recent Easter/Anzac break. Its super easy to do a service on this car, no need to remove the whole under tray as they designed little windows that unbolt to allow access to the oil filter canister and sump area.

A few months prior i had access to a hoist for a short time so i changed the diff oil and brake fluid while i had the chance. In hindsight i should also have done the engine oil at this time because of the convenience of having the car in the air....but it wasn't due yet.

I love how easy and straight forward this car is to work on - no special tools needed for anything, parts are cheap and readily available too. The most expensive part is the oil, as the sump holds about 9.3L so i alwasy buy the oil when its on sale at Supercheap or Repco etc and either grab a 10L drum or 2x of the 5L bottles depending on which one works out cheapest.

I was due for some new front tyres as these cars are well known for wearing the outside edge out prematurely (soft lower control arm bushings). After researching tyres i decided to go with the reasonably new Falken Azenis FK510's which have rated quite well in multiple tyres tests both locally and overseas. The IS-F is a bit under-tyred from factory so most people throw a wider tyre on the factory rims. Stock tyres are 225 up front and 255 at the rear. I have now gone 245 on the front and will go with 275 on the rear in a few months once i finish killing whats left of the rear tyres.

Happy with the Falken's so far, very grippy, let you know when you are pushing the limits and quiet and they have a nice looking sidewall too. The wider tyre looks better on the rim and fills out the guards just that bit more too.

[Lucas_R]

According to the Lexus tuning house that specialises in the IS-F (RR Racing in USA), these cars once tuned respond quite well to an E85 blend of around 25-30%. Much more than 30% and they start leaning out too much and the benefits drop off.

So for the past month or two i have been experimenting with 10L-15L of Caltex Biofuel (rated between 75 to 85% Ethanol) mixed in with regular BP Ultimate fuel. There are no United service stations who sell E85 even remotely close to me, so the Caltex is what i have been using.

With the E85 blend, the car feels more responsive and more lively under acceleration so it seems to do the trick. Only downside is the already woeful fuel consumption is even worse with the E85 in the tank (normally 16-18L per 100km around town, with the E85 blend its over 20L per 100km). The poor fuel consumption is exaggerated because this car only has a teeny weeny 65L fuel tank, so the gauge goes down quite quickly.

I may decide to re-dyno the car with the E85 blend to see what the difference is.

[brad]

That's been my experience with e85 blend too.

Surely fuel economy isn't an issue for the miles you do? I no longer worry now I'm at <10k/yr.

[Lucas_R]

That's been my experience with e85 blend too.

Surely fuel economy isn't an issue for the miles you do? I no longer worry now I'm at <10k/yr.

Fuel economy isnt so much an issue as such as im lucky to do 100-150km a week normally, i guess i just get annoyed seeing the fuel gauge go down so quickly as this car is by far the worst car i have ever owned in regards to fuel consumption.

[Lucas_R]

Aaaand its for sale. Lovely car and i have enjoyed owning and driving it, but am about to refinance the mortgage so I have decided to sell the IS-F, buy something cheaper that I can tinker with and modify, and paying the balance off the house.

VAG need to look at Lexus and pick up some reliability tips from them - this car has been faultless.

https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/det...-6185223/?Cr=1

[Transporter]

Oh, I’m sure they have their own faults as well.