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It was a rainy week but I didn't let that get in the way of driving the IS350 spiritedly. Even with VDIM off, the car feels very composed on the road with the tires, suspension, and LSD doing their part. As I approach 15 years of ownership with the IS350, I must say that it continues to put a smile on my face every time I drive it.
I recorded a 2nd through 3rd gear pull as I entered the tollway and the exhaust note is still satisfying to listen to.
Wow 15 years and she still looks great! That's why I love Lexus, they seem to never age! Their designs are timeless. Next year I plan to give mine to my son and pick up a 4th Gen GSF. I also just reserved a Ford F-150 Lightning EV that will replace our 2013 Sienna that should arrive Fall 2022. It's rated at 563 hp/775 Ft-lbs torque and does 0-60 in about 4.3 seconds, with a 300 mile range with 400 lbs in the "frunk" and 1000 lbs in the rear bed. The GSF will be my daily commute/weekend canyon carver and the F-150 will be my wife's work commuter, and our family trip/hauling vehicle
I saw that comment about the Pure turbo upgrade! Please don't forget to update us on the progress on that platform! I'll live vicariously through you. LOL!
Wow 15 years and she still looks great! That's why I love Lexus, they seem to never age! Their designs are timeless.
I agree. The L-Finesse philosophy that Lexus applied to the mid-2000s models, such as the 2IS, have allowed these cars to age graciously. Only issue that I have with my car is that the OEM headlights continue to look yellowish, even after applying headlight restorer products every few months.
Originally Posted by Gville350
I saw that comment about the Pure turbo upgrade! Please don't forget to update us on the progress on that platform! I'll live vicariously through you. LOL!
I certainly will as this is the car I'm currently active with modding (along with the IS350C). Hopefully I'll get the new turbo installed by Titan Motorsports sometime during the late Fall/early winter time frame. Luckily, being in Florida, the winter months don't necessarily mean the fun cars need to be put away in storage.
Originally Posted by bakalag
I'm considering an A91 now... Saw a vid of a Tomei titanium single on one and I'm like ooooo
Want something good out the box and relatively reliable, been reading the engine is actually good!?
The Tomei exhaust sounds amazing and sooo intoxicating on the GR Supra. I've considered that exhaust but I'm hearing that it might drone at the lower RPM range. That and cold starts are very loud so I'll be the bane of my neighborhood should I want to drive the car early in the morning (though the IS350 does have its own loud cold start as well. Lol.).
The engine is absolutely worthy of being a 2JZ successor with how robust it is out of the factory and many Supras already running 1/4 miles in the 9s with the stock turbo. Built GR Supras are currently in the 8s and will soon see 7s. If drag racing isn't your thing, the chassis is rock solid and highly capable of road course work (just have to be cautious of how quick the rear end can move due to the instant peak torque and short wheelbase).
I agree. The L-Finesse philosophy that Lexus applied to the mid-2000s models, such as the 2IS, have allowed these cars to age graciously. Only issue that I have with my car is that the OEM headlights continue to look yellowish, even after applying headlight restorer products every few months.
There are a couple of detailers in my area that say they can make the OEM headlights new for around $200. Maybe worth a shot because mine are clouded up. This is an issue with most Toyota's I've owned, the headlight covers getting oxidized over time. Another issue I notice is when the tire pressure gets slightly off (mostly in the front tires), it throws the car off a bit. The steering will pull a bit hitting imperfections or when driving on the hwy, and it will just feel off. Correct the tire pressure on one of both front tires and the car feels great again. It may be due to the suspension tuning, as I've not experienced this with other cars I've driven. In my Sienna for example I wouldn't know that tire pressure is low until the warning light comes on. Mark from Savagegeese mentioned this on his LC500, he has to adjust the pressure when he tracks his car or it understeers a lot
After years of doing the bi-monthly headlight restore, I finally said F it and got a new set of TYC headlights. Apply a nice coat of wax every now and then, and they continue to look brand new.
Over the weekend, I was able to get a mod done on the IS350C. It took nearly two months for delivery but I finally received the H&R TRAK+ DRM 15mm spacers for both the front and rear wheels. These spacers have the built in studs and required no shaving of the factory studs when the wheels were placed over the spacers (this was one of my initial worries as some users said they had to trim down some of their studs to get the wheels to mount properly).
The factory offset of the wheels have been bugging me for longest time so now is the time to fix that.
Before...
After...
The offset looks better now though the next upgrade is to reduce the factory wheel gap.
The 15mm spacers make a difference in how the car looks. It also feels sportier to drive from the wider track width.
Next week, the F-Sport springs will be installed on the IS350C which will give the convertible a much needed makeover.
The F-Sport springs were finally installed on the IS350C last week. It definitely helped reduce the wheel gap on the convertible as the stock height on the IS350C seems to be even higher than the regular IS350. The combination of the lowering springs and H&R TRAK+ spacers greatly improve the look of the car while also providing subtle performance enhancements.
The stance on the IS350C is now a more compatible match with the Supra and the IS350.
Booty shot of the two IS models
Whenever it's the weekend and I'm ready for a drive in the Supra, this is the initial view that I have of the car when I open up the garage. It's been nearly a year of ownership and she's barely broken 2000 miles.
Are the spacers for show, or will the spacers be safe during hard launch and/or spirited driving?
Where did you buy them?
I don't have spacers on the track car as that one has aftermarket wheels with a +35 offset for the front and rear.
From the research I've done the past few weeks prior to buying the wheel spacers, as long as you buy a high quality set from a reputable company (e.g. Eibach or H&R) and install them properly, they are safe for daily driving and track use. As I surprisingly like the style of the OEM wheels on the IS350C but not the factory offset, this was the path forward to making the wheels look more flush with the fenders and providing a slight improvement in handling which is noticeable as there's an increase of over an inch in track width.
As I only plan on doing spirited driving on the road with the IS350C, the H&R spacers with bolt on studs are perfect for this car. Though some SCCA folks on other forums have posted no issues with using spacers on their track cars, I personally would invest in a new set of wheels with the proper offset if I were to frequently use the car on the track.
As far as where to get a set, Fitment Industries is a good website for spacers.
It's been a while since I've posted on my build thread and a few updates have occurred so I'll add more posts when time permits (it's been an extremely busy year).
A few weeks back, I noticed that the tires would severely tramline on uneven asphalt which caused my steering to go along with the surface and cause me to have to constantly correct in order to drive straight. Lo and behold, I found the culprit which were my front tires being worn beyond its limits along the inner treads.
As I have upgraded front LCA bushings and the front toe set to zero, I was surprised to still find uneven wear on the front tires. I guess it doesn't help that I do like to corner spiritedly but still...
The old front tires were replaced with Michelin PS4S tires and the tramlining on the same roads had completely disappeared. The moral of the story is to make sure you're checking your tire treads on a regular basis, particularly the inner treads.
Unfortunately tireware and brakes are the weak points in these cars. I'm sure you've done the 38 to 40 psi on the fronts. It definitely helped on my last pair of Michelin Pilots. On another sad point, last night I was driving home and suddenly a Opossum jumped into the road trying to cross. I avoided rolling it over with my tires, but I could feel it as the car, which is now an inch lowered because of F-Sport Springs crushed it underneath. When I got home, my German Shepherd was suddenly interested in my car and was smelling it underneath, running from the front of the car to the back. When I took a look under, there was no blood or anything like that, but Opossum hair stuck underneath the bumper cover and parts of under the car. I feel horrible...If I didn't have the F-Sport springs I probably would have just rolled over it without injuring it
That's unfortunate to hear about the opossum. On the plus side, I thought your story was going to lead to you wrecking your car. Good news for your IS350 but bad news for that little guy.
Tire wear and brake pad wear are constant maintenance actions with these cars and I had to swap out the front brake pads earlier this month as there was a light squealing sound coming from the front left wheelwell whenever I was turning while in reverse.
I first tried adjusting the dust shield but that didn't resolve the issue. Upon jacking up the IS350 to investigate the rotational squeal, I found the next culprit which was a worn out brake pad. As you can see, it wore down to the back plate.
I had another set of EBC Yellowstuff pads in the garage so on they went!
I also spent some of my free time washing and waxing the IS350 and it still has a great look and shine after so many years of ownership.
I had done my rear brakes recently and one pad was nearly as bad off as your there. LOL! I knew it was coming time; I just kept putting it off.
I STILL have a set of Yellows to install. But those dang Akobono ceramics just are so tough, and last so long, who knows when I'll actually need to install them. I think my Powerslot rotors will need to be replaced BEFORE the pads (which I already have a replacement set ).
09-01-21, 10:25 AM
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