AtomicAWD

Have had front RS-R Downs and the LCA bushings for a few months now, waiting for a mechanic at our work to install them. Last weekend was the time, so on they went. Took about 3 hours or so, and everything went well until the very last lug nut... and the stud on the spacer broke. So we had to remove both front spacers, and now the wheels are most noticeably "sunken in", especially compared to the rears. Contacted Bloxsport and they will be sending out new ones.

Not much visible difference between the bushings:



Haven't noticed much in the way of road feel difference either, although the front springs are on now as well. Been 4 days, and they have settled to a fairly stable 1" total drop, which is in line with RS-R's advertised 1.0-1.2".





Without the front spacers it's a bit harder to see the gaps on the front wheels as they are in shadow, but the fender heights are much closer to the same now, as are the gaps front-to-rear. The rear still vary quite a bit, but in general do appear to be a bit too high, so I will likely get the rear Halfs put on that just came in today. The car does have a bit of forward rake for the most part, as expected, which the Halfs should probably level right off.

Headlights did need adjusting however, as they were lower by several inches. Here's the tape where I marked the original beams on the wall:



Was only able to find pics and videos of adjusting LEDs not HIDs, but looking at it now Lexus actually labels where the adjustments are for both. Just put a Phillips screwdriver in down to where the gears are and turn to raise and lower them.

gbgary

just to be clear...you've got rsr downs in the front and you're going to do half-downs in the rear?

AtomicAWD

Yessir, that is correct!

cliffhokie

when does your replacement spacer get in?

AtomicAWD

Tracking is showing that the studs have left China, and expected delivery is June 7-9th. That should work out well, as my mechanic will be doing the rear Halfs next Saturday.

Maxxxx

Hey there, just checking in

-Matt

JCarvallo

Just stubled upon your build thread, very very nice work! My '15 AWD F-Sport is also Atomic Silver and I love the subtle upgrades like the calipers and spoiler.

Looking forward to seeing more!

AtomicAWD

Thanks, gents. New studs for the spacers have come in and we should have the rear springs on this weekend so we'll see how they match up with the fronts. Next up I think will be the side chrome delete (satin/matte) and black roof (gloss). Saw that combo on another Atomic and it looked good.

AtomicAWD

Mechanic can't do the rear springs until next week, but got the front spacers back on today. Car looks MUCH better, and it looks as though the rear Halfs should make it sit near-perfect. It's not bad at all as is, but the 1/2" or so off the back should be that last tweak the stance needs.

KYLexusMkr

Now the way it’s setting there in the top picture, what springs do you have up front and in the rear there? I like the rake to it and I think the way the wheel gap is, looks perfect. Your IS looks good, clean and simple, not overly done...classy is I guess best describes it for me. Also, where did you source the splash guards again? Keep up the good work.

AtomicAWD

RS-R AWD Downs in front, stock in back. In the first pic the car is actually facing downhill somewhat so I tilted the camera to level it, but you can still basically see that the fender gaps front-back are very close. I don't mind the bit of forward rake either but thing is, the backs change SO much, up to an inch some days! Sometimes it looks like this, but typically the other side rides higher and since putting on the fronts I've determined the backs could definitely use a bit of drop to balance. A couple other AWDers have also put on front Downs only, and @mikellucci likewise said that the back sits slightly high, but not sure if he's done rear Halfs yet. The Halfs are only about 1/2" drop so I think it'll be the best of the two options (vs. staying stock). Maybe they'll even be more consistent than the OEM; figure it's worth a try.

Thanks for the kind words, agreed on not doing stuff that looks "tacked-on". Mudflaps came from here on eBay -- only $15 shipped! No issues at all either, have fit and stayed on fine.

gbgary

i think it looks fine as is.

AtomicAWD

At last, rear Half Down springs are on and the car now sits near-perfect (to me), still variable but so far more consistent than with the stock springs. I've been taking measurements since before doing the fronts, and on average the fronts now sit at 25.4-25.6" and the rears 25.5" (left) and 25.5-26.0" (right). Total drop has been a little under 1" on the front and 1/4-1/2" on the back. So overall, they are all within about 1/2" of each other at any given time, with the right rear almost always the highest.

It was definitely worth putting the Halfs on the rear, as it tweaked it down just enough to where it lost the hotrod look and balanced the front. Really pleased with the overall stance now, it was worth doing the research. Will be going for alignment on Thursday.

AgentZer0

I'm on RSR Downs all around with the same front lip, have you had any trouble getting around town with the car being lowered as well as having the lip?
I find myself being extra cautious everywhere I go because I don't wanna scrape lol

AtomicAWD

Scraping hasn't been the issue, but the BANG from hitting sharp ruts so I have to approach them more slowly. I have scraped a couple of times, but when I felt under the lip afterwards it wasn't rough, so I suspect it could have been the two diffuser pieces in front of the tires, as they are still lower.

The lip is definitely low though, I think just 5.5" from the ground now. More nervous approaching taller speed bumps but so far so good, it's just the sharp incline/declines. In my (also gently) lowered Civic the mudflaps would always scrape when going over speed bumps, but mine haven't at all.