I probably should've made this a while ago. Just some background, bought this car back in 2017 w/ 10K miles. At the time, there weren't many IS 350s available and the F Sport models were really beat on. I decided to take my dad's advice and get the least used car available.

I'll update the posts with the other mods I have done as well but the current list is:

Suspension & Tire set up:
RSR Down Springs
RCF/GSF bushings
H&R Trak 25mm F / 20mm R spacers
Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4 225/40/ 18 F & 255/35/18 R
Hankook Ventus V2 Concept 2 & S1 Noble tires

Exhaust:
Muffler & Resonator delete
3.5" stainless steel tips

Cosmetic:
19x9 +30 wheels (powder coated from gloss black to gunmetal grey)
Roof wrap in black
2017+ IS front lip
AR Style side skirt
OEM 18x8 +50 F / 18.5R +45 Luxury wheels

OEM upgrade:
F Sport gauge cluster swap
RCF frameless mirror w/ compass
LC500 engine start button
Stitched OEM+ gear selector
Lexus door projector lights

Quality of Life:
RGB DRL & Full LED interior and exterior credits to @Nabil3IS
Uniden R1 radar detector
10" Alpine Type S series paired w/ Pioneer amp + LC2i audio controller
20% Carbon Ceramic tint all around (no front windshield or sunroof tint)
COMPUSTAR remote start
ProClip USA iPhone mount holder
3D printed duct for seat cooling from @ihateu3

Legend:
Anything with a slash means I had it and it's no longer on the car
F = Front
R = Rear

Special thanks to who were imperative to my build:
@Sasnuke
@whoismiked
@arentz07
@Jazzrock
My Lexus service advisor and my good friend who owns an M3

 

So nice man, love your car! I remember back when you didn't want to bother with too many mods, then you got the bug like the rest of us

 

looks good. i wish that f-sport models came in starfire pearl instead of ultra white. starfire pearl is a way nicer color.

 

It's crazy you remember that because I was like this 100% and then got addicted to it lmao. Thanks for helping me throughout man

I haven't seen an ultra white IS close up but I love the sparkle the starfire has, I told them to put that same sparkle in the gunmetal for the powder coated rims.

 

F Sport gauge cluster swap:
No warning lights, everything is fully functional, slides over. I had the odometer matched exactly to the previous odometer by an installer in New York.

 

This is my 12inch Pioneer shallow mount subwoofer, I wanted something not too OVERPOWERING, I had a dual 12" set up in my Corolla and everything was rattling a year later in the interior and the rear deck made so much noise. I wanted to add a little bit of more bass but this is plenty and it's not even maxed out. I recently had an LC2i audio controller installed looking online because when I drove the car at highway speeds and increased the volume, the bass would be non-existant. The LC2i solves this problem by allowing the bass not to 'roll off'. This bass 'roll off' is designed by Toyota / Lexus to protect the subwoofer from being blown out but unnecessary.

I also wanted something that does not take up a lot of trunk space. I can pile things on top of the subwoofer no problem, it can handle hundreds of pounds of weight. I also did not want them drilling into my seats (which they offered me), I told them to drill it into the back of the box and everything has been working great. Subwoofer has been good for about 4 years, fuse needed to be replaced 1 time 2 years ago which was done for free.

 

Here is a picture of my RCF frameless mirror with compass. I love the compass look, I think all luxury cars should have this. Navigation model Lexus do NOT have a compass because you have navi, this option is in NON-NAVI cars. I was disappointed when I purchased the car seeing that option in other German cars. Also, the thick frame mirror in the IS is really dated. This mirror significantly improves the interior. The HomeLink is also hooked up to my garage so everything works 100%.

I also had my Uniden R1 hardwired, previously, I had a power cord running from my center console through the middle, and up to the windshield, it looked really awkward. I had it placed on the passenger side just so I have max visibility. It's still in arms length if I need to mute it. If I get pulled over, I pull the sun visor down so it's not visible to police, I've done that multiple times and they've never noticed.

 

Lexus door projector light, this was one of the first things I did from the dealership which went bad after 2-3 years. I got these from eBay (chinese seller) super cheap. One of them did go bad after over a year but they're so cheap and easy to replace I bought another set. My passenger side has been fine. People make a big deal about the 'quality', IMO, they're all pretty ******, dealership or eBay, doesn't matter but definitely looks cool. Gotta clean the inside of my door ASAP

 

Really like your lip and sideskirts!

 

Went back to original wheel and tire set up. Car drove like s*** on 19 in wheels. I'm not sure about the physics behind that or just the IS platform is like that. If I could explain it, the car took a bit more steering input to actually move the car (which I attribute to the wider 235 tire and wider wheel in the front). The car also felt higher (attributing it to the fact the bigger diameter of the wheel) and the rear felt less planted (attributing this to having a wider wheel + skinnier tire in the back). I think 18" is perfect for this car, I probably should've went that route.

Also, the front lip cracked on the lateral sides (same spot on both sides), I believe this is because there was so much tension because my friend and I put 3 screws in that were super tight + the near 100F temperatures in NJ caused the plastic to expand and then contract when it got cool caused those cracks. In addition, I was no longer able to jack the car up on the sides because when I used my jack, the extended side skirt would start hitting the car, causing the OEM side skirt to come out too. In addition, my mechanic wasn't able to get my car on the ramps because the front lip was too large for it to go up the ramp. Just a huge inconvenience. It also looked kind of cheap as well but I'm glad I got to enjoy them.

And the Hankook tires don't drive that great. They have good reviews but I can break traction on them with a 200hp car in dry weather condition and in the wet, forget about it. A tiny bit of rain-- feels like you're on a slip & slide. Can't wait to go back to the Michelin's next year.

 

Upgraded to the newer Lexus model / LC500 engine start button. Feels and look nicer.

Just a tip on this, you can get these on eBay from Japanese sellers for $100 shipped. Do not buy these from IG sellers. Someone named 'itsrasraysrx" or formerly "itsraysrcf"? on Instagram tried to sell me a engine start button for $140 shipped. Some people in this community love to rip off Lexus owners because we own a higher brand car.

 

OEM+ upgrade, stitched **** with genuine leather. The old **** kind of looks like leather but it's some strange rubberized material that wears horribly. I got this on Amazon, comes from China so shipping takes a bit. They also come with perforated ones which match the F sport interior but I got the smooth one to match my non F sport spec

 

LED interior and exterior light upgrade thanks to @Nabil3IS
I saw another member state the iJDMtoy bulbs were good but I was looking for pure white lights. They stated on their website that they are pure white (versus the cool white which has the blue tint) but these also have a blue tint. They didn't really care after the 'warranty / return' period was over (I installed them later) but it looks better than the yellow halogen bulbs.

 

Upgraded my sound system since my Pioneer shallow mount subwoofer started going out on me. You can feel the bass in your chest. Surprised my Pioneer amp is still going strong after being about 5 years old. LC2i mitigates the Toyota / Lexus head unit which attenuates bass signals at higher volumes

 

RGB DRL
Special credit to @Nabil3IS