IS-F / Sport Steering ECU
01-26-17, 10:17 AM
#271
In my IS350, I had coilovers, ISF steering ECU, rear sway bar, and a steering damper, and it totally transformed the car.
01-28-17, 10:13 AM
#272
If you don't mind me asking, about how much did they charge you for the calibration? And how long did it take you to install the ECU yourself?
I don't live that close to the dealership I normally go to, and if they don't want to do the installation/calibration then I would have to drive much farther to the dealership where other forum members have been able to get the job done so I'm not sure I can do without power steering for that amount of time.
I don't live that close to the dealership I normally go to, and if they don't want to do the installation/calibration then I would have to drive much farther to the dealership where other forum members have been able to get the job done so I'm not sure I can do without power steering for that amount of time.
So I went back and talked to the parts guy and he found one of the mechanics who was willing to do it for me without going through the service dept. He charged me $60 and I gave him a $20 as a tip, but in the end I have been very happy with the result.
Install took me about and hour or so, and I also had to swap the ECU brackets. It's definitely not a difficult job - I had already printed out how to reset my power windows & sunroof before disconnecting the battery.
Last edited by JETLEX; 01-28-17 at 10:18 AM.
01-14-18, 05:00 PM
#274
My 350 F-Sport is a 2013, it should have it.
Trac off makes it heavy at all speeds. In normal mode its pretty light in the parking lot but would guess that it takes engine load, rpm, gear, and speed into account to firm it up.
On my old tires, had trac off, the rear stepped out on a wet road and ya, I overcorrected but stayed in my lane even tho the car was jacked at a 45° pitch. My point is, in cases like this, if the steering were any lighter most will be in the ditch from inputting too much as a stock x50 will be too light (no resistance). Speed was roughly 50'ish and in the throttle when it stepped out...
As for highway use, it firms up and is simply an integral part of how the car should behave.
A year ago drove a 250 but I don't recall how the steering felt as the brakes and tires were crap and sorta had me in the pick it apart mode vs feeling the car.
Edit: car has the ISF rear anti-sway bar installed.
Trac off makes it heavy at all speeds. In normal mode its pretty light in the parking lot but would guess that it takes engine load, rpm, gear, and speed into account to firm it up.
On my old tires, had trac off, the rear stepped out on a wet road and ya, I overcorrected but stayed in my lane even tho the car was jacked at a 45° pitch. My point is, in cases like this, if the steering were any lighter most will be in the ditch from inputting too much as a stock x50 will be too light (no resistance). Speed was roughly 50'ish and in the throttle when it stepped out...
As for highway use, it firms up and is simply an integral part of how the car should behave.
A year ago drove a 250 but I don't recall how the steering felt as the brakes and tires were crap and sorta had me in the pick it apart mode vs feeling the car.
Edit: car has the ISF rear anti-sway bar installed.
Last edited by 2013FSport; 01-14-18 at 05:03 PM.
01-14-18, 05:30 PM
#276
Does your steering assist change when going from ECT Normal (light steering feel) to ECT PWR (heavy steering feel)? This is a key difference between the IS350 and ISF steering ECUs (though I'm not sure if the ISx50 F-Sports received the same treatment).
AFAIK, there have been no distinguishable differences between the -41 unit (11-12 ISF ECU) and the -42 unit (13-14 ISF ECU) that have been discovered by forum members. 08-10 ISF owners will note a significant difference in steering feel and feedback when upgrading to either the -41 or -42 unit but from what I've read, steering feel is very similar between the -41 and -42 units. One can assume that additional tweaks have been made to justify a new version of the ISF ECU but the changes are very likely subtle.
AFAIK, there have been no distinguishable differences between the -41 unit (11-12 ISF ECU) and the -42 unit (13-14 ISF ECU) that have been discovered by forum members. 08-10 ISF owners will note a significant difference in steering feel and feedback when upgrading to either the -41 or -42 unit but from what I've read, steering feel is very similar between the -41 and -42 units. One can assume that additional tweaks have been made to justify a new version of the ISF ECU but the changes are very likely subtle.
Last edited by redspencer; 01-15-18 at 06:18 AM.
01-14-18, 07:11 PM
#283
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Concern: Guest installed a new ISF steering ECU on his IS350 and the steering needs to be calibrated using the Toyota/Lexus Techstream. Quoted 1 hours labor charge per A.S.
Correction: Perform EMPS Torque Sensor Adjustment.
Comment: Service Completed.
------------------------------
You can use this information when you speak with your service manager at the Lexus dealership (or ask him/her to speak to one of the Lexus Master Techs on this specific procedure).
Last edited by redspencer; 01-14-18 at 07:16 PM.
01-14-18, 09:43 PM
#284
It can be twitchy if you're using just the F-Sport rear sway bar. Adding the front as well will bring the handling characteristic to a neutral behavior. Many IS-F owners will seek out the rear F-Sport sway bar to reduce the understeer from the factory setup.
I dug through my old Lexus receipts and found the one where I had the steering recalibrated. Here's what the ticket states:
--------------------------------
Concern: Guest installed a new ISF steering ECU on his IS350 and the steering needs to be calibrated using the Toyota/Lexus Techstream. Quoted 1 hours labor charge per A.S.
Correction: Perform EMPS Torque Sensor Adjustment.
Comment: Service Completed.
------------------------------
You can use this information when you speak with your service manager at the Lexus dealership (or ask him/her to speak to one of the Lexus Master Techs on this specific procedure).
I dug through my old Lexus receipts and found the one where I had the steering recalibrated. Here's what the ticket states:
--------------------------------
Concern: Guest installed a new ISF steering ECU on his IS350 and the steering needs to be calibrated using the Toyota/Lexus Techstream. Quoted 1 hours labor charge per A.S.
Correction: Perform EMPS Torque Sensor Adjustment.
Comment: Service Completed.
------------------------------
You can use this information when you speak with your service manager at the Lexus dealership (or ask him/her to speak to one of the Lexus Master Techs on this specific procedure).
Just the rear F-Sport bar alone is a bit twitchy. Had the front bar in my cart for a while that Bell Lexus has on eBay, just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
01-15-18, 05:48 AM
#285
Does your steering assist change when go from ECT Normal (light steering feel) to ECT PWR (heavy steering feel)? This is a key difference between the IS350 and ISF steering ECUs (though I'm not sure if the ISx50 F-Sports received the same treatment).
AFAIK, there have been no distinguishable differences between the -41 unit (11-12 ISF ECU) and the -42 unit (13-14 ISF ECU) that have been discovered by forum members. 08-10 ISF owners will note a significant difference in steering feel and feedback when upgrading to either the -41 or -42 unit but from what I've read, steering feel is very similar between the -41 and -42 units. One can assume that additional tweaks have been made to justify a new version of the ISF ECU but the changes are very likely subtle.
AFAIK, there have been no distinguishable differences between the -41 unit (11-12 ISF ECU) and the -42 unit (13-14 ISF ECU) that have been discovered by forum members. 08-10 ISF owners will note a significant difference in steering feel and feedback when upgrading to either the -41 or -42 unit but from what I've read, steering feel is very similar between the -41 and -42 units. One can assume that additional tweaks have been made to justify a new version of the ISF ECU but the changes are very likely subtle.
I hadn't noticed but I'll check it out shortly.
Now I'm curious what PN is in there.. .. ..