Rezno

iTrader: (1)

...Until 2 days ago, when I took a friend of mine to a back road and some empty highways. I owned my car for a little bit over 9 months and put a little less than 4,000 miles on it in that span of time. And somehow, the thought of hitting redline never really crossed my mind once. I would occasionally rev up to 4-5k (and by occasionally, I mean like once every ~700ish miles. Seriously, I really babied this car), but never passed that. And I thought that was pretty incredible. I knew this car was properly fast and could occasionally beat some V8 powered cars, but I guess I didn't know what that meant until this past trip, where I couldn't resist not putting the car through its paces (and yeah, showing off a little bit). I still haven't done a proper 0-60, nor have I taken it to a race track or drag strip, but good lord this car really pulls at any speed under 80 MPH. And even with the stock exhaust, it sounds pretty good over 5k (quiet, but good). And its passing power is really effortless. I've driven other fast cars in the past (335i, 370z) but I guess the lack of driving those cars everyday and on a trip as long as I took recently maybe didn't make them feel as special even though they are both faster in a straight line than my 2007 350.

Maybe I'm feeling this way because I never drove a car as fast as the 350 consistently, or maybe I just never actually felt the power of the 350. Who knows. And mind you, my car is completely stock aside from installing 2011+ tail lights, which I'm sure must have absolutely no effect on acceleration whatsoever. And this is just in a straight line. On the windy roads, this was also one really fun experience. And somehow, having all this fun, I still got 25.2 MPG.

I thought about getting a supercharger kit for my car, or maybe headers and a tune. But with what this car is capable of stock, I think I might just save the money and put it towards my next car or a house or just whatever things happen in the future. That being said, I could only imagine how much more fun a supercharged 350 would be, or an IS-F. Now I REALLY want to try an IS-F sometime. I don't regret not trying harder to get an IS-F (because the 350 probably makes a better daily), but now I absolutely have to try it.

I know mostly everything that I said here was already said before, but I just wanted to post some thoughts on my mind of the car that I've owned for quite some time but never truly got to experience.

redspencer

iTrader: (1)

The 2IS350 continues to be a great sleeper car.

At a minimum, I recommend getting the ECU tuned so you can really enjoy the engine going past the 7k+ RPM range along with the improved powerband.

Rezno

iTrader: (1)

No kidding. Makes me more satisfied with my decision every mile I drive it.

I probably will do this. The ECU tunes aren't ridiculously expensive, and I do want to put a little more money into the car. 6600 was a really bad stock redline (and even with that the car is still crazy fun)

metaleckz

iTrader: (9)

The tune makes it definitely more fun!

Jwconeil

Does the tune allow you to rev that high in normal drive mode, or do you have to use the paddles? Also, does the tune change transmission shifts? I had not seen any updates on this and last I read you had to use the paddle shifts for the revs to go above stock level.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

We've been missing out! I redline my car every time I drive it! LOL

Rezno

iTrader: (1)

I went on some more back roads yesterday. You're right. Absolutely missing out. Though it is sort of hard for me to experience acceleration with all the increased traffic in my area lol

Side note: Just ordered my tune from OV. I'm waiting for my next oil change and engine check before I flash the ECU just to be safe. Do you guys think I should change out the coolant and water pump before I get the car tuned?

bazzle01

This one?

https://www.ovtuned.com/collections/...uner-2006-2013

nosurprise

iTrader: (1)

Does that mean I don't have to take the ECU out and send it to them to tune?

Rezno

iTrader: (1)

Yes, that is the handheld I have.
If your ECU number is in their stock (meaning that they already tuned it) and you buy the handheld, you do NOT need to send them your ECU. However, if they never tuned the ECU number of your car before, then yes, you probably will have to send it to them.

To save yourself a lot of time and trouble, find the ECU number of your car and email OV asking them if they have your ECU number in their stock before ordering anything.

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

As long as you currently have no cooling issues or noises coming from you engine bay, adding a tune won't make it appear. So go for it!

nosurprise

iTrader: (1)

How do I find the ECU and its number? Are there instructions some where?

Rezno

iTrader: (1)

Good to hear! I'll still probably change my oil at the least one time though before I go for it. I still have about ~23k miles before the 100k limit so I'll probably do it closer to then.
Its on the ECU. So you have to remove the plastic cover to get to it. It should look sort of like this: http://prntscr.com/fuxlq1 (Sorry I couldn't get a better picture)

If that is too much of a hassle, you could look up the number for your car model and year. It is best to be specific when it comes to this. Example: On Ebay, you'll see various ECUs from 06-09 for example. Try and find one that is your exact year just to be safe (e.g. 2007 IS350 or 2009 IS250, etc.)

nosurprise

iTrader: (1)

cool; where is the actual ECU? I assume it's the engine ECU; it's in the under the hood somewhere?

Gville350

iTrader: (10)

Driver's side front engine area under a long, narrow plastic cover. Next to a larger fuse box.