Hey Guys! New to this forum and also Lexus. Previously owned a 2004 BMW 330i, however just purchased a 2018 Ultrasonic Blue Mica x Red Interior is300 F-Sport!! LOVING THE CAR inside and out and the way that it handles, however I had a few questions/concerns about these cars....

1. Picked up the car with 80 miles (was transported from a dealer) and I have to admit after a week of taking it easy, I am now at about 250 miles and just took it for a pretty aggressive drive for the first time, rapid manual mode downshifts and cornering and basically redline. I was wondering about break in period and if I could have possibly done anything to damage the vehicle? Was told these cars are essentially broken in from factory.

2. My transmission from the moment i picked it up seemed a bit jerky during very low speed driving, wondering if this is normal or common? Sometimes manual mode shifts are FAST and sometimes delayed.

3. Does sport mode in the is300 sport tighten steering , or what exactly does it do differently from normal mode.. they seem similar?

4. Do the RSR Down springs cause wear to the shocks/struts and how rough does it make the ride?

thanks in advance!

 

Congrats! Beautiful car!

Yes, my new 2017 IS300 Fsport (Caviar), after nearly 2000k miles, yes still feels jerky. Yes shifting is fast or delayed. It is as if the car is trying to understand what you want.
I am still exploring the behavior on the highway. I had a strange experience the other day. In the Sport mode, I hit the pedal and it down shifted to third and revved to 5K, but didn't get above 65 mph.
I wasn't using the paddles, I was just exploring the response to punching the pedal. It seems to respond differently during each drive. I get nice smooth acceleration up to 75 mph, but punching it gives
variable results.

Regarding the jerky feel, I keep it in ECO mode during my daily local drive. I like the gearing feel, and perhaps it is less jerky.

Welcome and Enjoy!

 

Congrats, you got the fairly rare "Superman" color combo. Enjoy!

 

Regarding steering, the difference between normal and sport is small, unless you are for example maneuvering through a parking lot at low speeds. However, sport mode does have ever so slightly heavier steering.

The transmission if kinda jerky to engage first gear at times, such as if you have come nearly to a stop by not quite. I am at 17k miles now, and this still happens. It's nothing I can't live with I guess.

Congrats on the new car and welcome! If I could re-do my purchase, this would definitely be the color combo for me, lol.

 

 

Welcome! I just bought my IS300 F Sport last month!

1. Picked up the car with 80 miles (was transported from a dealer) and I have to admit after a week of taking it easy, I am now at about 250 miles and just took it for a pretty aggressive drive for the first time, rapid manual mode downshifts and cornering and basically redline. I was wondering about break in period and if I could have possibly done anything to damage the vehicle? Was told these cars are essentially broken in from factory.
No, do not worry about a break in period. I would just let the car warm up before you start driving aggressively.
2. My transmission from the moment i picked it up seemed a bit jerky during very low speed driving, wondering if this is normal or common? Sometimes manual mode shifts are FAST and sometimes delayed.
Yes, I noticed this also some of the shifts are pretty jerky and other times they are smooth. It is just the way the cars are.
3. Does sport mode in the is300 sport tighten steering , or what exactly does it do differently from normal mode.. they seem similar?
​​​​​​​Sport mode tightens the steering and I believe allows more gas into the cylinders producing maximum power.
4. Do the RSR Down springs cause wear to the shocks/struts and how rough does it make the ride?
The ride on stock springs is pretty rough as it is. You really can feel the road. I had RSR downs on my car and the ride was significantly rougher. Thats the thing when you swap the springs. I went back to stock because the front was too low for me daily driving. I am going to bag mine like I have done cars in the past. When you hit a pothole with the down springs it sounds pretty violent. You will notice your wheel you can feel a slight like vibrate on certain roads.

Overall you are going to love the car. I came from a 2013 BMW 328i X-Drive that I totaled and I am in love with my Lexus!

 

^oh yeah RSR down springs makes the ride a lot bouncier from my experience, but i enjoy it because it gives the car the sports car kinda feel all the time. except some days i really do enjoy driving my moms RX when i need the smoothness lol

 

Unfortunately we have luxury sports cars and they aren't exactly built for straight smoothness. Love the cars though.

 

 

Congrats and welcome to ClubLexus. We are happy to have another member to our family.

Are you looking to mod your Lexus in the near future?

 

I will answer your 4th question deeply ! and what causes the car (all car not just Lexus) suspension components parts to premature wears ?
1, Tires ! Tire inner wear (camber Wear) (you can get a set of Camber kit to set it back to OEM specs)
2, Shocks ! shocks bottom out too much thus makes shock's life shorter (you can get Performance shocks to match out though, or go Coilovers and AIR-Suspension, if you ask any old man car MOD from the 90s, they'll all suggest you to go Coil or Air)
3, Bushing ! LCA and Strut mount (you can upgrade to LCA bushing to RR-Racing performance one to handle to pressure)
4, Driveshaft Boots ! because you'll be more than an INCH lower than OEM specs, when you go over bump or sharp turn you stretch the boots more (there a Company make FAST BOOTS that you replace without taking out the sharp, i forgot the name i saw somewhere)
5,Wheel Bearings ! Like Bushing , you put too much pressure it shorter the wheel bearing.
I am not including this in to the list because its a hit or a miss ! some experience Clunky noise, rubbing, shaking at Stop in gear D with AWD IS. a friend of mine lowered his on H&R springs damn it smooth no noise and firm better than stocks, i don't know why.

The advantage of Lower your car !
1, Better handling, at high speed
2, Better turning no BODY-ROLL
3, better aerodynamics at high speed
4, better TRACTION in any ways ! (for me, personally i fell better traction in snows and waters, the reason why i never had winter tires for my old lowered cars in Toronto Canada) off-topic "this is my personally reference plz don't come and ARGUE, Toronto Members can come and see my 2inches lowered Solara when i drive it in snow"
5, Looks Nice and aggressive (ofcourse everyone wants, me too ! i can't deny that)

If you're looking for handling that really effective, 1 inch lowered + Strut tower bar + rear sway bar + Performance RR-racing Lower control arm bushing = you'll feel the real different in suspension wise
If you're looking for more POWER , RR-racing has a SUPERCHARGER for 3rd Gen Lexus IS
And Welcome to Club Lexus and Lexus's family bro !

 

 

Sport S+ mode = Makes you gas go down a LOT faster due to the faster shift pattern of the transmission and the adaptive variable suspension.
But it does have a noticeable increase in your dopamine levels.

Enjoy your new ride! I just picked up a used 2016 IS350 F-Sport a month ago (had only 11k miles) and it brings a big smile to my face everytime I drive it.

 

Hello fellow former E46 owner. Saying the car handles good is a testament to the IS because the E46 3 Series is the benchmark of the world in terms of sports sedan handling. It is THE definition of handling.

As for harming your car by redlining it, hard to say. It is nice you had some mileage on it when you got it so hopefully everything had a chance to seat. Factories do typically do a quick run-in on a machine but not totally sure about Lexus. Just drive it and enjoy it. It has a warranty.

As far as springs, anything over an inch will likely cause accelerated wear to your dampers. If you want to go low like the RSR downs, I'd go for the optional Lexus Bilstein sport dampers---probably tougher. Or some other aftermarket solution. Or you can just roll the dice and risk paying the labor twice.

For me I went with Tein H Tech (equivalent to half down or genuine Lexus Blue sport springs) and am pretty happy.

 

if it is the same transmission as the 2is 350, I have felt the same. But that 1st gear tho!!