So glad I didn’t watch Effing Sam, do Effing Sam things. Man do I hate that guy. He’s just mad his YT influence is sh it; because in spite of his trashing vids, the car is STILL selling! That’s the axe his a$$ is grinding…

 

Dynos are all different... RR Racing got ~420 rwhp on their dyno, but there are posts and videos online of the 5.0 cars only making 350-360 rwhp. Not to defend Sam, I have always said this car doesn't trap like a 472 hp car.

For example, all of these cars were tested by Motortrend, so the variables should be controlled as much as possible.

2015 RC F - 467 hp - 12.9 @ 110.3 mph
2016 GS F - 467 hp - 12.9 @ 110.9 mph
2022 IS 500 - 472 hp - 12.7 @ 112.7 mph
2011 Mustang GT - 412 hp - 12.8 @ 110.8 mph
2016 Mustang GT - 435 hp - 12.9 @ 110 mph
2018 Mustang GT - 460 hp - 12.1 @ 118.8 mph
2006 Corvette - 400 hp - 13.0 @ 112.2 mph
2008 Corvette - 436 hp - 12.5 @ 115 mph
2015 Corvette - 460 hp - 11.89 @ 116.2 mph
2017 Corvette GS - 460 hp - 12.0 @ 116.6
2015 Corvette Z06 - 650 hp - 11.2 @ 127 mph
2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat - 707 hp - 10.8 @ 126 mph (4,449 pounds!!!)

Notice all the Lexus trap speeds, which are affected a lot by horsepower, are on par with the 400-430 hp cars. Yes, there are other factors, but horsepower is a big one. The 460 hp cars trap 4-8 mph higher, and just for funsies the 650 hp car is a whopping 15-17 mph faster. The reality is these cars have never had a top end that match their power. My guess is that the Lexus is geared really bad for straight line performance. Car & Driver (different tester, different location, different variables) tested the RC F Fuji with it's special gearing (I think it has special gearing to get the 0.60 below 4 sec) at 12.4 @ 115 mph. They tested a regular 2020 RC F at 12.7 @ 113 mph, and a C7 Corvette at 12.3 @ 118 mph. The regular RC F is still the same hp, but 5 mph behind the lower hp Corvette and the Fuji edition an improved 3 mph behind the lower hp Corvette.

Who knows for sure. Maybe it's aero, maybe it's gearing, maybe it's massive drivetrain loss... I really don't know. I just know it doesn't have the same top end as other 460+ hp cars.

 

Part of the problem is that our cars are all top end. They have nearly 500 HP but not even 400 ft-lbs of torque.

 

gearing definitely one of the issue, the 6spd on my 06 IS350 have closer ratio vs. RCF/IS500 8spd, plus 306hp vs. 472hp with about 1/2 sec different in 0-60 and 1/4 mile about 0.6 sec. I do notice around town the IS350 gets up and go better cuz power is more down low and IS500 is only up top but only highway/freeway that's when the 500 shines where the close ratio of my IS350 runs out of juice...

 

Not my video, but Blu had a cameo!

 

I'm also assuming the regular RC F gets a 0-60 time of around 4.4 seconds, similar to the IS500. Quite a difference then between the "regular 5.0L V8 equipped versions of Lexus models (LC500 aside)" and the Fuji edition that was modified with the different gearing. Would still be surprising though if actual crank output is less than the public advertised 472. Usually, it's the other way around (aka BMW notorious for sandbagging their stated HP figures knowing full well their output is much higher than advertised).

 

That was a cool one!
Someone needs to get ahold of that Mike Forsythe guy and see if he'll share which valvetronic they used on the press car. I emailed them about it and they never responded. It's not like they're losing business by sharing, since we're not driving thousands of miles for a $800 exhaust.
Yeah, that's why I didn't quote any German cars. They are some sandbagging *****. I think our cars do make 472 hp at the crank, but there is something going on that prevents them from running with equivalent power vehicles. I am leaning toward gearing, but my C7 had similar gearing. It would shift around 30 mph in 1st, 67-68 mph in 2nd, and around 90-95 in 3rd. My C7 (also an 8 speed) cruised at a lower RPM on the highway (so geared taller) than the IS 500 does AND got better gas mileage on the highway lol. The 2015 C6 had the 6 speed in it still and it was geared even worse than the IS 500 (40 mph in 1st, 70 in 2nd, 100 in 3rd) and is still faster.

Honestly not a big deal, I didn't buy the IS 500 because it was the ultimate straight line performance car. It's just some data analysis that is interesting to me

 

Which press car? The LexusRacing ones?

 

Yeah that yellow and black one. I read/watched somewhere that they did the exhaust on it and it was a Valvetronic system, not sure how valid that info is.

This car:

 

Ah okay, that would be on his YT page. He posted it last year I believe and he usually lists the additions. Some things are one-offs, possibly custom and he’ll say as much.

 

They should market it, IMO its one of the best sounding 500s I've heard!

 

The Grecian one is my personal favorite. You’re right, the sounds are incredible.

 

It is quite interesting. With 472 hp @ 7100 RPM on tap, and if you could connect this engine to a transmission having very aggressive short gearing, it seems that a 3900 lb IS500 should be capable of doing a 0-60 time in sub-4 seconds, and better quarter mile performance, IMO. It's too bad the 10 speed that is in the LC500 doesn't fit in the IS500. Would be fascinating to see what the performance numbers would be in that hypothetical scenario. Maybe the drivetrain losses in the 8-speed are really that high? But then again, you said someone has dynod the V8 and gotten 420 hp at the wheels, which is really low drivetrain losses if the crank is at 472 hp. Aerodynamics in the corvette is better than the IS500, so could that explain the better trap times despite similar crank HP and gearing as the IS500 .? I think the most compelling evidence is the Fuji edition comparison you mentioned earlier. 472 hp at 7100 RPM is alot of horsepower. Just seems the IS500 is not configured sufficiently to fully utilize all that power.

And yeah, there is no way that M340 makes 382 HP at the crank and is able to pull off the performance numbers that it does. LOL. BMW robbery at its best.

 

That one sounds really good!
The LC 500 doesn't fare any better, even with the 10 speed. Motortrend tested it at 13.2 @ 110.2 mph. It also weighs 4,370 pounds which shows how trap speed is not affected much by weight, similarly how the porky Hellcat traps similarly to a lighter C7 Z06. Aero can affect trap speed, but not that much. The Corvette GS has a lot of aero compared to the regular model and it didn't affect the trap speed much, if at all, in the 1/4 mile. It for sure affects top speed.

It's highly possible the drivetrain loss is that significant... RR Racing got 420rwhp on a 100,000 mile car. Maybe it takes that long to loosen up lol. I think their dyno reads high as well.

 

You are absolutely losing power when you go up 6000 ft in elevation. Checking a couple online calculators... You're below 400 hp now due to the lower intake air pressure.