pandahatch

How is the NVH (noise, vibration, & harshness) and road/tire noise in the IS 500?

Does it lean more Luxury car, or more Sports Sedan? Is the IS 350 about the same? I can probably test drive an IS 300 or 350 to see for myself as well!

I'm curious only because I've found myself more annoyed by NVH as I'm getting older. I know that if I want a sports car I should buy a sports car, and if I want a luxury car I should buy an LS. But there's something about the IS 500 that I just can't stop thinking about. It's so charming and genuinely a perfect car! And one of my last chances to own an NA V8 in something that I want.

tapjoy

No noise aside from the engine (which could be louder imo). Any vibration or harshness is gonna be from bad roads. You could upgrade your tires since that seems to be the weak point in these cars. But other than that, it’s smooth driving.

I upgraded my exhaust because I think you really need to be able to hear this beauty. But if you leave everything stock, it’ll be very nice regardless.

Renault

Mine is pretty quiet, but not as quiet and soft as an ES. I'd imagine an easy fix would be to put on the Pilot Sport A/S (instead of the Pilot Sport 4s) or the Continental DWS06 if you want a quiet ride over sportiness, but still own the IS500. The OEM tires aren't the greatest.

pandahatch

This is great to hear - I say I'm sensitive to NVH but I also love driving - and would definitely go for PS4S and a valved catback so I can at least hear the beaty under the hood

I'm definitely contradicting myself here. lol

macmaster

I can't stress how amazingly quiet and serene this car is, something I noticed this weekend with the radio off and a light foot.

The lack of NVH really does have give it that Lexus personality of luxury, despite the V8.

arentz07

FWIW, some owners have complained that the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ were loud, not sure if the 4's are better. Hopefully so. The DWS06+ will definitely be a bit better.

pandahatch

This just makes me THAT much more excited for this product. So long as I don't get laid off in these crazy times I'm definitely trading my truck in for one lol - already on the list and my dealer is being pretty good at keeping me informed.

Even sending me a "no update" email every few days just showing that they care.

95bat

Agreed with all of this!
Coming from a 2019 ES I can confirm it was much quiter, but much slower lol. The Michelin tires on the ES were leagues ahead of our Bridgestone Pooptenza tires.

felixcat

You probably will hear positive things here because this is the owner/fans forum.

You can get a rough feeling of how the IS500 rides by test driving a similarly equipped IS350 (of course, without the V8 engine). But besides that you should understand why Lexus name it as "IS500" but not IS-F, and why the GS/RC with the same powertrain is priced significantly higher than it from the factory (or, the difference between normal GS/RC to their F variant siblings).

Historically speaking, for every other Lexus F models when equipped with that V8 engine, Lexus added structural enhancement/reinforcement as well, to handle the extra weight, output and stress. For example in the GS-F, extra braces are added to the normal GS structure to strengthen the rigidity, and the suspension is using different materials. For the RC-F, Lexus uses different materials in the car frame to reduce weight and increase rigidity. However, there is no structural change to the IS500. That does not mean it is not needed, but because of compromise between user experience and affordability.

By the way, since the weight distribution of the IS500 is different, its 1st order torsional and bending harmonic resonance frequencies are different than other IS models. As a direct result, you will feel in a lower speed range that the car chassis is apparently more "talkative" (or more scuttle-shake intentions).

mack24

I put on Goodyear eagle exhilarates for all season coverage. It was the only all season tire my dealer offered. Noticeable improvement in ride quality and maybe a little less tire noise. I use the car as a daily driver.

arentz07

Those are great. I ran them on my Mk7 GTI. Pretty grippy for an all-season and definitely more refined and quiet than expected.

DLPTony

I will probably be the extreme, so use me as the bookend and land somewhere in the middle. I say this because historically (with previous Lexus models) my tires were rebalanced every quarter and outright replaced every 15 months. I cannot stand feeling or hearing the road, but I want speed and razor sharp steering.

The Bridgestones (IMO) were loud and rode ‘okay’. The PS4S are quieter, stickier, and work brilliantly with the steering directness. It’s not floaty like an ES, but the IS 500’s Lexus-ness is front and center, just buttoned up.

pandahatch

PS4S is the winner for sure. I will probably do it almost immediately.

wthrman2

I will say that everyone who rode with me can't get over how refined, quiet and smooth this car can be. The IS 500 is a Lexus until you don't want it to be...

DLPTony

Exactly! A tad Jekyll & Hyde. 😈