hlee1169

Hi,

What's your opinion of the ride quality in IS-F? Personally I felt that it's firm, which I am fine with, but the the biggest drawback is that there's not enough suspension travel, and over rough patches of road I have been thrown airborne a couple of times, and if you don't lower your seat, your head could hit the headliner. I have also sat in the back and observed the same phenomenon as well.

I wonder if this short suspension travel could be solved with aftermarket coilover, like the Tein CS for the GS line.

y2ks2k

I couldn’t imagine how rough it would be with the IS-F. My IS350 with the sports suspension does not handle crazy road gradient (rough patches) well due to stiffness. The Sti is well known for this and when I moved from my Sti to my IS350 it was pretty close (although the Sti tire noise was a hell of a lot louder). There’s one spot on I5 on my trip home where there’s some rough patches on a transition down a hill a bit that almost throws me into the other lanes every day. Same with the "gutters" in the middle lanes of I5, friggen things toss me around.

calboy76

iTrader: (1)

for those lucky owners of IS F. at this point, how satisfied are you with the compromise between normal driving and aggressive ?

DRE1615

I am very happy with the ride stiffness. To me in normal drive, the bumps are plenty carpeted. I think they are almost comparable to my bros GS430. Sport mode is as expected. I think the ride noise/stiffness is way better then BMW's. My ISF is way quieter and smoother than mom's 328i.

calboy76

iTrader: (1)

thank you so much for the input, since it's hard to get a test drive, i like to know as much as i can before i pick one up myself

i read from some reviews saying that the shocks are pretty jittering since they have short traveling distance.

anyone with any input?

kickhard

ride stiffness to me is a great. Its just right. Not to stiff and not to soft. I to have owned a subbie STI and your right. But just about any car will track on truck ruts and pot holes I just try to avoid. There is no telling how much the BBS wheels can take with the low profile tires and I still wonder how much the wheels cost. As a matter of fact My dealer has to replace my left rear wheel because of shipper damage so I guess we will see

The stiffness that reviewers are talking about I really dont see. But here down south our roads are in pretty good shape compared to up north

golfxx

is -f would probably seem soft to me. I have an SC 430 with run flats.

macpro

My wife has a GS300 and I just picked-up an IS F. As far as ride goes, her GS absorbs the bumps better, but I prefer the handling of my IS F.

Although my wife can appreciate the power and handling of the IS F, she likes her GS better due to the softer ride.

I had an IS 350 for over 2 years and now I do feel the rode more in the IS F, but I think it's a great compromise between handling, power, etc.

Before I purchased my IS F I was concerned about the stiffer ride, but I'm finding this car is truly amazing!

ngl1145

Previous to the IS-F, I had a 350Z with JIC Magic Coilovers FLT-A2's. They were adjustable and you can raise/lower the height as well as set the damper rate. If you get coilovers in your IS-F I think it's going to feel even stiffer. When I went from coilovers to driving the IS-F, it felt tight yet still supple over the bumps. If I hit a bump with the coilovers, I really felt it. IS-F gives you a harder ride but more cushioned in my opinion.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

MSRP is approx $1,800 per wheel....

CaThaFeR

iTrader: (1)

i was actually surprised when i drove my F home...the ride quality in my opinion was great..and actually felt BETTER over bumps than my 250 did

mjwookey

Being from Europe and now living in the states it always amazed me how soft the suspensions where here on so called sports coupes. I picked up my IS-F last weekend and the suspension is great, softer than I expected after listening to some comments.
As they say, if your not driving a Buick, perhaps you should avoid the potholes.

CQE1

Having owned an IS350 for two years I grew accustomed to the smooth ride expected with Lexus vehicles. I did notice the 350's stiff suspension on some local freeways, and it was surprising. Overall I still feel for the sportiness of the 350 the ride was very well balanced.

Fast forward two years later and I traded my 350 for the IS F a month ago. I immediately knew from the first mile off the lot it felt like an exotic sports car. Sports cars of this caliber are not intended to give you the typical Lexus cushion ride. I knew this but expected and even harsher ride from all the reviews in January. To be honest it rides and acts like a Lexus when you putz around town, but once you floor the throttle you feel the car grab the pavement with a mighty squat. I don't mind the bouncy ride on some uneven streets. In my area bumpy roads are rare. When I do find one though it's not sending me thru the headliner. Lexus nailed the perfect balance for the wolf in sheep's clothing.

CQE 1
IS F 08 Smoky Granite-TRD Plates

LeslieRC

On Motorweek yesterday the reviewer of the IS-F heaped praise on the IS-F's power, handling, and fit and finish. They specifically mentioned and described the ride and suspension of the IS-F as "European" in nature.

hlee1169

I took a trip from San Jose to LA and back to help break in the car. After a couple of hundred miles, I feel that the front seats absorb bumps better than the rear seats. Sitting the back over bumping roads will definitely make you jittery. As for sports vs non-sports mode, the ride quality does not change since only the throttle map and transmission shift points are changed.

Handling wise, it's stable, but I could see that IS-F's short suspension travel not able to absorb bumps and cause the car to lose grip. I guess they really tune the car on the track, but for twisty road in the mountain, you might lose grip if the road is less than a smooth track.