Headers and long term reliability
#16
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If I could do it over again, I'd keep it stock. Headers did cause a little bit of CEL problems for me which are fixed now. I went to headers in pursuit of breaking 12.0@ the 1/4 mile. Which I did, but quite honestly, it's not THAT much faster that it warrants the raw fuel smell, the nerves i get during emissions, and the cost. I've incurred about 3K in parts, install, and A/F sensors over the last 2 years... for what? 1/10 in 0-60 and 2/10 in the 1/4 mile. An exhaust has about the same amount of benefit (in my case, Borla) w/o costing as much, no CEL, and not worried about emissions. But the Borla exhaust with it's slip joints isn't as solid as a stock exhaust and once again, for 1200 bucks, it was 1/10 in 0-60 and another 2/10 in the 1/4. Would I do it again? No. Keep it stock, keep it legal, and also resale is much better for stock cars. If you really want a faster car, save up the money you'd use in mods and buy a faster car.
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Last edited by lobuxracer; 10-28-14 at 10:21 PM.
#17
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#18
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^^^^What experience have you had with any exhaust modifications done to your ISF?
I have been modifying exhaust systems on my vehicles since my first car, a 1950 Mercury (bought in 1957) and have never run into any problem that I couldn't solve. My gosh, that's 57 years
Man I'm old
The Exhaust Mods on my ISF - PPE Headers and Full PPE Dual Mode Exhaust have been trouble free for me, because the installation was done correctly. I have a friend in town with PPE headers and JoeZ exhaust. He has also had no issues.
Lou
I have been modifying exhaust systems on my vehicles since my first car, a 1950 Mercury (bought in 1957) and have never run into any problem that I couldn't solve. My gosh, that's 57 years
![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
![EEK!](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/eek1.gif)
The Exhaust Mods on my ISF - PPE Headers and Full PPE Dual Mode Exhaust have been trouble free for me, because the installation was done correctly. I have a friend in town with PPE headers and JoeZ exhaust. He has also had no issues.
Lou
#19
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how many of of these F's are daily drivers?...so no one has rust( the coating on the headers must be of good quality) and happy to not hear of any heat related issues so far! the car is really dependable and don't wanna take away from that with this mod, but there seems to be no bad side effects so far!. keep them coming!
#20
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I'm running the Joe Z and PPE header setup on my daily driver. That being said I don't regret going this route one bit. It makes our V8 lexus sound as mean as it performs, and definitely sets it apart from the ISx50 platforms (which mannnnnnny have confused my IS-F for - until they hear it lol). I'm not crazy about chasing numbers on paper or a track, but if the car looks good, sounds good, and out performs most other cars I come across on spirited drives, I am happy with it.
Perfect example is driving a stock corvette vs. a cammed vette with some headers and exhaust. Same car, totally different sound and driving experience. In the end its your car and your preference of how you want it to sound, drive, look, etc.
It made me fall in love with the car all over again every time I hear and drive it though lol!
Perfect example is driving a stock corvette vs. a cammed vette with some headers and exhaust. Same car, totally different sound and driving experience. In the end its your car and your preference of how you want it to sound, drive, look, etc.
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#21
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^^^^What experience have you had with any exhaust modifications done to your ISF?
I have been modifying exhaust systems on my vehicles since my first car, a 1950 Mercury (bought in 1957) and have never run into any problem that I couldn't solve. My gosh, that's 57 years
Man I'm old
The Exhaust Mods on my ISF - PPE Headers and Full PPE Dual Mode Exhaust have been trouble free for me, because the installation was done correctly. I have a friend in town with PPE headers and JoeZ exhaust. He has also had no issues.
Lou
I have been modifying exhaust systems on my vehicles since my first car, a 1950 Mercury (bought in 1957) and have never run into any problem that I couldn't solve. My gosh, that's 57 years
![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
![EEK!](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/eek1.gif)
The Exhaust Mods on my ISF - PPE Headers and Full PPE Dual Mode Exhaust have been trouble free for me, because the installation was done correctly. I have a friend in town with PPE headers and JoeZ exhaust. He has also had no issues.
Lou
#22
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^^^^Ford and Mercury used Flathead V8s until 1953, so yes it did. Up until 1954, for some unexplained reason Ford ran the left side exhaust gases out through the front of the manifold and through a pipe in front of the engine to and then through the right side manifold. Talk about exhaust restriction
Made no sense to me than and certainly makes no sense to me now. I was in the Air Force when I had my '50 Mercury, and had little money, but correcting that engineering error was first on my list of things to do. And Yes, I made it into a dual exhaust system. In those days we didn't know about "H" and "X" pipes![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
Lou
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![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
Lou
#23
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^^^^What experience have you had with any exhaust modifications done to your ISF? I have been modifying exhaust systems on my vehicles since my first car, a 1950 Mercury (bought in 1957) and have never run into any problem that I couldn't solve. My gosh, that's 57 years
Man I'm old
The Exhaust Mods on my ISF - PPE Headers and Full PPE Dual Mode Exhaust have been trouble free for me, because the installation was done correctly. I have a friend in town with PPE headers and JoeZ exhaust. He has also had no issues. Lou
![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
![EEK!](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/eek1.gif)
I see and respect your point but I'm sure you can see where tooth doc , Lobux , and I are saying . To each his own. We all just want to be happy and proud owners . I'm just after trouble free motoring
#24
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^^^^IMHO, when choosing modifications to do on any vehicle, you must first do your homework and rely on your and others experiences, and the mods should work as a system. Today, it's so much easier to do than it was yesterday. The internet is just a wealth of information. Here's a few of my thoughts on modifications on the ISF:
20" wheels - simply not enough sidewall IMO.
Lowering - I would luv to lower the front a bit, but on investigation, IMO there is simply not a reliable way to do it on an ISF. I have, however, slightly modified the suspension with an F-Sport rear sway bar. A bit stiffer but with my wider tires, better handling.
Spraying - Again, IMO, too risky
Wheels, a Caveat here. I have upgraded my vehicles with wheels in the past, and based on my experiences, there are darn few aftermarket wheels I would even consider, and they are Volk (Rays), BBS, Borbet, and that's about it. Forged of course, and no more than ¾" wider than stock with offsets that closely mirror the OEM wheels. When I upgraded the wheels on my G35, I went with NISMO (Built, of course by Rays). The stock ISF wheels, are pretty good, built by BBS and forged. However they are ½" too narrow. But, it's something I can live with.
Tires - You know my feelings there.
Brakes - I have changed my front rotors to slotted (drilled tend to crack) and I have Ferodo front pads. I chose the pair based on my past experiences, reviews, and the experiences of others. I made a poor choice for my rotor supplier, but in the end it worked out. My braking system is exceptional the Brembo calipers and the Ferodo pads are a match made in heaven. Someday, I may get 2 piece front rotors to reduce weight.
Turbo or Supercharging - I'm very old school here, and I believe for longevity, Normal Aspiration is always best. I know things have come a long way in the last few years, but I'm not there yet.
Flashing an ECU, when done right, this can work wonders. When done wrong, it can mean a disaster.
Intake - Todays stock intakes are pretty good, not like the old days. I have had two intakes on my F, JoeZ (gets rid of the stock resonator) was very good. I now have the Takeda, I think the design idea behind it is very well done.
Headers - Did a lot of homework here, before deciding on PPE. With today's electronics, headers are much tougher to get working right than they were in the past. However, the stock manifolds are so restrictive that IMO, they are screaming to get modded.
Exhaust - Same as headers IMO.
I have had no ill effects from the mods I have done - That's like NONE - NADA. And I'm putting down close to 400HP at the wheels.
In short - My modded ISF is the best vehicle I have ever owned.
Long Winded response![Sad](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/sad.gif)
Lou
20" wheels - simply not enough sidewall IMO.
Lowering - I would luv to lower the front a bit, but on investigation, IMO there is simply not a reliable way to do it on an ISF. I have, however, slightly modified the suspension with an F-Sport rear sway bar. A bit stiffer but with my wider tires, better handling.
Spraying - Again, IMO, too risky
Wheels, a Caveat here. I have upgraded my vehicles with wheels in the past, and based on my experiences, there are darn few aftermarket wheels I would even consider, and they are Volk (Rays), BBS, Borbet, and that's about it. Forged of course, and no more than ¾" wider than stock with offsets that closely mirror the OEM wheels. When I upgraded the wheels on my G35, I went with NISMO (Built, of course by Rays). The stock ISF wheels, are pretty good, built by BBS and forged. However they are ½" too narrow. But, it's something I can live with.
Tires - You know my feelings there.
Brakes - I have changed my front rotors to slotted (drilled tend to crack) and I have Ferodo front pads. I chose the pair based on my past experiences, reviews, and the experiences of others. I made a poor choice for my rotor supplier, but in the end it worked out. My braking system is exceptional the Brembo calipers and the Ferodo pads are a match made in heaven. Someday, I may get 2 piece front rotors to reduce weight.
Turbo or Supercharging - I'm very old school here, and I believe for longevity, Normal Aspiration is always best. I know things have come a long way in the last few years, but I'm not there yet.
Flashing an ECU, when done right, this can work wonders. When done wrong, it can mean a disaster.
Intake - Todays stock intakes are pretty good, not like the old days. I have had two intakes on my F, JoeZ (gets rid of the stock resonator) was very good. I now have the Takeda, I think the design idea behind it is very well done.
Headers - Did a lot of homework here, before deciding on PPE. With today's electronics, headers are much tougher to get working right than they were in the past. However, the stock manifolds are so restrictive that IMO, they are screaming to get modded.
Exhaust - Same as headers IMO.
I have had no ill effects from the mods I have done - That's like NONE - NADA. And I'm putting down close to 400HP at the wheels.
In short - My modded ISF is the best vehicle I have ever owned.
Long Winded response
![Sad](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/sad.gif)
Lou
#25
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I've update post #6 of my build thread with pics of how my exhaust and headers look after 2-2.5 years of use and abuse. The plastics in the engine bay have not been affected at all by the headers, and from what I can see the headers still look brand new.
I've update post #6 of my build thread with pics of how my exhaust and headers look after 2-2.5 years of use and abuse. The plastics in the engine bay have not been affected at all by the headers, and from what I can see the headers still look brand new.
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