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Hi all, this may be my first time posting in the IS F sub-forum. I just picked up a IS500 last week. I'm technically past the break in period per the manual (I have 910 miles already), and I was wondering from you 2UR GSE veterans what is good practice to keep this V8 engine running healthy forever. How often should I push the car, bounce off the rev limiter, etc? Thanks!
Hi all, this may be my first time posting in the IS F sub-forum. I just picked up a IS500 last week. I'm technically past the break in period per the manual (I have 910 miles already), and I was wondering from you 2UR GSE veterans what is good practice to keep this V8 engine running healthy forever. How often should I push the car, bounce off the rev limiter, etc? Thanks!
No need to beat on it for it to be “healthy”. Stay on top of maintenance, use the best oil and filter (Amsoil), tune ups, diff fluid, trans fluid, etc. You have a great car and engine that will last you forever if you really want it to.
I haven’t had a chance for a proper photo shoot yet because I still haven’t been able to wash it. But here’s a few from the first night I got home and at the dealership.
If you’re wondering how I already have 910 miles I picked the car up from Santa Fe and drove back to SoCal. It was the only dealer except Longo that wasnt charging mark ups or add ons but Longos list was like 30+ people. Somehow a USB at Santa Fe flew completely under everyone’s radar. As for the break in I did my best to shift through gears periodically between 4 and 8 on the journey home. I got gas 3 times to err on the side of caution and got about 27mpg all the way back. I didn’t drive it hard at all on the way home. Just recently on local roads or freeways I’ve been letting her rip, which is why I’m asking how often can I do that without getting into car trouble.
No need to beat in it for it to be “healthy”. Stay on top of maintenance, use the best oil and filter (Amsoil), tune ups, diff fluid, trans fluid, etc. You have a great car and engine that will last you forever if you really want it to.
Ok, but is it possible to beat in to it too much? I’m not planning to track the car at all, but it’s really difficult to resist the temptation to floor it at least once per trip. I was wondering how bad that is for the engine.
Ok, but is it possible to beat in to it too much? I’m not planning to track the car at all, but it’s really difficult to resist the temptation to floor it at least once per trip. I was wondering how bad that is for the engine.
I bought my 2008 ISF with 86k miles bone stock. After 2 months I went from bone stock to FBO (Full bolt ons). I drive my car pretty hard BUT I maintain and give it the best parts. I also track my car. I currently have 150k miles and still smoke new 5.0 mustangs, 1LE Camaros, etc. I did a compression check and all cylinders were perfectly healthy and ready for boost. Just to give you an idea.
Gorgeous car, congrats.
There are so many varying opinions on break-in and lots of theories about engines being broken in at the factory. What ISFpowered says totally applies as well.
I've subscribed to the switch oil at 500 miles, then 1k, no synthetic till 5k, and go easy on the throttle the first 2k. However, even if my techniques are sound, they are not necessarily "current" or applicable to modern engines. I also haven't bought a brand new car in a very long time. There are theories completely against my techniques that claim to set the rings of a new engine within the first day of owning it. I would absolutely defer to others on this forum who have better history & experience across multiple platforms. In other words, Lance/Lobux should be chiming in shortly who has documented this in the past. I'm always interested to hear the latest thoughts on this.
Ok, but is it possible to beat in to it too much? I’m not planning to track the car at all, but it’s really difficult to resist the temptation to floor it at least once per trip. I was wondering how bad that is for the engine.
Let it warm up properly, do maintenance, the car should be fine.
Wow - Bouncing off rev limiter I am an aggressive driver and appreciate a good handling fast car. I had my ISF with FBO for ten years and never bounced off the rev limiter. My LC is now approaching three years old and has never bounced off the limiter. As far as break-in, I did not follow the "Lexus" rules. I drove aggressively early on, but I did vary the speed for the first 500 miles. Sort of hard to do on my way home (Arizona) from Nebraska where I picked up my LC.
Alright this brings me to my next question- how long can I go between oil changes? I plan to drive only 5000 miles a year and was hoping a yearly oil change would be enough to keep the engine healthy.
Alright this brings me to my next question- how long can I go between oil changes? I plan to drive only 5000 miles a year and was hoping a yearly oil change would be enough to keep the engine healthy.
Congrats on the new car! I change the oil on my RC F and IS F once a year, but I only put ~2500-3000 miles/year on each of them (Change every Spring after fall/winter storage) I use Amsoil synthetic oil and while it's probably overkill because of low mileage, I think changing every year is cheap insurance. Synthetic or not, I will change every 5K/ year, whichever comes first.
I also didn't switch to Synthetic oil on the RCF until around 3K miles.
Alright this brings me to my next question- how long can I go between oil changes? I plan to drive only 5000 miles a year and was hoping a yearly oil change would be enough to keep the engine healthy.
I also change once a year. I use Pennzoil Ultra Platinum and WIX XP filters.
I let the dealer do the first change than the Pennzoil after that. Also about 5K per year.
This engine is as bulletproof as it gets. I've had my '12 F for 8 years now and never a hint of engine issues. I have 64k on it and love every second of driving it when I do (usually 2-4 days a month). And I'm quite positive there hasn't been a day I've driven it and not seen triple digits. Open roads are FUN in this car, lol!
That is also the partial reason why I said over in the IS500 thread not to worry about small market adjustments/markups. Just get your hands on one of these cars, so be it if it cost a few thousand more than you think it should! You will ENJOY the car, sound, and driving experience, and that is something you can't put a price on...
Enjoy the new ride!!!
Oh and BTW, I still get 28+ mpg when I'm cruising on the highway 65-7mph😎! Car is seriously a jack of all trades!
Alright this brings me to my next question- how long can I go between oil changes? I plan to drive only 5000 miles a year and was hoping a yearly oil change would be enough to keep the engine healthy.
For sure once a year regardless or 5,000 miles which ever comes first..
I just rolled 180k miles but really would be at 220k if it wasn’t for Covid and/or no longer daily driving to work..
I will probably remain in the 180k range for a long while.
Also, I too enjoy it whenever possible and manual shift.. once you master the redline, you just shift right at or just before.. No need to bounce off the limiter
We also have a dedicated BlackStone oil analysis thread with years of data owners are tracking..
Don’t baby it. It takes pressure to seat rings to the cylinder walls. Buy a car new, drive it like you plan to drive it for the life of the car. Some strong theories that failing to rev it and seat the rings will lead to some oil use later.
Honestly for the average person, this is a mountain out of a mole hill. Just drive it. Enjoy it, change your oil at least when it tells you too with quality oil. Do not be afraid to rev it. These cars are still seeing abuse at 200-350k miles and still holding strong.