flipside909

Really? I think the LFA release has plenty of significance, if not more than the GTR.

The LFA targets a specific target market, a demographic that the GTR does not meet.

flipside909

So some talk about the wheels...here's something that was brought up in the IS F forum:

So to clarify some of the rumors about these rims. They will NOT fit any Lexus vehicle. This wheel is specific to the LFA only. The LFA does not have the conventional hub with 5 studs. In fact, the wheel is mounted with 5, 50mm hex head type bolts that go directly into the wheel hub.

Here are some specs on the wheels/tires. The Bridgestone Potenza on this car are so new, there is still an embargo on the model name and tread design. The LFA is the first vehicle to feature these Bridgestone Potenza tires.

emoshun

iTrader: (11)

I think it's sad that people cannot pay respect when it is due. The LF-A is a groundbreaking first from Lexus putting them on the map staked deep in supercar territory, this alone as their first official offering should be applauded.

Those of you who are brining up price as a factor to the LF-A's success need a reality check. The players that play in this world of supercars view money as no object. Fuel costs, taxes, fee's incidentals, are all erroneous in these guys lives. Imagine of this car was as attainable as the IS-F, that would defeat the aura of it all, it's meant to be attainable by some, despised by few, and admired by all.

I cannot wait to see a head to head to head to head when the LF-A goes up against world renown exotics and put through it's paces. I know it will turn heads and raise eyebrows as it is the new kid on the block.

This car is a testament to Lexus as a company pursing its dreams regardless of the financial climate. They have put their all in this car, so those that say it has no heart/heritage need to sit down as Toyota/Lexus has been involved with racing for several decades.

I can't wait to see the first member here on CL who owns one, may he/she be congratulated.

-Jimmy

FKL

...here's my point


1. Audi owns Lamborghini, VW owns Audi
2. Audi "drew heavily from the Gallardo" because Audi largely develped it from the start, from the ground up. So Audi was borrowing from themselves, with costs that they already realized.
3. The 5.2FSI was a joint effort between Audi and Lamborghini. "Little to no production cost"? Who exactly is funding Lamborghini?
4. The "Lambo parts bin" is the VW Group/Audi parts bin. That's where you're missing the entire point.

TRDFantasy

Some very good points! The wheels are indeed a unique design as are the tires. Literally almost everything on the LFA was designed from scratch and is brand new to Toyota, which includes the wheels themselves and how they are mounted.

Very well said .

It is incredible that Toyota gave the LFA chief engineer and his team so much freedom in terms of time and money to develop Japan's ultimate exotic supercar.

Any true Toyota/Lexus enthusiast should be very proud of Toyota and what they have achieved with the LFA .

Essence

Let's be realistic guys, this car has 560 hp... its safe to say that on some occasions it will do 0-60 in 3.2 secs...

As fo comparisons to the latest more reliable GT-Rs, the LFA beats it in interior, weight, materials and other intangibles..where as the GT-R wins in mechanical sophistication and control systems...(ofcourse complexity is not always a good thing)

As for style, most will find the LFA sleeker, while many find the GT-R style more authentic.

this is my opinion..

rominl

iTrader: (4)

that design is used in a few vehicles, for example my m3 is already like that. that's why the car has nut bolts, but no lug nuts. it's just a straight hex lug bolts going into the hub

but that design (lug bolt) has absolutely nothing to do with wheel design and fitment. the lug bolts are still cone type on my m3 just like others. that's why when you look at aftermarket wheels for say m3 and isf, besides the bolt pattern (and maybe lug sizes), the wheels are the same

of course it depends on the lfa wheel lug design and bolt pattern, i am not saying for sure it will fit on other lexus (in fact i said not sure). but the use of lug bolt does not automatically mean the wheels can't apply on other cars

MR_F1

Hush. Audi's only input to the Gallardo was quality control, so can it.



Why was this even brought up in the LF-A thread again?

rominl

iTrader: (4)

btw, i will also have to add, given it's built specially by bbs, i would expect lighter wheels... 28lb for 9.5 and 32lb for 11.5 20" one piece wheel, that's not very impressive

and it's interesting to see the bullet about NOT using runflats. a while ago we had a thread about runflats on performance cars and people brought up the vette. so i guess here's another proof to reinforce my claim

LexFather

Great post!!

Please don't get so defensive whenever Audi/VW is mentioned. The JEST of MP's point is quite simple.
1. The LFA is a clean sheet design, developing everything themselves and just 500 sold
2. The Gallardo/R8 can be cheaper b/c for one the V-8 is shared with 3 vehicles, including a 80k much cheaper RS4. The V-10 is shared with two vehicles.

Its nothing to take offensive to, its good business on Audi/Lambo's part to share production costs across the different vehicles and brands.

The LFA DOES NOT have that luxury being completely bespoke.

5,000 Gallardo's have already beeen sold. Not 500!

2006 1651
2007 1951
2008 1787

http://www.gtspirit.com/2007/01/25/l...-n%C2%B0-5000/

http://www.leftlanenews.com/audi-r8.html

It uses the mid-engine Lamborghini Gallardo platform and costs $114,200, positioning it squarely against the BMW M6, Porsche 911, and Aston Martin Vantage.

Small teams of specialists accompany every step of production, ensuring that every one of the maximum of 15 cars per day built is up to quality standards.

Notice the R8 (not including R10) can be built up to 15 per DAY. The LFA is up to 20 per MONTH.

500 R8s have been sold THIS YEAR already just in America. 240 in 07 and 900 in 08. Again, ONLY in America. That is another 1600 units.

Seems the RS4 production goal was at least 12,000 units. It indeed sold well for Audi worldwide.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Lookin...S4-a0148732108

So I have found 20,000 units of the Gallardo, R8, RS4 total and I am MISSING data.

20,000> 500 in regards to sharing production costs.

Again, smart on Audi/Lambo's part and it doesn't make the cars inferior or bad. They are quite stupendous.

MPLexus point stands though and its NOTHING to get upset about. Its basic business sense.

TRDFantasy

Here are some really interesting screens from the official LFA video shown at the Tokyo Auto Show unveiling:

Here is the incredible 3 dimensional weaving loom equipped with laser technology that Toyota created to accurately weave together the carbon fiber strands.




Here we can see some pictures of the LFA underbody, and the incredibly complex lattice structure of underbody braces and reinforcements. Here is also a shot of a bare LFA chassis/structure. We can see the carbon fiber cabin/central tub and the front and rear aluminum subframes. Notice the two carbon fiber pieces at the front subframe that help with absorbing impact energy during a crash. In the event of a collision, the extruded aluminum subframes act as crumple zones to dissipate crash energy. For repair purposes, they are also a lot cheaper to replace and less complicated to repair than if they were carbon fiber.



Here we see the engine undergoing testing with the manifolds glowing. The digital RPM display indicates they tested the engine above 9000 RPM. The engine internals can handle up to 9500 RPM, and fuel-cut off for the engine is in-fact 9500 RPM. Also interesting is that if the engine was allowed to rev to 9500 RPM, it would still be making roughly 548 HP and 308 lb-ft torque. That shows what an incredibly broad powerband the engine has.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

Ok once again, you are making my point. While I evidently had the "who-owns-who" wrong, you are still agreeing with me. Everything on the LFA was designed for the LFA and the development costs were not shared elsewhere. Thus, there is some justification for the super-high price.

That is NOT the case for the R8 as you are saying.

LexFather

I think most of us in here love the GT-R but quite frankly its tiring hearing about it. It happens ANYTIME a new car is made. Audi R10 "oh GTR this" and Porsche GT2 "oh GTR that".

How can we conclude it is better at mechanical sophistication and control systems? The LFA hasn't been tested against its intended Ferrari, Lambo competition yet.

It is clear the GTR and LFA are built to completely different standards, reasons and execution. They both surely are lovely in their different ways.

Not once have I even thought about the GTR since this car debuted and I am a GTR "fanboi"


Runflats suck

TRDFantasy

I hope the bold part is your opinion too.

Do you mean "sophistication" in terms of more technologically sophisticated, or simply in terms of having more parts?

The LFA has a much more sophisticated suspension than the GT-R. It has more sophisticated aerodynamics and underbody bracing, just as examples. Technologically speaking, the LFA is more sophisticated than the GT-R in many ways.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

To be fair, the RS6 and S8 also use the same V10, so that is four cars.