AlexAviles

Go buy that 2015 right now! My bank offered me an insane coverage plan to 150k for less than $2000. Not that you'll need it but its good to have some peace of mind.
A for the adaptive suspension, I would walk right past that. Everyone says the sport+ is too stiff for the road and most people don't use it. Also, to boot this car was set up from the factory with a divorced setup rear to make it easy to do any suspension mods that you see fit if you even need to. I haven't done any myself but I know I could in a matter of hours if I wanted too. I don't think the car has changed enough over the years to warrant buying a newer one if you have found a clean older one. Heck, even if it wasn't clean, its still a flagship Lexus product so it still may be worth going with the lowest price one you could find.

As far as drifting with the TVD, don't be silly dude. This thing shreds some rubber. I have a few videos on my insta @throttle_therapy_nh
I have found the pedal dance definitely makes a difference by making the car soooooo much easier to control when really tossing the car around. The car will still do donuts and drift without the pedal dance with traction off but it seems to eventually make the car less predictable.

Now go get that car before someone else does.

05RollaXRS

Actually, the SPORT+ with AVS is similar stiffness wise to non AVS except it is smoother. The non-AVS can be edgy at times. This is something who owned both said. Here is a post on it: Though, agreed non-AVS is better for aftermarket coil over setup.

SUNNYRCF

I'd buy that 2015 in a heartbeat. It's basically brand new and these cars are very reliable.

AML

Got the car Wednesday (love it) and took it to the dealer for an inspection Friday. Unfortunately the rear shocks are leaking, fortunately it is getting covered by the selling dealer. Hopefully that solves the issue for good…

Ab175

I had a similar experience, immediately after purchase back right shock was blown. Replaced under warranty and I have not had an issue since. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

stag3

yea man you can't be to picky when it comes to rcF's, you're going to be really limited by ones with tvd, then ones with tvd in a color you want etc...
when i found my 17 white with tvd i had to grab it ( i just love the way white cars look with a c/f roof haha ), no idea when i'd find one again. it had higher mileage but it's a lexus, no worries for reliability for me.

ATLHeel350

I had a 2015 loaded. Carbon roof and spoiler, TVD. Never have a problem with it for 50k miles. I would grab to 8k mile car if it has what you want and not even think twice. I did a new exhaust and it was one of my favorite cars.

jnadz

I believe you can drift with the Torsen or the TVD. If your were entering competitions, you’d want Torsen for extreme predictability. For the track, the TVD will make 95% of drivers faster but pure enthusiasts prefer the Torsen and it’s one of the reasons TVD is not included in the “Track Edition”. It’s really a personal preference though, Drive both and choose. To me, the Torsen seems at home with a naturally aspirated V8 from a purist standpoint. TVD seems to pair with new technology and forced induction. That’s just me though.

05RollaXRS

Track edition has an LSD because it is focused on being as lightweight as possible. Lexus was looking to get as much weight off the car. They even got rid of the heated seats, heated steering etc. The TVD unit is heavier than the LSD unit so the RCF CF/TVD uses CF to offset some of the weight (and also lower CoG). The TVD RCF actually has the best skidpad lateral acceleration of 0.98g average on stock tires because it minimizes understeer. Lexus fit the GSF only with TVD because it is such a longer wheelbase car, it needed TVD for agility and nimbleness. if you look at all of the top end sports cars, they all use some sort of torque vectoring mechanism such as, Mclarens, Ferrari or Porsche GT3 etc,

jnadz

It seemed to me, the “Track Edition” was focused on cutting weight simply because cutting weight improves track time. If TVD made even the best drivers faster on the track, they should include it. If I’m wrong on this then shame on Lexus… It should’ve been called RC F Light, not Track Edition. The cars you mention above are still marketed toward the masses (albeit the elite masses) with track aspirations. They need to sell cars and race car drivers aren’t the only people buying them so they add features that make the masses faster.

05RollaXRS

I cannot say much other than what I said about the TE as it would be speculation, but in the hands of a pro the normal TVD RCF was quicker back to back with an LSD RCF by 3% per lap in C&D test even without the CF. Lexus marketed the RCF TVD/CF upgrade for people who like to go to the track more often. TVD or not, the TE is faster than the RCF TVD CF as it should be as it is an upgrade.

konichiwa3

The way I see it TVD vs LSD it's the learning curve that is the difference. A novice and even a pro that is new to the car can do more right off the back with the TVD.

With the LSD on the other hand it needs more seat-time. Once mastered I believe it gives you much more latitude as to what you can do with it. Furthermore the input and feedback between driver and LSD equipped RCF is much more direct. It forces the driver to develop a more tactile sensitivity with the car, part of that driver skill development. I personally believe beyond the argument of weight savings this was another reason behind using LSD on Track Edition.

Track Edition equates to, you will be hitting the track more often than the average Joe. This track enthusiast will log-in more track-time and enjoy the journey of developing their skill set as per their driving style.

On the other hand with TVD, this person will rarely ever take their RCF to the track but when they do he/she will come out the better than their limited skill set provides.

05RollaXRS

"Direct" would seem to imply the car would react exactly how the driver anticipates it to. In the case when the car initially gets a bit understeer and then the driver reacts by "driving" through it to not lose cornering speed by applying throttle, the LSD detects spin and locks up and suddenly it snaps to oversteer. Direct would mean where the car does what the driver anticipates it to, which is where TVD shines.

A disclaimer, stickier front tires, wider contact patch, more aggressive suspension alignment//camber setup pretty much eliminating any hint of understeer makes my argument irrelevant,.

The TVD actually reacts in only 1/1000 th of a second. That helps "proactively' preventing situations that would need to be corrected. When you drive a TVD RCF, it actually manifests itself as the car reading your mind and reacting very sharply to the smallest of throttle or steering inputs. It can become almost crazy how the car is reacting the tips of my finger and toes at 70 - 75 mph turns. During long sweepers, if I ever feel like I need to tighten my line, I apply a tiny bit of throttle and the nose suddenly tightens with my steering. It almost becomes too much for my brain to process. Lexus even said TVD moves the RCF's axis of rotation much further back more like a rear bias weight distribution car.

On a track where one has learned the car well and memorized everything about lines, entry speed, braking zones, exit speed, gears etc., I could totally agree a driver well-trained on that track getting the best out of the car with the LSD and advantages of TVD are minimal to non-existent. However, TVD simply allows the driver to go fast without having to deal with a lot of unpredictable behavior like entry understeer that sudden snap oversteer etc.

Common sense says, given how much R&D went into it and how much it costs, Lexus did not charge $90K for the carbon/TVD performance package to end up with just a nanny to hold hands of inexperienced driver. It was designed to maximize the potential on the track in the hands of all types of driving skills as Lexus said, it was tuned at the Nurburgring.


When you see the following chart, Lexus explains what the TVD is doing and it is all proactively trying to make the car more predictable through the turn.

- In the braking zone, the TVD applies reverse torque to slow down faster (late braking).
- Upon entry, the inner wheel gets more torque than the outer wheel to minimize initial understeer and maximize initial turn-in.
- Once in the turn, the outer wheel gets more torque for mild-oversteer getting on the throttle to maximize cornering speed
- Equal forward torque once exiting the turn for powering out of the turn.

konichiwa3

I don't think you are really listening to what I'm trying to say. TVD is definitely a very capable piece of technology. However, it intervenes. A die hard track enthusiast would rather get the direct feel of how their input is affecting the overall balance of the car, Fingerspitzengefühl! (Germans have a wonderful way with words)

You can only develop this skill set with numerous amount of track time under the belt. That's probably what drove Lexus to exclude the TVD on the track edition. I would go further to speculate during product development Lexus did a targeted market survey, brought in a group of track enthusiast and surveyed whether they would like TVD or not. Hard core track enthusiasts abhor technology for better or for worse. They want to be wired to the car as much as possible, driving literally with the seat of their pants. Computers and technologies blunt that feel. TVD is nanny tech just as your traction control is.

LSD is old school, by far and large for the majority of track enthusiasts this is what they enjoy. You have to develop your skill set to a much higher level.

It's not a question of whether the TVD is faster or not but at the end of the day the experience delivered. LSD gives that familiar old school track experience. Under very capable hands LSD is lethal but you're not going to shine with it right off the back until you pour in the blood and sweat.

konichiwa3

Bottom line the market dictates so. Majority of Lexus drivers are not going to the track and they are exactly that, inexperienced performance drivers but if Lexus can make them feel like brilliant drivers why not showcase their techie gadget that will deliver the goods. That's the market that is willing to pay a premium for it.

Again you're ignoring the white elephant in the room. If by your argument they ploughed so much money into TVD and it was designed to maximize track performance why didn't they put in the Track Edition? Lets not bring up weight reduction as that is a moot point. If TVD is to deliver by it's own merit it should overcome the weight penalty, full stop.