bahrcf

When I was shopping for a car, the rcf wasn't even on my list, coming from a 2015 rcf a couple of years ago was a matter of been their done that. Even though I dearly missed my 15 rcf, yes it was not the perfect car, but damm was it reliable and a head Turner.

I stepped into our lexus dealership, originally interested and enquiring about the is500, though of it as close as an rcf, but with more practibality. To my surprise I saw the 2022 fuji in the dealership, and all those amazing memories came flashing back, and I remembered once again why I loved my ex rcf. Once I got behind the wheel, it felt so familiar, felt like home again. Sure the sticker price is premium, and you can get more for that money, but main question is, where can you get reliability like a lexus, yes when I was shopping around for that price could of gotten a porchse gt4, BMW m3, corrvett c8 heck even the lotus emira, but to me it came down to few factors, reliability, exclusivity ( we are not only talking about fuji rcf, even regular rcf are pretty rare I think) and the fact that these lexus cars age well and to me the rcf will still be relevant a few years down the line, think isf, gsf etc. Lexus have done a fantastic job with their designs, that to me these car designs will age so well, like I said earlier when ever I see an isf till date, it turns my head. Those reasons ultimately made me decide to go with the Fuji. Now I'm not saying it's all perfect yes I know that it has its many flaws, and I do wish lexus would of done more, but again the smiles that this car has given me make me forget all of that. I really look forward to enjoying this car, as I am sure I will from my time owning a 15 rcf, below I will list some pros and cons that I belive and some things I wish lexus would of done to the car, would really appreciate everyone's feedback and input.

Pros:
1) Exclusivity of this car, rcf is already pretty rare to see, the fuji is like a unicorn.
2) after market support, this car and platform been out since 2015 after market is fully developed
3) reliability of owning a lexus, drive around with peace of mind.
4) NA v8 last of its kind
5) beautiful lexus design, will be relivent years from now

Cons:
1) interior out dated ( still has a cd slot haha)
2) wish there was more customization or different badging to tell what edition the car is, yes sure that carbon fiber and huge wing scream that this is no regular rcf, but at least a decal with fuji or any tiny detail would be nice.
3) stock exhuast note could be a little bit more aggressive.
4) would of liked to see at least 500hp, I mean I don't think it's that hard from lexus to tune the motor more and squeeze an additional 30hp to make it a good 500hp.

these are just some of the points I have would love to heat from you guys.

KennyFSU

Nice review, any plans for mods?

05RollaXRS

Nice review. I know bragging rights of how the specs come from factory matters, but you can modify the exhaust for a more free-flowing exhaust and easily it would be around 500 HP since a full exhaust gives decent gains.

bahrcf

thank you, already had a custom midpipe installed, for a more aggressive tone since I don't want to change to oem axel back, lexus nailed it with that. Ordered a gruppeM intake today I know its over priced but thought to my self this car is a keeper for me, also planning for some kind of headers, perhaps Novel.

bahrcf

yes that's absolutely true, but again wished lexus would have kept it at an even 500 hp or had a different tune and with an exhaust will me additional to that.

05RollaXRS

Would be interested to hear your review on the GruppeM carbon intake. Please do write a review. Looks awesome, but the price is crazy on it.

bahrcf

I am definitely planning on doing so with some pics and hopefully dyno numbers. So far communication with them has been fast and very clear. Was able to place an order and confirmation within 30 mins, they are very fast to reply back, hopefully will get dispatched in a couple of days, will get My full feedback soon.

SailorTPD

I think you dodged a bullet with not getting the IS 500. I drove one yesterday at Laguna Seca slalom track and it sounds cheap and feels cheap inside. Outside was a Fuji 2022 RCF (not to be driven at the school) and the car does look great. Wings are not my cup of tea, but it sure is a head turner.

05RollaXRS

That's interesting. I have heard several others say what you mentioned about the interior. Also, heard the suspension feels rather sloppy/soft and it rolls excessively (though, Lexus has been upfront given the cost difference) as opposed to the RCF's tight/stiff feel. Did you notice a difference in the sound as you said, it sounds cheap? I thought the sound was more or less the same?

SailorTPD

When inside and you stand on the IS 500, the engine sounds higher pitched and less throaty (S+ mode). When you are watching someone else stand on it, the sound is somewhat tinny to my ear---since I haven't been outside my car when someone stands on it, I don't know for sure if there is a difference and they only used the RCF for drifting, so no one stood on it for any length of time (and we were very far away for safety). The LC 500 sounds about the same from inside as the RC F.

05RollaXRS

I think you are right. Listening to the sound in the videos, there is a difference. I believe the augmented sound is different in the IS500 in SPORT+ than it is in RCF. The IS500 seems to have a similar higher pitched augmented sound to that of the GSF. When I drove the GSF back several years ago, I distinctly heard an augmented high pitch "wail" that started around 6800 rpm and then stayed till I hit the rev limiter. It could be turned off with the ASC switch in the GSF. I noticed that augmented high pitch was not in the RCF once I purchased it.

cvt

http://blog.rr-racing.com/news/2022/...-on-lexus-rcf/


Maybe ditch the intake idea if you want more power. Looks like E/H and a tune is the way to go…and even then it seems negligible for the amount of money spent. You may get better performance by just upgrading to stickier tires like the Cup2s or the Yoko A052s. you already cut around 170lbs from your 15 and got a decent brake upgrade. Maybe getting some stickier rubber will net you better performance “feel” than freeing up another 30whp on a 3700lbs+ car? 🤔

bahrcf

i know $ to hp on the intake makes 0 sense, if anything most will say its a bad investment. I originally went with the GruppeM intake for couple of reasons, none of which are to do with performance numbers as i know intakes on our cars have negative to none performance gains. Reason number one would be that through out my car builds, previous and recent, i looked into quality builds and unique parts, I like to have kind of one off builds. Other reason which i like to do is bite the bullet as they say for the community hahah, since there are not enough dyno graphs on this intake ( well one from GruppeM, which i take with a grain of salt) i like to experiment, and you never know may surprise a lot of people, even though i don't have high hopes on this or any other intake setup, but again you never know.

JT2MA71

iTrader: (7)

Can't wait to see your dyno comparisons between the factory and Gruppe M intake. I have the same one, Blitz branded but I'm sure it's exactly the same intake. I didn't get a chance to do dyno tests but it certainly didn't feel like the car lost power, and if it did, it's definitely not noticeable. The intake paired with the novel headers and Icode titanium exhaust, the sound is amazing!

bahrcf

From the looks of it I would say that the blitz is similar if not identical to the GruppeM, power aside, does the blitz sound any different? That's my exact plan, to add novel headers, but to keep stock axel back as I love the oem on the fuji and its titanium anywyas, hope it results in a nice tone when all said and done