Peter P18

Yes, having spent many hours reading up on various threads around turbo setups and superchargers. Fact is I have a huge amount of confidence in RR-Racing. They don’t do things by halves, so the testing, development and trialling is second to none. No it’s not cheap, but if you want to preserve the reliability and not risk damaging your car, that’s the price you pay. Thanks, as did I. Even know the turbo guy in the States isn’t making what I am. Thank you, couldn’t agree more. Sure, you can buy turbo kits off eBay, but they tend to go horribly wrong. Just as I won’t fit inferior parts to other areas of my car (OEM or better), I wouldn’t risk grenading my engine with a relatively untested turbo kit. There are several of us now running the supercharger kits, not aware of any significant issues? Had one guy who made a minor mistake with the install (fact some folks have managed to DIY this is testament to Rafi and Simon for making such a comprehensive kit), but generally these are very well thought out and executed.

I’d sum it up like this, no one has successfully fitted and run a turbo setup that has been as reliable or generated as much horsepower as the RR-Racing supercharger kits. Simples! Drop the microphone!

I’d like to attend this, just need plenty of notice to make it happen! Got to get the missus on board, kennel the dogs etc..... Look forward to getting some more details in due course Ratty.

Sorry to see this Wayne. Always a gamble when shipping larger more delicate parts across the pond. Main reason I tend to bring things back with me on planes (although this would be a stretch given the size once you add the packaging etc). You may be able to get it repaired though? Is it just that one area that was damaged? The top part where it looks to have gone through the clearcoat won't show when it's installed, so the bit on the face may be repairable...... Saying that, are you planning to keep it or send it back?? Shame when you've had to wait a while and this happens!

Should be fine, had no issues when I had my badge less carbon grill. Issue was with the US badged version. Black box with radar sits behind the grill, not attached.

Congrats! Let the modifications begin! Nice supercharger kit maybe? Got to do something to compensate for the extra weight! Lol. I’d consider doing something similar at some point, makes the most sense given the current offerings in F form. Enjoy mate!

Indeed, bored of all the salt, gritters and slippery surfaces! Dry weather will be very welcome!

I’d steer clear, looks like she’s mold ridden! I do like a good wrap, but cost and maintenance in this Country put me off. Do think there are some nice options to help make the car stand out though..... Think I’ll stay on the fence with this one!

Happy birthday Paul, hope you have a wonderful day mate.

Agreed. SRD did a great job cutting and re-fitting the engine covers for me. Pretty sure it was a first to keep them? All the photos from the States showed them bare with all the pipes and hoses everywhere, much prefer this.

That’s a pity. Could be a Motec ECU in my future, so hopefully they may have some ideas on what we can do to tame the beast!

All good thanks mate, just waiting on some drier/warmer weather so I can really enjoy the extra power. Been ultra reliable, hard to know it’s there unless you nail it (doesn’t sound any different during normal driving, only hear the BOV’s on and off). The pickup is insane though! No lag, and just keeps pulling.... actually lost traction at the top end the other day (so wheels scrabbled at launch, then foot down and lift again as wheels spun at top end! Lol). The proper LSD, better coilovers and wider wheels and tires will sort it all out though I reckon. If not, may look at Racelogic traction control which we used to great effect on the Supra’s.

Here’s a few of mine.

For reference, only non service related part I’ve had to replace was a knackered auxiliary pulley. Around £250 including fitting. That’s it.

Please don’t get confused regarding the coolant leak issue, don’t believe U.K. models suffer from this, nor the sticky interior trim or any other minor niggles/issues raised across the pond. Mine has been running fine with 640hp thanks to the addition of an RR-Racing supercharger kit, but not had coolant leaks etc. Lexus have checked it for me, nothing. Pound for pound the most reliable car I’ve owned. Sorry to see you go, but hope the car finds a loving new home, it deserves it.

Come on Steve, Rich isn't a miracle worker!

No idea.... If it does already exist, then it should be rolled out for all cars (not just the most expensive ones).

Hey Rich, Thing is a tracker won't stop the car though.... Yes you can track them (although most thieves know how to disable them, or get them in a container or somewhere off the grid quickly), but that won't stop them ramming other cars, or worse, killing an innocent party that happens to be crossing a road etc. My method actually renders the car useless to the thief/thieves. They can then be arrested if the Police have responded or can spare the manpower, or they have to abandon the car and go on foot.

Got a couple of ideas on this, Lexus/Manufacturers take note. - Supply owners with a 'theft fob'. Identical in every way to the normal fob(s), except this one is programmed to safely shut-down the car after 10mins provided the car is below a certain speed etc. Wouldn't shut things down all at once, but would gradually shutdown to prevent accidents (last thing you need is a car travelling at over 100mph suddenly stopping dead and losing control). When they unlock/start the car with the theft fob, it would transmit that emergency signal to the ECU to start the shutdown timer, and also alert the Police to the theft via a third party or monitoring service. - Codes should be available for the Police to use to wirelessly disable the car. Again it would need to be a gradual process, or work only when the car drops to say 10mph or less. You'd want the steering and brakes to remain fully functional, but the engine would gradually decelerate to a stop. The key would be having a way to restore the car back to normal operation afterwards without incurring huge costs. Probably best to make it a dealer only option to prevent thieves from discovering the method needed to do this themselves..... Taking the above RS6 video as an example, when they brake hard to reverse into the pursuing Police car, the ECU would have shutdown bringing the car to a stop as the speed trigger would have sensed the opportunity to safely operate.

Picked up a copy this morning from W H Smith at Cannon Street train station. £4.40 which seems about right these days (God I sound old! Lol). Article starts well - front cover headline reads ; "LEXUS IS-F Proper M3 rival - for five grand less". Main article was a bit hot and cold in my opinion. Too much focus on the firm suspension (dread to think what they'd make of an early model if they thought the revised setup is too stiff! Try the OEM 2008 units!), after all, this is easily changed along with the fake exhaust tips (another point they kept going back to). Didn't like the negative 'F' for Fuji Speedway (not Raceway as quoted in one of the photo boxes despite getting it correct in the body of the article!) reference, should have been more the race car for the road than seeing this as a bad thing in my view. It finishes off well suggesting these could be a future investment as the first true performance Lexus, but I didn't like the jabs about the carbon centre console (a unique point found in only the IS-F, which when you consider most of the interior is the same as any 220d or 250, surely should be a plus point?), nor the criticism of the gearbox. Use manual mode! No way anyone can say that's not mechanically rewarding (especially when you have a supercharger, but I digress!). Was hoping for a bit more I think.

Comes with the territory to some extent, although the RR-Racing kit has been extensively tested by Rafi, Simon and some US owners with no issues I know of.... was one engine failure, but believe that was heavily drag raced with NOS prior to adding the supercharger. Just need to treat it right, warm up properly, proper servicing etc.

Unless you happen to have a supercharger fitted to your F! Lol. Must admit, Lexus Canterbury have always taken care of me. Car is babied by them.

There is something to be said for 'Winter blues' when it comes to these things I reckon. I'm chomping at the bit to get mine out to enjoy the new supercharger setup, but the cold weather is a real fun killer in that respect! I'm sure it will be worth the wait, but do see why people lose interest or think about selling up. A few years back I bought a Navara because I thought it would be useful with snow etc, that's fine, but in reality how many snow days do we get each year?! Not many! Don't buy a car for the wrong reasons, don't sell a car on a whim, you only live to regret it I find.

Hey Mike, Indeed, made the same mistake myself when I sold my UK spec with a nice small single conversion! Would be worth a small fortune in comparison to what I got for it nowadays! You live and learn I guess!

Stick with the F, just my 2p worth. Funny to see the link you posted is the same garage where I bought my F almost 4yrs ago! Small world!! Literally just got back from a trip to LA yesterday. Saw these a lot over there, but I get the appeal, just think that would wear off pretty quickly when your shelling out the same on fuel for a barge like driving experience. Each to their own obviously, but think you’d regret parting with your F. Almost everyone does it would seem, one guy in the US has come back 3/4 times! Lol. Cheers. Pete