GibletPH

Good stuff. Not sure if I'll have mine decided on and sorted by Malton but if yours is on I look forward to hearing it.

Hi David. That's a good price, will the new exhaust retain the secondary cats? I was quoted £700 for a setup that removes the secondary cats. That price includes the extra welding work for exhaust cutouts.

Thanks for the update Peter. I can understand the decision from H&S in regards to the valves. From what I've read a lot of the valves available are made in China and all have a limited shelf life of a year or so depending on how heavy the usage is. I've found a kit direct from China for £120 including shipping. In comparison some of the USA made ones like BadlanzHPE and QTP have a longer lifespan and a the BadlanzHPE has a 5 year warranty. The Badlanz kit is £270 and the QTP is £450 including shipping. All three are likely to be hit by VAT and handling charges though. Quite a few Monaro/VXR8/Holdeb owners have used the cheaper Chinese kits without any major issues. From what I have read the X pipe will quieten the system down somewhat in comparison to your current setup and should solve the drone issue but at the expense of the unique sound you have. The other option is a H pipe which will sound different to the X but seemingly at a cost of 5-7hp. I'll speak to the local fabricator next week about trying both styles of pipe. I'm hoping to get a baseline run before fitting an exhaust and after. I know it takes time for the ecu to relearn and readjust after any modifications so I'll leave a month or so worth of driving inbetween getting the exhaust and getting another dyno run done.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye out for your updates. I went through a list of local specialists and discounted a few due to quality concerns based on feedback from people who had used to them. The place I'm visiting next week use high quality stainless and have very good reviews so I'll see what sort of price I am quoted and lead time they have. If H&S start offering an off the shelf system then I'm sure there will be a few orders from northern customers. If I do go ahead with the local place then I might look into having it built without an X pipe but with the required flanges put in place so I can switch to an X pipe later and compare the sound with videos for everyone to see and listen to the difference.

Thanks for the info Pete. I may have asked this before but are the two pipes not connected at all from start to finish in the H&S system? Everything I have read on the subject so far seems to say that it's wise to have a balance pipe with the options being an H or an X pipe. One of the articles I read is here - http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/exhaust/1504-x-and-h-pipes-add-easy-horsepower-but-which-is-best-for-your-ride/ From what I gather a balance pipe helps to stop any drone too which is key for me as my daily commute is about to increase and the last thing I want is drone in the cabin.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on. A set of Varex silencers is another option but with no UK stockists and ***** poor communcation from the stockists I did contact I might find it hard to get a set. In hindsight putting them near the x pipe is silly as it would mess up air flow and the drone in the cabin would be annoying. I guess the best spot is on the straight part of pipes for the back boxes. A pair of cutouts there with the y pipes angeld in the right orientation would be wise. It would bypass the backboxes but the two small silencers would still be part of the system so it wouldn't be as loud.

I've started a thread with some info on valves as I'm planning on having a system made up with them.

Much like most ISF owners the first thing I realised after buying the car was just how quiet it is. I figured I would start a thread with my ramblings whilst I search for the perfect exhaust setup. I know the popular option on here is to visit H&S but I've decided to try a different route as I'm after something specific. I want a system that is a little louder than the stock setup but with the option of going even louder when I'm out in the countryside. That way I can keep the neighbours happy on early morning start ups but still have some fun when I want to. The popular option for an aftermarket exhaust across the pond is the Joe Z PTS exhaust system. The only trouble is once you have factored in shipping and customs you won't have much change left from £2k. A recent alternative appeared in the form of the X Force system which is essentially a copy of the Joe Z but with the option of patented backboxes that have remote controlled valves built in. I gave up with the X Force Varex system after countless emails between the X Force head office in Australia and their stockists in Germany and Turkey as no one would provide me with a price or a lead time. I even rang the German stockists a few times but they still didn't get back to me with a price. The Joe Z setup looks like this - As you can see it removes the secondary cats (which won't affect the MOT but should free up a few ponies) and is a 2.5" dual system. By all accounts the exhaust adds an extra 22bhp. The main difference between this and the H&S one is the use of an X Pipe which means it will sound a little different in comparison. I've found a decent local specialist who I will be visiting next weekend to discuss options for a similar setup using the same tried and proven design but with butterfly valves added on, something like this kit - http://www.badlanzhpe.com/collections/kits/products/standard-kit?variant=712001207 .That way I can have have what will be a quiet(ish) setup for normal use with the option of opening up the taps and essentially having a straight through system just by pressing a switch. I am still trying to decide on where to fit the valves, the empty space either side of the X pipe is a possibility as the area is sufficiently shielded. I'll update the thread with pictures and videos once the setup is finalised and fitted.

Let me know what you think after shipping and VAT is taken into account! I'll be speaking to some exhaust companies this week about making a similar system as the Joe Z one but hopefully with the adjustable back boxes which have built in butterfly valves.

Nice to meet you today David. The drive home was fun, can't believe how quiet the ISF is even when one goes past you at speed. Need to make progress on the exhaust setup. I'll be at Malton in a few weekends time. It would be good if you and Sully can make it.

The turnout is always impressive at Malton. It's hosted by Specialist Cars of Malton who have a lot of high end stock on display. A fair few supercars turn up too as well as your usual mix of hot hatches, sports cars etc. I'll be there for around 08:30 on Easter Sunday. It's always better to arrive earlier so you can get a decent parking spot. There is a heavy police presence around the area due to some silly drivers from a few years back so keep an eye out on your speed.

I'm hoping to arrange an ISF specific meet in a few months. Just trying to work out a suitable venue and format for the day. We are blessed with some superb driving roads here in Yorkshire so if people fancy coming across to God's own county we could always have a drive out followed by a bite to eat and a chinwag?

The car park capacity for tomorrow is full. Looks like it was only meant for 20 cars and there are double on the list! I'll be at the Easter Sunday meet in Malton which is much much bigger.

This is the printout from the alignment I had done today - My car was fidgety at low speed and I had a visible amount of inner wear on the front tyres which is why I had the alignment done. It is a lot less fidgety now but my mechanic did say that he wasn't happy with the caster results. From a bit of reading it seems the caster issue is a known problem on some cars across the pond. This post reveals a lot more info - http://my.is/forums/f136/ok-all-please-read-f-pulls-right-perfect-alignment-wtf-405088/?nocache=1457790079495#post6109328 but essentially the procedure to rectify the caster issue involves adjusting the subframe and then possibly replacing some brackets depending on the degree of caster that needs adjusting. My mechanic seems to think that there are less drastic methods to adjust the caster though. A 20 mile drive shows that the car handles better now. I need to change the front tyres due to the inner wear so once that is done I will discuss the alternative adjustment options with him.

My understanding is that if the caster isn't symmetrical then the car will always to pull the one side, in your case the left. I'm having my alignment done in the morning so will see how mine compares. Currently it is pulling a bit to either side at times and that has resulted in some low speed kerbing on both sides. Last mot shows an advisory for inner tyre wear but I believe that is a common issue with our cars. I'll have a word with the mechanic and will show him your printout to see what he thinks.

My fault. I got confused with the other Notts one.

Yes, his old one which is for sale here - http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201602261409480

Thanks for the info. I would be surprised if someone like Lepsons were unable to get a close enough match if getting all 4 refurbished at the same time. http://www.lepsons.com/colour-coding/ Granted it wouldn't be 100% original but close enough.

Fiddlsticks. I found this old thread which seemed to mention a code -

Just wondering was the average age for an ISF owner is. I'll start the ball rolling, I'm 28 (going on 40)

Does anyone know if there is an off the shelf touch up pen type of thing available that can help to mask my sins until I have the wheels refurbished properly?

Not sure what happened with the link, I was using the eBay app. Proper weblink is here - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2007-LEXUS-IS200-IS220-IS250-DOOR-HINGE-BOLT-SPARES-BREAKING-2005-2006-/301363543081?fits=Car+Make%3ALexus&hash=item462aaabc29:g:TDsAAOSwr81UR6y~ Contact details are on the page.

Gave em a call, quoted me £35 for a pair collected. Listing is here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/301363543081 I should be in the area on the weekend so can collect them and post then on for you if you want.

If the part number is the same for both the IS250 and the ISF then you should easily be able to get a second hand pair from a breakers. There are a few 250s being broken that are relatively close to me and I need to ring the breakers for a numberplate plinth for a ClubLexus member in the states. Want me to ask for a price on the struts?

Nice work with the tints and the leather cleaner. I've only got the Gliptone stuff so will have to buy some Dodo Juice cleaner. I hope it smells as nice as their Rainforesr Rub wax, still have half a jar of that from a few years back! A carbon skinned rear centre piece would look awesome against the cream interior. I'm planning on getting the front centre section skinned in black cf along with the rear and the bits of silver cf style sections on the doors so it all matches up. As Peter has said it's well worth checking out ClubLexus. The RR Racing remap is very tempting!