FTBBCVoodoo

https://www.torque-gt.co.uk/ for the Honda.

They don't list Lexus but if you contact them directly, they can pretty much get hold of anything from Japan (well for cars anyhow 😉 )

Look like Dixcel Type Z's to me...  I currently have them on my FK8 front and rear.  Incredible pads 🙂

21 hours ago, Linas.P said:

I guess this point was argued for many times, but only time could prove one way or the other. Seems like indeed one of the benefits of choosing IS-F over contemporary competitors was that it could be enjoyed and yet reliable. M3 lost their bearing well before 100k, C63 are not know for amazing reliability either... and IS-F casually races along at 400k...

 

Randomly I got chatting to the owner back in August.  My friend parked his 2011 USB ISF next to him at Brunnchen (although can't find the photo)

Lovely motor and it carries a lot of war wounds that need more than a polish 😉

Really pleasant chap, he has put an LSD on the rear and apparently had it mapped to remove the rev limiter (although the beeps remained).

His rear wing is a copy of the Lexus ISF race car wing that his friend made up for him out of carbon.

Asked him about the standard exhaust and it has to stay as no TUV approved aftermarket exhausts for the ISF in Germany.

We thought it was a face-lift at first because of lights until we saw the dash.

I explained that I used to have a 2008 ISF in black myself, pointed out I replaced it with a Civic...  he did not look impressed 😉

On 5/2/2022 at 6:14 PM, Jgtcracer said:

All,

Recently posted a topic regarding an RCF I was considering in Swindon.  I ended up purchasing the car so thought I would put up a few pictures along with first impressions.

• Love the engine note, reminds of the ISF so much!
• Getting approx 24mpg combined with exclusively being driven on country roads on the commute to work.
• Ride is firmer than I imagined though I'm getting used to it.
• My butt is too big for the seat!

Having spent the weekend with the colour I decided as the paint was in such good condition and I wanted to do a cermaic coat etc to try and extend its life as long as possible.  Did it over this weekend and although to do it properly takes ages, really happy with the results.  Am going to ceramic coat wheels over the next few weeks also.  I used the Clansman Shelby ceramic coat and its really easy to apply but does take a little elbow grease to buff back (I now have arms like Popeye!) 

My Civic is probably going up for sale over the next few days so asked the wife to take some photos and used the opportunity to get at least one of the cars together.

 

Sounds like you went on same journey as me from ISF to FK8.

I was toying with an RCF but new job (albeit with a decent car allowance) has me commuting 2 days a week from Poole to Basingstoke so the FK8 remains as the fun daily driver.  The wife has joined the Lexus club with an NX300h which is slower than death but "comfortable" 😉

Currently waiting to get my hands on the new Civic Type R before I decide what to jump to next.  Also a Honda fan boy having owned 2x DC2's, a DC5 and an S2000.

To keep me interested, my FK8 has now been "tweaked" to over 400bhp and is a rocket (not that it was slow before)

I will confess that she doesn't sound anywhere near as nice as my old ISF although the Remus valved exhaust has helped improve the standard exhaust note 😉

On 4/15/2022 at 1:22 PM, Andy16 said:

Hi @FTBBCVoodoois the other tip still available?

Afraid not buddy.

Long gone.

14 hours ago, BTCC_ Racer said:

Indeed, in all seriousness its more the engine character rather than stats etc. Looks like a few ISF owners have experienced the high reving honda engines so good for a little feedback/ banter.

Definitely...

I have owned 2 x DC2s, a DC5, an S2000, an ISF and come back full circle to an FK8 🙂

There was a BMW 335i (which we won't talk about) and a 350z in the mix as well 🙂

On 12/17/2021 at 4:25 PM, Slickric said:

thanks for the tip.  I didn't realise that funkypower sold them.  Saves a lot of import tax.  I have used them for honda dc5 parts in the past so know they are good.

 

How do you like the FK8?  I would have got one but had a v8 itch and was waiting for the price to drop - although the price has  kind of gone in the other direction.

I used to have a DC5 and a couple of DC2s.  Great cars.

I ran an ISF for about 4/5 years.  Loved it.  It sorted the V8 itch out 🙂

The FK8 is incredible.  Genuinely the most fun and capable car I have driven to date.  Pace is on par with the ISF except the FK8 stops and corners in a totally different league.

Paying £150 road tax rather than about £600 and 25mpg around town and 40mpg on the motorway are also a bonus.

My only issue was the noise.  I have sorted that with a suitable ASBO exhaust to match the looks 😉 although I have just bought a Remus valved one so I can go quiet or loud at touch of a button.

Also I know the looks of the FK8 isn't for everyone but I think it looks great 🙂

10 hours ago, Slickric said:

Hi guys

i am looking to buy a takeda isf intake from the states.  Wanting to have a bit more noise.  Anyone have experience of any  websites or company to use to buy parts from? 
 

thanks

Rich

https://www.funkypower.com/index.php/shop-by-vehicle/lexus/is/08-10-is-f/afe-takeda-cold-air-intake-system-is-f.html

These guys are based in Scotland and are really good.  I imported an exhaust from the USA for my FK8 through them so the price you see is what you pay rather than getting hit with import tax and the like.

10 hours ago, ISF V8 JAY said:

Omg😍😍😍

did you hear it start!!! Oh my what a noise!! Il never forget it!

So heard it changing down gear and pulling into the Shell Garage at bottom of Holes Bay Road (you are local so should know that)

At first I thought it was a nice sounding superbike until I looked around.

Only issue was that the noise was masked by the construction work at the station for the Costa drive thru 😞

Didn't hear it start as I think the driver was trying to negotiate the £35 limit on petrol and was going to fill/pay twice.  

At 1.60 a litre for V Power motion lotion, not cheap.  Luckily for me with my 40 litre tank nowadays...  Lasts a good month 😉

29 minutes ago, hockeyedwards said:

Reg plate not found... 🧐

Yep.  Appears to have been driven around by Pistonheads last month so may be part of something they are doing.

On Matt Birds Twitter, someone else has picked up on the plate not appearing registered as well.  Rather odd.

2 minutes ago, Duggie B said:

Look! no queueing for petrol 😎 now I'm jealous

Think he even put 99 in 😉

Heard it before seen suffice to say 🙂

13 minutes ago, JonP said:

I thought I would, in practice, not at all. Listen to a lot more music whilst driving now. I’ve had 3 V8s in a row, I may be getting old but I can get from A-B faster and with more composure than ever before in what is basically an electrified skateboard with seats and not have the maintenance hassles.

It’s a new, software and electron driven world these days, time to move on. Particularly with speed limiters coming in next year. 

Randomly my neighbour had a Tesla on a weekend test a few years ago.  He decided against it and no word of a lie, bought a 1984 Ferrari Mondial.  Ugly thing but sounded lovely.  You couldn't go from more of an extreme to another although he potters around in an SC430 nowadays.

I drove a friend's electric Mini Cooper S the other day and must say I wasn't blown away although it weighs more and has less power than my Type R, something with a bit more go may change my mind.

That being said...  The wife is currently EV shopping. 

The Hyundai Ioniq-5 appears to be the front runner at the moment.  She works from home and has to go to Bristol from Poole about once a month so for school/shop runs it makes sense.  I also think the Ioniq-5 looks awesome, like an old school Cylon on wheels 😉

I am sticking with fossil juice as long as I can using her as my carbon offset 😉

It's just whether to stick to my Halfords Civic or return to the F fold that I am on the fence with at the moment.

1 hour ago, JonP said:

Yes, timing == smug factor 🙂

nope, not missing the rcf.  Just instantly accelerates really strongly at any speed. It’s like driving an electric go kart, the friends I’ve had in the car have been astonished by the acceleration. No need to worry about getting the gearbox lined up and as it’s got a motor on each axle I’m not spinning the rear rubber, so it’s putting the power down more effectively and i think the tyres will last a lot longer than the rears on the rcf 

Top speed is certainly less than the rcf and suspect maxing it on the autobahn for long periods would drain the battery quickly, but for road use anywhere else , I think it’s perfect. 
 

However I do think a good home charger is a must, not the Tesla dumb one. I’ve got a Zappi which is brilliant. 

It's an obvious question... But do you not miss the noise?

Went I went from my ISF to my FK8 I really struggled with lack of noise of a V8 compared to the 4 pot turbo even though my Type R is faster accelerating mid range.  New exhaust has sorted that to a degree ofc 🙂

I can't imagine going from a V8 to nothing.  The only people who do that are failed F1 (V6) or Indycar drivers who end up in Formula E 😉

Or am I wrong and the whoopie cushion sound effects while sat in front of an open fire make up for the lack of V8 😉

Lexus Swindon appear to have turned into F specialists recently 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109307952909?atmobcid=soc3

Assume this is the grey one...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202109287892776?atmobcid=soc3

7 hours ago, stag74 said:

Don't think you will be able to get a Lexus warranty if more than 10 years old and/or 100k.

The blue one is showing as 1st registered on 28/12/11 so in theory you can get a warranty on it until midnight of 27/12/21 (I did the same on my old 58 plate ISF)

29 minutes ago, ColinBarber said:

Azure blue is 8X1. USB is 8U1. Always go by the paint code as names are different in different countries which causes confusion. In the US people often refer to 8X1 as Ultrasonic Blue V2.0. Look on your VIN plate if unsure.

 

It's very difficult/impossible for a touch up to 100% match a 5 layer sonic paint 😞 

Thanks.  Cool.  I don't have that problem with a "Championship White" Civic Type R as I can just use Tipex 😉

Assume same colour although I thought USB/AB were different colours.

1 hour ago, doog442 said:

It wasn't the 'biggie' in Poole was it ? I was there for six years back in the 80's. I've just cashed in that final salary pension .....happy days

It certainly was.  I started in Dec 97 as IT Support for what was UK Retail and UK Corporate Banking.

Someone somewhere is googling racist insurance companies and getting directed to a Lexus forum 😉

6 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

But let's look into bright side... we are not forced to bank with any bank and pay thousands against our will. In the end of the day we can keep cash under the pillow and nobody can say anything!

Get the same interest rate if you keep it under your pillow as well 😉

7 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

As I said before, I don't want to take it against people who work for insurance. Work is work and I am not saying because insurance industry as a whole isn't fair, then people working for it are as well evil. I certainly don't have anything personal against you, nor I believe something could be changed or planning a riot. It is not like I am saying - "hey chaps let's pull out the pitch forks and let's go stab some insurers".

I mean same can be said about banking, banks are not always fair and have ruined many lives over the years... But that is not to say that I am a bad person because I work in a bank. I guess the only reason why I am trying to hold insurance to higher standard than I would apply to say banking, is again - banking products are not mandatory, not only you can go to another bank, but if you prefer you don't even need to have bank account at all.

I just like discussing theoretically what would be fairer (that actually helps me to went some of the frustration and be happier). In this case actually I don't think Insurance companies are doing something unexpected or beyond what one expect from profit making industry - they have lucrative market with guaranteed profits, inelastic demand and they are milking it dry as long as it lasts. That is what for-profit business meant to do.

Finally, I think this is mainly government fault - they have created legal requirement which forces everyone to get certain service (automatically removing supply and demand equation), but they have failed to make sure this service is provided on fair terms. As such they basically transferred what is arguably goverment responsibility onto private sector. 

Now is the time to mention...  Before working in insurance (Although I was at Fitness First for a year in between) I worked for Barclays for 14 years... 😉

They certainly had some interesting ethics 😉

21 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

PWC, Deloitte, EY and KPMG - they all have amazing track record when it comes to hiding dirty industry secrets and fixing audits as needed. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/blacklist-audit-firms-for-failure-to-root-out-fraud-urges-pirc-3vx3tq9zn

Now I think you are right to say that there are 1000s of risk profiles, but because those are not publicly known isn't there clear conflict of interest? Who is to say they are not biased or unfair? Now sure if insurance would be optional thing, then it is down to the business to decide, but because this is legal requirement I feel that it should be hold to a different standard.

For example I know that insurance companies checks credit score, but this is not widely known fact. And big question is why your financial information important? Isn't that straight away unfair that poorer people will pay more for insurance? I mean I known credit check is more than that, but equally I know that when there was mistake on my credit file my insurance skyrocketed right away... and when mistake was corrected it suddenly dropped again. And it wasn't something major - it was just an incorrectly reported missing credit card payment.

Should insurance companies even be allowed to check detail like that? Should insurance companies be allowed to check where you work, whenever you married, if you have kids? The relevance of all those questions are highly questionable. And importantly it is only in UK they are included... at least as far as I know, there may be other countries like Ireland where that is the case, but in most countries they take very little details (pretty much VRN and driver licence number - that is all what is needed).

And I mean appreciate you just work in IT and you care about systems, but then why say "it is all fair game"... I mean I am sure it is simpler just turn the blind eye on it... but that does not make things right or fair automatically.  

Now that would be fair enough, maybe they could say "he has more experienced and has NCB, but he drives like a nutter"... But for exactly that reason we did 2 generic quotes, where everything was the same and no credit check or car could be checked. So as far as my example goes - the way I drive could not impact it.

The car in question was RC200t (yes not quite LFA). And finally, regardless of how I drive... insurance company cannot know that, because I have no fines and no accidents. I do have 3 non-fault claims and I know this is counted against me despite fairness of that could be questioned. So don't twist the question on my personal profile, which may be known to you because I told that here, but realistically can't be known at the time of the quote.

Yes it happens in all industries, what makes insurance different is that it is MANDATORY BY LAW. So when milk price is fixed, or sugar prices is fixed it only makes the companies more profitable and maybe has minor impact on buyers, probably no impact on individual buyers. Still that is highly illegal, but maybe we overpay £100 in a lifetime on milk.. not big deal. Insurance is bug deal, because you can't just decide not to buy it.

Never thought I would type this in this thread but to be honest, you do make some good points and it isn't as black and white as it should/would appear.

Yep, auditors don't always have a great track record and I question who audits the auditors but then you could go on forever.

3 non fault accidents will count against you.  I agree that is unfair.  My wife had her car hit while she was parked up (legally I might add) which ended up as a hit and run and her premiums rose because of it (even with staff discount 😉 )

Unfortunately it's a necessary evil and as I mentioned before, you wouldn't want to be paying out for continued care if you hit a cyclist or pedestrian.

As someone said to me years ago which I remind myself of from time to time...  "The sooner you accept that life and work isn't fair, then the happier you will be" 🙂

30 minutes ago, Linas.P said:

And that is it... no need to elaborate on how those regulations are completely unenforceable, or simply irrelevant for the topic we are discussing here? 

I mean sure Insurance companies can't simply go end steal money from accounts (I am sure they would be glad to, but sadly this is not allowed), but that does not mean insurance price could be highly sexist, biased, unfair or discriminatory. 

The regulations are enforceable by external auditors such as PwC (Price Waterhouse Cooper) before you accuse me of throwing acronyms at you) who are appointed by PRA and FCA do check what the companies are up to.

I work for an Insurance company that isn't UK based but owns several other insurance companies in the UK and globally.

I manage a load of techies who implement software changes to react to regulation changes/standards such as gender neutral, solvency II, GDPR.  I know these changes go in.

Actuaries create risk profiles for underwriters.  In terms of differing insurance companies and how they create their end price after matching someone up to one of 100's if not 1000's of risk profiles can come down to a lot of different things.  The 1st thing the company will/should do is a credit check.  That is the first part of the puzzle for a risk profile and it goes from there.  Most insurers only view up to 9 years NCB (ours is set to 9 as I type this) so you could have 25 years + NCB and it won't be any cheaper than having 9.  I think some only recognise 7 as the maximum NCB they will apply to your policy.

I don't know your own personal circumstances, where you live, what you do, how old you are or what car you currently driver other than I assume it's not an LFA.  I saw you mentioned earlier in the thread that you drive "like a nutter".  That probably doesn't help your case for cheap car insurance 😉

There is probably some stuff going on that is underhand as in most industries.  I am sure that there are big bosses all sat having a beer somewhere deciding when they should all bump their prices up or reduce them regardless of anti competition laws because people talk.

Insurance companies are far from perfect and I liken it to working in technology.  If everything is working people ask "what are we paying for for" or if something blows up you get asked "what are we paying you for" but in the case of insurance, you are best having it and not needing it than needing it and not having it.

There was a customer a few years ago who sadly injured young cyclist and the company I worked for at the time spent and continues to pay for the continued care for that cyclist.  From a business pov it would have been cheaper for the driver to have killed the cyclist (I am aware how horrible that sounds) as it would have been a one off compensation payment.  All it takes is a few cases like that and insurance companies will increase their prices to cover losses.  The customer who sat in that risk profile box would mean that the increase in particular would apply to anyone else who fit the profile.

Again, personal circumstances, but I am fairly sure most of us on here couldn't afford to pay for continued care if we injured someone while driving.