Lexus IS-F parts wish list

[andreasue]

Originally Posted by hallpearl

the poor suspension was caused by the wheel hub assembly. you are right its not that really popular because it has no manual transmission option. it's really a boring car.

not really that boring. for city driving / for everyday driving it will be not boring because it is automatic transmission so no problems when you encountered traffic. but for racing enthusiast who is hungry for acceleration this is not a good choice. wheel hub assembly? how come? prove it.

[Matador]

Originally Posted by andreasue

Even if lexus goes aluminum for me the cons and pro of this vehicle should be considered. For the pros it has a high-quality interior, raucous V8 power, sports-car handling, quiet cabin. For the cons it has unforgiving poor suspension, no manual transmission option, boy-racer exterior styling, common wheel hub assembly problem, and cramped rear seat.

The unforgiving suspension was remedied in the 2011 MY revision of the car. Check out the reviews, the car is pretty damn impressive.

From Car & Driver's Lightning lap:

Three years back, an IS F turned a less-than-impressive 3:14.0. We said then, “A little attention to springs and damping might make this eager contender a real champ,” as the stiffly sprung F zapped confidence in high-speed corners.
Boy, were we right. Lexus has since tweaked all suspension elements. Spring rates are down in the front and up in the rear, and there are larger anti-roll bars, stiffer subframe bushings, and longer bump stops, which effectively increase spring rates when the car is nearing its maximum roll angle. Lexus also lightened the front hubs and control arms and slapped a Torsen limited-slip differential in the rear axle. The result is BMW M3–matching performance around VIR (3:05.4).

I really bumped this thread to mention, that the '12 models is updated YET AGAIN. Another suspension improvement and this time will be using Shock absorbers from ZF.

ZF announced that this will not be the end of their collaboration with Toyota/Lexus and they will be providing support/parts for other projects.

Sorry to add fuel to the speculation fire, but could this be evidence towards the hypothesis that the FT will be using ZF Sachs dampers?

RE: the original topic of this thread, Please note that I don't mean the same components, just the same supplier

[madfast]

i think so. in one of the spy videos there was a Sachs suspension truck right next to the toyota garage. so even if they dont use a Sachs suspension, they may have had a hand in tuning the suspension.

[RRnold]

I wonder why it took Lexus/Toyota 3 years to address the suspension issues?!

[Matador]

Originally Posted by RRnold

I wonder why it took Lexus/Toyota 3 years to address the suspension issues?!

They weren't "issues" to begin with. They just made it better. Every year.

They added an LSD. Then they revised the suspension, and now are seemingly revising it again. Kaizen. They listen to the customers, and respond.

The last time they revised the suspension, I believe they set out for more grip and stability. Ride comfort came along as a bonus.

[RRnold]

Originally Posted by MatadorRacing_F1

They weren't "issues" to begin with. They just made it better. Every year.

They added an LSD. Then they revised the suspension, and now are seemingly revising it again. Kaizen. They listen to the customers, and respond.

The last time they revised the suspension, I believe they set out for more grip and stability. Ride comfort came along as a bonus.

Well based on the article alone and its probably his verbiage but when they state...

"Three years back, an IS F turned a less-than-impressive 3:14.0. We said then, “A little attention to springs and damping might make this eager contender a real champ,” as the stiffly sprung F zapped confidence in high-speed corners."

...that sounds like an issue. It took a car mag and post production for them to realize that especially with notable designers under this project. That doesn't sound like Lexus or Toyota at all.

[Fly Guy]

Matador, thanks for the news about other projects. I am intrigued.

[Matador]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

Matador, thanks for the news about other projects. I am intrigued.

No prob.

Originally Posted by RRnold

Well based on the article alone and its probably his verbiage but when they state...

"Three years back, an IS F turned a less-than-impressive 3:14.0. We said then, “A little attention to springs and damping might make this eager contender a real champ,” as the stiffly sprung F zapped confidence in high-speed corners."

...that sounds like an issue. It took a car mag and post production for them to realize that especially with notable designers under this project. That doesn't sound like Lexus or Toyota at all.

Well, the MkII MR-2 was prone to snap oversteer in the hands of the average driver, and they went and changed it after the first year. I didn't consider that an "issue" either, just something that their customers saw that they would like some other way and they sought to remedy it. I would have it prefered it stayed like it was intended originally, but you know, such is life.