flipside909

I promised myself that I would keep my IS F as stock as possible, but it was only a matter of time that I would do some mods that would be more practical rather than for plain old looks. Its well known that the IS F doesn’t have the plush ride everyone is accustomed to, but at the same time the IS F is not your ordinary Lexus. One could only take so much of the harsh IS F suspension especially on poor and uneven California roads. The factory IS F shock setup is great to take on the track, but lacks the adjustability and comfort for daily driving. For model year 2011, Lexus addresses the harshness with slight revisions made to the IS F suspension as it is reportedly sharper with a direct feel. The factory shock absorber supplier for the IS F (and other Lexus/Toyota models) is Tokico, a division of Hitachi, Ltd. They are a respected Japanese suspension manufacturer who supplies OE shocks to many car makers around the world. Tokico also offers an array of aftermarket gas shock applications for both the street and track. Tokico is no stranger to the Lexus enthusiast community as they have offered the reliable HP (blue) series and the five way adjustable dampening Illumina (white) shocks for the first generation IS 300 (JCE10). There are also applications for older model LS, SC and ES models. I’ve had experience with both HP Tokico struts on my previous ’99 Toyota Solara and the OE Tokico shocks on my previous ’04 Lexus IS 300.

Due to my involvement in the Lexus owners and enthusiast community, I was contacted by David Chou of Tokico USA by way of VIP Auto Salon to test fit a set of their latest line of shocks for the IS F, the Tokico HTS Damper (red) series. They wanted to confirm the cross-compatibility of their exisiting second generation Lexus IS shock application with the IS F. Sharing my existing knowledge of the 2nd gen IS platform with David, we both compared our data and decided that the existing 2nd Gen IS shocks should be similar if not the same in mounting and shape. We scheduled a time to do a test fit a set of HTS Dampers on my F. Since they are going to take out my suspension, David suggested that I can use existing stock spring setup with the HTS or bring a set of aftermarket springs of my choice. Since the suspension has to be removed and reinstalled, I decided to do the latter since I had plans to do this anyway. Since i’ve had great experience with the Eibach Pro Kit springs on my previous Solara and IS 300, I decided to put them (Part# 8289.140) on my IS F. I am still riding on the factory 19″ BBS forged alloy wheels and did not want an extreme drop. The Pro Kit mildly lowers the front at 0.7″ and the rears at 0.3″. The HTS Dampers do not alter ride height in any way. I wanted to retain as much of the factory look as possible without sacrificing wheel clearance.

IMG_5201.JPGI drove out to Tokico USA’s headquarters in Torrance, CA where I met up with David. Their in-house installer did the install and took photos of the work. We compare both stock Lexus/Tokico made shocks and HTS Dampers. To our surprise, the stock shock casing and mount points of the HTS were exact. The only physical difference is that the factory IS F shocks have a flat black exterior with a monotube design. Like the OEM setup, the HTS has a bright red gloss exterior with a monotube, low pressure gas design. The HTS also features an infinitely adjustable dampening force setup where you can custom tailor your setup for a day at the track, or ultra cruising comfort. The beauty of the HTS Dampers for the IS F is that you can easily adjust the shocks to be a lot stiffer than stock, or a lot softer than stock. It would have been nice to have this as a standard feature on the IS F, but then Tokico would lose out on aftermarket offerings for the F! The HTS’ unique piston and valve design allows for the best flexibility of shock dampening just like a more expensive coilover setup. But unlike an expensive coilover setup which usually says “for off-road use only” on the box, the Tokico HTS Damper offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty as long as they are used for street duties. In the event of a warranty claim, you can send the faulty shock into Tokico where they can repair or replace the part at no charge (along with proof of purchase from an authorized Tokico retailer) to you. The HTS Damper is exclusively designed and manufactured at Tokico’s facilities in Japan.

I’ve had a chance to drive my IS F with the HTS Dampers on a variety of road conditions and passenger configurations. Let me say that the HTS has made a huge difference in the comfort of my IS F. There are no clicks or detents when you turn the adjustment dampening ****, it is infinitely variable. The shocks come full stiff or full clockwise out of the box from the factory. Adjustments can be dialed in to your specifications. The softest setting can be comparable to the comfort of a regular IS 250 where as the stiffest setting can be as stiff for drift car status. The setting just below center is what I like to call medium soft. This setup is great for daily driving around the city or long highway cruising. The midway setting is as close as you can get to the factory shock setting. If you want teeth chattering stiff, you can do so, but I wouldn’t recommend it for long periods of time especially if you suffer from back problems. The overall ride with these shocks are very compliant even with a full load of luggage and passengers. I was able to try out the HTS Dampers on a recent road trip to SEMA in Las Vegas last month. For those who have experienced driving Interstate 15 (from Los Angeles to Las Vegas), you travel on a variety of road surfaces ranging from super smooth concrete to jagged, eroding pavement from the extreme climate of the Mojave Desert. Because the IS F is front heavy, I tend to set my front shocks stiffer than the rears. You can turn the dampening adjustment **** a total of 7.5 turns from end to end.

If you are interested in getting the HTS Dampers (Red) for your IS F, the part can be cross referenced with the existing HTS Damper (Part# HTS117) setup for the 06-current IS 250/350. This also applies to the existing Tokico HP (Blue) application as well. If you’re looking to upgrade your factory IS F suspension, but don’t want the hassle of coilovers (that will need rebuilding after a period of time), this is the best bang for the buck. If you want the flexibility of shock dampening adjustments and cannot stand the harsh shock setup of your IS F, these Tokico HTS Dampers are for you.



Toyota and Lexus heritage. Photo below was taken at the Tokico display during Toyotafest 2010. Photo from left to rightD1GP driver, Taka Ueno’s personal Toyota Corolla GTS and my IS F both featuring Tokico HTS Dampers.






Tokico Application Chart: Lexus
HTS Installation Photos of my ISF

What is included in the HTS117 Package:


Special Thanks goes out to Clark of VIP Auto Salon and David of Tokico USA.

IS350atWOT

iTrader: (1)

These sound great. I've about had all I can stand from my stock 2010 suspension. I am having problems accessing their site. How much for a set?

UCrazyKid

Very nice and complete write-up! Thanks. My questions are, what is being given up by losing the monotube design, does the one size fits all shock valving theory work when going to the heavier ISF, how much of your experience is because of the Eibach spring? I would much rather know the improvement of the shock coupled with the stock springs What are the rate differences in the springs, are the Eibachs progressive or linear? Stock?

Sorry for all the questions.
Thanks!
Andy

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

That's the only real downside I see

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Nice write up Ryan..!!!

I am actually very surprised to see them use the same exact part# as the IS250/IS350..?

I would have thought for sure, they would have had to tweak them a bit to handle the IS-F Specifications..

Glad to hear they are working Great!!!

Joe Z

BigMikeISF

Very nice writeup and thanks for stepping up to be the tester for these. They sound like a great product. Do you have anymore information on pricing or release or should interested buyers shoot Clark a message? Also, since you put the Eibach's on these dampers, I'm assuming you can put the Teins as well with no problems? Thanks again!

UCrazyKid

I had a SPAX set up years ago with out indents also and it was definitely a downside. counting your turns and hoping they come out the same on both sides is not as easy as it sounds when you are lying on your back under the car with a screwdriver in your hand.

infinus

+1 about more info regarding using the same part as the rest of the IS line.

N54MPower

iTrader: (3)

Excellent product review and a great alternative for those that don't want coilovers but want a performance damper and lowering springs. Thanks for sharing.

HyperMKIV

iTrader: (1)

i think you mean for those too cheap to buy coilovers...
i can read your mind...



J/K...

Supraman16

iTrader: (5)

I was actually thinking the same thing...I would be very hesistant to try a product that designed for the IS250/350 on the IS-F. I would want a product designed for the IS-F specifically. I'm wondering if these shocks will hold up in the long run to the additional weight and stress of the IS-F...Darshana S...

DS2k

iTrader: (5)

haha... I would've thought the same, but I've tried both and I tell you, I won't be putting coilovers on my IS-F. For a daily driver who has to deal with construction zones and uneven road surfaces/bumps, Coilovers are not meant for me. I love the handling and stance they gave me, but I wore them out way too quick and there is no replacement plan like they offer on these shocks.

My point is, yes... alternative is the correct word

Fitment Factory

iTrader: (-1)

Great write up!!

FIGS

iTrader: (11)

So typically the damper and spring must be matched for optimal performance. It really comes down to fluid velocity and springs and ride height will play a big role in how a damper performs. The dampers job is to limit shock stroke acceleration and ideally to prevent overshoot and the rebounce for the particular conditions. Assuming properly matched spring rates for the front heavy IS-F, I would expect the IS250/350 damping design to be slower reacting that one specifically designed for the rates. As the spring does more work, the damper should move towards being more precise and moving to twin tube will add further delay in reactance. All that said, I have no doubt they are more comfortable because the design favors comfort over performance.

Its a good alternative for people that are looking for a longer term option and would favor comfort over precision. But this is always a sacrifice IMO. I think there should be multiple options for people because this car has such a wide demographic appeal. Certainly there are people that rarely drive spirited as I have talked to a lot of them.

Keep in mind I am seeing these(HTS117) in the $750 range. Add a set of springs and you are right at the cost for some monotube BC coilovers. The ride height adjustment alone is worth it for the coilovers IMO. And Coilovers do not need to be harsh, just get them without pillowballs and keep your drop limited to stock and retain the longer travel.

Not to take away from your review Ryan because I think there is still applications for the more compliant design. People should just clearly define their goals and make their decision of what they truly value, comfort, longevity or performance/precision. There is some area of overlap in the middle between the two solutions, its the extremes that you need to consider. Having a lifetime warranty is a pretty nice option sometimes...well if you do not have to pay for shipping that is

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

This is precisely why I marvel at people who say they change the damping from "street" to "track". Either it works, or it doesn't. Both venues have the same goal - keep the tire in contact with the road surface more often than not. So the "right" damping for a spring is probably going to be right regardless of where you are. The only thing about street is, you usually want a lower natural frequency for ride comfort, but this is a combination of spring and damping rates.

I ran Tokico aftermarket shocks on my '88 GTS Corolla. Definitely better than stock for my purposes, but also not narrowly focused on performance either.