New IS-F owner - few questions
07-03-12, 12:47 PM
#1
New IS-F owner - few questions
New owner of a 2008 IS-F. The car has impressed me so far but I had a few questions.
Does putting the car in F mode change anything as far as throttle response or any other settings? I know even when the car is just in D, you can still use the paddles. So whats the difference between using the paddles in D and F mode?
Also, what is the difference between just having the traction control off or having the traction control and VSC off?
I'm guessing that having the car in sport mode with traction control and VSC off shuts off all aids completely?
Does putting the car in F mode change anything as far as throttle response or any other settings? I know even when the car is just in D, you can still use the paddles. So whats the difference between using the paddles in D and F mode?
Also, what is the difference between just having the traction control off or having the traction control and VSC off?
I'm guessing that having the car in sport mode with traction control and VSC off shuts off all aids completely?
07-03-12, 01:03 PM
#2
Fundamentally, VDIM is a sophisticated electronic system that coordinates the key vehicle
systems responsible for control of dynamic behavior. They include the brake system, TRAC,
VSC, steering assist and engine torque. VDIM manages this task by taking input from a number
of sensors around the car and issuing coordinated commands. This endows the vehicle with
the ability to anticipate the onset of a skid or slide and helps provide smooth, balanced control
that feels natural to the driver. Before VDIM, these systems acted more independently and
could sometimes feel abrupt in certain conditions. Sharpening the Focus
With the new Sport mode, the IS F becomes a more focused performance car, as a
comprehensive “adjustment” of several elements makes it even more rewarding to drive.
When the mode switch is set to “Sport,” several changes occur:
• Two of these changes, while not involved with VDIM per se, play a role in the feel and
performance of the car. One is the electronic power steering (EPS) system, which adopts a
different assist curve that increases steering effort to make the car feel more direct and
engaging. The other is the transmission, which gets modified shift feel and timing to
emphasize performance.
• Throttle control is also modified to produce quicker response to a given throttle angle.
• Most importantly, VSC and TRAC are modified in a way that helps the driver dig deeper into
the limits of the dynamic threshold. More lateral acceleration = quicker lap times. Good
thing the cupholders are deep.
VDIM Sport mode works so well that it’s difficult for even highly-skilled drivers to lap faster on a
circuit with the system completely off than when it’s on. It’s not only rewarding; It can also make
you look very good—and still save your bacon.
systems responsible for control of dynamic behavior. They include the brake system, TRAC,
VSC, steering assist and engine torque. VDIM manages this task by taking input from a number
of sensors around the car and issuing coordinated commands. This endows the vehicle with
the ability to anticipate the onset of a skid or slide and helps provide smooth, balanced control
that feels natural to the driver. Before VDIM, these systems acted more independently and
could sometimes feel abrupt in certain conditions. Sharpening the Focus
With the new Sport mode, the IS F becomes a more focused performance car, as a
comprehensive “adjustment” of several elements makes it even more rewarding to drive.
When the mode switch is set to “Sport,” several changes occur:
• Two of these changes, while not involved with VDIM per se, play a role in the feel and
performance of the car. One is the electronic power steering (EPS) system, which adopts a
different assist curve that increases steering effort to make the car feel more direct and
engaging. The other is the transmission, which gets modified shift feel and timing to
emphasize performance.
• Throttle control is also modified to produce quicker response to a given throttle angle.
• Most importantly, VSC and TRAC are modified in a way that helps the driver dig deeper into
the limits of the dynamic threshold. More lateral acceleration = quicker lap times. Good
thing the cupholders are deep.
VDIM Sport mode works so well that it’s difficult for even highly-skilled drivers to lap faster on a
circuit with the system completely off than when it’s on. It’s not only rewarding; It can also make
you look very good—and still save your bacon.
http://www.lexus.com/models/ISF/feat...VDIM_Story.pdf
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...-the-is-f.html
07-03-12, 03:15 PM
#3
Lexus Test Driver
Congrats on your new ride and welcome to the family. In addition to what was said above. If you go onto the Lexus website under "IS-F" they actually have videos that explain it all. Hope that helps, i know it did for me GL bro!
07-04-12, 01:28 AM
#8
Driver
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: UK
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@Djtexan will try and answer in layman terms for you 
Sport mode increases throttle response, changes when the car shifts gear, weights up the steering and relaxes the thresholds the traction control and VSC kick in.
Using the paddles in D or F just sets maximum gear for the car to use, it is still shifting in full auto mode. Flick the gear leaver over to manual and the gearing locks up to give full manual shifts where you fully control the gear.
On public roads, probably crashing Traction control just controls the traction / wheelspin, VSC controls anti skid etc
I believe so yes, you will also want the car in manual.
Traction control just controls the traction / wheelspin, VSC controls anti skid etcI believe so yes, you will also want the car in manual.
07-04-12, 12:34 PM
#9
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
No. it is impossible to turn off all aids with the buttons. Anti-lock, brake force distribution, and brake assist will work no matter what you do with the buttons; and the electronic limited slip will work unless you perform the pedal dance.
The only way to truly shut off all the aids is to pull fuses.
The only way to truly shut off all the aids is to pull fuses.
07-04-12, 10:17 PM
#12
The transmission attempts to provide all the functions and advantages of an automatic transmission (like set and forget and gear-limiting) and of a manual transmission (complete control) - and it does pretty well.
If you have ever driven a car with an automatic transmission that does not have paddle shifting, you will recall that the gear selector has a position for D and also for 4, 3, 2, L (or some such). When you selected one of these other positions, like 3, the car will down shift to 3rd (if it was in a higher gear) and will not go into a any gear higher than 3 (like 4 or 5). This is called gear limiting and is useful for mountain driving (as an example) where you want to keep the car in a lower gear to use engine braking to get down a hill.
With any such automatic transmission, if you have the selector set to 3 and you're cruising along in third and step hard on the gas (say to pass someone), the transmission will automatically down-shift to 2nd or 1st to give you more power. When you let off, the transmission will automatically return to 3rd (since you've limited to that).
On the IS F, you can mimic this gear-limited automatic operation by using the paddle shifters while the console selector is in the D position. Hitting the left paddle will activate this mode and the car will decide what (lower) gear to limit to (say 5). The gear-position display on the instrument cluster will switch from "D" to "5." The transmission will now operate as an automatic transmission limited to 5th gear.
This means if you stomp on the gas, it will downshift while you accelerate and then return back to 5th as you resume your speed. You can use this for down-hill engine braking as with any auto transmission.
If you want to change the gear to which you are limited, another quick push of the left paddle will switch the limit to the next lower gear (say 4). A quick hit of the right paddle will up the limit one position (like 6).
To resume normal auto mode (limited to 8) hold the right paddle for about one second until the gear position display on the instrument cluster shows "D."
When you are in this gear limited mode, after a couple of minutes the car will automatically revert to normal D mode - which is a little annoying on a long down hill run.
When you move the console gear selector from Drive to Manual, the gear position display on the instrument cluster will change from "D" to whatever the number of the gear the car was in when you made the change, like "1" if the car was stopped.
At this point you are if full manual mode, meaning the car will stay in 1st gear until you use the right paddle to up-shift to 2nd, even if you rev-limit the engine. The car will stay in whatever gear you sequence to using the right (up-shift) and left (down-shift) paddles.
Note, if you are cruising in manual and gear 8 and stomp on the gas to pass someone, the car will NOT downshift automatically and you won't get the power you were expecting. To accelerate, you need to manually down-shift as well as hit the gas - just as with a standard manual transmission.
When running in D mode, the car (especially when not in sport mode) will keep the RPMs pretty low to save gas. I like to run my in manual (more fun and better control), but I tend to keep it in a lower gear (to have power ready when needed) which is less gas efficient. When stuck in stop-and-go traffic, on long highway trips or cruising at 4 MPH in parking lots, I just use D.
