New Lexus owner - 06 IS 350
09-27-12, 09:34 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: AL
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
New Lexus owner - 06 IS 350
Just purchased my first Lexus. It's an 06 IS 350. This car is very fun to drive! My other car is a 470 hp V8, but this is still pretty quick and oh so smooth/quiet/comfortable. I got around 28 mpg on the highway driving back home, so that's pretty decent for a 306 hp V6. I'm very satisfied with the way the car feels and drives and handles.
I just put some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on to replace whatever crap tires the previous owner had on before. They perform very well, tons of grip. Next up will be the F-Sport rear sway bar to reduce body roll and some new front brakes. I'm thinking about the StopTech Street Performance pads. I'm not too concerned about brake dust and want a little more stopping power. The windshield molding trim needs to be replaced. There's an annoying little wind noise on the highway from it.
One of the head lights is very clear on the inside and outside, the other one is clear on the outside but it's darker or tinted on the inside. I was looking through the vehicle history report and there's a "perform headlamp restoration procedure". I'm not sure what that entails but is there a way to make the inside of the head light more clear? The problem isn't on the outside. It's not the typical fogging/yellow you see on some cars. Can you take apart the head light or am I going to have to just buy a new one? It kinda looks like one head light is brand new and the other one has been darkened by the sun for 6 years.
I just put some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on to replace whatever crap tires the previous owner had on before. They perform very well, tons of grip. Next up will be the F-Sport rear sway bar to reduce body roll and some new front brakes. I'm thinking about the StopTech Street Performance pads. I'm not too concerned about brake dust and want a little more stopping power. The windshield molding trim needs to be replaced. There's an annoying little wind noise on the highway from it.
One of the head lights is very clear on the inside and outside, the other one is clear on the outside but it's darker or tinted on the inside. I was looking through the vehicle history report and there's a "perform headlamp restoration procedure". I'm not sure what that entails but is there a way to make the inside of the head light more clear? The problem isn't on the outside. It's not the typical fogging/yellow you see on some cars. Can you take apart the head light or am I going to have to just buy a new one? It kinda looks like one head light is brand new and the other one has been darkened by the sun for 6 years.
09-27-12, 10:25 PM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: WA
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Unless you're adverse to a lower ride, I'd recommend springs over the sway bar. The difference was night and day when I installed my Eibach Pro Kit. The original "sport" suspension felt heavy with pronounced understeer (Thanks, VSD). After I installed the Eibachs the car felt lighter and the handling much more balanced. By far the best mod I've done. I chose the Eibachs because I wasn't looking to slam my car and wanted a nice balance between ride quality and performance.
09-27-12, 11:56 PM
#6
Lead Lap
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 717
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I disagree with the person who recommend lowering your car before you install the sway bar.
The F-sport sway bars by far are the most impactful modification you can do to your car. The handling difference is night and day with the F-sport sway bars. They'll pretty much eliminate body roll by a good 75% (this is subjective and a number I pulled out of my ***, but that's what it feels like).
Edit: Obviously you can do both if you want, but do the F-sport sway bars first.
The F-sport sway bars by far are the most impactful modification you can do to your car. The handling difference is night and day with the F-sport sway bars. They'll pretty much eliminate body roll by a good 75% (this is subjective and a number I pulled out of my ***, but that's what it feels like).
Edit: Obviously you can do both if you want, but do the F-sport sway bars first.
Trending Topics
09-28-12, 05:43 AM
#10
Just purchased my first Lexus. It's an 06 IS 350. This car is very fun to drive! My other car is a 470 hp V8, but this is still pretty quick and oh so smooth/quiet/comfortable. I got around 28 mpg on the highway driving back home, so that's pretty decent for a 306 hp V6. I'm very satisfied with the way the car feels and drives and handles.
I just put some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on to replace whatever crap tires the previous owner had on before. They perform very well, tons of grip. Next up will be the F-Sport rear sway bar to reduce body roll and some new front brakes. I'm thinking about the StopTech Street Performance pads. I'm not too concerned about brake dust and want a little more stopping power. .
I just put some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires on to replace whatever crap tires the previous owner had on before. They perform very well, tons of grip. Next up will be the F-Sport rear sway bar to reduce body roll and some new front brakes. I'm thinking about the StopTech Street Performance pads. I'm not too concerned about brake dust and want a little more stopping power. .
Congrats on the purchase and welcome!
If you want to stop shorter though the only way is to upgrade your tires (which you already have done)
"Better" or bigger brakes won't stop the car any shorter.... so unless you use the car on a race track you won't see any functional benefit (though they'll likely "feel" different)
The brakes don't stop the car, the tires do. Once ABS is engaged (which your stock brakes can do just fine) any more "stopping power" is entirely wasted as the tire can not make use of it.
09-28-12, 08:02 AM
#11
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: WA
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I disagree with the person who recommend lowering your car before you install the sway bar.
The F-sport sway bars by far are the most impactful modification you can do to your car. The handling difference is night and day with the F-sport sway bars. They'll pretty much eliminate body roll by a good 75% (this is subjective and a number I pulled out of my ***, but that's what it feels like).
Edit: Obviously you can do both if you want, but do the F-sport sway bars first.
The F-sport sway bars by far are the most impactful modification you can do to your car. The handling difference is night and day with the F-sport sway bars. They'll pretty much eliminate body roll by a good 75% (this is subjective and a number I pulled out of my ***, but that's what it feels like).
Edit: Obviously you can do both if you want, but do the F-sport sway bars first.
It would be interesting to see lap times produced using two identical cars (or one car, reconfigured) wherein one car has F-Sport springs and the other the F-Sport sway bars. I'm not aware of said real-world comparison however. It seems people have been happy with both springs and sway bars and which is better may be a matter of opinion and personal taste anyway.
09-28-12, 09:49 AM
#12
To answer your original question, yes you can take apart the headlights and I THINK you can polish out the darkness/fade. If you can't, I would suggest blackhousing them while you have them apart. It would make the difference between the two lights hardly noticeable. Or, you could paint the housings gunmetal if you have a light-colored IS.
For anyone doing the headlight restoration, keep in mind that when you wetsand the headlight, you may be removing the protective layer of film that prevents UV rays from damaging the inside of the headlight. We wetsanded my Accord and my cousin's RSX headlights about 2 years ago, then polished them up, and they looked brand new. He didn't put any sealant or wax on his, but I reapplied wax and sealant on mine once a year. Mine looked perfectly fine while his have this nasty yellow film on the inside of the lenses.
For anyone doing the headlight restoration, keep in mind that when you wetsand the headlight, you may be removing the protective layer of film that prevents UV rays from damaging the inside of the headlight. We wetsanded my Accord and my cousin's RSX headlights about 2 years ago, then polished them up, and they looked brand new. He didn't put any sealant or wax on his, but I reapplied wax and sealant on mine once a year. Mine looked perfectly fine while his have this nasty yellow film on the inside of the lenses.
09-28-12, 08:38 PM
#13
From a fellow '06 350 owner...welcome! Since I have StopTech Street pads I can tell you that if you do not care about the dust the regular OEM pads (not the low dust ones) will be perfect for you. They have that great initial "bite" that gives you stopping confidence...unlike the "Street" pads. I found out the hard way... oh well. If I had my way I would get Axxis Ultimates though; but they seem to be unavailable in the states. Boo!
Search often, and enjoy your stay!
Search often, and enjoy your stay!
09-29-12, 11:06 AM
#14
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: AL
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Unless you're adverse to a lower ride, I'd recommend springs over the sway bar. The difference was night and day when I installed my Eibach Pro Kit. The original "sport" suspension felt heavy with pronounced understeer (Thanks, VSD). After I installed the Eibachs the car felt lighter and the handling much more balanced. By far the best mod I've done. I chose the Eibachs because I wasn't looking to slam my car and wanted a nice balance between ride quality and performance.
I'll have to get some up.
Congrats on the purchase and welcome!
If you want to stop shorter though the only way is to upgrade your tires (which you already have done)
"Better" or bigger brakes won't stop the car any shorter.... so unless you use the car on a race track you won't see any functional benefit (though they'll likely "feel" different)
The brakes don't stop the car, the tires do. Once ABS is engaged (which your stock brakes can do just fine) any more "stopping power" is entirely wasted as the tire can not make use of it.
If you want to stop shorter though the only way is to upgrade your tires (which you already have done)
"Better" or bigger brakes won't stop the car any shorter.... so unless you use the car on a race track you won't see any functional benefit (though they'll likely "feel" different)
The brakes don't stop the car, the tires do. Once ABS is engaged (which your stock brakes can do just fine) any more "stopping power" is entirely wasted as the tire can not make use of it.
To answer your original question, yes you can take apart the headlights and I THINK you can polish out the darkness/fade. If you can't, I would suggest blackhousing them while you have them apart. It would make the difference between the two lights hardly noticeable. Or, you could paint the housings gunmetal if you have a light-colored IS.
For anyone doing the headlight restoration, keep in mind that when you wetsand the headlight, you may be removing the protective layer of film that prevents UV rays from damaging the inside of the headlight. We wetsanded my Accord and my cousin's RSX headlights about 2 years ago, then polished them up, and they looked brand new. He didn't put any sealant or wax on his, but I reapplied wax and sealant on mine once a year. Mine looked perfectly fine while his have this nasty yellow film on the inside of the lenses.
For anyone doing the headlight restoration, keep in mind that when you wetsand the headlight, you may be removing the protective layer of film that prevents UV rays from damaging the inside of the headlight. We wetsanded my Accord and my cousin's RSX headlights about 2 years ago, then polished them up, and they looked brand new. He didn't put any sealant or wax on his, but I reapplied wax and sealant on mine once a year. Mine looked perfectly fine while his have this nasty yellow film on the inside of the lenses.
From a fellow '06 350 owner...welcome! Since I have StopTech Street pads I can tell you that if you do not care about the dust the regular OEM pads (not the low dust ones) will be perfect for you. They have that great initial "bite" that gives you stopping confidence...unlike the "Street" pads. I found out the hard way... oh well. If I had my way I would get Axxis Ultimates though; but they seem to be unavailable in the states. Boo!
Search often, and enjoy your stay!
Search often, and enjoy your stay!
Thanks guys
