LFA 461 has arrived, battery question.
04-21-16, 09:38 AM
#48
Rookie
Thread Starter
Thanks. When you see a car like this become available, you don't hesitate. My understanding is that mine is the only one in the Greater Toronto Area. Not sure if that is still true. There is the deep red Ottawa car that spends the winter at Erin Park and also the Laval, Quebec car that was recently sold, I think. Most of the LFAs in Canada (about 10 total?) must be out West, actually. Maybe Rolla knows more specifics.
04-21-16, 10:35 AM
#49
Lexus Test Driver
Thanks. When you see a car like this become available, you don't hesitate. My understanding is that mine is the only one in the Greater Toronto Area. Not sure if that is still true. There is the deep red Ottawa car that spends the winter at Erin Park and also the Laval, Quebec car that was recently sold, I think. Most of the LFAs in Canada (about 10 total?) must be out West, actually. Maybe Rolla knows more specifics.
All in all, there should be around 13 total LFAs.
09-20-16, 01:44 PM
#51
Rookie
Thread Starter
09-21-16, 06:24 PM
#53
Lexus Test Driver
Great to hear that. I was following the Motor Trend best driver's car of the year and saw the new NSX lap around Laguna Seca with Pobst. Despite having the stickiest tires (barely street legal), Trofeo R, it put down exactly the same 1:36 lap time as the LFA did on modest street performance tires (Randy was critical of LFA's tires and said he wanted to see how it did with the Cup 2 tires) and what the 458 Italia put down back in 2011.
I wish Lexus had put sticky Cup 2 tires on it, it typically knocks off 2 seconds off the lap time and would have gotten it down to 1:34s.
I wish Lexus had put sticky Cup 2 tires on it, it typically knocks off 2 seconds off the lap time and would have gotten it down to 1:34s.
09-22-16, 01:51 PM
#54
Great to hear that. I was following the Motor Trend best driver's car of the year and saw the new NSX lap around Laguna Seca with Pobst. Despite having the stickiest tires (barely street legal), Trofeo R, it put down exactly the same 1:36 lap time as the LFA did on modest street performance tires (Randy was critical of LFA's tires and said he wanted to see how it did with the Cup 2 tires) and what the 458 Italia put down back in 2011.
I wish Lexus had put sticky Cup 2 tires on it, it typically knocks off 2 seconds off the lap time and would have gotten it down to 1:34s.
I wish Lexus had put sticky Cup 2 tires on it, it typically knocks off 2 seconds off the lap time and would have gotten it down to 1:34s.
09-22-16, 05:58 PM
#55
Lexus Test Driver
Tyres are everything on the track.I too have always wondered what the LFA could have done with that better rubber.Even as far back as when it had the Nurburgring testing.Mind you I've heard and seen Iida's blog. He thought the best he could have got out of those RE070's was a 7.12. Round the Ring.I'm pretty sure with cup 2 michelins or better they'd be a whole bunch of time to found on any track..
I believe LFA was wearing Cup 2 racing slick tires in the Goodwood Uphill Climb Attack competiton in 2014. It beat the 458 Speciale, SLS AMG Black Series, Ferrari F12 etc. that day running the 2nd fastest lap that day.
Back when LFA came out, supercars mostly did not have racing slick tires. It has become the huge craze in the supercar world in the last 3 - 4 years where nearly everyone of them has slick racing tires. Lexus should have offered factory option of slick tires and should have supplied the press cars with slick tires on.
09-26-16, 07:20 AM
#56
Rookie
Thread Starter
From all the reviews, LFA always was praised as one of the most thrilling and responsive car to drive. In part, because the rear end is easy to break lose. The chief engineer said, lap times were not a priority. Driving dynamics, drivability and experience were the highest priority. However, having those killer lap times on super slick racing compound tires would have done immensely for the brand image.
I believe LFA was wearing Cup 2 racing slick tires in the Goodwood Uphill Climb Attack competiton in 2014. It beat the 458 Speciale, SLS AMG Black Series, Ferrari F12 etc. that day running the 2nd fastest lap that day.
Back when LFA came out, supercars mostly did not have racing slick tires. It has become the huge craze in the supercar world in the last 3 - 4 years where nearly everyone of them has slick racing tires. Lexus should have offered factory option of slick tires and should have supplied the press cars with slick tires on.
I believe LFA was wearing Cup 2 racing slick tires in the Goodwood Uphill Climb Attack competiton in 2014. It beat the 458 Speciale, SLS AMG Black Series, Ferrari F12 etc. that day running the 2nd fastest lap that day.
Back when LFA came out, supercars mostly did not have racing slick tires. It has become the huge craze in the supercar world in the last 3 - 4 years where nearly everyone of them has slick racing tires. Lexus should have offered factory option of slick tires and should have supplied the press cars with slick tires on.
That said, I believe there is entirely way too much focus on sticky tires for road cars these days. I agree that some more scorching lap times may have helped the LFA's image a bit at launch, but the relevance of those stats wears off after a few years. Nobody cares today that an Enzo or Carrera GT is relatively slow by modern standards, even though the Internet world was obsessed with finding out which was faster around a circuit, back in the day.
Being an owner and driver of street cars and race cars, I cannot stress this enough. You actually ruin the experience of a great road car somewhat by giving it too much grip. In my opinion, what you want is the right balance between power and traction to allow the car's inherent chassis characteristics to shine. As an extreme example, imagine driving a Lotus Elise with fat Trofeo Rs on the street. It would be pretty boring!
09-26-16, 08:44 AM
#57
Lexus Test Driver
I agree as far as driving experience goes (as I had indicated in my previous post). I am sure, for the driver, it is very enjoyable to allow the rear end to break loose once in a while. My view was from a brand image perspective. No one ever could criticize LFA for its driving dynamics, experience and visceral feel. I guess, it was ammo for the haters who ignored the fact that it did not have anything remotely close to sticky racing tires and it was competing against mostly supercars and sports cars that had racing slick Corsa, Cup 2 or even Trofeo R tires that were barely street legal.
I guess, having sticky tires is the easiest way to shave 3 - 4% time off per lap. These days, it is the hot topic people discuss on forums for example, Porsche fans protested in a comparison with Mclaren P1 where the P1 was wearing Trofeo R while the Porsche was wearing Cup 2. They both are super sticky racing tires, but since Trofeo Rs are considered the stickiest of them all, they wanted Porsche to supply a 918 with Trofeo Rs etc.
P.S. It must have been a great experience to watch live a driver like Chris Ward driving LFA to its absolute limits with racing slick tires. For anyone who did not watch the competition before, here is a video of LFA doing the Goodwood Uphill Time Attack
LFA with Cup 2 racing slicks beat out the much newer and more powerful cars like 458 Speciale, F12, SLS AMG Black Series and NISMO GTR (crashed/DNC).
I guess, having sticky tires is the easiest way to shave 3 - 4% time off per lap. These days, it is the hot topic people discuss on forums for example, Porsche fans protested in a comparison with Mclaren P1 where the P1 was wearing Trofeo R while the Porsche was wearing Cup 2. They both are super sticky racing tires, but since Trofeo Rs are considered the stickiest of them all, they wanted Porsche to supply a 918 with Trofeo Rs etc.
P.S. It must have been a great experience to watch live a driver like Chris Ward driving LFA to its absolute limits with racing slick tires. For anyone who did not watch the competition before, here is a video of LFA doing the Goodwood Uphill Time Attack
LFA with Cup 2 racing slicks beat out the much newer and more powerful cars like 458 Speciale, F12, SLS AMG Black Series and NISMO GTR (crashed/DNC).
I was at Goodwood FOS a few years back when the blue LFA went up the hill on Cup tires. It was flying and beat almost every other supercar that day, too.
That said, I believe there is entirely way too much focus on sticky tires for road cars these days. I agree that some more scorching lap times may have helped the LFA's image a bit at launch, but the relevance of those stats wears off after a few years. Nobody cares today that an Enzo or Carrera GT is relatively slow by modern standards, even though the Internet world was obsessed with finding out which was faster around a circuit, back in the day.
Being an owner and driver of street cars and race cars, I cannot stress this enough. You actually ruin the experience of a great road car somewhat by giving it too much grip. In my opinion, what you want is the right balance between power and traction to allow the car's inherent chassis characteristics to shine. As an extreme example, imagine driving a Lotus Elise with fat Trofeo Rs on the street. It would be pretty boring!
That said, I believe there is entirely way too much focus on sticky tires for road cars these days. I agree that some more scorching lap times may have helped the LFA's image a bit at launch, but the relevance of those stats wears off after a few years. Nobody cares today that an Enzo or Carrera GT is relatively slow by modern standards, even though the Internet world was obsessed with finding out which was faster around a circuit, back in the day.
Being an owner and driver of street cars and race cars, I cannot stress this enough. You actually ruin the experience of a great road car somewhat by giving it too much grip. In my opinion, what you want is the right balance between power and traction to allow the car's inherent chassis characteristics to shine. As an extreme example, imagine driving a Lotus Elise with fat Trofeo Rs on the street. It would be pretty boring!
Last edited by 05RollaXRS; 09-26-16 at 04:30 PM.
09-27-16, 11:44 AM
#58
My dream car is an LFA, hopefully one day I'll be able to call one mine! But to be honest I haven't seen any LFAs floating around Toronto besides the Red one at Erin Park.
09-27-16, 03:42 PM
#59
Lexus Test Driver
If you are looking for one, the owner of Lexus of Calgary has a grey one I see all the time parked in the showroom. It possibly has quite a lot of miles on it. He has owned it for 4 years and drives it quite often. He even ships it to Florida during the winter months where he has a home. Maybe, he can let it go, if you speak with him?
lfahalo's LFA was also originally in Calgary/Edmonton. I used to see it all the time at Country Hills Toyota as it was owned by the dealership owner. He took lfahalo's Mclaren MP4-12C trade-in and let the LFA go and it went to Ontario.
09-28-16, 12:21 AM
#60
I was at Goodwood FOS a few years back when the blue LFA went up the hill on Cup tires. It was flying and beat almost every other supercar that day, too.
That said, I believe there is entirely way too much focus on sticky tires for road cars these days. I agree that some more scorching lap times may have helped the LFA's image a bit at launch, but the relevance of those stats wears off after a few years. Nobody cares today that an Enzo or Carrera GT is relatively slow by modern standards, even though the Internet world was obsessed with finding out which was faster around a circuit, back in the day.
Being an owner and driver of street cars and race cars, I cannot stress this enough. You actually ruin the experience of a great road car somewhat by giving it too much grip. In my opinion, what you want is the right balance between power and traction to allow the car's inherent chassis characteristics to shine. As an extreme example, imagine driving a Lotus Elise with fat Trofeo Rs on the street. It would be pretty boring!
That said, I believe there is entirely way too much focus on sticky tires for road cars these days. I agree that some more scorching lap times may have helped the LFA's image a bit at launch, but the relevance of those stats wears off after a few years. Nobody cares today that an Enzo or Carrera GT is relatively slow by modern standards, even though the Internet world was obsessed with finding out which was faster around a circuit, back in the day.
Being an owner and driver of street cars and race cars, I cannot stress this enough. You actually ruin the experience of a great road car somewhat by giving it too much grip. In my opinion, what you want is the right balance between power and traction to allow the car's inherent chassis characteristics to shine. As an extreme example, imagine driving a Lotus Elise with fat Trofeo Rs on the street. It would be pretty boring!
Let the driver dictate how good the car is.I might be showing my age here but I not much a fan of a lot of Supercars today because of the electronics hence why I prefer more grip.
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