Tips for Drag Racing Your Lexus IS F
Looking to shave a few tenths off your time? Check out these proven tips to get your Lexus IS F down the track faster!
Racing, in any shape or form, is a never-ending learning process. Sure, you can throw a bunch of power adders at your car and hope for the best. But typically the best gains for a novice racer can be found in honing your skills. This is just as true on an oval track as it is at the drag strip. But where can a newbie piloting their Lexus IS F go for advice on how to do that? Why, the Club Lexus forums, of course! And that’s exactly what Vitveet did after an initial session at the drags.
“Made a trip to the 1/4 mile drag strip 11-5-17. It was my first time ever on a drag strip, so I didn’t really know what to expect. First pass down, I ran a 13.1 at 106 mph. That was with sport mode on and using automatic shifting. Got about 8 passes down the track, and on the 5th or 6th run I achieved a 12.8 e.t. and 108.6 mph trap speed! I’m on stock ’12 wheels and tires, Joe Z exhaust, intake tube, AFE air filter. 60ft was 2.09.
I am actually happy with the e.t. of 12.8, but I feel like the trap speed should have been 112-114 mph. Question is, why is my e.t. decent but the mph kinda off? Car felt GREAT and ran excellent IMO. I did NOT remove anything out of the car (spare tire was still in, etc). I did not burn out as I didn’t think it would help anything. Traction wasn’t an issue for me, and I DID NOT idle up for the launch. I was at 500 rpm and just stomped on her right on/slightly before green.
How much of a difference, if any, would my e.t./trap speed be if I removed the spare tire and took off at maybe 1,200-1,500 rpm? I’d like to hit the strip again before I get headers on the car.
Without delay, advice started flowing in for our track newbie.
“The lighter the better,” advised ISF4life.“1/4 gas tank and launch around 2,700 to 3,000 rpm. Check your tire pressure, maybe do a PSI in the rear that is slightly less than the front.”
With a very similar comparison from Jz39, it seems like the OP isn’t too far off, however.
“I have a similar set up with Joe Z and AFE drop-in only and was hitting just shy of 114mph with a 12.6 runs and 60ft times very close to yours. I added a bit of E85 ahead of the track and did a number of top gear pulls to ensure my KCLV values were up ahead of time. However, I don’t know if this actually did anything.
I’m heading back to the track on Saturday and it looks like a good day at 58 degrees. Last time I always brake torqued at launch, but it seems like this is a less preferred method than just getting on the throttle. I need to get my 60ft time down to 2 flat at least, and then I should be able to break into the 12.5s.”
According to Meanstreak, launching at idle is the best bet.
“Elevation and air density play a big role. I agree with the other suggestions except launch rpm. Fastest posted times for IS F are all off-idle.”
And jat0223 has some more specific recommendations.
“Sport mode on. Manual mode, not automatic. Traction control fully off (long press the button). Be careful when launching, DO NOT power launch. Launch from idle as you were doing. You’ll get used to shifting to get the best time and e.t.”
The OP took these tips to the track with him the following week and reaped the rewards.
“I did beat my best time from the first time at the track AND bested my previous best mph (thanks to you guys)!! Was very happy to see the 12.7 and 110 mph compared to my first trip to the track. Weather conditions were maybe 7-10 degrees cooler. Didn’t really check DA or anything. But this 3rd run, the car was EXACTLY like it was the previous day I ran. Spare tire in, jack/tools in, manual mode, sport mode on, traction control on.”
While some of the tips provided here will work for any car, others are obviously specific to the Lexus IS F. So if you’re trying to shave a few tenths off your time, give them a shot! And if you’ve got any more advice to help the OP, head over here and chime in!
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