TheShaddix's Build thread
 

Hi guys. Replaced my 335i bmw with this lexus and enjoying every minute of it. A few things, of course, weren't cutting it and needed to be changed up! The car is an IS 350 Fsport.
Here are my two previous cars: a heavily modded 350z and a lightly modded 335i.
Just copy and paste these in your browser to watch
youtube.com/watch?v=Z-msdoOrvMs
youtube.com/watch?v=2yvs9-mYEk0


Current look:
http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img842/527/gthxi.jpg



Here is the lexus when I first got it, all stock

http://imageshack.us/a/img706/913/5cy0.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img547/5538/ooi8.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img600/7662/hd10.jpg



Decided to add some tint, remove the "is 350" badge for better symmetry, and added 25mm spacers. No rubbing issues with these other than in the rear on big bumps.

http://imageshack.us/a/img43/1082/rc38.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img5/2205/5nmm.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img14/8579/pz1n.jpg


Then thought it would be nice to change the look of that odd interior trim. First I experimented with real carbon fiber, got some decent results but it's too easy to mess up, so I tried the new 4D carbon vinyl and really liked it. It's the closest thing to real cf look that there is and has a nice feel to it. It's night and day difference from the 3M di-noc.

http://imageshack.us/a/img560/4721/hnm8.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img835/8649/h8uu.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img836/8679/6ojm.jpg



Then it was time to lower the car. RSR sport coilovers were my choice after talking to a few people. I'm glad to confirm that all the praises and hype were true - these are great coilovers. On the softest setting they are much softer and more comfortable than the stock f-sport suspension. The medium setting is where it's at for me. On the stiffest they are a bit bouncy but still remain bearable. I also had to do some fender adjustments on front and rear to fix most of the rubbing due to my spacers. So far I've had these coilovers for a week and am really happy with them. As far as the drop, I do like when the rear sits higher than front. Also I'd like to wait for new wheels before making final adjustments as these coilovers are a pita to adjust in the rear...The spring has to be taken out every time, even for tiniest adjustments. Front is easy though.

http://imageshack.us/a/img850/2339/bumz.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img89/7940/5zoj.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img837/1921/ubyx.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img4/1806/zdot.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img27/551/y85y.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img11/4802/o9ck.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img43/711/3k37.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img577/4912/ivfm.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img802/9200/986i.jpg
http://imageshack.us/a/img823/7475/2pz1.jpg



I have another mod I'm waiting to install, will update this thread once it's on!

looks good! love that 4D carbon vinyl!

nice :) should go baggs!!! are you going Tuckin or Flush?

Wow, a drop and spacers make a world of difference - looks great.

What brand of spacers are you running?

What fender mod's did you perform? Did the rear tires rub on the bumper (behind the tire) or on the fender (above the tire)?

No need for bags. Once I set it up, I hardly ever change it. These coilovers ride amazingly smooth too. And cost half the price of bags. I don't like tucked tires. I'm sorry, I just don't see air bags useful at all other than for lifting the car to go over big bumps/dips and that's not necessary if you know how to drive a lowered car. I like a bit of a gap and some poke with stretched tires. My wheel setup will be 19x9.5, 19x11 and tires 235-245 front and 275-285 rear.
Ichiba. For the front I cut out some section of the fender liners, removed the plastic screws, tucked the liner on the inside of the fender attachment points. For the rear I filed down the area where the fender and bumper meet so it's thin and doesn't stick out. Also I'm planning on doing a pull of the rear fender so that the main edge doesn't go inwards but instead is straight, and also will make sure the bumper follows the new line too. It'll take a lot of work but I want to push the envelope on the fitment a bit. I've seen several setups here with 10.5 rears and similar, and they look nice and clean, but just not aggressive enough. For now still trying to decide which wheels to go with. I have it narrowed down to 3 styles now.

those are some beautiful pictures :thumbup:

Thanks for the info, keep us posted on the fender mod's.

nice...like your mods...i love this f sport in comparison to a fbo 335 myself.

would 20 mm spacers provide flush to fenders?

20mm spacers will get you flush and shouldn't cause any rubbing. It'll be a noticeable difference from stock for sure. I had a dinan chip on my 335i, it was very quick, but somehow this lexus still manages to be more enjoyable day to day. It's just sharper, especially the shifting. And now that I'm slowly modding it I feel more enthusiastic about the smallest things on the car than I ever did with the bmw.

yea me too dont like tucked style but go with flush need to wait for Camber Arms...and im still looking for it none of them are making it yet! I got wheel already cant put it on because it poke out in rear like 2 inches, my setup 19x9.5, 19x10.5 (+16 all around:woot:) LOL - tires 245/35/19 rear, 225/35/19 font

Those are some crazy offsets! But from the looks of it, the stock fenders can be pulled a lot and still look factory (more or less), and that'll give you almost an inch of clearance. Sounds like you just got the wrong offsets though. Most people are running 45-35 rear. Maybe it isn't worth the hassle to install the wheels that are just not made for this car? Only you can answer that though.

What do you think of 19x9.5 & 19x10.5 +22 all around ? Doable ? Too aggressive ?

hahah it ok!! aggressive all day :) i been saw many crazy than the offset i got already :p yea gonna pull fender or im gonna shaved it too

Are they volk wheels? These are common offsets on those. From what I see people running here, the best way to go is to get a high offset wheel with plenty of width, and then, if it's not aggressive enough, add a small spacer (5-10mm) if you want more poke and want to play with the fender pulling. If the car allows you to fit more on the inside of the fender, then why put on a wheel and worry about it not fitting on the outside, yet still have plenty of room left inside, while having the same width...On my 350z that I had I was running 19x11 front and 19x12 rear with 265/295 tires, no rubbing. What I did was I just went with as high of an offset on both as I could that would fit on the inside. Mine was +20 all around. Had to use a 3mm spacer so it would not rub on the inside suspension parts, but that's due to HRE wheels having some extra lip on the inner hub for no clear reason, but it still fit perfect on the outside with about 10mm sticking out which is what i wanted. If +45 or similar offsets work on our cars and you're putting on +22, then you're losing nearly an inch of fitment just because you're using offsets meant for another car.
How do you shave our fender? It's already rolled cleanly, the only thing left is to pull it. If you shave it it'll just cut your tire when it hits instead of rubbing on it.

i cant tell about it now...but will try the best to make it from the best shop in Bay area!