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I'm glad you are still enjoying your IS350 after 17 years! My record is also 17 years, I recently sold our 2006 Camry SE (3.3L V6) I gave to my daughter in 2018 when she started college.
My inspiration for the mods I did on my IS came from a few of you guys on here, including you. Hopefully you will have many more happy years with it! I personally believe the IS350 is one of the best all around sports/luxury vehicles around. Not the fastest, but one of the best built, easy to maintain and mod
Now that you mention the 3yr mark, can you do a review follow up of any issues, gremlins, likes, dislikes, I wish it had etc feedback for your Supra. Is it tuned? future plans?
Now that you mention the 3yr mark, can you do a review follow up of any issues, gremlins, likes, dislikes, I wish it had etc feedback for your Supra. Is it tuned? future plans?
It’s been a while since I made a lengthy post so here we go for the start of 2024! The GR Supra has been an absolutely phenomenal car and I’m always looking forward to taking it out on a drive on the weekend (especially in the early mornings when I have the roads to myself). The chassis is rock-solid and responds immediately to the slightest inputs of the steering wheel. With the very short wheelbase and high levels of torque at nearly all RPMs, it’s very easy to break the rear tires loose which makes for fun hair-raising times! Power delivery between the Supra and IS350 are night and day with the IS350 providing a progressive/linear level of horsepower and torque as the RPMs climb while the Supra can build boost quickly and take you for a rollercoaster ride. The seating position on the GR Supra is much lower and further back than in the Lexus IS350 so it requires a mental adjustment each time I switch from the IS350 to the Supra, especially with the Supra’s 360 degree visibility being reduced which requires having a good situational awareness on what cars are on the other lanes.
Things I still love about the Supra:
- Killer looks: The body panels and sharp angles still catch my eye in admiration. The Supra sits low to the ground and has a very wide track width while being a very compact size in length. It gets lots of attention from passer-bys everywhere I go with plenty of thumbs ups and requests for taking pictures when I’m at a gas station.
- B58 power: The tuning capabilities of this engine is more than enough for most individuals. No issues with the reliability of this motor and even as I experimented with spicier tunes, the ECU and tuning software are intelligent enough to know when to pull back timing, throttle, etc. to keep the engine from grenading itself. Stock bottom end B58s have proven to handle in excess of 1000rwhp which leaves plenty of room for me to update my build further should the need ever arise. It truly is a modern 2JZ.
- Poor-man Lexus LFA comparable chassis and platform: One big aspect that most overlook (as they are only focused on raw horsepower) is that the work Toyota’s Chief Engineer, Tetsuya Tada, had put into the development of the GR Supra is very comparable the the Lexus LFA in terms of chassis rigidity, center of gravity, curb weight, etc. The ‘sport car golden ratio’ between the wheelbase and track width and a very low center of gravity was one of the primary focuses of the GR Supra’s development and it shows with how agile the car behaves in corners.
- Performance to Price Ratio: The GR Supra punches well above its price class with what you would expect to get for a mid-$50k sports car. The Supra accelerates quickly, corners beautifully, has so much tuning potential for however you desire to build it (drag racing, time attack competitions, etc), and has been extremely reliable. I recently went to a Supra meet and it was great to see how each owner expressed their build design onto their Supra like their own canvas.
Dislikes on the GR Supra:
- Mostly the prejudice the Supra receives online on social media (though in-person, the Supra gets nothing but praise). The online keyboard warriors continue to assume that the Supra is nothing but a reskinned Z4 and Toyota had very little to do with the final product. I’m always having to educate folks that the GR Supra began as a joint project between Toyota and BMW using a brand-new sports car platform that both Toyota and BMW codeveloped using the Porsche Cayman and Boxster as their benchmark. After the platform was developed, Toyota and BMW went their separate ways to develop their own chassis for their model. The Supra chassis was primarily engineered by Toyota and Gazoo Racing while the Z4 chassis was BMW developed. I’m very happy with the resulting product that came with this joint venture and I dare say that I enjoy my A90 MKV Supra more than my old MKIV Supra.
I plan on keeping this Supra for the long run as fully internal combustion engine sport cars will soon be extinct in a couple of years (moving to the way of hybrids or full EVs). My Supra is still with an upgraded turbo, downpipe, and not much else but next week, I’ll finally get a new exhaust on the car!
On another note, I took the Lexus GX470 for some outdoor adventures during the winter break and loved the scenic views from the trip! The GX470 also continues to be rock solid and should be around for many more years (until I replace it with the Lexus GX550!).
2023 was also an interesting year for the IS350 as it received its first fully flat tire (due to a large nail) to where I had to break out the spare tire for the first time. Since the damaged tire was worn and the treads were near the tread wear bar, I ended up replacing the rear tires anyways so not a big loss.
It was also the first time the IS350 had a mechanical failure while I was outside which required a tow truck. The starter failed after all these years and wouldn't crank the engine. It's an unlikely sight to see a Lexus on a tow truck. Lol.
My Mark Levinson radio unit also died on me a few weeks ago so I'm currently unable to listen to the radio or play DVDs until I replace the unit later this year...I guess when it rains, it pours!
On the plus side, the IS350 hit 123,456 miles in 2023 so besides those issues, the car is still running strong and still a blast to drive as my daily driver!
Question, was your spare adequately filled with air at time of needing to use it? LOL! The ONLY time I needed to use mine was a small accident where I avoided being T-boned and SOMEHOW the old man only managed to knock off my valve stem off my TPMS and didn't touch my wheel. Plus some minor damage to the rear bumper cover. So my rear passenger wheel lost all air immediately. But luckily my spare was full of air AND I had quickly parked in a parking lot and not the median in the road (where I got hit after I avoid a MUCH worse situation).
Redspencer, thank you for taking the time on such a detail followup, I read it all, very entertaining and informative.
Coinsidentally my ML radio also died and I am at 86k miles on my 2012 is350. Is good you brought it up as I am debating on a aftermarket infotainment, but I am not sure how reliable it will be and/or effective on managing all the components OEM is able to do.
I checked all radio fuses, did the bluetooth test, dead. It is not the amp as it does work with a CD, which from what I understand is isolated from the main system console.
The radio has a three yr SiriumXM subscription so I am also not sure if it will affect as more than likely is a different sat radio code.
Besides the above, the car is running great, does not burn any oil, the porting I did gave it a so much needed torque on the meat of the powerband. The automatic transmission is clunky when cold, just need to take it easy until it warms up. Only happened one day that I went from S to D and I think I did in the middle of the tcu shifting and deaccelerating and it did not like it, held to that gear. It was during a right hand turn. I tried to replicate the error but never came back again.
I am debating on maybe selling it, not sure yet. Pics of the amp, luckily CD works so it is in good shape. I double checked all pins sat correctly, plug unplugged them.
Question, was your spare adequately filled with air at time of needing to use it? LOL! The ONLY time I needed to use mine was a small accident where I avoided being T-boned and SOMEHOW the old man only managed to knock off my valve stem off my TPMS and didn't touch my wheel. Plus some minor damage to the rear bumper cover. So my rear passenger wheel lost all air immediately. But luckily my spare was full of air AND I had quickly parked in a parking lot and not the median in the road (where I got hit after I avoid a MUCH worse situation).
That's some good luck to only have the valve stem pop off without damaging your wheel or suspension from that minor accident. Any closer and your IS350 could have been a loss! I had a similar close encounter about a year ago when I was waiting for the light to turn green when I see another driver to my left side blow through the red light and slams the brakes with her car heading right towards mine. Her car managed to stop a few inches away from mine which could have also ended in a worse fate....
Regarding my spare tire pressure, I think it was at 30 or 40ish PSI when I took it out of the trunk so I inflated it to 60 psi and stuck it on the IS350. Luckily the loss in tire pressure had occured about 2 miles away from my house so I was able to hobble the IS350 back to the garage before the tire lost all of its tire pressure.
Originally Posted by GrizzlyMan
Redspencer, thank you for taking the time on such a detail followup, I read it all, very entertaining and informative.
Coinsidentally my ML radio also died and I am at 86k miles on my 2012 is350. Is good you brought it up as I am debating on a aftermarket infotainment, but I am not sure how reliable it will be and/or effective on managing all the components OEM is able to do.
I checked all radio fuses, did the bluetooth test, dead. It is not the amp as it does work with a CD, which from what I understand is isolated from the main system console.
The radio has a three yr SiriumXM subscription so I am also not sure if it will affect as more than likely is a different sat radio code.
Besides the above, the car is running great, does not burn any oil, the porting I did gave it a so much needed torque on the meat of the powerband. The automatic transmission is clunky when cold, just need to take it easy until it warms up. Only happened one day that I went from S to D and I think I did in the middle of the tcu shifting and deaccelerating and it did not like it, held to that gear. It was during a right hand turn. I tried to replicate the error but never came back again.
I am debating on maybe selling it, not sure yet.
Yeah, I also checked the fuses and my amp is good because I can play music through the AUX port. I'll find a replacement ML unit sooner than later since my kids like to enjoy watching DVDs through the nav screen and in surround sound while we're on the road (using a plug n play DVD/NAV override component I bought years ago).
That's good the porting of the manifold helped to add additional torque. Did you do the upgraded Tundra throttle body as well? I haven't done a new mod to the IS350 in years as the build is pretty much complete. I do have an upgraded steering rack bushing from Daizen that I bought years ago but never did get it installed. Perhaps that's something I should do in 2024 to make it a better year for the IS350 compared to the random misfortunes in 2023. LOL.
Ha! i too have the Daizen Steering Rack bushing Kit I2-2030(06-2012 IS250/350) sitting around awaiting installation as well! redspencer, you mentioning it gave me incentive to do so soon!
When you stated "using a plug n play DVD/NAV override component I bought years ago", did you mean use of an additional device allowing you to bypass OEM unit (play only when brake is applied), to view DVD while vehicle was in motion? If so, what was the part model used (eatsonic NT6223 / Prestigious Society etc.)?
Also, interested in additional information regarding the Tundra throttle body upgrade install as well!
I only did the lower and upper manifold, and it was on spares I bought from eBay. I do not think I will do the TB, have read multiple mix reviews, and as it is right now is fine for me.
Probably will get another catback, it already has one, wanna change the look of the rear mufflers, but not sure yet.
ABout the infotainment, I saw a few on eBay for around $300-$400, imo way to expensive for a used 2012 infotainment and who knows if the system burns again.
The reason I am checking on those aftermarket touch screens, just hope the rear view camera will work and other component features like AC, etc besides the radio.
Update: am super upset, someone took the roof trim molding, and it is seems is very rare find online or used.
My car has a pearl white finish, although one is missing may have two replace the other one, as I think I have better luck finding them in black than pearl white.
10-08-23, 12:45 PM
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