I am considering an F Sport GS350 as a daily beater and have seen some youtube comments suggesting that the 2013-2015 just felt better in general, better throttle response amongst other things. Is there any truth to this? Is a 13-15 more desirable in F Sport trim? My plans would be to do full exhaust and a tune anyways. I do like the front end on the 16 and up but I am also fine with the front end on the 13-15 as well. I'm picking up a newer S63 soon anyways so this is just gonna be a fun car for getting in and out of Tampa traffic for work, running errands, etc. Also, i do not see many options out there for cat back exhausts on these cars. Is there a good place to get a mail order tune or is a real dyno tune needed?

 

I've driven my 13 vs 3-4 other GS years. 14-16 & 16 - 19. Yes the 13 is more responsive and quicker. Part the reason the 13 and the other years AWD is there is 6speed vs 8 speed Trans in the 13 and AWD. 14 - 20 all have a 8 speed Trans, except the AWD still has the 6speed in all the years. But there also seems to be a different map of the throttle response also. This is also backed up by documented C&D and MT timed test results and others also.
https://www.zeroto60times.com/vehicl...-60-mph-times/

There are a few Axel back and Cat backs. It depends on if you want something loud and mild just a little more grumble that Stock. I ran the Tanabe for a long time as I like quite. To get anything other than a stopped up engine it would be good to do Intake also for the Exhaust to actually do something performance wise. On the Intake side you can either go the Drop in Filter and Pipe change with stock air box by AEM, or a Full CAI by AEM, Injen or others. I just switched from the AEM drop in to the Full CAI with Tune tweaked and other mods and love it.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...gen-gs350.html
Careful that all listed are not exactly what you will get depending.

As far as the Tunes, both RR Racing and D3 performance have a Tune for the 13-20 GS350. I have the D3 and love it. Through research I was not a fan of the RR Tune for many reasons. RR does make some good stuff for the Lexus's but the Tune for the 350 cars I just am not a fan of over D3. The 13 GS350 D3 tune is ok, but D3 nailed the 14-20 Tune. The 13 Tune is being Tweaked to catch the 14-20 Tune.
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-avalon-2.html
See post from myself and Nunz who both use the D3 Tune currently.

If I had to get a 16+ only after driving a D3 Tuned one, I would def install the Tune if nothing else. It changes the cars drivability and performance with the 8 speed to be so much better. Still the 13-15 is better than that with it in my experience so I still prefer the 13. Any one of them 13-20 still perform and drive better with a few performance Mods though. Hope this helps, any more questions just let us know, and good luck finding the right GS for you.

 

I am considering getting the RR Racing, what research made you reconsider? What makes the D3 tune better? Does it also increase the redline like the RR Racing tune?

 

I much prefer the 6 speed from my limited time with both the 6 and the 8. The 8 seems to gear hunt somewhat and requires a heavier foot to get the car to move quickly. Many prefer it to the 6 though, so it's all subjective.

Seems you are looking for faster response though, and I would say the 6 definitely has the edge there. Handling wise I think it's pretty well established the the 2013-2015 is better through corners than the later models, but it's at the expense of ride comfort in normal driving.

 

Just D3 was my choice based on driving a RR Tune and, vs a D3 tuned GS350. Yes D3 does increase the Rev limit to the peak hp/tq engine RPM for trans shifts there. Its very easy to google things like RR Racing IS350 Dyno, CL reviews of its users who have it in the IS and RC350 forums. You can also google reviews and actual Dyno's of the D3 tune on the IS200/300, IS350, RC350, GS350, and Camay V6 3.5 both 2GR versions from those who actually have the Tunes and have also done some 0-6- compare runs. My D3 Tune is Tweaked even more for my Mods, but Tunes are not for everyone.

Again the 16-20 is not so bad, and you may not be able to notice anything unless you have had time with both the 2014-2020 RWD 8 speed vs the 6speed.

 

great replies, thanks guys! Are there emissions related updates that made the 13-15 "better" ? I'm thinking a white AWD F Sport with cat back exhaust, intake and tune would be a good daily for me

 

You cannot go wrong with a 2013-2015 GS, I currently have a 2015 GS350 6spd AWD non F-Sport with a D3 tune & a chunk of other modifications. Worth the money, and probably the best daily I have owned. An exhaust really changes the tone of the car (I run a Borla Axelback), and the AWD with the smaller gear ratio is very responsive. I test drove an 8-spd RWD GS, and honestly preferred the 6-spd. Subjectively, I have run the D3 tune for over a year now and have had 0 complaints. If you decided to continue building your GS out fully without supercharging it, you can get close to 330-340WHP which is amazing for the 2GR-FSE!

 

I’ve only driven two, both ‘15 F Sport 8 speeds,. Bought one and it hauls azz! Each shift is right at 6,200 rpm, closely spaced and very solid all the way up. It may get faster as it’s just getting broken in @ 49,467 Smiles. Oh, and I got 27.9 mpg on my recent 500+ mile trip to SoCal.

 

I’ve had both a pre-refresh (2015) GS and two post refresh GSs (19 and 20).

There is no such thing as a wrong choice here. GS FTW!

 

I have not been able to find a 13-15 low mile F Sport with Mark Levsinson anywhere whether it be RWD or AWD. I see it more commonly on the 16+ I honestly am really feeling the 16+ front end more and more. It's to the point where an F Sport with low miles is creeping so high it doesn't seem worth it esp when I am seeing GS F's out there around $50k .It seems that this search will take a while just like it always has with every GS and LS i have owned. They never come easy

 

Extend your search out farther. It’s worth it to find the one you want. I’ve seen a few near me those years with ML and lower miles. Just gotta keep looking

 

I’ve had a 15, a 19, and a 20. All were great for different reasons, but I prefer the post-refresh models.