IS - 2nd Gen (2006-2013) Discussion about the 2006+ model IS models

Performance mods or Appearance mods?

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Old 10-28-16, 10:49 AM
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Rezno
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Default Performance mods or Appearance mods?

Curious to hear what you guys have to say on this and your reasons why. Personally, if I am going to spend money on the car, I want it to go faster than it did before rather than have it look a tad nicer than it did before.
Old 10-28-16, 10:59 AM
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MAizz
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I'm doing more cosmetic than performance and more than likely things I can take with me after the car is gone... eventually I see myself jumping into an F but I wouldn't get to use it right now so i'm waiting. Low budget things I've done is changing the interior trim, gloss black roof, tail lights and subtle changes (black grille, emblems, etc) have made it more enjoyable when i see another IS since I think it looks bland compared to mine. I've slapped on a JoeZ intake and modded my airbox to replicate the F-sport which makes it more fun to drive from the sound. I just know this car won't be driven into the ground so I would consider it a waste since that money can be put towards the next, bigger project.
Old 10-28-16, 11:08 AM
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metaleckz
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Low n slow! Theres no point of making the isx50 fast, theres no option right now besides intake and exhaust lol. If you want to go fast, maybe hellcat,gtr, etc will be a better choice
Old 10-28-16, 11:14 AM
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Keo
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why cant you do both? Your asking a vague statement. Over all it all comes down to your preferences. Since you want more performance. Think whats the stepping stone on starting your way up.

First basic mods for perfomance suspension is Sway bars, coilovers, and u can get all those other things as well like the camber kit and arms etc.

then you figure out what kind of exhuast u want. Since u want performance thats proven to work then get the JoeZ like mine. Or Ark , Tanabe, greddy, hks, fsport. Pair is with a midpipe. And u want even more get Headers.

Finnaly u want wheels. Lightweight wheels thats authentics like Enkies rpf1 , Volks te37/ce28, advans.

these are all perfomance advice that i can give. Im not a performance guy but i do know the basics and done my research. These are what i would go if im a tuner head that crave for speeds. Heck i would even get the ECU tunes thats recently came out.
Old 10-28-16, 12:34 PM
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I do mine at about equal pacing with more preference towards performance. Just having the car on coilovers really made drives more fun as it was just way better on hard turns and looked amazing as well. I likely won't go down any expensive body kit paths as I like the stock look of the car as is. Wheel and tire upgrades do both performance and looks as well. Throwing the car into a corner way faster than you usually can with little to no braking and still make the corner is just an awesome feeling. The car is already pretty as is so any small extras are just icing on the cake. Of course this is all subjective and everyone has their own opinion of what "looks good' but after I get some new tail lights and a spoiler I'm probably going to invest more money into paint correction and getting some scratched panels repainted etc.
Old 10-28-16, 12:37 PM
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Cosmetic as my car is not driven for the performance aspect
Old 10-28-16, 01:31 PM
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I tend to lean more of the aesthetics portion rather than performance but don't get me wrong, I bagged my car so I can look good and also canyon run.
Old 10-28-16, 01:40 PM
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Rezno
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Originally Posted by MAizz
I'm doing more cosmetic than performance and more than likely things I can take with me after the car is gone... eventually I see myself jumping into an F but I wouldn't get to use it right now so i'm waiting. Low budget things I've done is changing the interior trim, gloss black roof, tail lights and subtle changes (black grille, emblems, etc) have made it more enjoyable when i see another IS since I think it looks bland compared to mine. I've slapped on a JoeZ intake and modded my airbox to replicate the F-sport which makes it more fun to drive from the sound. I just know this car won't be driven into the ground so I would consider it a waste since that money can be put towards the next, bigger project.
Financially this is probably the best option. Performance mods do tend to be ridiculously expensive sometimes. Light cosmetic stuff is cheap and can be done easily.

Originally Posted by metaleckz
Low n slow! Theres no point of making the isx50 fast, theres no option right now besides intake and exhaust lol. If you want to go fast, maybe hellcat,gtr, etc will be a better choice
I don't know about this lol. 4.9 second 0-60 isn't exactly slow, not to mention there are a lot of suspension mods that gradually change the handling feel of the car. If I could afford a GTR or Hellcat I'd probably have one now. Just trying to work with what I have.

Originally Posted by Keo
why cant you do both? Your asking a vague statement. Over all it all comes down to your preferences. Since you want more performance. Think whats the stepping stone on starting your way up.

First basic mods for perfomance suspension is Sway bars, coilovers, and u can get all those other things as well like the camber kit and arms etc.

then you figure out what kind of exhuast u want. Since u want performance thats proven to work then get the JoeZ like mine. Or Ark , Tanabe, greddy, hks, fsport. Pair is with a midpipe. And u want even more get Headers.

Finnaly u want wheels. Lightweight wheels thats authentics like Enkies rpf1 , Volks te37/ce28, advans.

these are all perfomance advice that i can give. Im not a performance guy but i do know the basics and done my research. These are what i would go if im a tuner head that crave for speeds. Heck i would even get the ECU tunes thats recently came out.
Of course you can do both. Its a matter of preference. Its not a matter of could you do both or just one but which do you prefer. Not really a vague question. I myself am trying not to spend too much money on my build myself just to save up for better things in the future, maybe an IS-F or some other performance car.
Old 10-28-16, 06:19 PM
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ezbmr
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Sounds good. I am seeing a car on Sunday. I am hoping the shocks that were replaced by lexus were the F Sport and not the std ones. The car also has the Fsport Sway Bars. I am hoping there will be more stuff he didn't mention.
Old 10-28-16, 10:39 PM
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ISRider350
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Originally Posted by Rezno
Curious to hear what you guys have to say on this and your reasons why. Personally, if I am going to spend money on the car, I want it to go faster than it did before rather than have it look a tad nicer than it did before.
For performance parts, there aren't that many available in the market. Just do the basics with exhaust/intake. There's also a company that does the ECU reflash (google VR Tuned). As for appearance just a front and rear lip kit and slap on some rims. Tint your window and you're good to go.
Old 10-28-16, 10:46 PM
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Rezno
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Originally Posted by ISRider350
For performance parts, there aren't that many available in the market. Just do the basics with exhaust/intake. There's also a company that does the ECU reflash (google VR Tuned). As for appearance just a front and rear lip kit and slap on some rims. Tint your window and you're good to go.
Very well aware of this. But to be honest I sort of like the lack of parts, it prevents you from going broke haha. Really the only appearance mods I would do would be rims and a tint. Haven't thought about front and rear lips so I'll probably look that up and see how it looks.
Old 10-29-16, 10:18 AM
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redspencer
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You can selectively choose parts that can be aesthetically pleasing as well as have it count as a performance mod.

- Lightweight wheels can help improve with cornering, braking, and acceleration while also making your Lexus stand out.
- An exhaust can free up some horsepower and can be aesthetically/acoustically appealing.
- Lowering your car will lower its center of gravity and reduce unsightly wheel gap.
- Even tinting your windows can be considered a performance mod since it will keep the driver cooler in order to better focus on the road ahead.
Old 10-29-16, 12:01 PM
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Rezno
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Originally Posted by redspencer
You can selectively choose parts that can be aesthetically pleasing as well as have it count as a performance mod.

- Lightweight wheels can help improve with cornering, braking, and acceleration while also making your Lexus stand out.
- An exhaust can free up some horsepower and can be aesthetically/acoustically appealing.
- Lowering your car will lower its center of gravity and reduce unsightly wheel gap.
- Even tinting your windows can be considered a performance mod since it will keep the driver cooler in order to better focus on the road ahead.
True. Some mods will give you the best of both worlds. Probably the best ones to start off with for anyone who just got a car and is choosing parts for a build.
Old 10-30-16, 05:51 AM
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i go for appearance mode cause i don't race. Tint, lower, color rims lighting etc. maybe F-sport intake or short ram
Old 10-30-16, 12:37 PM
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As far as speed and power goes, there aren't a lot of options out there. You can improve the handling a lot by upgrading the rear sway bar fairly cheaply. I don't have any appearance mods, though I was considering adding HID lights.


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