Didn't see a thread on it yet, wanted to point out that it seems to be available if you can get the car to PA: https://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-RR780-Supercharger-Complete-Build-for-Le-p/is5scr1001.htm

I'm thinking about getting this done closer to summer, I'm currently on Loi's E85 tune. Would be cool to hear from anyone who gets one between now and then

 

That is pretty cool! We have our first real performance mod!

What happens if a motor or trans blows? Are there very many aftermarket fixes for our engines? I know the GM world mostly and everybody makes LS/LT parts so a rebuild is easy. Transmissions are plentiful as well, both auto and manual. I couldn't name one company that makes pistons/rings/rods etc for our cars or who could upgrade the transmission either.

 

I talked to RR about this, and I think they're on here, so they may comment. But they said the key to reliability is sticking to stage 1 & 2 power, which gains about 120 - 180hp over stock (whp was not specified). They've been supercharging the 2UR for a while, so the proven track record is there I guess.

I could be wrong but I would justify it as a Hellcat is $100K+, and this is a $70+ car with about 20K in mods where you could be around the same horsepower. I would much rather drive a Lexus.

 

Yeah, same here. I'd rather have the Lexus! I am just a worst case scenario type of guy so it got me thinking who the heck could rebuild the thing if I blew it up.

 

I doubt if anyone can rebuild the 2UR-GSE engine. The car care nut would not even rebuild the 3UR-FE in the Land Cruiser (the ones which are prone to head gasket failure) because of the way how the engine is build with AL block and Iron sleeves and the VVTi system. 2UR-GSE is a G variant and a performance specific engine, and the only V8 from Lexus / TMC to get the performance variant. We also have D4S system unlike the Port injection - (SFI Sequential Fuel injection) in the 3UR, on top the engine is capable of Otto and Atkinson cycles too which means 2UR is far more sophisticated and tighter tolerances vs the other engines in the family due to it's complex design philosophy from Japan unlike the American LS pushrod engines. The bottom end is strong with all it's forged internals and Yamaha Cylinder heads. However the moment we add mods like Supercharger to this engine, the entire point of reliability will be out of the equation. I read a thread on IS F forum about Teflon spacers for the Air intake manifold, consensus is like that is not necessary but RRracing insisted it's been tested. So the choice is in the users hands.

Personally, I will not reduce the lifespan of this engine for that power in any of the 2UR cars sold today. Coming to the IS, chassis of IS 500 genuinely cannot handle the boosted 2UR-GSE's high torque and power. The moment you floor the throttle the front end lifts in the stock configuration out of factory. Also the front suspension subframe is only reinforced on the IS 500 with AL but the chassis structure is not improved on the 3IS and esp with IS 500 and causes apron separation and the body roll with chassis flex during high g-force maneuvers. The extra torque and power will cause unnecessary stress on the vehicle. The chassis design, tires, suspension, braking and structure plays a massive role in the car's performance and capability, which is why Lexus put a 150Mph hard limit. Just enjoy the naturally aspirated masterpiece V8 from Japan as is.

Also RRracing is able to hack the modern Lexus ECU ? Afaik the Supercharger was only available for RCF for a few specific year models only. The newer ones cannot be modified. That's surprising to me more than the mod itself.

 

They offer a tune for the 500. I'm curious about the difference between RR and LOI.

 

Thank you very insightful . i was going to get the supercharger soon as i have FBO and tuned by Loi. might reconsider or just take a chance ughhh

 

We have rebuilt many 2UR engines. They come apart and go back together just like any other engine. Most parts are a day away unless you want custom pistons which have a lead time.

That said, we've supercharged 100's of 2UR engines over 10 years. We have cars that have done 50+ Track days at 700+ Wheel HP on the complete OEM Engine and Transmission. We also have customers with 20, 30, 50,000+ miles on their supercharger kits and OEM engines. It's very, very rare to have engine issues with the supercharger. If you did the math on what has sold VS: actual engine issues it's likely in the 1% range or less. Out of those scenarios, the user error accounts for most (Ex: running the car lean). To give some more perspective, I have been with RR Racing for 3+ years and I have not had an engine failure reported in that time.

As far as the IS chassis not holding the power..

We're not building drag cars here that launch from glue with a radial drag tire with neck snapping 60fts. We're adding a decent amount of horsepower to the upper part of the RPM range. Peak boost occurs around 4000 RPMs to 7000 RPMS. Because the superchargers are centrifugal, the power and torque comes on in a slower, linear way. Besides Lexus building a Robust chassis, it's not getting slammed with high loads of torque at low RPM's. This is not a concern at all.

We had a customer drop off his IS500 this weekend for a supercharger. In the next 2 weeks, we hope to have some good videos of it laying down some power on the dyno. Once we get this car done, we will start to release the kit as something that can be shipped out as well. We just needed one in house so we can confirm all the hoses, wires, brackets etc.. will be the right lengths for the IS500. The kit is the same kit essentially as RCF/GSF.

-Justin

 

subbed for vids when the 500 is done

 

Thank you for the follow up and reassurance Justin. Im interested and will be reaching out soon.

 

Any updates?