2012 Steering ECU Retrofit (2010 F)
2012 Steering ECU Retrofit (2010 F)
So after dropping some fair weight from the suspension, I decided to purchase the 2012 steering ECU. I've seen a few people here and there do it, but not much feedback from the F crowd. I purchased my ECU through Sewell, part #89650-53041 (the previous unit is 89650-53040).
Installation: This was pretty straightforward and the easiest part of a rather stress-free process. It involves removing the battery and battery tray, which reveals the steering ECU just beneath it (images below). You then have three bolts and three connectors to remove, before pulling the ECU and reversing the process to install the new one. No additional parts or any modifications were necessary.
Calibration: I purchased mine new, so it didn't provide any assist out of the box. It's possible other steering functions could be affected, so for this very reason I'd highly recommend doing this at your dealer or somewhere you can get access to a Techstream and/or a person who knows what they're doing.
I happened to be at my dealership with one of the awesome techs willing to volunteer his time. He plugged in the laptop and had to clear a few aspects of the cars memory, before going through a process detailed in the software. This involved an illumination of the steering dash-light (which was normal), some manual 90 degree turns and centering of the wheel, a period of steering "vibration" (wheel turns itself under computer control), and a nice confirmation to signal all went well. It really is a simple step-by-step process where you read instructions and just hit "next".
The drive: The car feels incredible and has a very distinct feel, much nicer than the 53040 unit. I'd really like to get away from the idea of it being "heavier", because it's plenty easy to manage in low speed situations, especially in normal mode-- however, it's definitely more tactile in its feedback, resists irregularities in the road more confidently, and dials out the assist more rapidly and favorably as speed increases. In sport mode, the wheel firms up nicely and the car feels that much more assuring, as it seems to communicate what's going on with the car that much better, magnifying the above. Previously, I felt the steering was somewhat numb/disconnected at or during small degrees of steering input from center, but the 53041 ECU completely rids the car of this, and it's very confidence-inspiring. Most of all, it's just very fun to place the car where I want it, while feeling it transition.
This is how the car should have came from the factory. Period. If the suspension upgrades in later years do as much for the real-world performance, as this does for feel, then I have to say I'm very impressed by Lexus' continued refinement of the brand.
Installation: This was pretty straightforward and the easiest part of a rather stress-free process. It involves removing the battery and battery tray, which reveals the steering ECU just beneath it (images below). You then have three bolts and three connectors to remove, before pulling the ECU and reversing the process to install the new one. No additional parts or any modifications were necessary.
Calibration: I purchased mine new, so it didn't provide any assist out of the box. It's possible other steering functions could be affected, so for this very reason I'd highly recommend doing this at your dealer or somewhere you can get access to a Techstream and/or a person who knows what they're doing.
I happened to be at my dealership with one of the awesome techs willing to volunteer his time. He plugged in the laptop and had to clear a few aspects of the cars memory, before going through a process detailed in the software. This involved an illumination of the steering dash-light (which was normal), some manual 90 degree turns and centering of the wheel, a period of steering "vibration" (wheel turns itself under computer control), and a nice confirmation to signal all went well. It really is a simple step-by-step process where you read instructions and just hit "next".
The drive: The car feels incredible and has a very distinct feel, much nicer than the 53040 unit. I'd really like to get away from the idea of it being "heavier", because it's plenty easy to manage in low speed situations, especially in normal mode-- however, it's definitely more tactile in its feedback, resists irregularities in the road more confidently, and dials out the assist more rapidly and favorably as speed increases. In sport mode, the wheel firms up nicely and the car feels that much more assuring, as it seems to communicate what's going on with the car that much better, magnifying the above. Previously, I felt the steering was somewhat numb/disconnected at or during small degrees of steering input from center, but the 53041 ECU completely rids the car of this, and it's very confidence-inspiring. Most of all, it's just very fun to place the car where I want it, while feeling it transition.
This is how the car should have came from the factory. Period. If the suspension upgrades in later years do as much for the real-world performance, as this does for feel, then I have to say I'm very impressed by Lexus' continued refinement of the brand.
My tech (IsfClyde) did mine off the clock, but the process itself takes maybe 20 minutes + test drive, so I'd ballpark that to the standard labor rate for your dealer.
It looks like it is. Part# 89650-53041 is what you'd be looking for.
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For the people in canada, I just priced this out. Some how GTA dealers are charging only $350. It's odd, in most cases Sewell is 40% less. I referenced both part numbers listed by the OP to make sure they had the correct part.
Last edited by Compthis; Oct 29, 2013 at 09:14 AM.
Manufacturers need to start posting detailed change logs on their websites, lol.
It's pretty tricky to find a 2013+ F for comparison, but in reading, I've only seen brief mention of the steering feel being more natural (I don't know if that was specifically aimed at the revision, or if they're talking about the general progress of the car).
With so few reviews this late in the cars life, details are hard to come by, much less accurate ones.
It's pretty tricky to find a 2013+ F for comparison, but in reading, I've only seen brief mention of the steering feel being more natural (I don't know if that was specifically aimed at the revision, or if they're talking about the general progress of the car).
With so few reviews this late in the cars life, details are hard to come by, much less accurate ones.
I usually look for part number changes on the websites with listings showing the production dates for a model. There are a few out there and when you see a part number change, you know something was updated, redesigned, or the original part was failure prone (like the original water pump for the entire 2UR series).
FWIW, 89650-53042 doesn't show up hardly anywhere in a Google search, so it's very difficult to figure out when it hit production. There is no 89650-53043 yet. Sewell shows the 42 unit on the '13 and '14 models, and they want $615.16 for it from Club Lexus members.
FWIW, 89650-53042 doesn't show up hardly anywhere in a Google search, so it's very difficult to figure out when it hit production. There is no 89650-53043 yet. Sewell shows the 42 unit on the '13 and '14 models, and they want $615.16 for it from Club Lexus members.
Last edited by lobuxracer; Oct 31, 2013 at 06:34 PM.