Nice writeup. Great to see you enjoying LFA while pushing it to the max. From what I remember, you put Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires on your LFA? Is that correct? If so, what did you think of the tires.

Some video footage would have been nice.

 

 

There is another video of an LFA being chased around COTA by a Ferrari 458 Speciale. Oddly, the LFA on the straights is able to maintain the distance accelerating and the 458 never is able to reel it in.

Yeah, way back a few years ago, I had made the same claim that the 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds primarily does not speak to the car's accelerating abilities. From 60 mph to 163 mph, it took only 16 seconds to get up to that speed. It is primarily traction limited and the launch control is very restrictive to preserve the transmission. From a rolling start especially on the track, it is a beast.

 

Hey Rolla, apols for being out of touch, lately. I still have my LFA and did in fact put the Cup 2 tires on this past summer. In a word, the on-track performance is RUDE. The extra grip enhances the inherent abilities of the LFA's chassis and brakes to a level that is fairly astounding for a road car. Again, the strength of the front end is just something you don't find in anything other than a racecar. Combined with the massive braking performance, you can just lean on the car so hard going into corners, it allows you to make up a ton of time. The added grip is pretty great exiting the corners as well, as really, it is the rear end of the car that needs managing. I did find that the car's damping could probably be recalibrated for the Cup 2, it seems as if the sidewall may be significantly stiffer than what the car was developed for. Basically, at the recommended hot pressures, the damping is a bit "springy" and not perfectly settled over bumps. I ended up taking the rear pressures down by approx 2 psi in the rear tires and that did improve the feeling. I would probably also like a bit more weight in the steering, to match the rest of the load being transmitted through the chassis, but that is nitpicking; of course I wouldn't want the extra steering weight for road driving.

Again, the performance was, to me, a revelation and somewhat shocking. I thought it would be great, but didn't expect that it would be such an animal. There was a 458 and a 12C there that day and, respectfully, I think they were left somewhat baffled at the ease with which the LFA hunted them down on track and then disappeared within half a lap later. All that said, I will probably downgrade to at Pilot Supersport, or equivalent, after these are toast. Most of my driving is on the road and the Cup 2s are tough to get into their temp window unless you are on track. Great tire, though.

In any case, it does seem like the LFA is finally getting its due praise. I see the two 'Ring editions going for big money at RM and Barrett Jackson this week. Incidentally, my LFA was also asked to be in the Canadian International Auto Show in Feb. So a little bit of LFA mania, 7 years on. Not bad.

 

Awesome review. Great to see some evidence of what I had been saying all along that the Bridgestone S001 tires were not aggressive enough to extract the maximum potential. Especially, when all manufacturers are putting slick tires for press cars to get bragging rights of lap times. Wish Lexus had provided press cars with Cup 2 tires.

Having said that, I agree if majority of driving is on the streets then Cup 2 tires are not ideal. I don't like MPSS tires particularly designed for the RCF as they don't have reinforced sidewalls. They tend to be squishy. I believe there is a version available that is XL rated. The MPS4S tires are XL rated so I will be buying those next for my RCF as they have reinforced sidewalls.

I agree LFA is being talked about lately again. You must have seen Mr. JWW's review.

 

I can't seem to keep track of all the youtubers, nor can I stomach most of them, to be honest. But if you mean the vids that were posted here recently, then yes I browsed through them.

I've always believed that the passing of time would be extremely kind to the LFA, as the difference compared to modern cars will only become more pronounced over time. I genuinely believe that nobody will ever make a car as SHARP as the LFA, perhaps ever again. The V10 cannot be replicated and the handling is too knife-edged to be signed off by the test drivers and lawyers. Even if another car had all that, it still wouldn't have the build quality, obsessive precision and reliability of the LFA. In retrospect, we are extremely lucky that Toyota/Lexus undertook this project; it could only have happened at that point in time. It is only a shame that chief engineer Hiromu Naruse is not alive today to see the car finally being praised for what it is. The LFA, after all, was really a result of his compulsion for perfection.

p.s. congrats on the RC-F, looks mint!

 

Thanks. I really enjoy the RCF, but only can drive in the spring/summer.

The review by Mr. JWW was one of the best one's so it is definitely worth watching. I am sure you will like it. Ring editions are now closing in a million dollars with one just recently auctioned for $825,000 in the Sotheby's auction.