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LS - 4th Gen (2007-2017) Discussion topics related to the current flagship models LS460, LS460L and LS600H

Is the LS 460 fun to drive??

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Old Jan 21, 2025 | 02:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Gerf
I don't think my 13 is a boat, I had a 96 ls400 for many years and that was a boat. It was 22lbs heavier than a 2015 rcf with 290 hp according to the vin decoder on this site.

An RWD ls460 has 386hp and weighs 4277lbs
An RCF has 467hp and weighs 3958lbs according to the vin decoder.

That's a 319lb and 81hp difference, advantage obviously to the RCF. To me that doesn't make one a sports car and the other a boat.
My 2013 awd f sport is 4717lbs with 360hp and I still don't think its a boat but my coverall, corolla is my car of choice because it's definitely fun.
The air suspension RWD VGRS 460s in SWB are quite good overall, the AWD cars just honestly feel underpowered to me. I have two customers with a 2014 and a 2016 AWD Air VGRS examples and while nice cars they just don't really have the firepower you would expect.....and are very heavy.

On a draggy they were losing to my old tuned LS430
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Old Jan 21, 2025 | 05:24 PM
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I’ve got a 2014 LS460 F-Sport AWD in the garage, it is fun to drive in the mountains, where I live. It is not a canyon carver by any measure but it has the adjustable suspension & the nice looking 19” wheels & awesome seats. Plenty of power and thrust when desired. I love it for the V8 and impeccable quality of the interior.

Sure there are faster cars but none more reliable or sily smooth.
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Old Jan 21, 2025 | 05:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Striker223
The air suspension RWD VGRS 460s in SWB are quite good overall, the AWD cars just honestly feel underpowered to me. I have two customers with a 2014 and a 2016 AWD Air VGRS examples and while nice cars they just don't really have the firepower you would expect.....and are very heavy.

On a draggy they were losing to my old tuned LS430
Did you track your 430 or just street racing lol.
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Old Jan 21, 2025 | 06:02 PM
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What makes the LS460 a boat is not its acceleration performance, its the soft handling and the ride bias of the suspension. Its definitely a boat, but the LS430 is boatier.
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Old Jan 21, 2025 | 06:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Gerf
Did you track your 430 or just street racing lol.
Tracked it four times, twice at a drag once at mid Ohio and once for lols at an autocross. Sucked on track, it would feel "fine" then want to taste the sand traps.....

I never liked how it acted in that respect, the 460 is more progressive and talks to you more. The A8s make you feel like god and are dangerous in the sense the limits are high enough that when you mess up you MESS up. The W12 is better about it since it has a TVD and will not spin out, just do a 4 wheel drift that you can still apply power/pull power to correct attitude.

The 4.0 gets out of sorts more easily and is harder to modulate since it lacks both a TVD and variable rack, the later being more a skill issue than the former. A TVD lets you do stupid stuff and it not matter....issue is that it doesn't have the endurance. It will overheat after 4-5 laps if you are going super hard, I'm debating if I care enough to add cooling fins to the diff lol! I've never ever came close on the street to an overheat so I probably just leave it tbh

Last edited by Striker223; Jan 21, 2025 at 06:33 PM.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Striker223
. The A8s make you feel like god and are dangerous in the sense the limits are high enough that when you mess up you MESS up. The W12 is better about it since it has a TVD and will not spin out, just do a 4 wheel drift that you can still apply power/pull power to correct attitude.

The 4.0 gets out of sorts more easily and is harder to modulate since it lacks both a TVD and variable rack, the later being more a skill issue than the former. A TVD lets you do stupid stuff and it not matter....issue is that it doesn't have the endurance. It will overheat after 4-5 laps if you are going super hard, I'm debating if I care enough to add cooling fins to the diff lol! I've never ever came close on the street to an overheat so I probably just leave it tbh
You must have a hard time keeping a straight face when you're typing this stuff.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 08:38 AM
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The LS460 has a considerably more complex front suspension, its more Mercedes like than the LS430, so that accounts for the better handling feel.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Gerf
You must have a hard time keeping a straight face when you're typing this stuff.
What are you talking about? They drive extremely well vs Lexus and you can 4 wheel drift at will in tighter turns or a roundabout. If you have ever driven a car with a TVD you know exactly what I'm talking about, the GSF has one of you want to try it in a Lexus.

Last edited by Striker223; Jan 22, 2025 at 09:02 AM.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
The LS460 has a considerably more complex front suspension, its more Mercedes like than the LS430, so that accounts for the better handling feel.
It's also not tuned for as severe understeer as a 430 is.....really different in that it doesn't just give up all at once. You have to put a huge bar on the back of a 430 to get it to act more neutral
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 09:03 AM
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Handles great, I’ve had my LS for about 3 years and generally like it a lot.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 10:08 AM
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IMO, the LS460 is a LOVELY car the drive. Most of my prior cars are German and they were fun to drive, but less comfortable. I love the luxury feel and raw power the LS460 offers. I liken the drive of my 2012 LS460 to a luxury, open ocean fast-boat. Not agile, but super stable and plenty of power! I particularly like that my car is not overly designer styled on the exterior. You don't notice it as it is sleek and subtle styled. It doesn't attract any attention.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Striker223
What are you talking about? They drive extremely well vs Lexus and you can 4 wheel drift at will in tighter turns or a roundabout. If you have ever driven a car with a TVD you know exactly what I'm talking about, the GSF has one of you want to try it in a Lexus.
Yes I know how LSD's work, I just don't think the cars you're talking about were intended for or more suitable for sports use anymore than the cars you are comparing them to.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 01:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Striker223
It's also not tuned for as severe understeer as a 430 is.....really different in that it doesn't just give up all at once. You have to put a huge bar on the back of a 430 to get it to act more neutral
Thats a product of the multilink suspension also.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Gerf
Yes I know how LSD's work, I just don't think the cars you're talking about were intended for or more suitable for sports use anymore than the cars you are comparing them to.
It's not an LSD, it's a TVD. Totally different and its able to send ALL the power to a single wheel to force the car to pivot in corners and with steering inputs.

When you say sports use do you mean something like my S4? Well the performance reality is that it can't corner as fast, can't brake as hard, can't hold a line as well, and isn't controllable past the limit as well. It's more "fun" but it's not as fast

Thats why I love these so much, they give you high luxury and at a whim can bully a corvette and will pull to 200mph. All while getting a massage and blasting music of choice on the B&O stereo.

The difference between the Audis and Lexus is staggering in performance, if you have never tried one I suggest you test drive an S8 to see how stupid capable it is.
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Old Jan 22, 2025 | 02:57 PM
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Originally Posted by SW17LS
Thats a product of the multilink suspension also.
Absolutely, keeps the wheels in far better geometry at al times.
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