Currently purchased a IS300 2018 AWD. So i have been searching around and cannot for the life of me find a tune for my current year. I did search and ask around before i purchased the car about potential mods and was told that you could tune a IS300 to a IS350 and even make it higher gains than that.

Skip to now, where i have searched everywhere and that not only are there barely any tuners for this model/year combo, but that this place (M-Force) offers it to only go to 290hp from the stock 260hp. https://www.mforce.ca/product/lexus-...formance-tune/

I dont really know much about the specs or the pricing, but is $700 worth getting the 30hp? Same with an exhaust which is around $3000 yet it only gives 10-15hp for comparison. Any input would be great. Thanks!

 

Try reaching out to:

@RRRacing
@d3Performance

 

I can tell you right now RR Racing will probably give the blanket statement of "we're hoping by fall" even though that's what they told me last year around this time. Some Toyota Camry people have used the D3 tune, but no one has done a before and after dyno to really prove anything, so it's kind of up to you if you want to try it.

Most of us 2018 and up have been frustrated with the slowness of tuning abilities for our cars. It's not to bash on any one company, I believe that RR does their best to put out a good tune. However even reading through the tune that they do offer for up to 2017, some people are bailing on it because it continues to throw their cars into limp mode, no throttle response until after a code is cleared, the updated file currently is messing with the shifting in regular auto mode, etc. so even I would be a bit hesitent to buy it right now even if it were available. You can read about it in the thread "Anyone have the RR Racing tune?" in this same sub-forum.

From what I have heard when RR does have someone reach out to them about an issue, they send different files until one works for their car, but I would be a bit upset about that myself, as every time you flash your ECU is another possible bricked ECU... Love some of what RR puts out, I've ordered a few things from them, but the tune still seems to be something they're struggling with.

- Shane

 

I would recommend to find someone locally who can actually tune cars or modern Lexus in general. May not reap the same performance as the current companies offering them but at least you can get local support and not remote support. Last thing is to have a car that you can't drive until you get new files remotely and hoping that it will work. Especially time zone differences. I'll be waiting until the tunes are bullet proof, heck I might have a different car by then but better safe that sorry.

 

Currently shopping for an IS 300/350 and been shooting some emails out. OVTune, now VFTuner, supports the ECM on 2018+ from what they told me, but DOES NOT currently make tunes for the platform. Could use the tuning hardware to either build your own tune or possibly load a 350 base map up to your 300.

 

Kinda weary of making my tune, especially since i dont know what im doing. And do you really think i could get up to 312hp from the 350 model tune from that just by a file?

 

Yeah the same here with making a tune. In theory, the 350 basemap should make a 300 run like a 350...the ECU, engine, drivetrain etc is all the same, just detuned from the factory. Will it actually work? I’m not 100% sure.

 

I think this [above] is the most interesting question. In such case could you ask a dealer to make such a change? I think I want answers...

 

I don’t think that decision could be made at the dealer level…a lot of car manufacturers require the dealer to provide a VIN in order to perform updates/reflashes. I’m pretty sure the OEM isn’t going to allow them to undo their detune…if that was the case, I’m sure a lot of people would jump on that and save THOUSANDS on purchasing a 300 over a 350. Only a few additional options on the 350 that aren’t on the 300, all of which I could care less about, and certainly not worth the price difference.

 

Did you end up going with the mforce tune?

 

Why not go D3 for the 8AR-FTS? It's cheaper and most of us on it are pretty happy.

 

I have the V6 AWD not the turbo.

 

My bad. Over in my country, the turbo'd model was renamed IS300 from IS200t in 2018.

 

Same in the USA but the 300 “AWD” is the V6. It looks like D3 performance has a tune for the 2GR-FKS

 

d3 performance claims they can tune 300s to 350 levels pretty easily
https://www.motortrend.com/news/2021...-tune-sleeper/

Using this Tune (I reached out to them personally as well)