RC350 F-Sport Tire Wear - what am I in for?
01-02-18, 08:15 AM
#16
Lexus Test Driver
A crazy amount of uneven wear obviously indicates problems. But by definition, a "sport" alignment (this includes sports cars and sporty cars) will usually have some negative camber (for grip) and inner toe (for stability) and/or outer toe (for turn-in). All those three elements combined will usually cause some uneven wear, by design. These cars are not like an ES300, Camry, or Prius where the camber and toe are as neutral as possible and you'll get nearly perfect tire wear. You have to pay to play.
Lexus's main aim is to compete with BMW and this means they also have to perform--BMW's are kind of known for their fast and somewhat uneven inner tire wear, especially in the rears. This is normal and is a sought after trait. You want that because you bought performance sedan and/or coupes w/ summer rubber. That's the price of admission into this class of car.
As far as changing out the control arm bushings w/ solid ones, I'd advise against that. For various reasons. The stock design is the superior design. If the F model uses a stiffer rubber, use that. But I wouldn't go solid or anything as hard as poly. That part of the car needs compliance for stability under street conditions.
Lexus's main aim is to compete with BMW and this means they also have to perform--BMW's are kind of known for their fast and somewhat uneven inner tire wear, especially in the rears. This is normal and is a sought after trait. You want that because you bought performance sedan and/or coupes w/ summer rubber. That's the price of admission into this class of car.
As far as changing out the control arm bushings w/ solid ones, I'd advise against that. For various reasons. The stock design is the superior design. If the F model uses a stiffer rubber, use that. But I wouldn't go solid or anything as hard as poly. That part of the car needs compliance for stability under street conditions.
01-04-18, 04:55 AM
#17
After reading about the uneven tire wear issue on some of the RC, IS and GS, I was going to make sure that the car I bought did not have the uneven wear. I bought my 15 RC RWD with 13K miles. At 23K miles now and the tire wear is even. The fronts have more tread than the rear...but that is to be a little expected.
Acura got caught in a class action lawsuit about the first NSX for this reason. Drivers were getting less than 10K miles. The number of vehicles that exhibit this issue must be a pretty small % for Lexus or I bet they would get caught up the same way for not making buyers aware. The fact that it happens to the GS, RC and IS make it a bigger issue.
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Acura got caught in a class action lawsuit about the first NSX for this reason. Drivers were getting less than 10K miles. The number of vehicles that exhibit this issue must be a pretty small % for Lexus or I bet they would get caught up the same way for not making buyers aware. The fact that it happens to the GS, RC and IS make it a bigger issue.
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01-04-18, 06:27 AM
#18
Aside from the OEM LCA bushing having +/- caster offset and 6 different PN# between the two sides, anyone notice the aftermarket parts fit all IS GS and RC. Thus it seems there **may** be different durometers right from the factory creating a slew of different OEM Part Numbers. I know the IS-350 is softer than the IS-F making some 12 different PNs right there.
It would be nice to know if a >2015 RC LCA bushing has higher durometer and is a direct bolt in to the 2IS chassis to correct its factory deflection issue.
Can any parts guys verify this? I would opt for late model improved part over a $360 aftermarket bolt on.
It would be nice to know if a >2015 RC LCA bushing has higher durometer and is a direct bolt in to the 2IS chassis to correct its factory deflection issue.
Can any parts guys verify this? I would opt for late model improved part over a $360 aftermarket bolt on.
10-21-18, 06:41 AM
#19
Driver School Candidate
Aside from the OEM LCA bushing having +/- caster offset and 6 different PN# between the two sides, anyone notice the aftermarket parts fit all IS GS and RC. Thus it seems there **may** be different durometers right from the factory creating a slew of different OEM Part Numbers. I know the IS-350 is softer than the IS-F making some 12 different PNs right there.
It would be nice to know if a >2015 RC LCA bushing has higher durometer and is a direct bolt in to the 2IS chassis to correct its factory deflection issue.
Can any parts guys verify this? I would opt for late model improved part over a $360 aftermarket bolt on.
It would be nice to know if a >2015 RC LCA bushing has higher durometer and is a direct bolt in to the 2IS chassis to correct its factory deflection issue.
Can any parts guys verify this? I would opt for late model improved part over a $360 aftermarket bolt on.
Hey man, did you ever find out this info? I have an 08 IS350, and I cannot find a definitive answer anywhere about whether the RCF bushings are in fact harder than the IS350 and even ISF bushings. I replaced my stock with RRs and I am looking to switch back to oem style. Our coastal roads in NC are tore up in many places and the ride has become jarring. Not to mention reading for hours that many people have to lube the poly bushings once a year and some even more often. Sounds like to do that you have to uninstall the whole bracket and I am not into that. I would like to add that I am in no way bashing RRs product, for now I just want to stick with a softer bushing and if there is a root cause to the harshness when I installed the poly bushings then hopefully I can find that in the future. In the meantime if the RCF bushings are stiffer and will extend the life a bit and offer a slight performance upgrade, I'd be happy with that.
Last edited by zguy57; 10-21-18 at 09:13 AM.
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