Hello all. I have been a BMW guy for about 10 years. But the F cars have always interested me. I am getting closer to switching to an RCF but I'd like to ask a few questions to you all who have first hand experience.

1. Are your cars in need of repairs as often as BMWs or more like a "non F" Lexus?

2. Do RCFs have a lot of aftermarket support? Tunes, suspension upgrades, etc.

3. This video is what brought me here. Can anyone tell me what was done to this exhaust?
1 person said Novel headers and Magnaflow exhaust. Another said Armytrix.

 

IDK, I'm not a BMW hater but I don't think they break down as much as some people think - though my couple M's I've owned did haha.

1. I don't know if we'll have the same amount of repairs, the RCF has only been around since 2015 however the ISF version late 2000's and those seem to be running strong still. I'd say they are more reliable in the <150k miles than the BMW so far.
2. I have seen the usual aftermarket support as others, so I'd say yes, but keep in mind the F motors are N/A cars, so tunes can only do so much. Should you go the F/I route then those tunes will yield more info and there are a couple good tuners out there.
3. Can't watch the video so IDK yet.

Like anything else, browse forums, and hopefully you'll find your answer on if the RCF will fit you. GL.

 

I don't have first hand experience (can't drive yet lol), but based on the forums and reading stuff, I can maybe answer questions 2 and 3, not sure about question 1 since I never have owned one.

Ok, for question 2: I would say there is a decent amount of aftermarket support, not as much as BMW, but still a decent amount. You can find a good amount of coilovers, engine tunes, superchargers, etc for the RC F.

Question 3: The description of the video says it was Armytrix, I would guess it is an Armytrix exhaust system with some sort of aftermarket header.

 

Welcone. Here are answers to your questions.

1 - RCF is incredibly well built. Other than regular maintenance, nothing else has been required for my RCF. The quality, fit, finish and durability is absolutely top notch. Normal wear and tear parts are rather expensive, like tires and brakes etc., but that is what is expected for a high performance car with purpose built parts. My sister and brother in law's 335 and 535 have had a lot more issues than my RCF (none so far).

2 - Aftermarket support is OK. It is a naturally aspirated engines that comes from fhe factory with 95 HP/Liter specific output already with a compression ratio of 12.3:1. N/A, you can do header, exhaust and tune and gain about 50 - 55 whp (around 75 CHP) up to about 450 - 455 whp, but will not go any further N/A. There are superchargers available, but are quite expensive. BMW turbo engines gain a lot of power with simple tunes alone.

3 - Armytrix.

An FBO RCF on street tires running 12.0@118.4 mph on the drag strip.

 

1. 335i and RC F are not the same category. Closest comparison from Lexus would be an is350.
2. BMW has the highest aftermarket support by far. I have owned an E90 M3, F80 M3, F87 M2, RC-F, Audi S3 and now a C63S. I’ve modded all of these cars and it was much easier and cheaper to get parts for my BMWs. Mercedes is very expensive to mod in comparison.
3. Why not get a used F80 M3 or M4? BM3 tune puts those cars close to 500 whp with a cheap $400 downpipe from VRSF. Even if an RC F owner goes supercharger, upgraded Pure turbos puts the M3/M4 in a different category all together.
4. The tech in the RC-F is by far the worst I’ve had in a car. You use this crap mousepad that lags on a screen that is sunken into the dash.
5. RC-F was nowhere as nimble as the F80.
6. As the new G series M3/M4 will be released in a year or less, current prices for M3/M4 are taking a nosedive and perfect timing to buy those cars.

 

My 335i has been a love/hate ownership experience. I mistakenly bought the twin turbo, inline 6 car for my wife. She had a small leak from her oil filter housing gasket at 60k miles. It dripped onto the serpentine belt, the belt came off the pulley and got sucked into the crank. The crank chewed the belt and digested belt bits into the engine. $4k and 3 oil changes later, I decided this car requires too much attention for my wife. So I got her an SC430. She's very happy. Solid car.

The 335i has an n54 engine. All forged internals and transmission can handle 600tq. So I went a little mod crazy and went from 300hp to about 500hp. But I have replaced soooooo many parts around the motor that it has become a bit tiresome. I love driving the car but it is in the shop 2 to 4 times per year and repairs are never cheap. I've owned an is250 and the SC430. Both had A+ reliability. It seems like F cars reliability might be pretty close.

 

N54 were plagued. I had an N54 and N55 335i, so I would not base your N54 experience as standard. My M2 and M3 were solid with mods.
I’m thinking about selling my C63S. You have to drop the motor to install down pipes or do a ghetto method and weld. Cheapest downpipes are $1k.

 

When it comes to durability, it actually is better than standard Lexus cars. I owned another Lexus and Toyota cars all these years. My RCF aside from the fit, finish, quality and materials, has been head and shoulders above the other cars I have had. Only thing I described was, the wear and tear items are expensive, but they last a long time. I am getting Michelin Pilot Sport 4S in a couple of weeks and they will cost around $1800 installed and balanced. Also, will be doing full maintenance and service on it following that, which will be around $370 for this year.

Granted my RCF only has 11K miles, but there have been a lot of spirited drives including a few auto cross sessions so it has not been baby'ed at all. The biggest reason why you would pick an RCF over an M4, is the N/A V8. It is an absolutely lovely engine and much has already been said about it in the press. The sound, response, ability to rev it all out for power etc. These engines are dying and will not be around for much longer. I wanted to get one of the best N/A V8s ever made and keep it for myself.

 

I have never owned a BMW. I was in the Car business for 25 years and had friends who worked at BMW dealerships and they always told me never ever own a BMW out of warranty. I always like the M4 and the few I have driven have been impressive cars.

I have always been more drawn to Japanese cars mostly for reliability. I hate when cars break down and have problems they should not. I prefer the RCF for this reason as reliability is very high on my list. Plus the RCF is a way better car than it was ever given credit for. When MotorTrend did that Head to Head with the BMW M4 and the RCF. The RCF held it's own on the Track and was like a tenth of a second slower, instead of saying why does the BMW not do better with all its advantages they just said they were stumped by how well the RCF did. Stupid.

 

All good points. If you cannot afford the repairs or costs of an M4 or whatever car, don’t get them. If you care more about being able to mod and tune, BMW has the biggest after market support as you already know with an FBO N54. On an NA car only so much you can do unless you are ok with that. If you are use to driving turbo cars, an NA v8 motor will feel slow as you don’t have the torque down low.

 

Lots of good info here. My first Japanese car was a 1990 hatchback civic. I bought it with 100k miles for $1k. I drove it for 5 years and sold it with 300k miles for $1k.

 

I will be keeping the 335i due to being so deep into the build that I will never recoup anywhere near what I've spent. But I love the sound of the RCF with headers. I am more interested in suspension upgrades than power. I feel like 500hp is really all that a RWD car can put down efficiently. So I am thinking i would do headers, coilovers, sway bars, strut tower brace, rear bushings, control arms, and wheels.

 

You probably want full exhaust as well and the RR tune would be good. It should all get to around 450 whp, which gets to around 535 CHP. Also, RR racing front control arm bushings for added steering feel. Better tires would also go a long way.

Since you mentioned focus on chassis/suspension, if you get the 2017+ then it will come with the AVS, which will make it more difficult to swap out for coil overs. Keep that in mind. You might want to see if you can find the carbon fiber/TVD RCF and if you want fixed suspension then 2015 and 2016 are the only two options.

CF will add more rigidity/lightness on the roof and lowers the CoG. The TVD was designed for the RCF to move the axis of rotiation back by infinitely splitting (and even opposing) torque in the rear via motors both under acceleration/brake turning, which makes it feel very balanced. I have it in my RCF and with 'slalom' mode it makes the car feel very nimble off-centre in city driving even at slow speeds. Track mode is best for high speed turns.

 

So if I don't get one with a TVD will it come with a different type of LSD?
Do some F cars have open diffs?

 

No open differential on RCFs. Either optional TVD with the carbon fiber package (and different rear springs) or Torsen LSD standard on all RCF with moonroof and steel roof.