any more info on the sub and amp? can i see ur trunk setup?

 

Sub is a slimline, so it takes extreme little spacing compared to a regular depth sub. Its massive at 13.5" but is only 2.5" deep. Amp is an Audiocontrol LC-1-800 with a built in DSP. Enclosure was custom made at a shop and is seamless against the back seats. I will share a pic in a bit.

 

Great write-up. Thanks for sharing.

 

Finally got my KWs installed and had the car corner balanced as well. At the same time I had the brakes installed.

KW V3 Coilovers - to early to rate these.

The compression and rebound were set to the recommended settings from KW and it gives a very stock feel. The beauty here is the adjustability and the fact they are rebuildable, life time warranty, and most importantly for my Canadian climate that they will never rust. They are not cheap but the added cost is worth it considering the warranty and the fact they are adjustable. The car is incredibly stable in turns and the steering response is immediate.

Prior to the KWs I was on stock shocks with RSR down springs.

Cost was roughly $3500 CDN shipped

Endless MX72+ Brakes Pads - 10/10

I never realized how bad the stock pads were at their job until I tried these. The initial bite is immediate and noticeable. It isn’t harsh either but you really realize how lousy the stock pads were at braking. These were installed with brand new Brembo rotors.

The cost of the pads is certainly high ($800CDN shipped) but there is no squealing, and great bite. My advice to everyone would be to chuck the OEM pads in the bin and get anything other then OEM. I will have to wait and see how the dust is but it is my understanding it should be a lot less compared to the OEM.

RR Racing USRS Bushings 10/10.

This item is such a no brainer in the difference it makes. Lexus should really follow this example as the difference is so noticeable. This should quite literally be the first modification anyone does to their car.

Almost forgot about the tires.

I switched to Bridgestone RE71R tires in the stock sizes. The difference is massive. Grip like I have never felt before. I wouldn’t bother getting PS4s ever. Sadly Bridgestone has discontinued the RE71R tires this year so when they wear out I will have to find something else.

 

Thanks for reviving this thread. I created this thread for the benefit of people thinking about mods. Your input would be much appreciated, I am sure. The USRS is my next mod. Though, the PS4S XL tires have almost eliminated my complaints since they have stiffer inner walls. My OEM PSS were so soft that they had terrible inner tire wear due to constant camber changes under load while the PS4S XL are wearing evenly. That results in less changes under braking/acceleration in terms of steering feel. So much more consistent feel on loading/unloading as well as more road feel.

However, I am still going to get the USRS and the two options are FIGS SuperPro 90 or the RR Racing USRS street version (88 on the durometer) especially since my Lexus dealership agreed to install it for me. Did you get the race version or the street version of the USRS? Did you have to use any lubricant on it while installing?

 

The inner tire wear issue is actually caused by the soft LCA bushing causing the toe changes under braking.

I got the R&T version (red bushings) as the softer one was not offered yet at the time. There are no drawbacks using the stiffer bushings other then a very small amount of extra road noise and a slightly harsher ride. In all honesty both trade offs are worth it once you try them. With the FIGs it is my understanding you have to press them into your OEM brackets (I could be wrong on that though but you should check). The RR ones are extremely easy to install. I did both sides in about an hour in my driveway. The hardest part was getting to the nut/bolt that is close to the catalytic converter as it is very tight to get a wrench and your hand in there.

As for grease, I did not buy the RR grease they recommend. I used a industrial heavy duty extreme pressure grease that I had kicking around.

 

Yes, that is true. However, tires also play a big role in it. The propagation starts from the inner tire flex under heavy load (braking on the front), which then goes to the suspension and then to the bushing flexing. Also, my rear tires had terrible inner wear. It is because they flexed a lot under hard acceleration/braking. Having stiffer inner/outer sidewalls has made the camber change a lot less under braking or acceleration. I had my tires checked and even with stock bushings, my inner/outer wear is perfect right now with the PS4S XL. The difference in consistency, steering feel and also no bump steer at all makes it so much better than hot iw was when I had the OEM PSS I had before.

When I spoke with my F specialist at the Lexus dealership, he asked me why I wanted to swap to stiffer bushings since according to him RCF OEM bushings are quite good. He said he has swapped RCF bushings into 3IS, 2IS and even some ISFs because they seem to be popular choice. I told him I would like to go more aggressive since this is my fun/hobby car only so I am not concerned about some increased harshness.


Yeah, I am going to get my Lexus specialist to do the install. I would definitely want to buy the housing with it as I don't want to use the OEM housing. So, if I decide to go with the FIGS SuperPRO 90, I will make sure it comes with the housing. Is it A LOT stiffer or maybe 10 - 15% more stiffer? I don't want a drastically stiffer bushing. I am worried the RR racing USRS race version like yours, might be too harsh. I also want to make sure my wife and 2 small kids can enjoy the car as well so stiffer than the OEM bushings, but around 15% stiffer would be good enough for me.

I would not want the bushing to be replaced in the OEM housing. I also was wondering if you put lube on it as well to prevent squeaking after a while? Just so that I can check with the dealership when I get it installed.

 

Bumping this thread back up for the new members that may want to post some goodies......

 

Good call. Would be good to see more reviews from owners.

 

Rolla:

I just installed my Figs bushings. They introduced zero NVH. Steering is slightly improved, harsh braking doesn' have a vague feeling... but other than that if you didn't tell me that I installed them and they were on the car, I wouldn't know they were on the car..lol.

So if you are worried at all about the ride comfort I can say with 100% certainity that my wife wouldn't notice a change in the car ride quality. It still rides like a lexus. That was my biggest thing when trying to choose between the two brands out there for LCA bushings. Some are more tolerant of NVH while others said going with brand X was nothing but noise...etc.

I'll get an alignment done but I'm happy and sad at the same time. Happy knowing that my inner tire problem won't be an issue at all, but sorta sad that there wasn't an imediate OMG this is life changing experience type of moment. Mind you if it was the other way around and it introduced a bunch of NVH, I would be complaining about it saying I just made the wrong choice. Can I be happy? who knows... that's an entirely different topic.

But I would say if you are on the fence at all with NVH and want to maintain the ride quality but not have inner tire problems the Figs is the way to go. I got the entire bushing and new design of the bracket. Looks much better and if I'm honest, if you didn't see the Figs logo on it, it blends right into the under side of the car. It's a very well made piece.

Hopefully more driving will let me experience how things feel but everything was already super tight as it is being that I have 150 miles on the car...lol. To your question you do lube the shaft of the bolt, NOT the threads. In the last picture you can see some clearish Energy Suspension Grease on the end of it. I wasn't conservative when applying it. As you do final torque of the bolt you can see some of it squish out slightly. That's OK. I just wipe some of it off the end there.

Figs LCA Bushings: 10 out of 10.


​​​​



-Nigel

 

Great insight, Nigel. Very helpful. Thanks for the review.

 

Thinking of doing some bolt-ons, full cat exhaust, stage 3 cams etc. Maybe even sc, should get around 420hp. Is it worth it? I mean, it would be a fun little project right?

 

The 3IS forum would be more helpful in answering your questions. This forum is specifically for the Lexus RCF. If you ask me, totally it would be worth it. S/C'ing your IS350 and getting 400+ HP with bolt-ons and supercharger will be definitely an exciting project to work on. The 3IS guys will be able to tell you the best brands for the mods.

 

Thought I should update this as I have a couple of mods update since then


Michelin Pilot Sport 4S XL - 9/10 - Very impressive as replacement for OEM PSS. The XL sidewalls really make the car feel planted and roll-resistant as the inner/outer walls resist deformation. Just got them 6 months ago so still have to see how they hold up at higher mileage. Only complaint, they are pricey relative to the competition as they cost $2000 CAD all in installed. I docked one point for it. I guess, gotta pay to play.

Eibach 20 mm Spacers - 8.5/10 - Love the look and also handling with spacers. Really like the planted feel in turns. No complaints. Only downside, the spacer bolts got a little warped while I was torquing them..

Invidia Q300 full cat back exhaust with titanium tips - 10/10 - This exhaust exceeded my expectations. Very melodious, smooth and pleasant noise. The increase in HP/torque is very noticeable at all rpms especially as the exhaust breaks in. When I got the exhaust, I was planning on taking off the resonator to get more volume, but so far I have not had the urge to as it is tuned so well.

AFE Power Stage 2 Cold air intake - 9/10 - Just drove it a few times with this cold air intake, but very happy and no complaints. The intake growl/snarl is more pronounced. I definitely feel better throttle response, a bit more punchier midrange torque especially when rpms fall back after shifts I now feel a surge in torque after shifting near redline. Priced decently. Simple install. Docked point for airbox not being CF.

AFE Power Sprint Booster v3 ETC - 9.5/10 - Savage response. Just totally unexpected. Race mode from 1 - 9 is basically way too sensitive. I use race mode 5 in good driving condition. Never tried setting 6 through 9 in race mode since it would be too much. The car virtually seems way lighter. The car engine brakes hard when you lift off. The way my car is setup with the back of the seat upright, high lumbar support, little dive/pitch (stiff tires and 39 PSI front and 41 PSI rear) so all sudden bolt forward and sudden engine brake strain your neck with the whiplash effect. Even sport mode 9 was way too much. I was dialing it down to sport mode 3 and still it had insane response. Off the line things are the most dramatic. You move your foot 20% down the throttle and the car shoots forward like a bullet. It is not the same effect as pressing down the throttle harder/further. Your limbs, high-twitch muscles are simply not fast enough to match what this little thing does. It is almost telepathic in how it is responding to the intentions in your brain. The whole cycle of action/reaction is way shorter. In other words, the cycle from the time you make a slight change to the throttle input to the time the car's wheels are fully delivering the reaction is way shorter. Everything seems like things are reacting way faster. Also, you don't need to downshift as much. I was coasting in 3rd gear at 50 KM/H and I pushed the throttle down a bit and got more than I asked for. Before, I would expect 2nd gear at 50 KM/H to have a similar effect.

p.s. When you are coasting in parking lots, the car is still very easy to drive around and there is no risk of hitting something as long as one does not suddenly stab the throttle down more than a couple of millimeter.

Antigravity Lithium Ion AG-H6-RS 30 Ah battery (12.8 lbs) - 10/10 - I took the longest time to decide on this. The OEM battery costs less than half installed than this battery alone factoring in the import costs as well. However, it has the battery management system in it. It has restart technology with two key fobs. It is super lightweight. I opted for the 30 Ah (stock is 74 Ah), but I felt it would be sufficient based on the fact that I don't use accessories when I drive so there is not much draw. The weight savings were quite nice. About 27.2 lbs compared to the OEM Panasonic battery I took out. All of that from the front. Car did not feel different any different while driving since 30 lbs would not be noticeable. However, it is great to have lighter weight. Battery should last 10 years, Installation was very simple and also the crank is very powerful. It spins so freely and easily on cold cranks that it starts up very quickly. All in all, very happy with this purchase. Very pricey, but it is totally worth it.

Carbon fiber mirrors - 9/10 - Over the winter, while the car was parked, I did the carbon fiber mirror covers. Ordered them from ebay. Shipping was quick and decent price. Quality of the carbon fiber is great. Weave very closely matches the weave in the spoiler and roof. Very lightweight. Installation was fairly easy. Just had to buy my own double sided tape since the one it came with, did not work well. Overall, very pleased with the look of it and also the quality. I only docked 1 point because the fitment is not perfect. Around the edges, there is a bit of Orange visible, but it is a minor thing given the price and quality.

RR Racing ECU tune for 2015 - 2016 RCF (TBD) - I am currently working on getting the ECU tune shopped to me so that I could do it remotely in my garage. Will write detailed impressions of it once I have it installed.

 

Update: Just updating this old thread. My RCF will be out next weekend and planning getting the USRS Lower control arm bushing (street version). I have my appointment set for next Saturday. I went with the RR Racing and ordered it in December. I also have the RR Racing crank damper pulley, which I will install a bit later.

I believe, I have never seen any RCF owner purchase and install these street version of the RR Racing USRS lower control arm bushing so I will probably be the first one to try them out and write a review for everyone who might be curious about this third option offered by RR Racing.