Hello everyone I'm new here and I've been looking to change my car and the rcf is on my shortlist, I just had some questions if you guys can help.

I'm looking at a 2015 rcf with the tvd and carbon fiber roof, it has about 8k miles on it and I'm wondering if its a good idea to get that or find a newer model. It being about 7 years old already is making me pause, but also 8k miles so its barely been used. There are also some 2017 models and I've heard thats the year where they added the adaptive suspension. Does it make much of a difference? Would it be worth going for a newer model year for it? Are there any other additions or other model years that are considered the best?

Some questions about the rcf with the tvd, can you drift it? I've heard conflicing information about it, some people are saying you can't drift it/its harder because it keeps adjusting torque through the drift. Like mid drift the tvd will try to straighten you out again. I've heard others say that it makes it easier to drift since the extra torque helps push out the back tires. I've also heard some people say the torsen diff is better for it since its more consistent. For those who have one with the tvd, how is to drift/can you drift? Another thing is I saw a thread where the rcf with tvd puts down less power to the wheels cause of it, is that confirmed true?
Also can the rcf do burnouts and doughnuts?

Theres also a 2020 model year for sale the one after the facelift, I've heard they reduced some weight and added a bit more power, but is it noticible? Is it enough to warrant getting it over an older one?
haha my bad for the bombardment of questions thanks!

 

You can turn off the traction control, so drifting should not be an issue. Coming out of the Lexus parking lot with TVD on standard the rear end went sideways when I hit the throttle, so I'm pretty sure you can drift even with tvd left on (blind corner and car coming so I gunned it and was surprised with controlled slide). At the Lexus track day they use RCFs for drifting, but those may be the track editions, haven't been yet, so don't know for sure.

 

Cool have you ever done a longer drift? And during have you ever felt the car fight you to keep it sideways?

 

That sounds like a unicorn. Majority of the 2015 - 2016s have 50+ K miles on it and having only 8k miles is super low. It is very unlikely scenario, but it can exist since mine also only has 10K miles on it. Adaptive suspension will give you the option to soften the suspension while the 2015 - 2016 RCFs have fixed suspension so it is on the stiff side all the time. Also, I have heard it is smoother in SPORT+ setting where AVS stiffens up. If you are not daily driving it, it is not a big deal at all. Even if you daily drive it, unless you drive on relatively imperfect roads it will not get bumpy unless you go fast over less than perfect roads. There is some head bobbling when you go fast over less than perfect roads, but it also makes it fun as it feels sporty and purposeful. Much better than being cushy and soft in my opinion.

If it is in great condition, I would say buy it as the adaptive suspension in the 2017 has had some issues that were worked out later in the 2018+ where shocks start to leak. Also, fixed suspension makes the car feel more predictable since the AVS is constantly adjusting the damping forces even when you have SPORT+ on.

Yes, the RCF TVD is very lively in slalom mode. Even with full traction on, I get the tail to easily powerslide out of turns. If you turn traction fully off then yes it would drift as in the video below. It is a TVD RCF. This video should answer your questions. Yes, TVD is a lot of fun on the streets and city speeds especially in slalom mode as it makes the car feel like it responds very fast to the smallest input of the steering. Objectively, TVD had a better turning performance than the LSD in a comparison.


It is your choice. The 2020+ have some minor tweaks, but the straight line performance is more or less similar across the years in tests. The 2020 did a 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds vs 4.2 seconds in the C&D test. By 1/4 mile it was the same, It is completely your choice. You cannot go wrong with either the 2020 or the 2015 one with TVD.carbon

 

As for the question regarding the adaptive suspension, the normal and sport settings both provide a softer ride which is nice on rough rides and bad pavement, but sport+ stiffens things up nicely. I enjoy having the ability to adapt the car to the situation. I have a 2017 and have suffered one blown shock. The newer models have had a better reliability record regarding the shock absorber failure rate. As for the TVD vs LSD conversation, I have driven both and prefer the LSD as I feel that it is more predictable but you should definitely test drive both and see for yourself. Best of luck finding an RC F that suits your wants, it is no doubt a great car in all its forms!

Also drifting definitely should not be an issue regardless of which differential you choose, it may feel slightly different but both are more than capable of some nice slides.

 

Hmm the picture of the tac shows it at 8.1k miles, is there a possibility of them lowering it? I don't think I've heard of new cars being able to be rolled back like that.
So where I live theres a mix of nice roads and some bad roads, I do plan to daily the car so maybe a suspension upgrade should be high on the list. Is it uncomfortably stiff?
haha I was actually looking at a 2018 model first, but someone else bought it before I could inquire, I really do like the carbon fiber on the 2015, Im wondering though if its worth putting up with a harsher ride
Thats awesome to see, so the pedal thing he did is interesting is it a hidden mode or something? For the cars I know you can press the traction off button to lessen it or hold it to turn it off completely. Is the pedal thing the same as holding the button down?
Thanks for the response!

 

Got it so I might test drive the 2015 one to see if its too uncomfortable. And you're saying go for the 2018+ ones for the better reliability? Thanks!
haha thats good to hear, one more thing are you able to do burnouts in yours? I heard some reviewers were not able to with theirs, but I've seen videos of people doing it. Is it a difference between the model years or some type of software update?

 

Highly doubt it. Never heard of people being able to do that. Also, maintenance records are key since mileage is logged on the maintenance records so you can see how the mileage progressed with the years. 2015 with low mileage is totally makes it worth it provided it really well maintained.

No, it is not uncomfortable at all on less than perfect roads unless you are going very fast, but at normal city speeds it is not uncomfortable at all. Good thing is, the chassis is very stiff so it gives you a very solid and one-unit feel. There is no shuddering, rattle or shake anywhere. It all feels very solid and composed.


Yeah, carbon/TVD is definitely worth it. When you drive it, put it in SPORT+/MANUAL mode and TVD in SLALOM. You will notice the sharp turn-in very quickly. Also, carbon fiber roof lowers center of gravity. Regarding suspension, though it has different rear springs, I believe the overall ride quality is more less the same between a carbon/TVD and LSD RCF.

Yes, Lexus made it a hidden feature probably because of liability reasons. You could turn off traction control by holding the traction button down for 3 seconds. First it enters expert mode and then off. However, it does not fully turn off everything as stability control is still active. The pedal dance turns off everything.

 

The 2018+ model year was only really different for the shocks reliability wise. As Rolla stated the 2017 MY seems to have shock blowouts.
As for the pedal dance, that is the only true TC+VSC off mode. Pressing the button will disable it mostly until a certain scenario. There is also Expert mode which is easier to use but it will interfere if you do something absolutely stupid.
Burnouts might be possible with the pedal dance or Expert mode. I'm not sure anybody has actually done enough research on this to really say too much, I know depressing the brake and throttle too hard together will cut the throttle input.

 

Thats good to hear, I looked at the carfax and looks like the first owner drove it around 6k miles and the second averaged about 185 miles a year with pretty regular maintenance (about 2 per year except 2019). I'm hoping it sat in their garage and wasn't used to track haha
Cool thats good, I think I'll give it a test drive and see if its too much. Thanks for the info!
Yeah I remember hearing about it that the moonroof is around 60 lbs, does its removal really make much of a difference? Since the overall car is around 4000 lbs, is the change noticable?
I see thanks for the information!

 

Got it thanks for the info! I'll try out the different modes and see which works

 

Yes, just put it straight in SPORT+/MANUAL mode and TVD in SLALOM (if it has one). Let the engine warm up properly and then use the paddle shifters to upsshift/downshift. You will love the bark of the downshift rev matches especially when you redline, let-off and downshift while braking.

You also want to check the condition of the brakes and tires (still the original tires or some different ones?) etc.

CF also adds a bit more rigidity and roof is the furthest point from the CoG. Though, RCF has a pretty low roofline/CoG to begin with and the CF reduces it a bit more. Much of the weight is concentrated near the bottom of the car (good thing).

There is also risk of some rattles with the moonroof and less head room etc. so unless you really like to open the moonroof in the summers a lot, you might want think if you really need one. Iit is at the top of the car so furthest away from the axis of rotation (if you draw a line from the center of the turn towards the wheels of your car where the CoG is). Also, newton's law is F = M X A so it is not just 60 lbs at the very farthest point while turning. The inertia of that 60 lbs is directly proportional to how much speed you are carrying through the turn especially in rapid slaloms (esses). It is known as the pendulum effect. If you ever train the gym and have done dumbbell laterals then you would know even lifting a 20 lbs dumbell is very hard holding the arms straight compared to when the dumbell is close to the body. Same idea here. Decision is yours. This is only the physics explanation.

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad new but odometer fraud is easier than ever and that’s a fact. They can’t roll it back, they can pause it indefinitely. Then fix it before they sell or turn in their lease. All of this in seconds through the OBD port and can’t be traced. However most Lexus owners are older and squared away so I don’t think it’s an issue much on our cars. But it definitely a possibility on any used car in this technology rich and dishonest society.

 

Oh boy all this talk about 2017s having unreliable shocks is making me nervous—getting a 2017 with just over 20k miles delivered next week… Coming from an unreliable Audi so I was really wanting something that was pretty much bulletproof!

If the shocks do go bad on a 2017, are they able to be replaced with the more reliable shocks from the 2018 and newer models? Or is it an issue with the design of the adaptive suspension on the 2017s? Sorry to hijack the thread a bit but I figure we are talking about used RCF reliability here.

 

The shock itself isn't unreliable. It's the programming for the AVS.

My hypothesis is that under certain situations and certain modes, the AVS, if set to a stiffer mode (I.E Sport or Sport+) won't react in time to soften the dampening when a pothole and/or bump is hit. In 2018 they did quite a few software changes so I suppose they also fixed this issue.

To be fair it isn't anything to be entirely worried about. Most of the time if you lower the car on springs it will just increase the likelihood of the above scenario occurring.