Lexus IS 350 F Sport Build Proves to Be a Major Upgrade
Daily Slideshow: Club Lexus member couldn't wait to mod the heck out of his very first Lexus, and the results are awesome.
Moving on Up
Remember when you got your very first Lexus? It's an undeniably great feeling, especially if you're stepping up from some boring econobox. That was precisely the case for Club Lexus member Tim151, who upgraded in a big way by ditching his Scion tC for this 2015 Lexus IS350 F-Sport. But as you can see from his extensive build thread, simply buying a Lexus wasn't the end of this journey.
Hella Flush
Tim did things the smart way by purchasing a lease turn-in that had only 30K miles on the clock. Despite the fact that this was a super clean and well-maintained vehicle, he had big plans for it. And that started with adding 25mm spacers at all four corners to make the wheels sit flush with the fenders.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Looking Good
The visual mods continued with the addition of a TRD rear decklid and roof spoiler, which gave this IS a much sportier look. Tim then addressed the performance side of things with an RR Racing carbon intake to free up some ponies. Moving inside, the addition of a carbon fiber steering wheel made the overall driving experience that much more enjoyable.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Make Her Sing
Little by little, Tim kept changing things and adding both performance and visual mods. Next up was an RR Racing front grille emblem, Catback exhaust, and a custom tune that "definitely feels a lot better and sure makes her sing at 7,200 rpm!" according to the car's owner.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Waiting Is the Hardest Part
Tim then ordered wheels and headers for the IS, but was immediately informed that it was going to take weeks to receive them. So in the meantime, he worked on other goodies including super bright fog lights and seat emblems. Once the headers arrived, he wrapped them in titanium heat wrap to keep engine bay temps down a little.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Spinning Ain't Winning
The headers certainly proved to be worth the wait, at least. "My first impressions are wow, are they loud. When cold starting the car, they are super deep sounding and aggressive, then it quiets up pretty good. Performance-wise, having full bolt-ons and a tune now, the car is definitely quicker. Under full throttle acceleration from a stop, the car is spinning tires going into 2nd, which never happened before."
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Carbon Everything
At this point, the OP was still waiting on his wheels to arrive. So he got to work on some other small mods, starting with carbon trim for the interior and door pillars. And once the snow began to melt, he also installed a Seibon RF-style rear diffuser and Tom's strut tower brace.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Real Looker
The next step was installing a set of RSR half downs that really dropped this IS to the ground and eliminated some ugly wheel gap. Throw on some black pearl emblems, and the overall look of the Lexus was really coming together. But then, finally, Tim got some great news - his wheels had finally arrived!
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Power Adder
The new wheels proved to be a massive visual upgrade for this Lexus sedan, but Tim was far from finished. He soon installed a new front lip and even more carbon fiber bits before dropping the real bombshell - he was also getting a supercharger for his IS. It took a few days to install, but the power-adder was most certainly worth it.
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
Continuous Improvement
With everything dialed in and a new tune in place, this IS put down an impressive 409 hp at the wheels on pump gas, and 430 on a 30% mix of E85. Since then, Tim has been driving and enjoying his IS while also continuing to make it better. So be sure and head over here to check out this killer build in its entirety!
>>Join the conversation about this IS 350 build right here in the ClubLexus forum.
For help with do-it-yourself maintenance and modifications projects, check out our how-to section.