Making a Lexus IS 250 Lower, Louder, and Faster

The Underrated IS

Everybody loves the Lexus IS. That is, the IS 350 and IS F. The IS 250, on the other hand, well, not so much. Heck, some disliked it (and the IS200t) so much Lexus recently ditched its long-time displacement-based naming scheme. But this is great news for Lexus fans who covet IS styling on a budget. And as Club Lexus member Aspect demonstrates in his build thread, the IS 250 is a fantastic candidate for mods, too. 

Humble Beginnings

The OP picked up his ride completely stock nearly three years ago. It did, however, come with a set of Enkei RSF5 18x8 wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport 225/40/18 tires, along with the stock wheels and tires.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Mod Away

Right off the bat, the OP upgraded the brakes with Hawk HPS pads, Centric Premium pads, and Centric Premium E-Coated rotors. The headlights were in pretty rough shape from years of weather, so he also replaced them with a set of smoked DT Moto pieces.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Lower and Louder

Merely a couple of months later, the OP ordered up a Tanabe Medallion Touring exhaust system to free up some ponies and some extra sound. That arrived at the same time as a set of BC Racing coilovers, which helped lower the car 1.5-inches up front and 0.5 in the rear.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Looks and Sound

At this point, the IS 250 was already looking and sounding 1000 times better. But the OP forged ahead with his build, installing an F-Sport intake. He coupled that with an F Sport front grille to enhance the looks even further.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Winter is Coming

Next up was a carbon fiber IS F spoiler, which gave the IS 250 a nice subtle visual upgrade. But with winter upon him, the OP decided to address a couple of other areas. That included the typical carbon build-up, which he countered with a Mishimoto baffled 2 port oil catch can.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Insatiable Urge

To make his IS handle a little flatter, the OP installed a set of F Sport swaybars at both ends. He then proceeded to drive and enjoy the car for a while before the insatiable urge to tinker kicked in again. Next thing you know, he has some new LEDs for the headlights and a Lexus IS F steering ECU in hand.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

The Little Stuff

He followed those mods with a host of little stuff. Red-out taillights, Project Mu lug nuts, and F Sport license plate frames are subtle but effective upgrades. He followed that with fresh spark plugs and a nice-looking replica front lip.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Win-Win

The IS soon developed a nasty clunking noise when driving over bumps. Thus, a new set of ball joints, links, and bushings were installed. As a bonus, all of that good stuff also shored up the handling and ride quality, too.

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

Lots of Potential

Since then, the OP has been driving and enjoying his ride while making little changes to it as he goes. And in the process, he's once again proven that the IS 250 is an underrated car that has a lot of great upgrade potential!

>>Join the conversation about this forum member's IS 250 right here in ClubLexus.com.

For help with your maintenance and repair projects, please visit our How-to section in the forum.