Suitable F-Sport Springs For Is250?

[emikelee]

Hi All,

I recently purchased some F-Sport Parts (F-Sport Intake, Exhaust and Lowering Springs) for my 2007 IS250 Sports Luxury from Lexus of North Miami in the USA.

All the other parts were fine however, I have concerns regarding the lowering springs that they have supplied me (Part Number PTR07-30090), as I just don't believe they are the right ones for my vehicle. The sales assistance at Lexus of North Miami had advised that the F-Sport Lower Springs they had supplied me is suitable for all IS and GS Models (even though the instructions indicate that it is for GS350 RWD only). I have searched through several other US Lexus Dealer Sites (http://sewellparts.com) and the web and all list F-sport Springs Part Number PTR07-30090 suitable for GS 350 RWD model only and NOT IS models. I believe the appropriate part should be PTR08-53090 or PTR08-53080.

Lexus of North Miami have advised me that they have spoken to the Lexus F-Sport Division in Japan and that the part number they provided me for the F-Sport Lower Springs PTR07-3009 is the only one manufactured by the Lexus F-Sport Division now which is now suitable for all IS and GS Models and that it replaces part number PTR08-53090 or PTR08-53080 (which were the part number for the previous Springs for the IS models). The sales assistant has also advised that he has sold several F-Sport spring sets to Australian Buyers and they have successfully installed these springs on their IS250 with no issues at all. I'm currently trying to confirm the information that Lexus of North Miami has provided me with the Lexus USA Headquarters to see if this is correct.

Has anyone here in Australia purchased and installed F-Sport Springs (Part Number PTR07-30090) on their IS250's? If so, was there any modification required and have you had any issues with the Spring set???

Thanks again and if anyone has any experience with this or if you could shed some light on the subject this would be very much appreciated!

Cheers

Mike

[Terrrrry]

I'm pretty sure the springs are different - if memory serves correctly, the F-Sports for the GS drop the car 25mm in both the front and rear, whilst the F-Sports for the IS drop 25mm in the front and 19mm in the rear. Whether they'd fit...I dunno - you're probably better off asking the CL guys, quite a few have the F-Sport springs installed and could probably give you some more feedback.

If I were you, I'd just send them back...the drop is subtle and the springs themselves are overpriced. I love F-Sport too (got the exhaust and intake :D), but if you are gonna go with springs over coilovers, you're better off with Tein S-Techs or H%R's.

Hope you get the issue resolved soon!

[emikelee]

Thanks for the advice Terry! Yes agree and I think the Springs are different too. I will be arranging to send them back to Lexus of North Miami for a full refund. I've been trying to get clarification from Lexus Headquarters in the USA however they have advised that they cannot assist as I am an Australian Customer and that F-sport parts have only been approved for US vehicles. I'd been looking at a Lexus Forum in the USA and they have a few people looking to sell used F-sport Shock/Spring Sets for reasonable prices so I may try to see if I can pick up something there.

That's great that you have the F-Sport Exhaust and Intake too. How do you find it since upgrading? I'm looking to get these installed on my car soon. Did you go to the dealer or do it yourself? Also did you upgrade to lowering springs also?

I'm pretty sure the springs are different - if memory serves correctly, the F-Sports for the GS drop the car 25mm in both the front and rear, whilst the F-Sports for the IS drop 25mm in the front and 19mm in the rear. Whether they'd fit...I dunno - you're probably better off asking the CL guys, quite a few have the F-Sport springs installed and could probably give you some more feedback.

If I were you, I'd just send them back...the drop is subtle and the springs themselves are overpriced. I love F-Sport too (got the exhaust and intake :D), but if you are gonna go with springs over coilovers, you're better off with Tein S-Techs or H%R's.

Hope you get the issue resolved soon!

[ilv1004s]

FYi

you can get a set of Teins or Tanabe for just under 400 mark shipped

[Terrrrry]

Yeah, definitely look around the CL vendors and buy/sell or ebay to see if you can get a good price.

The F-Sport exhaust is loud though, but I've gotten used to it since upgrading and the intake gives a nice aggressive growl once you hit over 3500 rpm. Don't regret my purchases a single bit :D

For installation, I got the exhaust done at a mate's shop and another friend and I did the intake ourselves; I would try and avoid getting them done at the dealership - they tend to be a bit on the expensive side.

[emikelee]

That's awesome Terry! I can't wait to get the new parts on my car soon=)

You mentioned that the F-Sport Exhaust is loud - do you know how this compares with the sound of the IS-F? Whether or not it is similar? Also what's the noise level like in the cabin when you are driving and trying to listen to CD's etc?

I've just watched a few youtube clips which reviewed the F-Sport Exhaust and a few have said it was too loud and that they wouldn't recommend buying it (which I rejected of course haha).

Yes the dealerships are very expensive for service (about $145 per hour in labour costs), so I may look at installing the intake myself and possibly getting a few quotes from muffler places to get the exhaust installed.

Yeah, definitely look around the CL vendors and buy/sell or ebay to see if you can get a good price.

The F-Sport exhaust is loud though, but I've gotten used to it since upgrading and the intake gives a nice aggressive growl once you hit over 3500 rpm. Don't regret my purchases a single bit :D

For installation, I got the exhaust done at a mate's shop and another friend and I did the intake ourselves; I would try and avoid getting them done at the dealership - they tend to be a bit on the expensive side.

[emikelee]

Thanks for the information ilv1004s.

Yes I've been looking very closely on ebay and some of the other sites for lowering springs. Have you lowered your Lexus?

If so what brand springs did you use and how do you find the ride quality? Wondering also on the wear and tear on the tyre too? I've read in some US Lexus Forums that people who have used aftermarket or even F-Sport lower springs were only getting about 20-25,000km's on their set of tyres before having to replace them (as they were wearing out completely on the inside of the tyres).

This is crazy as I have about 35,000km's on the odometre of my IS250 at the moment with 19" ISF Rims with Low profile Bridge Stone tyres and the tread is still absolutely fine. I have been advised by Bridgestone that the tyres to replace range in cost from $700-800 dollars each installed. So it would be a very costly exercise if I had to replace a set of tyres every 20-25,000km's.

Has anyone experienced this from lowering their IS250?

FYi

you can get a set of Teins or Tanabe for just under 400 mark shipped

[Terrrrry]

I couldn't tell you how it compares to the ISF, but its loud but not obnoxious, if that helps at all. Drone is minimal, doesn't bother me at all - with music and the windows up, you won't hear anything except the occasional growl with spirited driving - not a bad thing IMO :D

Can't help you with the tyre/lowering spring question though, hopefully someone else can chime in.

[emikelee]

Hey Terry!

My car is in the Lexus Dealership today and is getting the F-Sport Exhaust and Intake fitted as we speak! I'm pretty excited to see what the results will be. The price wasn't too bad at all, i was quoted $189.75 for the entire installation which also included a loan car (the new RX350), a wash/vacuum of my vehicle and also a new replacement battery for my Key FOB. So overall it wasn't as expensive as I first thought!

Hey just curious but what did you do with your stock OEM Intake and Exhaust system for your IS250? Did you end up keeping it or did you sell it? If you sold, where did you sell it and for how much? I'm just trying to work out what a fair price for the used parts would be - I did get quotes from the dealer for new parts and the prices were crazily expensive. I suppose these used parts would suit someone looking to source OEM parts to rebuild a IS250 which has been involved in a crash.

Also I'm currently negotiating a near new second hand preassembled OEM F-Sport Shock/Spring Set which I found to replace the GS Springs which were supplied to me incorrectly. The parts were a good price however the cost of shipping to Australia is an absolute killer and soo bloody expensive (due to the dimensions and the heavy weight of the parts themselves)!!

I couldn't tell you how it compares to the ISF, but its loud but not obnoxious, if that helps at all. Drone is minimal, doesn't bother me at all - with music and the windows up, you won't hear anything except the occasional growl with spirited driving - not a bad thing IMO :D

Can't help you with the tyre/lowering spring question though, hopefully someone else can chime in.

[Terrrrry]

Hey Mike!

Great to hear that you've got the exhaust and intake fitted...how are you finding it?

My OEM stuff is just sitting in my garage - its not taking up too much space and I can easily swap them back onto the car if I need to. If you do plan on selling them, your best bet would probably be ebay on maybe the buy/sell section of the forum.

[emikelee]

Hey Terry,

I'm loving the new sound of my IS now with the F-Sport Intake and Exhaust - it was abit overwhelming at first when I picked up the car after the dealership had finished installing the parts, as I just wasn't used to just how loud the car became but I'm totally used to it now and absolutely love it! Even the rumble once you start up the car now is music to my ears!! My wife however still needs more convincing..but I'm slowly trying to change her mind! haha

I know exactly what you mean, when you say that the parts are suppose to make the car more fuel efficient, but I'm noticing now that I'm drawn to putting my foot down on the accelerator alot more now (for the spirited driving experience) and thus am probably using alot more fuel that what I would have initially!

I'm now starting to check out alot of the other F-Sport Parts including the brake upgrade and also the lowering springs and shock set. Have you upgraded anything else on your IS250? The Aussie Dollar is climbing back up to about the .92 US cent mark again and Lexus in the USA are doing a up to $300 dollar rebate now for all F-Sport parts so it might be a good opportunity to negotiate a good deal.

Thanks for the tips of places to sell the OEM Stock parts too.

Mike

Hey Mike!

Great to hear that you've got the exhaust and intake fitted...how are you finding it?

My OEM stuff is just sitting in my garage - its not taking up too much space and I can easily swap them back onto the car if I need to. If you do plan on selling them, your best bet would probably be ebay on maybe the buy/sell section of the forum.

[D1 Pete]

Thanks for the information ilv1004s.

Yes I've been looking very closely on ebay and some of the other sites for lowering springs. Have you lowered your Lexus?

If so what brand springs did you use and how do you find the ride quality? Wondering also on the wear and tear on the tyre too? I've read in some US Lexus Forums that people who have used aftermarket or even F-Sport lower springs were only getting about 20-25,000km's on their set of tyres before having to replace them (as they were wearing out completely on the inside of the tyres).

This is crazy as I have about 35,000km's on the odometre of my IS250 at the moment with 19" ISF Rims with Low profile Bridge Stone tyres and the tread is still absolutely fine. I have been advised by Bridgestone that the tyres to replace range in cost from $700-800 dollars each installed. So it would be a very costly exercise if I had to replace a set of tyres every 20-25,000km's.

Has anyone experienced this from lowering their IS250?

FYi

you can get a set of Teins or Tanabe for just under 400 mark shipped

If your get 20,000+ k's outta 19s your doing pretty dam well mate. It all depends on your wear alignment/ camber etc. My tires scrub hardcore on mine, running hardcore offset and having it low is the reason. ive lost all the writing off both sides of my rear tyres. so i dont spend up on expensive tires and im not sacrificing my cars look by raising it up. my opinion coilovers is the way to go. i highly recommend JIC's over any others. they are one of the best brands in japan, they may be expensive but u pay for quality.

[Terrrrry]

Mike,

Good to hear that you're enjoying the exhaust/intake - tried gunning it a tunnel or undercover parking lot (empty of course) yet? Makes an already great sound that much better! And yes, I'm sure alot of forum members will agree with me here - installing an exhuast/intake does increase fuel consumption :D

For other F-Sport parts, no the exhaust/intake is all I have - however I am considering getting the sways in the future.

Suspension wise, it really depends on what you're after.

For the springs/shocks even with the rebate (where you need to purchase at least $US2000 worth of F-Sport stuff before the $300 off kicks in, otherwise its only $100 or $200 depending on how much you spend) you're still looking at around $600-$800 with the CL discount. If you're gonna spend that much, I agree with D1Pete and maybe spend that little bit extra for some coilovers? They offer more freedom as you can adjust the ride height and spring rate. ilv1004s got his coils for under a grand (if i recall correctly) and his car looks great and the ride is smooth.

If you're set on getting springs though, Teins, H&R's and Tanabe (off the top of my head) all give a more aggresive drop and are cheaper than the F-Sport (F-Sport does have warranty though)

The F-Sport brake kit is just a rebadged Brembo brake kit, but brake kits are always gonna take a chunk out of your wallet :D

Hope this has been helpful!

Hey Terry,

I'm loving the new sound of my IS now with the F-Sport Intake and Exhaust - it was abit overwhelming at first when I picked up the car after the dealership had finished installing the parts, as I just wasn't used to just how loud the car became but I'm totally used to it now and absolutely love it! Even the rumble once you start up the car now is music to my ears!! My wife however still needs more convincing..but I'm slowly trying to change her mind! haha

I know exactly what you mean, when you say that the parts are suppose to make the car more fuel efficient, but I'm noticing now that I'm drawn to putting my foot down on the accelerator alot more now (for the spirited driving experience) and thus am probably using alot more fuel that what I would have initially!

I'm now starting to check out alot of the other F-Sport Parts including the brake upgrade and also the lowering springs and shock set. Have you upgraded anything else on your IS250? The Aussie Dollar is climbing back up to about the .92 US cent mark again and Lexus in the USA are doing a up to $300 dollar rebate now for all F-Sport parts so it might be a good opportunity to negotiate a good deal.

Thanks for the tips of places to sell the OEM Stock parts too.

Mike

Hey Mike!

Great to hear that you've got the exhaust and intake fitted...how are you finding it?

My OEM stuff is just sitting in my garage - its not taking up too much space and I can easily swap them back onto the car if I need to. If you do plan on selling them, your best bet would probably be ebay on maybe the buy/sell section of the forum.

[OzBoy]

Hey would one of you like to record your exhaust note and post it??? Lot's of pictures but no sound....that would be cool. So who will be FIRST?!

[Terrrrry]

Just youtube it, there's heaps of videos - it sounds a lot better in person tho :D

[ilv1004s]

hey a thread is coming up real quick on that 1

stay tuned

[emikelee]

Hey would one of you like to record your exhaust note and post it??? Lot's of pictures but no sound....that would be cool. So who will be FIRST?!

Hey Ozboy,

Here is the best youtube clip to give you an idea of what the F-Sport Exhaust System upgrade sounds vs. the Stock OEM Exhaust.

Check it out and let us know what you think. As Terrry has said, the video doesn't do justice to the real sound of the F-Sport Exhaust as it not only sounds better in person but it also looks absolutely amazing with the machined and engraved stainless steel housing and tips. Certainly very high quality parts.

Cheers,

Mike

[emikelee]

Hey Terry,

Thanks for the input mate! Yes I have already tried gunning it in an undercover parking lot (infact a few times already afterhours at work LOL). My wife has said I'm officially a HOON now haha!

Yeah the F-sport Spring/Shock set is still too expensive (even with the current Lexus F-Sport Rebate. I've been looking into it through Sewell Parts but the shipping and handling just absolutely kills the price and makes it unfeasible (as they seem to charge an absolute premium). If these dealerships charged a more sensible price on shipping I bet they would make alot more sales. Where did you buy your F-sport parts intially and did they charge a reasonable price for shipping? Wish local dealers stocked F-Sport Accessories.

I had also been negoiating a used F-sport shock/spring set I dound on CL but again the shipping was way too much due to the weight of the items. They wanted over $570 USD for shipping to Australia through UPS. Unfortunately due to the heavy weight, they couldn't send it through the US postal service so Couriers were the only option. This plus the price of the parts and including dealer installation - I was looking at over $2000 AUD for the entire upgrade which just doesn't seem worth while especially for only a 1" drop in front and a 1/2 inch drop in back. Coilovers would have been a great option however I wanted to keep everything OEM Lexus parts to ensure I had no potential issues with my new car warranty.

The F-sport SWAY upgrade you are thinking about should be awesome and I have read that it greatly improves the performance of the vehicle. But again they are a very heavy product and may cost you an arm and a leg for shipping. Just be aware though that I have read in CL from a few other international buyers that the american sways may not fit other IS250 models internationally. I think there was a guy with a european IS250 in singapore that the sway set did not fit (due to the different configeration of the vehicle).

Also with the Brake Set Upgrade - for the time being I'm just going to paint the capliers glossy black and put silver lexus decals on the existing stock OEM brake set and see how I go.

I've recently just put on F badges all over the car (similar to the ISF) and also one on my custom Carbon Fibre Engine Cover which looks pretty awesome. It's definitely slowing coming together.

The next project maybe the addition of some LED Daytime Riding Lights similar to the Audi's. Buying the LED's are easy but making them look like OEM factory will be the difficult part.

Cheers,

Mike

Mike,

Good to hear that you're enjoying the exhaust/intake - tried gunning it a tunnel or undercover parking lot (empty of course) yet? Makes an already great sound that much better! And yes, I'm sure alot of forum members will agree with me here - installing an exhuast/intake does increase fuel consumption :D

For other F-Sport parts, no the exhaust/intake is all I have - however I am considering getting the sways in the future.

Suspension wise, it really depends on what you're after.

For the springs/shocks even with the rebate (where you need to purchase at least $US2000 worth of F-Sport stuff before the $300 off kicks in, otherwise its only $100 or $200 depending on how much you spend) you're still looking at around $600-$800 with the CL discount. If you're gonna spend that much, I agree with D1Pete and maybe spend that little bit extra for some coilovers? They offer more freedom as you can adjust the ride height and spring rate. ilv1004s got his coils for under a grand (if i recall correctly) and his car looks great and the ride is smooth.

If you're set on getting springs though, Teins, H&R's and Tanabe (off the top of my head) all give a more aggresive drop and are cheaper than the F-Sport (F-Sport does have warranty though)

The F-Sport brake kit is just a rebadged Brembo brake kit, but brake kits are always gonna take a chunk out of your wallet :D

Hope this has been helpful!

Hey Terry,

I'm loving the new sound of my IS now with the F-Sport Intake and Exhaust - it was abit overwhelming at first when I picked up the car after the dealership had finished installing the parts, as I just wasn't used to just how loud the car became but I'm totally used to it now and absolutely love it! Even the rumble once you start up the car now is music to my ears!! My wife however still needs more convincing..but I'm slowly trying to change her mind! haha

I know exactly what you mean, when you say that the parts are suppose to make the car more fuel efficient, but I'm noticing now that I'm drawn to putting my foot down on the accelerator alot more now (for the spirited driving experience) and thus am probably using alot more fuel that what I would have initially!

I'm now starting to check out alot of the other F-Sport Parts including the brake upgrade and also the lowering springs and shock set. Have you upgraded anything else on your IS250? The Aussie Dollar is climbing back up to about the .92 US cent mark again and Lexus in the USA are doing a up to $300 dollar rebate now for all F-Sport parts so it might be a good opportunity to negotiate a good deal.

Thanks for the tips of places to sell the OEM Stock parts too.

Mike

Hey Mike!

Great to hear that you've got the exhaust and intake fitted...how are you finding it?

My OEM stuff is just sitting in my garage - its not taking up too much space and I can easily swap them back onto the car if I need to. If you do plan on selling them, your best bet would probably be ebay on maybe the buy/sell section of the forum.

[Terrrrry]

$2000? That's crazy.

Was looking around CL and found this:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/443831-f-sport-sway-bar-problem.html

Seems the problem with the overseas cars is that they have a larger boot because of a full tyre spare. Is that the same with our cars? Can't check mine atm.

If you want an OEM look with the LEDs maybe get 2011 IS headlights?

[ilv1004s]

$2000 sigh,,

just get coilovers

[emikelee]

Yeah the 2011 Lexus LED Headlights look awesome! Sewell parts are going to be selling them for around $1700 USD plus shipping, so they definitely won't be cheap.

Downside though is that apparently the new LED highlights will not be adaptive front lighting system (AFS) which swivel as in my Sports Luxury Version here so unfortunately it wouldn't be feasible for me to upgrade - as I would be paying more money for a lesser spec item.

Those LED lights that you put up from Japan are absolutely awesome though! I may try to investigate the cost to get these into Australia.

Will let you know how I go!

$2000? That's crazy.

Was looking around CL and found this:

http://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/443831-f-sport-sway-bar-problem.html

Seems the problem with the overseas cars is that they have a larger boot because of a full tyre spare. Is that the same with our cars? Can't check mine atm.

If you want an OEM look with the LEDs maybe get 2011 IS headlights?

[emikelee]

Yes $2000 is pretty expensive.

What brand coilovers did you get for your IS250? Tein?? Where did you buy them and do you mind me asking how much you paid for them?

How's the quality of the ride and do you notice an improvement in handling?

$2000 sigh,,

just get coilovers

[ilv1004s]

BC BR serise

best bang for buck

tad firmer than stock on middle setting

i converted alot of the boys @ the last meet up

they drove it and loved it and bought it

i payed 1300 delivered

[LEXUS4LIFE]

They sold me those same springs a few week back and was told the same thing. I install them on my wife IS and never had an issue. It rides great and she cant stop thanking me for the upgrade. I had a friend that new someone in the Fsport division and told the GS and the IS are all the same.