BLK ISF

Hey pretty good results and nice power curve. Looks like you gained everywhere, i know most times you'll gain most top end but some loose a touch mid etc From memory with my local tune i gained about 13kw but at that time i had less mods than yourself so i assume with more mods my first tune would of netted better results, similar to yours. Different dyno so hard to compare but good to see your before and after improvement, thats the main thing. I ended up sticking to the same tuner throghout my mods so my final after result is more meaningful to compare to my early days.

Reminds me when i heard the infamous ticking noise (OEM gasket on headers). Anyway good excuse to upgrade to PPE (power and sound). Only bad thing with the valley leak is fixing it wont gain you better sound or performance 😞 Atleast there are only a few known issues with our cars. Once fixed you shouldnt have any other major headaches unless you have OEM headers which might be the next thing to go.

Sorry to hear the bad news. I had a similar leak late last year but fortunately for me it was just the water pump. It seems like with all ISF's its just a matter of time before we all experience this common issue 😞

A bit different to yourself but i have stock suspension on my 08 and only the last week or so i notice at low speeds reversing on full lock (carparks like yourself), i get a knocking noise from the front. Will have to get it checked out too. Got the RR USRS fitted but that was over a year ago so nothing new with my setup that has caused this noise unless something has recently failed 😞

Yeah saw his post on FB. Impressive results. I could only imagine how much $$$ he'll need to spend to get into the 9's lol.

Congrats on the purchase mate. If i havent have owned my ISF for a few years now, i would of definitely have bought his one. Would of saved me $$$ to getting it to the level it is now. Id say happy modding but its already quite modded so enjoy the ride. Ps Get used to people asking if its a IS250, 4cyl etc (until they hear it). Like you said, most dont know of an ISF, a 5L V8 ISF. It really needed to be called a IS500 to avoid all the confusion lol

Congrats the sale is done and dusted. Must be a bit of a relief. I know when i was looking at my ISF, it took months and even after purchasing, id still look on carsales etc out of curiousity and would see some ISF's still for sale upto 9 months later. Definitely a bit of a niche market were in.

I know when i was looking around at tuning options, i dont recall finding anyone local that provided a hand held tuning option (self service). All required our car on their actual dyno to be tuned etc. I do recall reading about a few options in the states besides RR that do offer a hand held option of tuning but overwhelmingly most search results provided RR links. Good luck whatever option you choose

Strange, back in the day when i was looking CPI was very responsive, advising what mods to do prior to the tune, about their facilities etc. Even when i said ill think about it, they emailed me a week later as a follow up to see if i was still interested etc Have you emailed them vs FB sales@cpituning.com.au or info@cpituning.com.au At the time i think their tuning workshop was based in Lansvale Regardless, RR is well known so you overall results should be as expected but it would be interesting to see someone use a local tuner. Yet to hear of any ISF owner to chime in if they are on this forum to share any horror/success stories from the CPI, BTA and other local ISF tuners

https://au.lexusownersclub.com/forums/topic/14061-sydney-isf-tuners-who-can-recommend/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-55347 You'll find some other tuning comments in this thread as well

I contacted CPI back in Aug 16 when i was in the same position as you. Times have changed but back then Joe (Manager with CPI) sent me an email quote of $1979 (software calibrations, dyno time etc). A bit pricier than others at the time and i didnt know of anyone who had used them). He sent me a dyno chart of a 2012 ISF stock except K&N typhoon intake kit and on his dyno it produced 283 kw (quite high compared to the only dyno ive been on at Autowerks). Stock ISF on the CPI dyno was 247kw (quite high). There was another Sydney tuner BTA. I recall on their dyno an ISF reading was very high for stock 260kw and with an with an exhuast and tune it came in at 295kw (happy dyno). No affiliation with them, dont know anyone who has used them etc I ended up going Autowerks based on a few other forum members going there. From memory (was over 2yrs ago) i paid $1600 for the tune and recently $550 for a retune as i got a new intake and headers fitted Fortunately for me i had no dramas, tune was good, car feels good. He did leave the A/C on my final tune which ive since learned can influence the result by approx 10hp (Sikky video simulating this exact scenerio). I have always wandered myself about the RR tune as they are very knowledgeable with ISFs, no one can dispute that. Before committing to the retune with Autowerks, i was looking around but given a new tune would be well over 1k, i couldnt find anyone who could guarantee bigger gains that would i could potentially get from Autowerks so as i already had a tune with them, the retune with them for $550 made sense for me but he does specialise more in HSV's, Euro cars etc. Retune took about 2.5hrs on his dyno. As said, overall the car feels good but my gut tells me the car can produce more for the mods i have. No proof, just gut instinct but my result is consistent with other ISF's he has tuned, comparative mods etc. The gains from BTA and CPI of approx 35-40kw @ wheels from an exhuast and intake did not seem realistic to me (could be wrong though). Please keep us posted, im keen to know who you go local vs RR and what kind of before/afters you get.

Welcome.... Ps Now the real question, i wander how long you'l leave it stock haha. Im sure an exhaust is just days away lol

Not sure about being an electric window motor but i know when my mate was testing it for me, you literally could not hold it stead in your hand, the flex was that strong so knowing that it doesnt stop when you depress the button, its easy to understand how it it can unalignn itself. To be honest i doubt heat, water plays a part. Not as much now, but i was pressing it daily opening/closing as i leave early to work etc. I know mine played up when i held the button down too long. OCD in me not being sure of making sure it was always 100% open or closed vs half way. Beyond that it hasnt failed any my car is daily driven so im confident heat/water isnt an issue. I only thought about the bluetooth option as you press a preset meaning you cant over press it. Flip side is that you are using your phone more whilst driving which isnt that bright, especially now they are really coming down on that. Overpriced option though, cool as party trick but ill stick with my good ol fashion remotes for now lol

Hi mate, regarding #3. I have a Xforce with Varex mufflers. At the point of purchase it was about $400 from memory between non and varex mufflers. I assume for the extra $500 they are selling the bluetooth module that allows remote control via your phone. To keep costs down, do they offer the non bluetooth module still (this is what i have, remote control only) unless you dont mind paying for it. I have headers now and its much louder vs the Xforce alone, even with the Varex, its hard to keep it quiet but thats a different story lol. To be honest, im mixed on the varex and its because of the actual motors on the mufflers. When they work its great but ive gone through a few now (as per pics i now have backups). Xforce head office has been great in replacing them under warranty etc but last time they were busy so the fitter gave me a new one and i got the old one to actually work. The stepping motor is very strong and it can open to any increment its not a open/close position. i.e. You can open it with the remote so you need to hold it for a few seconds otherwise its not 100% open or closed. This means holding it down too long puts stress on the gear as it keeps going and eventually pops out of sync (what happened to me) so unless some kind of timer can be added or delay so you press it and it is 100% open or close, these motors will eventually go (read other similar stories too). I guess via the phone (bluetooth), you will bypass this issue. For this reason, i dont open/close it as often as i did as i know one day it probably will stop working again. Ive had my Xforce for about 2.5 yrs now and its happened twice. Now that i know the issue (wasnt sure why it was failing before and the installer didnt know either), perhaps it will last longer this time as im cautious of pressing the buttons for too long

I believe the intake is more for top end and helps with supporting mods such as headers. Its a clever design though utilising half of the stock airbox. I ran a HPS intake hose before fitting a Takeda intake like above but i opted for all black with no stickers so it looks very OEM Anyway not sure about stock or with exhaust only but with my headers i hardly hear it, perhaps on start up but on WOT, the PPE's take over everything. Im sure there is a Youtube clip of a stockish ISF driving around with one once fitted and its definitely noticeable from a sound perspective. Overall its a good design/unit though for an aftermarket intake

Congrats on the sale. Curious, did you end up selling it with the headers on?

Havent done it yet. Mine is still as per 1st pic. Just sharing the info in case others are in the same situation so more curiuos if anyone else has the issue. Will be replacing mine though as i can see a crack on top, cable tie etc but not sure how much its damaged underneath and dont want to remove it to see given a few have said it will probably crack more removing it so wont even attempt it until i have the replacement in hand

Hi all, When i purchased my ISF, i noticed when i removed the engine cover there was a slight crack with my wiring harness protector. It also had a cable tie. It was out of sight out of mind kind of thing for me at the time so i left it for the time being. Anyway recently fitted a Takeda intake so had to remove the cover, noticed it again and whilst it had not got worse, it annoyed me so googled for a replacement part. I thought i was an isolated incident but this has happened to many in the US, generally by the dealers there as it had to be removed for a fuel pressure sensor recall. From what ive read this piece of plastic becomes very brittle with heat and age so its common for it to break or crack upon removing it. I just wanted to see if anyone else has this issue? Well if so, i called Lexus parts and service and was advised there is no part available in the country and it would take approx a few weeks for it to arrive from Japan if ordered. The details are: Cost = $142.65 Part # 82817-30L40 (U shape design) Heres mine: Heres a few others from the US: Picture of the wiring and why its important to ensure its covered in the harness protector What the replacement part looks like

Great outcome with some TLC

Congrats on the sale, hope you settled on a reasonable offer. So it took almost 1 year to sell, damn. Not that im looking to sell my ISF but i know when the time comes its a niche market. I remember when i was looking for mine for about 5 months and after purchasing, id still look out of curiosity and months later still see the same ISF's for sale :-( If people only knew what a great car they are, even the older ones

I got my ISF tuned by Autowerks. I found him through this forum as there are not many who can tune an ISF so assume the 350 would be in a similar position due to the ECU. I only know of CPI, BTA, Autowerks who can tune an ISF. I think there is another but cant recall their name right now. There is also RR racing in the US. They send over a email tune and you upload it yourself. Several have praised their tune as well as they are big in the US for 350's as well. Think they have even launched the supercharger kit for the 350 as well, they already have for the ISF, RCF and GSF. Dont know of anyone here in Oz who have committed that far yet. Ive got the bolt ons so not much more i can do to it so was looking around before i committ to a final tune. A retune for me is about $500ish as they tuned it the first time, i think if i went CPI, they charge me alot as it will be my first tune with them.

Ive seen those lights too from the US forums, they look great. From the videos ive seen, when the lights are on, brakes and indicators illuminated etc, its clearly visible whereas some paint / tint / wrap their tailights making it harder to see. I suspect this is where the legality issue would be of a concern. Dont quote me on that though lol, just an opinion. Not sure for certain if police would harass you over these.

Regarding any other Sydney tuners, not sure if anyone on this forum has had experience with BTA. Came across a post of theirs about an ISF they tuned a long time ago. I know each dyno reads different, some more happy than others but they posted that a stock ISF on their dyno was 260kw which was much higher than the dyno mines been on. I think its closer to about 220-230 at Autowerks for a stock one based on my very first run there and the basic mods i had. Anyway they installed a "BTA spec exhuast" and a custom tune to achieve 295kw. The 2 things that came to mind was 35 from a tune and exhaust seemed quite alot (i could be wrong and depends on how modified their spec exhaust is) and what kind of numbers would a full bolt on FBO ISF run. 320? Ok end result not a big deal but the before and after still was alot. Anyway asked the question if they tuned any with headers and they just replied "headers give another 8-10kw". I would of thought more than that??? Just exploring options of alternative tuners out there.....

How did you find them overall? Im considering them for a tune on my ISF. I have already had a tune and got some mods done by another Sydney workshop but just exploring whats out there and there arent many tuners for the ISF so assume the 350 would be in a similar position. I have considerred RR as well (it will be an OTS tune but they do know there stuff when it comes to Lexus cars like ours) For just an intake it looks like some good gains but curious why the loss of torque? Ps So where they able to change your rev limiter?

Hi all, Just curious if anyone has heard about RR releasing these or if anyone has taken the plunge in ordering them? http://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-Engine-Mounts-for-Lexus-ISF-RCF-GSF-p/isfengmt01.htm As the sub-frame needs to be dropped for an easy install, its ideal to fit them during a header install (wish they had these late last year when i got mine fitted), ah well. According to RR, most of the headers they fit to the early ISF's, well the majority had shot engine mounts so just curious if anyone else has had issues or know if they have worn engine mounts.