_ISF

If you look at the cost of other IS-F exhaust options on the market, the Xforce will be even more desirable. It is very affordable in comparison. As for noise/sound, we are all different so while many will love the sound, for me it was too loud for everyday (also i have a young child) which is why i started looking at options to quieten it down. I wish i had just bought the varex option to begin with as it would have saved me a tonne of cash. The ability to adjust the sound is great, i run the valves at 50% open for everyday driving which just takes the edge off the boomy sound but still has a nice tone to it (certainly still louder than stock). If i want to go for a spin on my own, i can open the valves up to 100% for max noise. And when i have my daughter in the car or am on the freeway etc i can make it quiet. The bluetooth "Smartbox" is definitely a nice option and i would recommend it. Varex version: https://www.sparesbox.com.au/part/xforce-cat-back-exhaust-stainless-steel-w-varex-fits-lexus-isf-2007-es-lisf-vmk-cbs Non Varex version: https://www.sparesbox.com.au/part/xforce-cat-back-exhaust-stainless-steel-fits-lexus-isf-2007-es-lisf-cbs

For rotors either buy the OEM Brembo's from ebay USA (much cheaper than sourcing locally) or buy aftermarket DBA rotors from Brakes Direct: https://brakesdirect.com.au/aus/catalogsearch/result/?q=vehicle&make=Lexus&model=IS&generation=XE20%2B%282005-2013%29&submodel=IS%2BF I run the street x version (the gold ones, although i painted mine black) which are both slotted and cross drilled. I have had them on the car now for about 2 years and 10,000km and they are great.

The (japanese made) Project MU NS400 are supposed to be the lowest dust and are very well regarded worldside. I am thinking of buying some and this is the best price i have found: http://www.project-mu.com.au/en/products/pad_ns.php Otherwise the Winmax W1 are a good option (Japanese made). I have a set of front Winmax pads that were on my car for honestly about 2 months if you want them cheap. $80 and they are yours. I removed them and replaced with Bremtec Euroline pads because of a squeal (which turned out to be my rear pads,...not the fronts as i had thought). The Bremtecs are good, a bit cheaper but more dusty hence why i am considering getting the Project Mu's. I was going to just keep the Winmax pads as spares but if you are interested then snap them up, they would be lucky to have done 1000-1200km's.

Plenty of 1JZ and 2JZ swaps into the older IS200 or IS300 chassis, but that swap is relatively easy because the IS300 comes with a non turbo 2JZ from factory. Im not sure if the inline 6 setup will fit in the nose of the IS250/IS350 given it was designed primarily for a V6. Even the 2URGSE is a very tight fit length wise in there. I doubt the inline 6 would fit to be honest. Sounds like you might need to do either: 1) Swap to an IS350 engine/driveline package. Speak to Lexmania in Sydney about this as they have done some of these conversions. This takes you up to 230kw. 2) Supercharge the IS250 engine. RR Racing in USA have recently released a supercharger kit for the IS250.

Im not sure if anyone can answer this question with 100% certainty because i am not aware of anyone putting the 2URGSE into an IS250, but it is the same chassis so in theory it should fit ok. But it would be a headache sourcing all of the ECU's, sensors, dash cluster, etc etc. Have you tried trading your car in at a dealership on an IS-F?

Hi Niro, Anything is possibly with great sums of money and time. But given you can buy a genuine IS-F that's both newer and has less km's than your current car for around $40-45k (and sell your car for $15k) i say why would you bother with what will be no doubt a very expensive and time consuming conversion on your current car. If you buy a genuine IS-F then you get the engine, gearbox, brakes, bodywork etc etc that was designed around it.

I use the Varex app on my iPhone 6 so i can only offer feedback on the iOS platform. No issues what so ever so far. I dont even carry the backup remote in the car i have that much trust in the app.

If you think you might want to buy the smart box, keep an eye on Sparesbox website as several times a year they will do sales on all xforce products. I got my smart box recently and paid $400 when it was on special (i also got my 2x varex mufflers on special). https://www.sparesbox.com.au/part/xforce-varex-smartbox-varex-control-unit-vksb01

I just replied to your PM. Just a note regarding the standard varex remotes vs the smartbox. WIth the remotes, i could only have the valves fully open or fully closed - there was nothing in between no matter how briefly you pressed the button. Fully closed is very quiet and restrictive and i would use this option very rarely. Full open is quite loud and i will use this every so often if i want to go for a nice drive on my own etc. With the smartbox, i adjusted the preset valve positions to be CLOSED / 15% OPEN / 30% OPEN / 50% OPEN / 70% OPEN / 100% OPEN. I tend to use the 50% Open option for normal daily driving, but have used the 15% and 30% Open on the freeway a few weeks ago and it was much more enjoyable to drive the car on the freeway for several hours with a quiet exhaust.

No rattling in mine (not yet anyway) regardless of whether the valves open or closed or anywhere in between. I have only closed them completely a few times, i mostly leave the valves at 50% open which is a good mix of some noise but not too much for everyday driving.

Apparently its around 8hrs work, but if the shop has experience doing them then it might be a bit quicker. Still wont be a cheap install though.

I must agree with LTuned above. Even if Lexus Chatswood cost a few hundred more than somewhere else, i would be taking my car to them purely because they have the experience of installing headers on IS-F's previously. I was interested in doing the headers myself, but decided that unless i could find some 2nd hand (which isnt easy, especially in Australia) it just wasnt worth the cost (to me).

Thanks for the comments and feedback - i am getting 2x Falken Azenis FK510's in 245/35/19 fitted to the front of my car today. Cost was $256 each from Bob Jane (best price locally i could find).

It's been about 4 weeks now and i have filled up several times with the E85 blend with the most recent fill using 15L of Caltex E85 and the rest BP Ultimate 98 octane (which would mean somewhere around a E25 mix, which is still shy of what the yanks are using but im slowly working my way there and making sure the engine is happy along the way). Fuel consumption is noticeably worse. After filling up about 10 days ago with the E25 mix, i have driven 230km's and the vast majority of that has been sedate driving (given that its been double demerit points over the past few weeks). I only have 3 bars of fuel left whereas normally i would have 4 or 5 bars left. And yes the engine feels more responsive and a bit more eager, but im not sure if i will continue down this road for a car that does not go to the dragstrip or track. Given that its a small inconvenience to have to visit 2x fuel stations each time, not knowing exactly what the fuel/ethanol mix is because you always have some fuel left in the tank when you fill up, and a car that is already pretty woeful on fuel (and a small fuel tank) is now even worse on fuel for the couple of times a week i will put my foot down and give it some. I will fill up again sometime this week, and i think this will be the decider. I might do 18-20L of E85 this time for the full E30 blend effect.

**SOLD** I have 2 (a pair) of custom made stainless steel rear mufflers to suit an IS-F with xforce catback exhaust, although they could be adapted to suit the stock catback or other aftermarket catback. These mufflers have a 2.5 inch inlet and outlet which is the same size as the xforce system. These will bolt straight on your car if you have an xforce catback on your IS-F. The mufflers are in as new condition, no damage and minimal wear and tear. Were only on the car for around 8 months max and around 4,000km. I sourced these through Premier Exhaust in Newcastle last year and they cost $900. Happy to provide receipt to buyer. These make the exhaust about 15-20% quieter than the standard xforce rear mufflers (they are larger, chambered internally and have stainless packing). These also mount flat under the car as opposed to the xforce mufflers which sit on an angle. Selling as for my liking they were still too loud and i regularly take my elderly parents and my young child in the car, so i have just moved to an adjustable valved muffler setup Located in Newcastle but could post at buyers expense $300 for both. 042two 2four7 83one

Im not going cheap - don't get me wrong. Im certainly not going to put on Chinese or other sub-standard tyres on my car. My point is that both of these tyres have rated very well in multiple tyre tests, and if they will perform 90% as well as the P-zero's/Pilot Sports etc for $100-150 less per tyre, then it has my interest. I don't track my car, and only do about 5,000km per year, so i really find it hard to justify paying $400 per tyre for a street driven car. On the F-car meet up in Sydney a few weeks ago, Daniel who organised the meet had these same Falken's on his car - i meant to speak to him about them and get his opinion, but didn't get an opportunity. I could also argue that Falken are Japanese, so they suit the car more than a German tyre 🙂 https://www.whichcar.com.au/features/2018-wheels-tyre-test-winner http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2019-Auto-Bild-Summer-Tyre-Test.htm

I dare say if our AUD was better there would be a few of these RR Racing s/c kits getting around Australia by now. For what is already an expensive kit, the poor AUD conversion rate isn't helping the situation. Kudos for sticking this one-off turbo kit out and dealing with the delays, but this has taken far too long for 99% of people to bother with. I hardly drive my car and i know that any more than 4-6 weeks i would be well and truly pissed off.

So im pretty much due for new front tyres (rears still have another 5,000km or so in them) and will need to replace them within the next month or two. Going to go with 245/35/19 on the front as many others have done with the IS-F....and why not when they fit and they are actually cheaper than the stock 225/40/19 as they are a more popular/sought after size. When the rears are due i will replace with 275/30/19. I have been doing some reading up on tyre tests/reviews recently and the following 2x tyres have rated very well and are a good $100 or so cheaper each than Pirelli PZero/Michelin Pilot Sport/Continental Contisport6 which are considered the top 3 options. Falken Azenis FK510 ($256 each for 245/35/19 and $349 each for 275/30/19) Hankook Ventus S1 Evo2 ($255 each for 245/35/19 and $325 each for 275/30/19) Both the Hankook and the Falken are basically identical price wise. Are any of you guys running either of these tyres? Feedback? I'll admit that im leaning more towards the Falken's as they are a newer tyre (released in 2017 whereas the Hankook's have been out since around 2011). I have also used Falken's previously (years ago on my old 200sx) with no issues.

So im reviving this old thread. I found a Caltex about 5km away from my house that has what they call Biofuel which it states (on the bowser) contains between 70-85% Ethanol. About 2 weeks ago i decided to put 10L of Caltex Biofuel in my car before filling the rest of the tank with BP Ultimate 98 which is what i normally use. Given the tank is roughly 64L, this would roughly equate to a 15% blend mix. Note: The guys in USA are using a 30% mix which is 20L of E85 and the rest 98 - im going to slowly work my way up to 30% over the next 6-8 tanks of fuel and making sure the car is happy along the way. Also note that my car has an RR Racing ECU tune, and some exhaust work (currently 265kw atw). After driving around for a few hundred km's, the car certainly feels more responsive and eager and was spinning the tyres in 1st/2nd gear at times when it wouldn't (or rarely would) previously. It's does feel more powerful - i would love to dyno it to see the differences and may decide to do so if i decide to keep running the E85 blend long term. Fuel consumption is noticeably worse, i normally get about 200km of city driving before my fuel gauge is half way, but with the E85 blend i only got about 150km before my fuel gauge was half way. Anyway, i filled up again the other day from half a tank, using another 10L of Caltex E85 and the rest BP Ultimate 98. This time the E85 mix should be slightly more concentrated because i already had some in the tank from my previous fill. E85 is roughly $0.20c a litre cheaper than PULP 98 so if you take that into consideration when factoring in the extra fuel consumption, it might be costing you a few dollars per tank. So far so good - no driveability issues or anything like that. Engine runs smooth as ever. Apart from the increased fuel usage, there are no other negatives at this stage. I tried to check my knock sensor values the other day with my ebay Techstream cable - but gave up as it is so slow and useless. I have purchased OBD Fusion app which can mate with my Carista bluetooth dongle and can apparently read the knock sensor values along with a host of other values. I will continue doing this for the next few tanks before i decide whether the car is happy with it longer-term, and if i feel the pros outweigh the cons.

@BLK ISF how is this going 6 months on? I am still interested in buying one of these but still a bit skeptical.

They look good on the car. No issues with the master cylinder size when matched to the 6 piston calipers?

An ISF diff from a wrecked car would probably be the easiest and cheapest option. Late 2010 onwards models have the LSD. Get in touch with Lexmania in Sydney.

Late reply - but i had my brother fabricate up the pipework and hangers etc for my new Xforce Varex mufflers about a month ago. My brother recently started up his own little fabrication business so he was happy to help out - plus he did a far better job than the exhaust shop had done previously which was frankly embarrassing. Everything is nicely tig welded in stainless steel. The mufflers i went with are a 10 inch wide x 6 inch high x 15 inch long body with the Varex motor on the side. They are part # VMK40-250. They are a pretty tight fit (if the Varex motor was mounted on top it would be better) at the back of the IS-F, but they fit in there snug and do not hit or rub on anything. The pipework that runs from just before the diff to the mufflers needed to be extended and angled slightly differently to line up nicely with the new mufflers. There is no longer a flange just before the rear mufflers, they have been cut off and we just welded the pipe straight to the mufflers. When the valves are open, it still sounds great. But with the valves 85% closed or fully closed it provides a nice break from the noise on the daily commute or when i have my young daughter in the car. Loving the valved mufflers so far.

Yes ETuners are certainly well known with the Audi/VW/Skoda crowd. When i had my Golf R and GTI a few years ago they were starting to get popular, although i dont believe they were in Australia before then (i think the head office is in Greece). I bought my wife a 2nd hand Audi SQ5 last year with the 3.0 bi-turbo V6 diesel and have been thinking about getting it tuned, and i saw recently a video where ETuners tuned one in Sydney and got good gains out of it. The tune took half a second off the 0-100kph time.

I think most of the cost is simply labour as it takes a bit of time to remove/replace the parts. From what i have read, the parts are basically a few gaskets and some sealant for the valley plate (unless of course you manage to break something during the removal). i have heard that the fuel injectors on these engines can be damaged as they are plastic and obviously get brittle with the heat cycles of the engine over time.