RCF Modifications

[Jgtcracer]

All, Got a few mods going onto the car over the next month or so and thought I would put a thread tracking these for anyone that is interested.  Todays post will be wheel spacers!!

As many of you may be aware, the RCF OEM wheel offset does leave the wheels tucked into the arches by some way, particularly at the front.  As its a relatively easy fix I decided to do a little research online and found a number of different people recommending spacers to fix the issue.  Now, spacers can at times be a topic that creates quite polarizing views due to things like quality and reliability so did go into it with an open mind.  Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that as long as they are engineered well and installed correctly, the chances of them failing are no greater than any other component of the car and as such, was happy to go ahead.

Due to the aforementioned reliability issues some have experienced I decided that I wanted to go with either Eibach or H&R hubcentric bolt on spacers and so ordered the below at 20mm for the front and 15mm for the rear.  Got them from https://www.autodoc.co.uk/spares-search?keyword=S90-4-15-009 and https://www.autodoc.co.uk/spares-search?keyword=S90-4-20-013 respectively on sale and paid around £180 for the lot.  Arrived in around 10 days.

I must say that the quality is second to none, really well made aluminum construction with what looks like an anodized finish.  They bolted on really well and OEM wheels fitted without any fouling.  Now they are on there is a noticeable difference in wheel position within the arch and stance is much improved.  Please see below pics of after they were installed.  The wheels fit flush with the arch and sit in what I would now consider the perfect position.  Also doesn't look like lowering 30-35mm will cause any ill effects.

Took around an hour to fit and test drive and really easy to do with only a few simple tools and a jack/axle stands required.  Any questions please just ask....rear window tints to follow over next week

 

Marcus

[Flytvr]

I wonder if Lexus cars get to the end of the production line and sit there shaking, thinking "Please don't let my owner be a modder!" 😉

[Las Palmas]

Beautiful car.
Do not know what you are looking for so maybe what I write now should never have been done.
Every gram you add to unsuspended weight reduces the handling of the car.
If your goal is to get a perfect handling car you could look at getting custom made and lighter wheels that will improve handling.
It comes with a price of course.
https://dymag.com/auto/
They can do it.

[Jgtcracer]

4 minutes ago, Las Palmas said:

Beautiful car.
Do not know what you are looking for so maybe what I write now should never have been done.
Every gram you add to unsuspended weight reduces the handling of the car.
If your goal is to get a perfect handling car you could look at getting custom made and lighter wheels that will improve handling.
It comes with a price of course.
https://dymag.com/auto/
They can do it.

Yea, it’s certainly a consideration though I probably wouldn’t have bought the RCF if I was that serious about all out performance.   Not worried about it as I’m so irregularly pushing the car really hard.  When I bought the car it’s styling and interior were high on the list and they still are.

 I’ve done the super light weight handling monster thing, after refinement, comfort and ‘feel’ now.

[Jgtcracer]

9 minutes ago, Flytvr said:

I wonder if Lexus cars get to the end of the production line and sit there shaking, thinking "Please don't let my owner be a modder!" 😉

I’m continuing the TPM ‘Toyota way’ mentality of continuous improvement and insatiable appetite for perfection.

least I won’t have to respray to get there!

[Las Palmas]

11 minutes ago, Jgtcracer said:

Yea, it’s certainly a consideration though I probably wouldn’t have bought the RCF if I was that serious about all out performance.   Not worried about it as I’m so irregularly pushing the car really hard.  When I bought the car it’s styling and interior were high on the list and they still are.

 I’ve done the super light weight handling monster thing, after refinement, comfort and ‘feel’ now.

Handling is not just about driving fast. Handling is how it can handle at any speed.

Had a Toyota MR2 Spyder. Put on forged magnesium wheels same size and it was a different car to drive. Much more go-cart than before. Have been driving Lancia EVO 2.

[ben_harmer32]

Love a bit of modification. Makes the car more yours 🙂

Spacers look good! Are you going for aftermarket wheels? 

[Jgtcracer]

47 minutes ago, ben_harmer32 said:

Love a bit of modification. Makes the car more yours 🙂

Spacers look good! Are you going for aftermarket wheels? 

No, that’s why I went spacers.  Quite like them, though I may get painted black.  Still undecided as quite like the OEM+ look!

[mr2lad]

 Ive 3 sets of alloys for my RCF as you said OEM sit in a little bit but didnt bother me next set of alloys which are back on car are spot on (no spacers needed and make the car look better without sticking out too much..3rd set of alloys seriously need spacers and got the H&R ones 20mm and 15mm 

[Jgtcracer]

23 minutes ago, mr2lad said:

 Ive 3 sets of alloys for my RCF as you said OEM sit in a little bit but didnt bother me next set of alloys which are back on car are spot on (no spacers needed and make the car look better without sticking out too much..3rd set of alloys seriously need spacers and got the H&R ones 20mm and 15mm 

Damn you’re fast!  I’ve read from a couple of sources that the Eibach and H&R spacers are made at the same place, guess that’s why people like to use them.

[BillNick]

Have been looking into spacers for a few weeks.

I was thinking 15mm all around. Agreed front is further under the arch than the rear, but then I thought "must be a good reason for that"....?

[Jgtcracer]

23 minutes ago, BillNick said:

Have been looking into spacers for a few weeks.

I was thinking 15mm all around. Agreed front is further under the arch than the rear, but then I thought "must be a good reason for that"....?

It’s early days for me but the change in track isn’t noticeable.  I suppose changing both the front and rear the same amount would be best practice but in reality I’m not noticing it.  If I was the first person doing it I’d be more cautious but so many people have now done it in America that I’m more relaxed about it now.

I would certainly recommend the Eibach units, really good quality and do feel it’s worth spending the money on something that’s safety critical.

[BillNick]

How was fitment around the hub centre? I notice the Eibachs are 60mm vs H&R which are bang on 60.1mm...

And you say you would probably get black if there was a next time?

[Jgtcracer]

12 minutes ago, BillNick said:

How was fitment around the hub centre? I notice the Eibachs are 60mm vs H&R which are bang on 60.1mm...

And you say you would probably get black if there was a next time?

Fitment was fine, had the car up to high speeds and no vibration.  Think they are 60.1mm as it’s a standard size and it’s a website issue.  I didn’t notice I had a colour choice, silver is fine as it doesn’t stand out.  I did see some black ones for one of the sizes but not the other and wanted them all to match.  

[L55 RCF]

55 minutes ago, Jgtcracer said:

Fitment was fine, had the car up to high speeds and no vibration.  Think they are 60.1mm as it’s a standard size and it’s a website issue.  I didn’t notice I had a colour choice, silver is fine as it doesn’t stand out.  I did see some black ones for one of the sizes but not the other and wanted them all to match.  

Looks great mate. The links aren’t working for me. At least I’ve got the part numbers now though. 👍 

Do you think 15mm would work on the front ok or do you think it needs the 20mm on the front? 

[mr2lad]

2 hours ago, Jgtcracer said:

Damn you’re fast!  I’ve read from a couple of sources that the Eibach and H&R spacers are made at the same place, guess that’s why people like to use them.

Ahh but did you notice i used the mat to cushion the alloy when i took it off 😂… i resprayed my ones black, there currently sat on a shelf in my lockup as the all black alloys (my favourite) are spot on and dont need the spacers although might try them and see how car looks with them sticking out more (would only be fitted for a show not daily) its my black and bronze ones that needed the spacers

ps the OEM alloys look good painted black if your thinking that way, I’ll be doing that with my OEM ones as hate the diamond cut finish on them with a passion…i use the OEM alloys for winter driving 

[Jgtcracer]

1 hour ago, L55 RCF said:

Looks great mate. The links aren’t working for me. At least I’ve got the part numbers now though. 👍 

Do you think 15mm would work on the front ok or do you think it needs the 20mm on the front? 

The 15mm will certainly work, though I will say that the 20mm look bang on to me.  How perceptible the difference would be?? I dunno

[Jgtcracer]

45 minutes ago, mr2lad said:

Ahh but did you notice i used the mat to cushion the alloy when i took it off 😂… i resprayed my ones black, there currently sat on a shelf in my lockup as the all black alloys (my favourite) are spot on and dont need the spacers although might try them and see how car looks with them sticking out more (would only be fitted for a show not daily) its my black and bronze ones that needed the spacers

ps the OEM alloys look good painted black if your thinking that way, I’ll be doing that with my OEM ones as hate the diamond cut finish on them with a passion…i use the OEM alloys for winter driving 

I’m really toying with the idea of doing it, keen to see what it’s like lowered with the new exhaust first though.  I love the idea of black wheels but not sure if it will make the car look ‘modified’ if you know what I mean.  I must admit, not sure yet about the diamond cut wheel, I do like them but can imagine in a few years the lacquer will peel and they will be terrible!

[Jgtcracer]

Another little update on progress with the RCF.  As I've mentioned earlier, I'm keen to go for an OEM+ look where the car doesn't necessarily look modified, but has subtle changes made that in my opinion should have been done from the factory.

This week its window tints and de-chroming.  Tints are fairly self explanatory though thought I would talk a bit about de-chroming.  Having done some internet prowling I wasn't sure whether to go gloss, satin or black with vinyl wrap.  Initially I was going to go matt on the window chrome and gloss on the front trim.  Ended up going gloss throughout with the wrap guy leaving a silver section on the front lip.  I didn't ask him to do this and first impressions weren't great but decided to give it a go and I must admit its slowly growing on me.

Wrap guy mentioned window chrome was hard work as the front section hasn't got a rubber seal that's easy to lift and hide the wrap under, though the rest was easy.  Cost all in for window tints and wrap was £290 which I don't think is too unreasonable.

Next up is exhaust and suspension over the next few weeks.  Once that's done, going to monitor for a bit as there is nothing else I want to do at the moment.

[Arnett]

Looking good! 

Window chrome is so ugly imo

[Jgtcracer]

1 hour ago, Arnett said:

Looking good! 

Window chrome is so ugly imo

I agree, Lexus could really do with moving with the times and adding these ‘black pack’ options etc.  I’m by no means fans of German cars but they do a good job of making their cars appeal to a broad audience by adding options that allow those inclined to de-chrome and tint, wheel colours and stuff.

[Bluethunder]

9 hours ago, Jgtcracer said:

I agree, Lexus could really do with moving with the times and adding these ‘black pack’ options etc.  I’m by no means fans of German cars but they do a good job of making their cars appeal to a broad audience by adding options that allow those inclined to de-chrome and tint, wheel colours and stuff.

There was a Black Edition for the RC300h so it's probably possible to order the black window surround and fit to the RCF. 

[Jgtcracer]

21 minutes ago, Bluethunder said:

There was a Black Edition for the RC300h so it's probably possible to order the black window surround and fit to the RCF. 

Yea I’ve seen that, I remember something about a shadow edition.  May have to look into it further should I not like the wrapped trim going forward. 
 

thanks for the heads up!

[L55 RCF]

Looking good mate. 👍

[DavidCM]

The "chrome" trim on the. RC 300 f sport has a bronze colour finish.It might be possible to get that from Lexus if someone didn't want to go down the wrap route.