Peter P18

Cheers chaps.

So got the centre console etc back in the car. I'm really happy with how it came out. The gauge pod fits the car really well, sadly the holes are too small for my Defi's though! Just needs some fine tuning and it should work. Hope you like it guys. Dropped car off yesterday morning with H&S. Will post updates when I hear from them. Cheers.

Mine is too Stuart. Hopefully H&S can come up with something that doesn't strangle the V8 sound we all love, but will gain a few extra HP, and bring the noise down just enough to prevent us from being black flagged at most of the circuits up and down the UK! I'll be sure to keep you guys posted on how it all goes.

No clue I'm afraid! I'd get it back to the dealership for further investigation. Certainly not normal, or something that should be happening. Sounds like you have some electrical gremlins somewhere. Take it you haven't added anything electrical to the wiring like LED rear bumper reflectors? Check your terminals for excessive corrosion/buildup as well. That can sometimes cause issues from what I've read on the US forum.

Thanks Gib. I really like the uniformity of the weave pattern across the different parts. Paul (my carbon skinner) was saying the cup holder lid was a real PITA to do. Took him an age to take it apart and then put it all back together again apparently. Finish looks amazing though. Will try and snap a few photos once it's back in the car. Been looking at a large hole for around 6 months now! Can't wait to get home tomorrow evening!

Morning Guys, Thought it was about time I started an update thread for people to see how I'm getting on with my F. Pleased to say there should be plenty going on with my car over the next few weeks. The last of my interior parts are due back from my carbon guy tomorrow. Here's the sneak peek photo he sent me. You'll notice the gauge pod has been skinned as well. Should mean I can get my Defi gauges installed finally! I also heard back from GSM about my new Cobra Misano Anniversary seats. They are being delivered next Thursday. My car is going back to Hayward & Scott on Saturday to help them get a system mocked up for the US owners. Ian will also be looking to test an X pipe on my car, so that will be interesting for owners wanting a quieter option with the possibility of more power as well. May also help lower the decibel level for trackday use. I've also asked Ian to look at the possibility of designing some headers. Whilst PPE offer good gains, they are backed up with orders at the moment. H&S have a great reputation and pedigree with bespoke exhausts, could be very interesting to see what they can come up with for our cars. I'll keep you all posted on my progress, and take lots of photos as well. Cheers for now chaps.

That makes sense. I know the GTR has gearbox and ECU software updates, but didn't think we had that option for the F (yet! ). I think Rafi at RR-Racing is working on some updates for the gearbox at the moment? Could help smooth out some of the clunky shifting in the lower gears.

Interesting. I bought the 2015 map updates from Lexus Woodford last year, but they were discs you load into the multimedia system? You mentioned software update in your post, does that include the gearbox software? Cheers. Peter

Hi Stevie, Try Whifbitz for the KW's. Paul can get them for you, he also does 0% finance, so that might help spread the cost? I'll probably get the RR-Racing Penske coilovers. There's a group buy running on them right now in fact! Just not the right time for me sadly. The lip spoiler will need to come from the States. Try Josh from Meraki Autoworks. He's on Club Lexus forum. If you need any mod advice, I'm here! Cheers. Peter

Funnily enough the RR-Racing titanium intake removes the breather system as well. As you can see from my car (i'll snap a couple of photos for those interested), the breathers are deleted from the intake pipe, and a separate K&N breather filter is added with some new hosing. This along with the RR-Racing AOS (Air/Oil Separator) prevents any unwanted oil going to the inlet manifold, thus avoiding any lose of performance. It's not a cheap option, but does seem to have sound engineering behind it.

Hi Billy, Check out some of the pictures on here with my dark carbon skinned parts. Difference is these are skinned in real carbon fibre, then sealed with clear coat to give the deep glossy finish you are looking for. It's not a cheap job however, and the guy I have been using is very busy with other things. He's had my centre console, ashtray lid, cup holder, and a replacement one-off centre air vent gauge holder since around October of last year! The results are worth the wait, but it all depends on how patient you are, and what you are looking to spend! Cheers. Peter

Welcome back! Keep an eye on my posts regarding your H&S exhaust. Seems like the addition of an X pipe may help quieten things down, and also gain a bit more HP in the mid/top end area. My car will be going back to them soon for some further testing/evaluation. I'll pop something up once I know more. Enjoy lucky number 3!

I'm taking my car back to H&S soon to look at getting a template done for the US market, after they heard the video's of our cars, and decided they wanted in on the action! Lol. I also mentioned the possibility of adding an X pipe to the system to quieten things down, and hopefully gain a few more HP's. This may also lower the decibel level for future track-day use. I'll keep everyone posted on how I get on.

Hello mate. Unfortunately looks like mine were chucked away when my brother and I cleared out the garage! Sorry I couldn't help. Hopefully other H&S owners kept their tips to help you out, if not, try a wanted ad on the US forum. I may be able to get them over here cheaply if you can find some.

Sounds good. Hopefully it all checks out and you're happy with it. Let us know how you get on chap. Good Easter guys.

Thanks. Pretty sure they are looking to do me a good deal on the install work for the PPE headers. Believe me, at close to 10hrs labour to install (you need to drop the entire subframe!), if they can do those for me for a good price, I'll be happy. I'm quite excited to see where this all develops with H&S. I genuinely believe they are a great outfit with a top quality product unlike any other. With further R&D, I think they can offer a number of solutions that should suit most peoples needs. I drop my car off on the 9th April, but that could change depending on when I need it for a photoshoot for Banzai.

True, but I think the gains proven by the PPE headers are worth the possibility of a noise increase. I also mentioned I may try an X pipe on my H&S system. Seems like most people believe this will really quieten things down, so any gain from the headers could be cancelled out by the X pipe. It'll be a bit of trial and error I imagine. I'm sure we can get a workable solution sorted out though.

Nope! AFS was dropped when they switched to the LED strip design. Think that was 2010 or thereabouts? All models after that had no AFS.

Hi, Yes, PPE headers are next on my ever growing list of future modifications! I was fortunate to source some custom PPE midpipes from the US forum for a good price. Nice thing is they have high performance cats already welded into the pipes, so that will keep me legal once I add the PPE headers at a later date. The cats are as non-restrictive as you can get so shouldn't steal too many HP off the gains I get from the headers. Other nice thing is they are also 2.5' like the H&S system I am running. Pretty sure H&S will be able to marry them up to the existing system pretty easily. They are also going to fit my headers for me to see what's involved in that process. Should help any future owners who decide they want to extract more power (headers are probably the best HP gain you can buy at present). Just need to save some more cash to buy them, and pay for the install!

Yikes! As the owner of probably the most modified F in the UK, if not Europe, I actually do see where the op was coming from. Unlike my car, people buying these and using low quality, inferior parts do cheapen the pedigree in my opinion. There are for example no Halfords parts on my car apart from the Bosch windscreen wiper blades! I have spent almost as much on modifying my car as I did buying it! The challenge for me has been sourcing good quality parts to enhance the look, performance, handling without going too boy racer on it. It won't be to everyone's taste, but that really doesn't worry me. I've had far more compliments than criticisms, but it's about achieving what I want, and making me happy. I also enjoy the challenge of developing the car as somewhat of a pioneer. It's actually a lot more challenging and costly than some may think, as you can't get generic parts off the shelf to achieve what I want. I guess all I'm trying to say is calm it down guys. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I don't lose sleep over whether someone likes my F or not. Neither should you. I often look back over old photos of cars and cry with laughter at what I deemed cool when I was younger. Each to their own though. A lot of people say to me how amazed they are that my car is a Lexus, as they too follow the typical stereotype that Lexus are for old people, and they've never seen a Lexus like mine. I may not like how you've painted your house, but I'm not the one that lives with it! I probably spend at least £10K a year on my car. I also own a 5 bedroom house, and support a wife and two kids. Nothing chav about it, but it makes me happy. Life is too short guys. Just let it go.

Correct, but you would lose the AFS functionality by doing so.

Probably best. I've disclosed all of my modifications to my insurers (which are a lot! Lol), including the larger tyre sizes I am using. Just not worth the risk in my opinion. Whilst I would struggle to see how they could reject any claim you might have to make in the future for running wider than OEM tyres, it's not worth giving them the opportunity to do so. You may find Admiral will be a bit funny with it. Know a few people that have had issues with any form of modifications with them in the past. I use Keith Michaels Plc to get my cover. They've known me for decades now, so always find me a policy that is willing to accept modifications. Doubt they would add anything for wider tyres alone.

Michelin Pilot Super Sports for the win! Got those on my F and love how they perform come rain or shine. It's worth looking at buying the tyres online. Got a good deal on mine given they are bigger sizes. I used mytyres.co.uk when I bought the Vredsteins, and Tyreleader.co.uk for the MPSS's. Fronts (245/35/19) were £129.58 each, and Rears (275/30/19) were £159.41 All in for a full set of 4 was £693.56 including VAT and delivery.

Yes, although it's not a fair comparison really. Had a Takeda intake on my car at the time. That was proven to be losing me power, and spiked my AFR readings. Car was since dyno'd again with nice results. I'll upload my dyno runs tonight or tomorrow guys. Cheers. Peter

So H&S think adding the X pipe won't be an issue. The valves are a no go unfortunately. Ian made a very valid point as to why they wouldn't offer these. It comes down to the warranty. My current exhaust has a lifetime warranty for the full duration of my ownership. Those valves are a bit hit and miss it would seem. If H&S kept their lifetime warranty, and incorporated the valves in their systems, they'd be opening themselves up to an awful lot of potential warranty claims should the valves fail. I may try an X pipe on my car to see how it compares. Having had around a year to get used to my current setup, I'd be a good judge of whether the X pipe reduces cabin drone. I'd also get it back on the dyno I use to see if it has any impact on performance etc. Will be in touch guys. Cheers. Peter