Rob RCF

Wow, a simple exhaust swap is giving you such a big torque bump all the way through the rev range and nearly 50bhp gain? Isn't this too good to be true? I've seen many reports of exhausts giving little to no benefit on RCFs. People often say only headers free up power, and I was even sceptical of that tbh. Either way, great result! No tune, literally stock except for the exhaust swap? How long did you drive the car with the new exhaust before getting that dyno run? *Edit* - Looking at the graphs again, the run still ends around 6900rpm. I'm puzzled that they wouldn't take it to the full 7300.

Dark colours work well on the LC though because of the curves and you get that deep gloss liquid look. Having said that I do actually like white on the LC, I think it gives it a more futuristic look. Those wheels are quite bling though... Then again your RCF literally has a multicoloured rainbow wrap, so you do you. 😅

I like the original finish with the black sections, it makes them look thinner/lighter as they are quite chonky wheels. The bronze looks a bit tacky imo. If you go to look at it mention the kerb damage (probably obvious, but they usually offer to sort it). They look quite easy to clean to me.

Accord R was great, it had the magic combination of independent double wishbone suspension, LSD and hydraulic steering. My old one recently sold for more than double what I sold it for a few years back. I really want an S2000, but apparently tall people don't fit? I haven't sat in one though, so not sure.

I don't know, but surely you'd at least need tyre size to calculate wheel torque and wheel speed which are ultimately what the dyno measures. Then you use the gear ratios to derive engine rpm and horsepower from that. They may have some clever ways of doing it automatically though.

Don't get me wrong, my RCF is a way better car overall and a much more serious performance machine. But with the Hondas the limits of the car were more attainable on normal roads so it was "easier" to have fun. They were just not that fast in a straight line and pretty bad in traffic due to poor low-end torque, sometimes I had to practically stay in VTEC just to keep up with the turbo-diesels lol.

Personally I don't see why running in 5th or 4th would be a problem as long as the dyno operator uses the correct gear ratio, the main thing is the car gets a good run all the way to the rev limiter. I would hope the dyno operator actually measures the losses though, presumably by shifting into neutral and coasting. Disappointing if they just estimate it. Would be interested to know how you get on after using the 99ron long term. I'm on about my 3rd tank, was using VPower before.

Possibly unpopular opinion, but to me the Honda VTEC engines have more character and sound better than the 2UR-GSE. The V8 is different, more linear and refined feeling, way more torque all through the rev range obviously. In terms of pure fun I think the Type-Rs are better honestly, it's hard to argue with VTEC and a manual transmission. Thinking back to my Accord R with the 2.2 VTEC that was a fun car to spank around, even compared to my RCF.

There are tons of variables that could affect peak power. Obviously you should start with the basics like check air filter, fluids, make sure you're running it on good fuel (owner's manual states 98 RON or higher). Give it a few tanks to make sure there's no 95 RON left and to give the engine time to adjust the KCLVs (knock correction learning value). Then you have the dyno calibration which is complicated and may not be accurate unless the dyno operator really takes the time to set everything up as perfectly as possible for accuracy. This has to be done daily since some of the variables are things like ambient temperature. Then you have the actual power pull which RCFs are known to be a bit difficult due to the high gearing and very high speeds attained at redline. Some say you must do it in 6th gear as it's 1:1, but with the speed limiter disabled, some don't take it all the way to redline (7300rpm) because they're scared of running the dyno at high speeds etc. How does the torque curve look? Can you post the chart?

There's a 2016 RCF up for £45k on Lexus used: https://usedcars.lexus.co.uk/en/used-lexus/Lexus/Rc-F-Coupe/500-50-Carbon-2dr-Auto-ACC-and-PCS-1-private-owner--qxcregh

Thanks for posting that, very interesting read from the ECU engineers. Particularly the bit towards the end where they discuss problems controlling the motor angle and how they changed their approach to make it more robust in different temperatures etc. The end result is it always feels natural. Pretty special bit of tech back there.

I still don't fully understand how the planetary gears on each side of the diff work after watching a few of these types of videos. I can get the clutch pack progressively locking one or both axles to the diff, but the planetary gears just get glossed over. One commenter mentions that it allows both wheels to maintain the correct ground speed while applying more torque to one side... this just kinda blows my mind, it's hard to visualise. For me I think I notice the TVD less in the wet. In the dry you can feel the back end pushing you around corners sometimes and it's very satisfying. In the wet the back can kick out even with moderate power application no matter what mode I'm in, but maybe it's less likely in track mode? Not sure. I think the thing with the TVD is that it's somewhat subtle in what it does and how it does it across the different modes, so it all ends up being quite subjective. I think Slalom might be the most "fun" in terms of giving you that rotation feeling on tight corners. Whereas track mode prioritises stability and performance.

The front end looks very McLaren to me, with the overall bodyshape reminding me more of a TVR. I wonder why they are choosing to go for a super-long bonnet for a car that's presumably being built from the ground up as an EV? Looks like those hood vents are possibly aero ducts, maybe routing air through radiators etc. I quite like the look of it, it's just that nothing about it particularly says "LFA" to me, except maybe those rear intakes. The orange one behind honestly looks more supercar-ish to me, anyone know what that is? There aren't many EV "driver's cars" yet. I hope this is Lexus making some.

That's the airship hangar in Farnborough! I think that's the spot where the boy racers hang out at night lol. Nice to see some decent photography for once.

No you can't. That would be fraud.

Not too sure... I'll check next time I'm in the car. Could be a feature of your facelift model with the wider screen.

You actually can enter a postcode, it's on the second "tab" when you go to plan a route. My biggest complaints are how difficult it is to end navigation (!!!) and just the fact that the navigation itself is pretty poor compared to say google maps. Once it navigated me into a traffic jam for like 20 minutes, in the end I switched to my phone which immediately turned me off that road and onto a much better route. As a backup you can always stick your phone into the cup holder, but mine would launch out when I accelerate lol. 7mpg is insane! I was resisting the urge to ask if it was 1000bhp, but now we know.

Congrats and welcome to the club! Looking good in that colour. Yes 30-35mpg seems typical on motorway journeys from my experience. Don't worry though, it's plenty capable of terrible mpg on shorter journeys, I see anywhere from 12-22 around town. 😅 Have you had a play on some B roads yet? Sport S+, manual mode, short press of traction control button to enable expert mode and find that rev limiter! High RPM downshifts are a highlight as well. I'd recommend a cheap phone holder if you don't have one yet, as the car's sat nav can be a bit frustrating to say the least. I stick mine over the screen when needed. I'm also fairly new to F ownership, had mine since July this year.

Sounds like the sensible choice if you're using the car year-round! To be fair I have been really impressed with the PS4S' even around freezing temps they have great traction after a few mins driving to warm up. It's mainly in the wet that I notice the limited traction.

Starting up my car from cold this morning (-2°C) and manoeuvring on my driveway I heard a series of clunks coming from the rear. Sounded mechanical, almost like the diff was locking up and then suddenly giving way. Happened while turning slowly at close to full lock. I'm assuming it's cold weather related due to this being the coldest morning since having the car. Anyone else experienced this? Some people on the US forums are saying it's normal and happens due to performance tyres not liking being cold (I have PS4S).

Okay so I know what you mean now. It feels like a push from the outside rear wheel helping you rotate through the corner. I have noticed it a few times, even in normal mode, but it does seem to happen more often in slalom. Doesn't happen all the time, but you can feel it in normal driving, usually on slow or tight turns on moderate throttle. Track mode feels more normal, according to the manual it emphasises high speed stability (I guess it just sends less torque to the outside wheel). Haven't found a big empty car park yet. They all seem to be the more modern type around here, with islands/dividers spaced throughout them.

He's not my favourite, but I'm still glad he makes videos. He approaches cars a bit differently than most reviewers and usually brings up some interesting points even if I don't agree with everything, nor particularly like his presenting style. But at least it's something different and not too "youtuber". Aside from putting his foot down a few times I'm not convinced he's ever truly spanked the car, at least that's how it looks from the video. Most of the time he is at low rpm and most of the exterior shots are of the car just moderately driving past. He even said he was being cautious. I agree his driving style is very relaxed, he seems to be more about driver feel and feedback rather than pushing hard, it doesn't really suit the car. He complains the shifts are slow, but as we all know the low-mid rpm shifts are slow and lazy, the high rpm shifts are fast and with decent bite, and I never once heard him do a proper high rpm rev-match downshift with that spine-tingling bark which is one of the best parts about these cars. Maybe he didn't adjust the seats properly. It took a few adjustments to get mine dialled in. Or they might just not suit his body type. I don't necessarily disagree with him about the TVD though. At least to me, it's certainly not an obvious difference between the modes, it's so subtle. Any tips? Should I push harder in the corners? I'm scared. But hey, the F cars are not for everyone and they tend to take a bit of time to grow on people. My first test drive of an RCF I kinda couldn't believe how slow and lazy it felt, but I was coming from a turbo'd 2.0 TSI with a DSG. My second test drive I made sure I was in full sport S+ and manual mode and that's when I started to appreciate how the performance is there, you just have to work a bit to get it.

Mine's my daily too, that's kind of the whole idea of the RCF (to me) is that it does double-duty as a comfortable daily and fun car. Though I don't do many miles probably well under 5k per year at the moment.

Mine is also showing a bit of wear on the driver's side bolster. A bit hard to spot tbh, I only noticed it when cleaning the interior for the first time after buying the car. I do have a couple of suggestions though: Carpro Inside. It's an interior cleaner that leaves a light protective coat/sheen. I almost couldn't believe when I brushed some over the area and wiped it down how the wear just kind of disappeared. It comes back gradually though so not a permanent fix by any means, but good to have if you like to clean the interior yourself. There are probably other products, leather conditioners etc that would do the same thing. Leather repair. This is like a flexible layer that is spread on, left to cure, and then painted to match. The results are very impressive. This is the way to go for a more permanent result, and will be far cheaper than re-upholstering (which is notoriously labour-intensive and expensive iirc).

The current prices make brand new cars look like a great deal in some cases, it's bizarre. Toyota GR Yaris Circuit Pack for example. Brand new: £33520 Used: £35-40k 🤷‍♂️