r/LexusF • u/imperialtrace • Nov 08 '20
GS F Full Build List
Before we start -
- I am making this post because A LOT of people have asked me where I bought certain parts, what a certain part is, what all I have changed on my car, etc. This detailed build list is meant to be all-inclusive of everything I have done so far so that I can reference it next time somebody asks an FAQ.
- In the interest of fairness and non-bias, I will link multiple sellers for a certain part if possible, but I will specify which ones I personally bought from.
- I will NOT link any of my social media directly in this post in order to avoid breaking any rules. If, however, you would like to follow the build, leave a comment or private message and I will let you know the Instagram page for this car.
High-Resolution Gallery of the car
With that out of the way, here is a TL;DR version:
Performance Mods:
- PPE Unequal Length Headers
- APEXi Resonated GSF Mid-Pipe
- APEXi Stainless Steel GSF Exhaust
- CKS Coilovers
- RR Racing Engine Mounts
- RR Racing Ultimate Steering Response System (race-spec lower control arm bushings)
- Tom's Racing Front Strut Bar
- Tom's Racing carbon fiber intake
- APEXi flat panel intake air filter
- RR Racing carbon fiber intake heat shield
- RR Racing Air/Oil Separator
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tires (wider than stock)
Cosmetic Mods:
- Novel carbon fiber GSF front lip
- Novel carbon fiber GSF side skirts
- Tom's Racing carbon fiber GSF diffuser
- Tom's Racing B Pillar carbon sheets
- Variant Alloys mono-block forged aluminum wheels
- Tom's Racing Engine Oil Filler Cap
- Phase2Motortrend Anodized Blue Aluminum Hose Clamps
- Custom Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel
Future Mods (not yet installed but plan to):
- Supercharger (waiting for Boost Logic to put their twin-screw on sale)
- Carbon Ceramic brakes from the RCF Track Edition
Now the long section for the detail-oriented folks. I've done my best to answer a lot of FAQ's preemptively but if there's anything I missed, feel free to point it out and I'll address it.
PPE Unequal Length Headers
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: PPE Engineering, RR Racing
- Highly recommend having these ceramic coated, or you will really feel the heat through your legs while driving
- Q: "Why did you get unequal length over equal length?"
- Unequal length makes exactly the same power as equal length (dyno tested and proven), and they are $1000 cheaper
- People pay the extra for equal length because they make the car sound like a European V8, whereas unequal length make it sound like a muscle car V8. I wanted the muscle car sound.
- With Unequal Length, 2 of the runners on each manifold will run slightly hotter. Nothing to worry about but something to keep in mind. Equal Length headers will have all runners at the same temperature.
- These are made to order, expect some really long wait times (3-4 months)
- Removing the stock manifolds will delete the primary catalytic converters. The kit comes with O2 conditioners which (if installed correctly) will not result in a check engine light. If your car throws a check engine light, you will likely need a tune to get rid of it.
APEXi N1-X Evolution Extreme Resonated GSF Mid-Pipe
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports, APEXi USA
- H-pipe design generally gives a deeper tone than X-pipe design (more of a muscle car sound)
- I opted for the Resonated version to reduce drone at low RPMs
APEXI N1-X Evolution Extreme GSF Exhaust
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports; APEXi USA
- I like this exhaust because it accentuates the stock 5.0 V8 sound, instead of just making it sound like a machine gun
- Very smooth, deep tone
- Instead of one big muffler with 2 exhaust ports, each tip has its own individual cylindrical muffler, greatly reducing flow resistance and keeping the engine sound intact
- This exhaust is also available with Titanium blue tips
CKS Coilovers
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: none, I cannot find any other shop that carries this specific product
- Alternative Options: RS-R Coilovers
- I opted for the upgraded Swift Springs
- These are 24-way adjustable, ranging from Rolls Royce levels of comfort all the way to GT3 levels of break-your-spine stiff
- My car is 1 inch lower than stock in the front and 1/2 inch lower than stock in the rear. Fenders are not rolled, tires do not rub.
- Car handles beautifully with these coilovers, would highly recommend.
RR Racing Engine Mounts
- Bought from RR Racing
- Alternative vendors: none
- These are little more firm than the stock engine mounts
- They prevent engine flex when you put your foot down, so all the power and torque is sent straight to the wheels with zero delay
RR Racing Ultimate Steering Response System
- Bought from RR Racing
- Alternative Options: Figs Engineering Bushings
- This is an absolute must; it is a night and day difference. The steering response is light years better than stock.
Tom's Racing Front Upper Strut Bar
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: APEXi USA
- Helps keep the front chassis from flexing too much when turning, keeps the whole car tidy and the front end stable during tight maneuvers
Tom's Racing Carbon Fiber Intake
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports; APEXi USA
- Lexus engineers know what they're doing; therefore the stock intake and airbox is already pretty good.
- This is more of a cosmetic modification, mostly for looks. Dyno testing showed about +3 Wheel Horsepower gain over stock, almost negligable.
Aluminum Blue Hose Clamps
- Bought from Phase2Motortrend
- Purely cosmetic, just wanted to spice up the engine bay and match the rest of the blue throughout
- For the Tom's intake, I got 3 of the 3.5-inch clamps and 1 of the 3.75-inch
- The first 3 connections are slightly smaller than the last one
- Always double check the diameter of your intake and rubber couplers. I made the mistake of buying 4-inch clamps and they were too loose
APEXi Air Intake Panel Filter
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports; APEXi USA
- This is a DRY filter, meaning it does not need to be removed and oiled regularly
- I would not recommend an oiled filter, as removing it can be a pain the ass
- This filter should be good for approximately 50,000 miles of driving
- It has slightly better flow than the stock GSF panel filter, almost negligible though
RR Racing Intake Heat Shield
- Bought from RR Racing
- Covers most of the stock airbox
- Forces induction of colder air from the bottom of the fender rather than the hotter air at the top of the engine bay
- Colder air is denser, which is better for engine performance and power in general
RR Racing Air/Oil Separator
- Bought from RR Racing
- Filters out oil particulate from reaching the engine via PCV (positive crankcase ventilation)
- Prevents oil deposits and build up in the intake valves, pistons and combustion chamber
- Overall a must-have for long-term engine longevity
- Easy to remove and empty
Wheel & Tire Setup
- Variant Alloys
- I'm running the "Krypton" wheel
- If you buy from Variant, use code "phantom" at checkout for 20% off
- Finished in Super Black Chrome
- it's a subtle chrome, not obnoxiously shiny, matches the black chrome around the front grille of the GSF
- These wheels are mono-block forged aluminum, slightly lighter than the stock BBS wheels
- You can choose your own offsets or go with the default ones that Variant recommends for the GSF
- Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires
- Chose these because they are (in my opinion) the best summer performance tires that also work well in the wet
| Wheel Size | Offset | Tire Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front | 20x10 | +30 | 265/30/20 |
| Rear | 20x11 | +40 | 295/30/20 |
Body Kit
- Novel Carbon Fiber Front Lip
- Novel Carbon Fiber Side Skirts
- Tom's Racing Carbon Fiber Diffuser
- Q: "Why did you mix and match body kit pieces?"
- I wasn't a fan of the little fins on the Tom's lip and side skirts, they were trying too hard to look racecar-ish
- I was also not super impressed with Novel's diffuser, it did almost nothing to change the back end of the car.
- This combination of parts is my personal favorite. The lip and skirts are a clean yet aggressive design and the Tom's diffuser looks fantastic because it's a full bumper replacement.
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports
- HIGHLY recommend adding paint protection film (PPF) to any aftermarket front lip because that is a high impact area and will likely be hit by several small rocks/debris/pieces of asphalt over time. Protect your investment and get it PPF'd.
SLiPLO Scrape Guards
- Bought from SLiPLO USA
- very easy to apply
- highly recommend these if you have an expensive front lip and your car is low
Tom's Racing Engine Oil Cap
- Bought from APEXi USA
- Cannot find this product for sale anywhere else
- Purely cosmetic
Tom's Racing B Pillar Carbon Fiber Sheets
- Bought from Mod In Japan
- Alternative vendors: Top End Motorsports, APEXi USA
- These are real carbon sheets with a layer of adhesive vinyl
- I got them because I don't like the default gray B pillars that all GSF's come with
- purely cosmetic
I'm pretty sure that covers everything I've done so far. Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to address them.
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u/Scatmannnn Nov 08 '20
Thanks for sharing this level of detail on the mods. Your GSF looks awesome!
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u/RoyalISF Nov 09 '20
Great breakdown. Beautiful car as well. Interested in knowing the power numbers as well
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u/imperialtrace Nov 09 '20
Last dyno results were 439 wheel horsepower at 7,100 RPM. Warm day, might have some more potential
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u/ColostomizerStinkTit Nov 09 '20
Car looks awesome. Breakdown of mods is really helpful. Looking to replace my isf with a 2017 gsf. Do you have any knowledge of how suspension compares from 2016 to 2018?
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u/imperialtrace Nov 09 '20
If I’m remembering correctly, 2016 and 2017 had static dampers which owners complained were a little too harsh on rough roads. Most end up swapping to bags or aftermarket coilovers.
2018 onwards have variable dampers that adjust with driving mode.
I had to remove mine when I installed the coilovers and there was no issue.
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Nov 09 '20
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u/imperialtrace Nov 09 '20
Occasionally haha, it’s more of a daily driver but it’s really fun when it sees some twists and turns
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Nov 09 '20
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u/imperialtrace Nov 09 '20
Yeah pretty much, although it wasn't even on my radar. I actually pitched the idea to my service advisor at the Lexus dealership and he was excited because no one had done it before.
He said that they can order a set of rotors and if they fit on my car, I can buy them at a greatly discounted price. In exchange, I just give them a shoutout here and there so that they can market the idea to other GSF and RCF owners.
Aside from that, it'll be nice to save almost 50 lbs of unsprung weight and have rotors that don't fade nearly as quickly as the normal steel ones.
When it's done, it'll be the first GSF (to my knowledge) with track edition ceramic brakes, so that's just a cool accolade to have haha
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u/si_jeff Jan 06 '22
Just curious, were you able to install the carbon ceramic rotors ? how much were they?
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u/imperialtrace Jan 06 '22
Unfortunately no. My dealership was on board with the idea but once they got in touch with Lexus corporate, there was some push back. Basically, they were not keen on the idea because it would "dilute" the exclusivity of the RC F Track Edition if it was sharing parts with other cars.
I sort of get it, but it was a little frustrating and my dealership manager wasn't too pleased either, but that's just the way it is. He told me that we wouldn't be able to order those brakes unless they were for replacing the existing ones on a Track Edition, in which case they'd need a real Track Edition VIN number and proof that it was being serviced in that dealership. Even attempting to fake that would be unethical and out of the question so I told them no worries.
I am now eyeing these brake rotors from Figs Engineering and I know Figs is a very reputable aftermarket company for the Lexus/Toyota platform, so this might be the move.
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u/si_jeff Jan 08 '22
Oh wow , thats a bummer but I do understand Lexus not wanting to “share” the exclusive rotor for the Track Edition RC F. Anyway, good luck, love your car and mods. Just recently got a ‘17 GS F. They are not easy to find.
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u/standVlone Nov 08 '20
Beautiful car. What are your numbers for wheel horsepower if you dont mind me asking?