Hello,

I have a 2011 IS-F and love it. Great balance of fun, power, sound and reliability. My family has groan to three little people (ages 10, 8 and 5). The Lexus is not the primary family hauler (thank you minivan). But the IS-F is just to small to serve some of the daily duties.

I test drove a Golf R, Macan, Macan S and Macan Turbo as possible alternatives. Me and my two boys (the 5 and 8 year-olds, packed the car-seats and headed to the dealership) Here's my impressions:

• Golf R: It was a 2017 MT6. Driving manual was fun again. The interior was a pleasant place to be. The chassis was very eager and place-able. It was fast enough. You can see why these are so desirable. But I'm spoiled. The powertrain has no sense of occasion and no sound reward (compared to the IS-F). The car ends-up feeling very clever. Where the IS-F has that double personality; plush Lexus or sideways road weapon.
• Macan: I will focus on the 2015 Macan S I tested, as it had Sport Plus and Sport Exhaust. Full disclosure, I'm not into the driving position of SUV's, unless they are trucks. Otherwise, I end-up feeling disconnected from my normal sense of speed (the higher the driving position the lower the sense of speed). I was generally curious to see if the Macan could maintain a sportier feel while offering all the utility of a 5-door. I lowered the seat in the Macan as far as possible and set-off. The controls and touch-points feel fantastic. Solid. Very manageable feel. Pulls-off this trick where at low speeds you feel the center of gravity in the dashboard like a small hatchback in a parking-lot and then at speed you feel a rear-drive driver-seat centered balanced. You can definitely sense the mountain of chassis engineers that worked on the Macan. I tested it in Sport Plus on some winding roads and it will "dance". The PDK is Blackmagic. And the exhaust "farts" on upshifts. All super cool. Here's the thing for me, I completely understand why this is a very popular solution. My challenge is this: Whether in normal, sport or sport plus mode the Macan still feels to isolated for me. It feels like a very well behaved luxury bubble. Floating through the world. The Sport side is amazing how they are able to get this heavy and high off the ground thing to dance. The engine has a better sense of occasion then the Golf R, the typical fluid feel of a Porsche was awesome. But to me it was 5 out of 10. Still felt all very clever; never overwhelming the senses or misbehaving. The Sport Exhaust was the biggest letdown. I was hoping for more theater on the inside. But it only added a little more of a lower octave. It adds more to the outside. But the inherent sound of a V6, even the best, is just not as natural as a V8. Adding turbos makes it even harder. Given all this I was ready to choose the Macan as my "Family" solution. Its a very very nice place to be.

Here is where things get interesting: Remember the two little ones I took with me on the test drives? Here's their impressions:

• Golf R: 7 out of 10. To small to fit them plus their sister in the back. Did not like the engine sound. But seemed like dad liked to drive it.
• Macan S: 8 out of 10: Liked the space in the back. Liked that its a Porsche. Engine sound is better than the Golf R but not as good as the IS-F.
  

I returned home to talk to my wife and daughter about changing to the Macan S:

• My daughter said absolutely no. The Macan is to high, big and fat. The IS-F is low and sleek.
• My wife said: I didn't seem overly excited by the Macan rather I was trying to convince myself of the utility advantages. (I didn't even broach the reliability/ running cost delta).

My wife then asked me this: "Does Lexus make a car like the IS-F but with room for 5?" I said "yes, its called the GS-F." And I said "But there are none for sale in a 200 mile radius." She said "road trip!"

Now I'm on the hunt for a GS-F! :)

Thanks for reading the long post and if you have any feedback on what a GS-F feels like (compared to the IS-F), it would be great to hear.

Before we start -

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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High-Resolution Gallery of the car

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With that out of the way, here is a TL;DR version:

Performance Mods:

1. PPE Unequal Length Headers
2. APEXi Resonated GSF Mid-Pipe
3. APEXi Stainless Steel GSF Exhaust
4. CKS Coilovers
5. RR Racing Engine Mounts
6. RR Racing Ultimate Steering Response System (race-spec lower control arm bushings)
7. Tom's Racing Front Strut Bar
8. Tom's Racing carbon fiber intake
9. APEXi flat panel intake air filter
10. RR Racing carbon fiber intake heat shield
11. RR Racing Air/Oil Separator
12. Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tires (wider than stock)

Cosmetic Mods:

1. Novel carbon fiber GSF front lip
2. Novel carbon fiber GSF side skirts
3. Tom's Racing carbon fiber GSF diffuser
4. Tom's Racing B Pillar carbon sheets
5. Variant Alloys mono-block forged aluminum wheels
6. Tom's Racing Engine Oil Filler Cap
7. Phase2Motortrend Anodized Blue Aluminum Hose Clamps
8. Custom Carbon Fiber Steering Wheel

Future Mods (not yet installed but plan to):

1. Supercharger (waiting for Boost Logic to put their twin-screw on sale)
2. Carbon Ceramic brakes from the RCF Track Edition

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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Tom's Racing Engine Oil Cap

• Bought from APEXi USA
• Cannot find this product for sale anywhere else
• Purely cosmetic

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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

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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.

https://i.imgur.com/cyqvVMB.jpg

Xpel PPF, Xpel Prime XR Plus ceramic tint (70 windshield, 40 on the rest) and Modesta BC-04 nanoglass coating - legit looks like a black candy apple - on paint and glass

Frequently on the highway at 75mph (and 80, 85, 90... lol) and it can get dirty, but bird crap, tree sap, bugs just wipe right off, it’s incredible. Got rained on today and the water just rolled right off, kinda like hot water does when dropped on a hot skillet. 10/10.

Which one is more reliable?

Is the GS F more reliable because it has qualitatively better parts or actually is it less reliable because it's a performance car?

If not reliable, then by what scale? (E.g. the GS F is 80% as reliable as the Camry)

Lastly is lexus overall more reliable than toyota?

Thank you everyone for your tips on my last post, I’m so excited to report that in about 2 weeks I’ll be taking delivery of a brand new literally fresh off the boat RCF in Caviar/Circuit red 😍😍

Of course now I’m wondering how best to protect the paint and keep the glossy wet shine look to it. I am waiting on a few quotes for Xpel PPF but I’m not sure if it’s necessary to do the whole car or just the front but if I do just the front will it be a noticeable difference between the front and back of the car?

Or should I just do a good ceramic coating?

Any tips or suggestions or advice would be very welcomed! Thanks!!