Attended the Lexus Driving Event...my thought on it.

wj4 · 05-29-2008, 07:28 PM

It was a BLAST. And it was free! The event was held at Fontana Raceway here in SoCal. Upon getting there, I noticed there was a lot of variety of cars! I parked next to an E46 M3 lowered on BBS CH's. There were fixed up 5'ers, G35's, and of course many Lexuses.

Upon entering, you had to sign the waiver and such. There were 2 virtual game stations with real working IS-F seats, lol..I thought that was pretty cool. Top notch catering service to provide finger snacks and sandwiches.

After everyone in the time slot were all there, all 10 of us, we went to a 30 mins classroom style session on what to do and what not to do when we're driving.

After the lecture, the 10 people are split into 2 groups. There happened to be 5 Lexuses per group as well. This is where we auto-x for a while. There were 2 regular IS350s, 1 IS350 with the F accessories, including exhaust, suspension and brakes..I believe the rotors are 14'' up front with 6 piston calipers! The other 2 cars were GS hybrids. We drove each car 4 times.

The F sport exhaust on the IS350 simply sounds AMAZING. I was surprised at how loud it is for an OEM piece. The brakes worked extremely well too. I really like how ergonomically placed everything is in the IS.

Needless to say the GS's didn't handled too well, lol.

After the auto-x, the 2 groups rejoined to the big track where there were 12 IS-F's. 4 cars in each group, 1 professional driver with 3 of us leading behind. After pushing the IS-F hard, I was not that impressed. The power delivery was not instantly, and to me it only felt marginally faster than the IS350. However at the higher RPMs, the engine was ROARING.

After that was done, we completed a survey and got the freebie bags with parting gifts.

It was truly a fun event, I did not mind the 60 miles drive to get there at all! I wish more automakers would host events like this..for free!

I didn't bring my camera, but here's a picture!

sky · 05-29-2008, 08:58 PM

Thanks for the info. How did you register for the event? Did Lexus send out
an invitation to you?

Thanks

wj4 · 05-29-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sky

Thanks for the info. How did you register for the event? Did Lexus send out
an invitation to you?

Thanks

Hi, I registered online. I Google'd Taste of Lexus and went to their site. They do this several times a year.

rdsport323 · 05-29-2008, 09:52 PM

sounds fun... I'm going there on Sunday... can't wait.

ToothDoc · 05-30-2008, 12:25 AM

So what did you think of the handling of the IS350 with mods and IS-F? The IS-F is like 300 pounds more than the IS350 with the same tires so it's no wonder that the modded IS350 can possibly outhandle the IS-F.

When I went to the one in Chicago, I was able to easily keep up and could've passed the pro driver in his IS250 but he's got 1/2 the HP I have. When I tried to keep up with the modded IS350 and pro driver, he was long gone after the twisties and I was "off-roading". LOL Fun event nevertheless. I'm thinking of actually taking it tracking now - something I've never really considered before.

Year's_End · 05-30-2008, 12:50 AM

Sounds like fun, and when is Lexus supposed to offer those OEM accessories for the IS?

I wish BMW would do this.

I mean, I guess they sort of do, but they're not the exact parts from the M3. Oh well, H&R, KW, Brembo, Eisenmann here I come.

Kev · 05-30-2008, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wj4

The F sport exhaust on the IS350 simply sounds AMAZING. I was surprised at how loud it is for an OEM piece. The brakes worked extremely well too.

Don't forget that Toyota has its own racing division, the TRD, which is highly capable of producing nice aftermarket parts.

wj4 · 05-30-2008, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bimmer Loyalist

Sounds like fun, and when is Lexus supposed to offer those OEM accessories for the IS?

I wish BMW would do this.

I mean, I guess they sort of do, but they're not the exact parts from the M3. Oh well, H&R, KW, Brembo, Eisenmann here I come.

They already have! Also they have a relationship with HKS, so even prior to the F sport parts being released recently, there were IS's out there with an HKS exhaust installed from the dealership.

The suspension was OK, but I would definitely go with aftermarket coilovers. I would love to own an IS350 with the F sport exhaust and brake kit though. Perhaps next car?

IS2000 · 05-30-2008, 02:05 AM

Sounds a lot like an Audi driving event I did last year. I'm looking forward to drive the IS-F this Saturday.

TheBreak · 05-30-2008, 03:05 AM

Where did you get your invitation code?

wj4 · 05-30-2008, 03:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBreak

Where did you get your invitation code?

Didn't need one. It's free for a the 2 hour trial, on a first come first serve basis. Saturday and Sunday were filled for a while now, they just opened up Thursday slots a couple of days ago when I signed up.

The whole purpose of the event is not to only invite a selective few..it's to invite whoever is interested in Lexus and they hope that you would buy one soon after attending the event.

E90330iS · 05-30-2008, 06:26 AM

cool

rdsport323 · 06-01-2008, 08:33 PM

I just got back from the driving event.. and the exhaust on the pseudo-F sounded great... and loud for an OEM exhaust. My best time on the mini track was 27.5 seconds in the pseudo-F and did 28.6 with the GS... I didn't particularly like the GS.. it was a bit bulky and kind of heavy. I only hit one cone, and that was with the GS.

The IS-F drive was intense.. especially the HOT LAP at the end with the professional driver. I *LOVE* the sound of the exhaust at 3700+rpms, but like he said before, there's no power in between 0-3500rpms.. its slow to pickup... The braking power is good... I asked the professional driver to drift, and he said he couldn't do it with an ISF because of some VDIM or VIDM or some crap.

Overall it was fun...

ngl1145 · 06-01-2008, 08:56 PM

He probably couldn't drift because like you said the VDIM was on. You actually have to be fully stopped to turn it off. Once you hold the traction control button for 2 seconds, VDIM turns off and you can be drift happy

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdsport323

I just got back from the driving event.. and the exhaust on the pseudo-F sounded great... and loud for an OEM exhaust. My best time on the mini track was 27.5 seconds in the pseudo-F and did 28.6 with the GS... I didn't particularly like the GS.. it was a bit bulky and kind of heavy. I only hit one cone, and that was with the GS.

The IS-F drive was intense.. especially the HOT LAP at the end with the professional driver. I *LOVE* the sound of the exhaust at 3700+rpms, but like he said before, there's no power in between 0-3500rpms.. its slow to pickup... The braking power is good... I asked the professional driver to drift, and he said he couldn't do it with an ISF because of some VDIM or VIDM or some crap.

Overall it was fun...

05-29-2008, 07:28 PM	#1
wj4 Major General 356 Rep 7,719 Posts Drives: E90 manual 335i Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Burbank, CA iTrader: (8)	Attended the Lexus Driving Event...my thought on it. It was a BLAST. And it was free! The event was held at Fontana Raceway here in SoCal. Upon getting there, I noticed there was a lot of variety of cars! I parked next to an E46 M3 lowered on BBS CH's. There were fixed up 5'ers, G35's, and of course many Lexuses. Upon entering, you had to sign the waiver and such. There were 2 virtual game stations with real working IS-F seats, lol..I thought that was pretty cool. Top notch catering service to provide finger snacks and sandwiches. After everyone in the time slot were all there, all 10 of us, we went to a 30 mins classroom style session on what to do and what not to do when we're driving. After the lecture, the 10 people are split into 2 groups. There happened to be 5 Lexuses per group as well. This is where we auto-x for a while. There were 2 regular IS350s, 1 IS350 with the F accessories, including exhaust, suspension and brakes..I believe the rotors are 14'' up front with 6 piston calipers! The other 2 cars were GS hybrids. We drove each car 4 times. The F sport exhaust on the IS350 simply sounds AMAZING. I was surprised at how loud it is for an OEM piece. The brakes worked extremely well too. I really like how ergonomically placed everything is in the IS. Needless to say the GS's didn't handled too well, lol. After the auto-x, the 2 groups rejoined to the big track where there were 12 IS-F's. 4 cars in each group, 1 professional driver with 3 of us leading behind. After pushing the IS-F hard, I was not that impressed. The power delivery was not instantly, and to me it only felt marginally faster than the IS350. However at the higher RPMs, the engine was ROARING. After that was done, we completed a survey and got the freebie bags with parting gifts. It was truly a fun event, I did not mind the 60 miles drive to get there at all! I wish more automakers would host events like this..for free! I didn't bring my camera, but here's a picture!
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05-29-2008, 08:58 PM	#2
sky Enlisted Member 0 Rep 41 Posts Drives: Join Date: Mar 2005 iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the info. How did you register for the event? Did Lexus send out an invitation to you? Thanks
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05-29-2008, 09:52 PM	#4
rdsport323 Captain 54 Rep 879 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: OC, CA iTrader: (0)	sounds fun... I'm going there on Sunday... can't wait.
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05-30-2008, 12:25 AM	#5
ToothDoc Second Lieutenant 5 Rep 241 Posts Drives: 997.2 TTS, CLA 45 AMG Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicagoland iTrader: (0)	So what did you think of the handling of the IS350 with mods and IS-F? The IS-F is like 300 pounds more than the IS350 with the same tires so it's no wonder that the modded IS350 can possibly outhandle the IS-F. When I went to the one in Chicago, I was able to easily keep up and could've passed the pro driver in his IS250 but he's got 1/2 the HP I have. When I tried to keep up with the modded IS350 and pro driver, he was long gone after the twisties and I was "off-roading". LOL Fun event nevertheless. I'm thinking of actually taking it tracking now - something I've never really considered before.
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05-30-2008, 12:50 AM	#6
Year's_End Lieutenant General 1236 Rep 12,446 Posts Drives: 2020 Shelby GT350 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: FL iTrader: (0)	Sounds like fun, and when is Lexus supposed to offer those OEM accessories for the IS? I wish BMW would do this. I mean, I guess they sort of do, but they're not the exact parts from the M3. Oh well, H&R, KW, Brembo, Eisenmann here I come. __________________ Past: '08 E92 335i\|ZPP\|ZSP\|6AT Past: '15 Mustang GT\|401A\|PP\|6MT Current: '20 Shelby GT350\|6MT
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05-30-2008, 02:05 AM	#9
IS2000 Private First Class 18 Rep 163 Posts Drives: 2007 335i/ 2003 EVO8 Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangkok iTrader: (3)	Sounds a lot like an Audi driving event I did last year. I'm looking forward to drive the IS-F this Saturday. __________________ 2018 F87 M2 2014 F30 328i M Sport Alpine White/ Coral Red leather
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05-30-2008, 03:05 AM	#10
TheBreak Private First Class 1 Rep 136 Posts Drives: 2008 E92 335i Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Los Angeles iTrader: (0)	Where did you get your invitation code? __________________ - 2008 E92 335i _ Black Sapphire Metallic w/ Saddle Brown Dakota Leather Intr. - Almost fully loaded - GPThunder 8500K Angel Eyes - JB2+X+BMS Intake
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05-30-2008, 06:26 AM	#12
E90330iS Major General 148 Rep 6,333 Posts Drives: BMW M4 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Arcadia, California iTrader: (56) Garage List 2006 330i [0.00]	cool __________________ 2017 BMW M4 DCT Lease Transfer: https://f80.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...8#post23736398
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06-01-2008, 08:33 PM	#13
rdsport323 Captain 54 Rep 879 Posts Drives: 335i Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: OC, CA iTrader: (0)	I just got back from the driving event.. and the exhaust on the pseudo-F sounded great... and loud for an OEM exhaust. My best time on the mini track was 27.5 seconds in the pseudo-F and did 28.6 with the GS... I didn't particularly like the GS.. it was a bit bulky and kind of heavy. I only hit one cone, and that was with the GS. The IS-F drive was intense.. especially the HOT LAP at the end with the professional driver. I LOVE the sound of the exhaust at 3700+rpms, but like he said before, there's no power in between 0-3500rpms.. its slow to pickup... The braking power is good... I asked the professional driver to drift, and he said he couldn't do it with an ISF because of some VDIM or VIDM or some crap. Overall it was fun...
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