Joe's IS-F: The Perks of Parenting
Having a kid means making some concessions. Some fathers trade in the fun car for something capable of hauling the family or the kids to soccer practice, but not all. In Joe McGuigan’s case, he didn’t get rid of his lightweight MR2, but he did add a safe, comfortable, and reliable Toyota sedan to his collection.
But why sacrifice fun for respectability and comfort if you can have all three? When Joe’s trackday buddy suffering from regular motion sickness decided to put his Lexus IS-F on the market, what did Joe do? Like any responsible parent, he put in an offer.
The price was reasonable, the paint was stellar, and best of all, it’d already been track-prepped. Despite a 3,800-pound curb weight and a set of shocks that weren’t working too well, this big bruiser was immediately capable of respectable times in Joe’s hands—a 1:40 at Laguna Seca and a 1:57 at Buttonwillow CW13 are nothing to sniff at.
Perhaps it’s because Joe is already experienced with powerful Toyota FRs, but maybe it’s because the selection of parts on this car were very nice. In addition to an OS Giken Diff, this IS-F sports most of the FIGS Engineering catalog, an APR GT300 wing, canards, and a custom splitter, and a set of 18X10” APEX VS-5RS.
The 2UR motor was formerly equipped with a supercharger, but the previous owner pulled it when the Lexus changed hands. Currently, it’s freed up a little by PPE headers and high-flow cats, and the estimated power output is something like 390 horsepower at the rear wheels. Crucially for track work, the powertrain is kept cool with an upgraded Koyo radiator, as well as an RR Racing oil cooler and transmission cooler.
Despite the prep, the first trackday revealed that the blown set of RR Racing coilovers were limiting his progression. Note the way the car dances through the Bus Stop at 2:41 in the footage below.
Though its first iteration (in Joe’s hands) worked well enough for a reasonably quick lap, he couldn’t live with the coilovers. He replaced those with a set of Bilanx single-adjustable coilovers, tailored to his car courtesy of Shaftworks USA. Now, with a slightly more supple 16kg spring at the rear, the traction needed out of slower corners was there. Capable, reassuring, but not quite to his liking.
The first outing on the new shocks revealed just how capable a sedan pushing two tons can be—a 1:22.4 at Thunderhill West, a track arguably suited to lighter cars, is evidence of that. With a new set of CounterSpace Garage CP pads and a fresh set of Maxxis RC-1 R2 tires, the grip and the power were there, and crucially for the car’s development, the brakes did not fade over the course of a session.
The set revealed an issue with the front suspension. Due to having bumpstops of unknown durometer and thicker aftermarket upper a-arms, the two were coming into contact with one another during heavy braking. A testament to the improved braking power and accompanying weight transferring capability, but a worrying problem nevertheless.
The following day at Thunderhill’s three-mile configuration, the IS-F could stretch its legs and lean a little longer on the slightly wider 275-section tires equipped for this weekend. Joe beat the 2:00 mark by 2 seconds—and that was with a little traffic stealing a few tenths from him. If the potential of the platform hadn’t been proven before that, it had been then.
That auspicious set of times puts him in contention for a Speed Challenge S3 win; his 1:58 was only a few tenths behind the best from last year’s champion Gary Wong. When he throws on a set of FIGS arms, installs a better set of bumpstops from Shaftworks, and dials in a little more front camber, he’ll be sitting pretty. If all goes well, he’ll be able to chuckle at the S2000 drivers he’s just beaten as he loads a full set of tires and his new trophy in the Lexus’ spacious back seat.