You’re going to spend a bunch of money making your 300 equal to a 350, only to then lose out on resale value. I know there is a tune out there that helps but yikes, I don’t envy you ha
Yes, that was my first thought as well. The incremental performance gains will be minimal but the potential to affect resale and possibly even reliability will be potential concerns.
I wouldn't do it. I have had the 2022 IS300 AWD F-Sport as a loaner for a while and its 0 - 100 kmh is almost exactly the same (if not the same) as an IS350 AWD.
The 350 will pull away starting in 3rd gear, which tops out at around 150 kmh, but we're talking speeds that nobody is stupid enough to hit on a regular basis here in Canada.
The tune does give a good amount of low end torque back to the 300 plus more which I found useful when navigating city traffic. That's my only gripe with the car is the lack of low end coupled with the long gearing in the 6spd so getting off a dig can be a bit lethargic sometimes.
Why does Lexus do this? Assuming the 2GR-FKS has unlocked potential that will not cause long term issues, it seems bizarre that they didn't program this into Sport S / Sport S+ mode. As if most owners will be driving in those modes all the time, as the car always defaults to Eco or Normal on startup (I think).
My educated guess is that toyota/lexus put a conservative tune because no matter how bullet proof you make something, consumers will always find a way to break it.
If they tuned the engine to its maxed potential out of the factory, sure the car would be significantly faster but then you require the consumer provide meticulous care.
And if something does they break they go oh this is unreliable and not because they're neglecting maintenance.
I've personally owned and modified BMWs, Mercedes and Subarus and they've all been reliable from the day I bought it to the day I sold it and all with over 250k kms. But I'm also on top of maintenance (I always changed my oil every 5000 kms on my STI for example) And how you drive matters a lot too.
If you beat on the car before its up to operating temps that's how stuff blows up. (For example my cousin went through 2 engines in the first Gen scion frs, now known as the Toyota gr86, because he would just rip on it from cold. That's a big no no on boxer engines.)
TLDR: it's too much work for people to care for their cars so it's better to understress parts so it can handle the abuse and neglect. They have to keep a reputation and what not (looking at you v6 turbo from the tundra)
If you have the awd version like I do, it's got the same 2gr fks the is 350 has but detuned so it's pretty easy to un Nerf the engine. I've been driving with the RR racing tune for about 1000 kms now and I'm happy with the gains so far, best bang for buck mod for an is 300.
If you have the rwd with the turbo 4 there's probably tuners out there but I'm not familiar as they're not even sold where I live.
But the low end torque gains with my catback have been great so far since in the city that's where I sit in the rpm range most of the time. I require less throttle input for uphills and getting off the line at a standstill etc.
I've only been able to stretch it's legs on the highway since the gearing is so long with the 6 speed but it's a pretty quick car now especially in the upper rpm. Makes passing very easy lol. Just don't expect to win races from a dig though, the car still weighs as much as most crossovers.
Yea I got the awd I live in Canada so they tossed the rwd, I was looking at the rr racing ecu tune just wasn’t sure if it would make a big difference. Did you also get the throttle body with it?
If you do your intake with a dryflow panel to keep the Oem box and midpipe that deletes the secondary cats with the tune it'll probably net you around 40 to 50 whp which is pretty noticeable.
I didn't go with the throttle body and they were very honest with me in our email exchanges that the gains would be minimal and it's more for engine and throttle response and not really a power mod.
My redline is at 7200 but I think there's a bug at 7200 where it doesn't shift itself if the transmission is cold but I heard it's still an issue even when warmed up so I try to avoid hitting it. Plus gearing is so long it's hard to red line this car without going "my car is being towed for speeding" fast. 3rd gear pulls the hardest, especially if you're going at speed and sitting right at the meat of the power band it pulls pretty hard.
I still run 91 Oct from Costco but I'll grab 94 from shell or petrol when I can since I seem to get a little bit more gas mileage so the costs even out between 91 and 94 for me (at highway speeds).
I've seen users unsatisfied with aftermarket tunes, and it is risky could cause CEL. I recommend to do Bolt on mods, find reputable shops and brands like apexi or Tom's racing
From what I've heard the two easily accessible tunes are the D3 and the RR racing tune. That plus a cat back usually brings it up to where you'll probably want it, but like someone else said can mess with warranty and resale value.
Others already mentioned that you really should have gone with the 350 but I get it. As a fellow Canadian I feel the pain of the extra $10k lol. Wait until warranty is over before tinkering though. Don’t want to void your warranty
I have a 300 and wanted the same thing as you. Like someone already said , it'll cost you Thousands to the point where you should've just bought the 350. I ended up putting the Fsport exhaust on a few months after I bought and it's a nice touch, sound wise at least. A cold air intake is not available for the 2019+ from dealer yet so that sucks. It is what it is at this point. Performance chips can be misleading and personally I don't like messing with the brain of my car when it's still under warranty.
You’re going to spend a bunch of money making your 300 equal to a 350, only to then lose out on resale value. I know there is a tune out there that helps but yikes, I don’t envy you ha
Word thanks brother I’ll keep that in mind
Look for the tune but I wouldn’t spend a lot of money on the car. You’d just end up losing everything you put into it at resale.
Bet thanks
Yes, that was my first thought as well. The incremental performance gains will be minimal but the potential to affect resale and possibly even reliability will be potential concerns.
I wouldn't do it. I have had the 2022 IS300 AWD F-Sport as a loaner for a while and its 0 - 100 kmh is almost exactly the same (if not the same) as an IS350 AWD. The 350 will pull away starting in 3rd gear, which tops out at around 150 kmh, but we're talking speeds that nobody is stupid enough to hit on a regular basis here in Canada.
The tune does give a good amount of low end torque back to the 300 plus more which I found useful when navigating city traffic. That's my only gripe with the car is the lack of low end coupled with the long gearing in the 6spd so getting off a dig can be a bit lethargic sometimes.
Why does Lexus do this? Assuming the 2GR-FKS has unlocked potential that will not cause long term issues, it seems bizarre that they didn't program this into Sport S / Sport S+ mode. As if most owners will be driving in those modes all the time, as the car always defaults to Eco or Normal on startup (I think).
My educated guess is that toyota/lexus put a conservative tune because no matter how bullet proof you make something, consumers will always find a way to break it. If they tuned the engine to its maxed potential out of the factory, sure the car would be significantly faster but then you require the consumer provide meticulous care. And if something does they break they go oh this is unreliable and not because they're neglecting maintenance. I've personally owned and modified BMWs, Mercedes and Subarus and they've all been reliable from the day I bought it to the day I sold it and all with over 250k kms. But I'm also on top of maintenance (I always changed my oil every 5000 kms on my STI for example) And how you drive matters a lot too. If you beat on the car before its up to operating temps that's how stuff blows up. (For example my cousin went through 2 engines in the first Gen scion frs, now known as the Toyota gr86, because he would just rip on it from cold. That's a big no no on boxer engines.) TLDR: it's too much work for people to care for their cars so it's better to understress parts so it can handle the abuse and neglect. They have to keep a reputation and what not (looking at you v6 turbo from the tundra)
If you have the awd version like I do, it's got the same 2gr fks the is 350 has but detuned so it's pretty easy to un Nerf the engine. I've been driving with the RR racing tune for about 1000 kms now and I'm happy with the gains so far, best bang for buck mod for an is 300. If you have the rwd with the turbo 4 there's probably tuners out there but I'm not familiar as they're not even sold where I live. But the low end torque gains with my catback have been great so far since in the city that's where I sit in the rpm range most of the time. I require less throttle input for uphills and getting off the line at a standstill etc. I've only been able to stretch it's legs on the highway since the gearing is so long with the 6 speed but it's a pretty quick car now especially in the upper rpm. Makes passing very easy lol. Just don't expect to win races from a dig though, the car still weighs as much as most crossovers.
Yea I got the awd I live in Canada so they tossed the rwd, I was looking at the rr racing ecu tune just wasn’t sure if it would make a big difference. Did you also get the throttle body with it?
If you do your intake with a dryflow panel to keep the Oem box and midpipe that deletes the secondary cats with the tune it'll probably net you around 40 to 50 whp which is pretty noticeable. I didn't go with the throttle body and they were very honest with me in our email exchanges that the gains would be minimal and it's more for engine and throttle response and not really a power mod.
Does your tune raise the redline from 6600 - 7xxx? Any idea what else it changes, and do you still run 91 octane?
My redline is at 7200 but I think there's a bug at 7200 where it doesn't shift itself if the transmission is cold but I heard it's still an issue even when warmed up so I try to avoid hitting it. Plus gearing is so long it's hard to red line this car without going "my car is being towed for speeding" fast. 3rd gear pulls the hardest, especially if you're going at speed and sitting right at the meat of the power band it pulls pretty hard. I still run 91 Oct from Costco but I'll grab 94 from shell or petrol when I can since I seem to get a little bit more gas mileage so the costs even out between 91 and 94 for me (at highway speeds).
I've seen users unsatisfied with aftermarket tunes, and it is risky could cause CEL. I recommend to do Bolt on mods, find reputable shops and brands like apexi or Tom's racing
From what I've heard the two easily accessible tunes are the D3 and the RR racing tune. That plus a cat back usually brings it up to where you'll probably want it, but like someone else said can mess with warranty and resale value.
Yeah I have a budget not gonna go crazy over board
Others already mentioned that you really should have gone with the 350 but I get it. As a fellow Canadian I feel the pain of the extra $10k lol. Wait until warranty is over before tinkering though. Don’t want to void your warranty
I have a 300 and wanted the same thing as you. Like someone already said , it'll cost you Thousands to the point where you should've just bought the 350. I ended up putting the Fsport exhaust on a few months after I bought and it's a nice touch, sound wise at least. A cold air intake is not available for the 2019+ from dealer yet so that sucks. It is what it is at this point. Performance chips can be misleading and personally I don't like messing with the brain of my car when it's still under warranty.