Mike Kojima posted on February 14, 2011 18:37
Project Lexus IS-F Part 2: We test the PTS - Joe Z Series Exhaust
By Mike Kojima
One of the bad things about having an unusual car like our Lexus IS-F is that it is, well, an unusual car. The IS-F is the first attempt by a rather young maker, in this case Lexus to build and market a true performance car. Lexus has a reputation for luxury with value and rock solid reliability, not a performance and racing pedigree.
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| The stock rear exhaust section weighs 37 lbs and seriously necks down near the rear crossmember. Reverse flow mufflers are also restrictive. |
Lexus cars until the IS-F have not been stellar performers, they have been known, like their parent company Toyota, as vehicles with superb quality, excellent value and bulletproof components, a sensible car for the sensible upper class consumer. Because of this, unlike a BMW M or Mercedes AMG, the Lexus F brand is virtually unknown to buyers of performance luxury sedans.
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| The front section of the exhaust is actually decent in diameter but merges into a single pipe with a larger pre muffler. It weights 33 lbs. |
No pedigree means low demand and low production numbers. Low production numbers means little demand for aftermarket parts. Little demand for aftermarket parts means that the bigger parts manufacturers are not too interested in developing performance parts for such a low volume machine.
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| The PTS Joe Z exhaust is made of beautiful 304 stainless and weighs 35 lbs for the front mid section and 29 lbs for the rear, a total savings of 6 lbs even though it is a true dual exhaust. |
Thus a lot of the best parts available for the IS-F are not built by large companies; they are produced by smaller groups of enthusiasts, often ones that can be found on forums in an almost grassroots effort to develop quality performance parts for the brand. One such enthusiast is Joe Z.