Lexus ISF / IS-F / LFA / LF-A  Forum banner

Towing with IS-F

13794 Views 12 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  johnsy
Hi Guys,

New member and owner in UK. Does anyone have any experience of towing with their IS-F? I understand that Lexus don't recommend it, but it is essential for me. I would like to raise the rear suspension by approx 20mm to allow for the additional load. Is this possible?
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
are you referring to towing behind a caravan? or something similar?
I have two trailers, a light weight camping trailer and a larger and heavier box trailer used for moving office equipment. I think the first problem is the rear wheels; the previous owner fitted some Rim Lux alloys, which have the same tyre size, but a larger offset. I guess I can just have them ground down. Do you think it will be necessary to fit new suspension at the rear to raise the car and if so is this even possible?
I have two trailers, a light weight camping trailer and a larger and heavier box trailer used for moving office equipment. I think the first problem is the rear wheels; the previous owner fitted some Rim Lux alloys, which have the same tyre size, but a larger offset. I guess I can just have them ground down. Do you think it will be necessary to fit new suspension at the rear to raise the car and if so is this even possible?
You really need to read and adhere to the owners manual! First off NOBODY makes a trailer hitch for the IS-F second this vehicle has a very expensive transmission which is NOT designed to share the load of towing ANYTHING! Finally the rear suspension is also NOT designed to bear the added weight of a trailer. That being said BUY a pickup if you need to tow something, NOT a sports car!
That being said BUY a pickup if you need to tow something, NOT a sports car!
You could also rent or borrow a tow vehicle...
I know what you guys are saying; get the right vehicle for the job, but how great to use the IS-F all day, everyday, including camping trips etc. I have also seen the section in the user guide that says Lexus do not recommend towing with this vehicle, but Lexus do offer a towbar / trailer hitch for this model.

My main concern was the wheels hitting the arches, but in my ignorance it would appear I have bought a wreck. The previous owner has poorly covered up the damage and fitted aftermarket wheels which are too wide at the rear and making it almost impossible to add any weight at the rear.

I will try to return it (I have only had it a week) and buy one from a Lexus dealer.
Wow. What a bummer. Good luck with returning it.

As for towing--> I'm sure it is possible. You will be strictly restricted to the amount of weight you can pull, so I wouldn't expect to be able to tow much. I know Lexus recommends against it, but hey most of us here on this forum do a lot of things to our cars that are not recommended by Lexus. Towing a camper (going caravaning for you if I remember right) is just not something most Americans think about with a car like this, even if it is their only car.
I can't believe I bought the car. I was just excited to find a reasonably priced car, with low miles and unmarked paint work. Of course it had just been resprayed.

It is so twisted at the rear that it has shredded two new rear tyres within 200 miles. It would still make a good car if someone spent £5000 on it, but it won't be me hopefully. In my ignorance, I didn't even notice they had filled the head light washer gaps in the front bumper and not fitted any parking sensors.

Will choose more carefully next time and have it inspected first.
No Comment:

Lou

Attachments

See less See more
I was thinking of using mine as a hunting vehicle. Any thoughts?
I was thinking of using mine as a hunting vehicle. Any thoughts?
I'll let you borrow this instead!

See less See more
I was thinking of using mine as a hunting vehicle. Any thoughts?
as long as you wrap it in camo, that makes any vehicle off road ready...i was thinking of taking mine to the dunes.
1 - 13 of 13 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top