Tag Archives: ISF

SuperCharged Lexus ISF

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This Lexus ISF was built in 2008 and has been displayed at some of the largest automotive shows in North America. Builder, Gordon Ting, recently got the car back and is currently changing things up to get this ISF track ready. The custom SuperCharger is in the process of being tuned and we will be making some suspension tweaks for a more track oriented setup.

Aggressive stance from the Super Street coilovers. The bright neon green PFC brake kit and Advan RZ wheels really turn heads.

Sparco seats and belts with custom matte black roll bar.

EDFC and Greddy monitoring devices replace the glove box.

This ISF looks menacing from all angles.

Custom SuperCharger which should add some extra oomph to the already potent V8.

Targa Trophy San Francisco

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Got back late last night from the Targa Trophy Bay Area Rally Fest. It was a fun event around the San Francisco and San Jose area. Targa Trophy is a road rally where competitors are given and specific route and timed. The overall winner is the team with the most points. Points are deducted for too little mileage, too much mileage, too slow of a time and too quick of a time. The rally is not about who has the most HP or who is the craziest driver. Mileage and timing has to be on point, meaning no getting lost or detours and no ridiculously dangerous speeds.

Rally started at the W Hotel in San Francisco and we soon found ourselves driving through the woods.

Cruising behind a short train of cars including a Lamborghini Murcielago just in front of us.

Morning stage ended at the W in Silicon Vally which had a Euro car show and BBQ.

Parked at the W Silicon Vally. Fellow competitors parked next to us including C63, Gallardo and Audi wagon.

Final stage ended back at the W Hotel in SF with dinner and an awards ceremony.

Our 4 man team navigated the roads perfectly but we ended up in the middle of the pack due to some unscheduled stops.

Here are a few pics from the route which included the most beautiful scenery and some of the most challenging touge roads. Tight lanes, no guard rails, blind corners and V8 powered fun.

Non-scheduled stop at the top of one of the many canyon roads. There was cattle grazing 5 ft from this flat black E55.

One more of the unscheduled stops. I think this was to change drivers.

Pick up Import Tuner magazine to see more images and a complete story of the event.

Special thanks to Carter Jung and Edward Lee for the photos.

Ongoing Projects

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Looking in the R&D section today there are quite a few cars.

TEIN Mustang – sitting up on the lift awaiting repairs to the motor. I guess making nearly 500WHP took its toll on the motor.

0-60 magazine Rally Scion xD – down below awaiting completion of repairs after Rally Maine. The huge rocks caused a lot of damage on the underside of the car including a dented oil pan, heavily damaged belly pans and damaged one rear shock.

EVO 9 – finishing up installation of new DEFI gauges and Devil’s Own Alcohol Injection system.

WrapTivo/ Import Tuner magazine Honda CR-Z – arrived this morning. RJ De Vera’s latest project vehicle for SEMA. We will be test fitting lowering springs and Super Street coilovers. Look for a future post with more information.

TEIN/ Import Tuner magazine Lexus ISF – sitting outside awaiting pickup. Finished giving the car an inspection before Import Tuner chief editor, Carter Jung, takes it up to Nor Cal for Targa Trophy. Should be fun with over 500WHP when on the bottle.

Future Import Tuner magazine feature

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Luke Munnell of Import Tuner magazine was at TEIN yesterday shooting the Lexus ISF for a future feature. The ISF is an Import Tuner project car which TEIN USA sponsors. We have helped with the build and maintenance ever since the beginning of this project. The car was displayed at SEMA, CES and has competed at Super Lap Battle finals. It is the only newer body style IS to compete in SLB that I can remember. Tanner Foust drove the car to a 2:02 in the 2008 finals. I think the car can definitely break 2 minutes with the current NOS setup, wider tires and some aero upgrades.

Although Luke’s title is Technical Editor for Import Tuner magazine he along with all the editors do multiple tasks. One of Luke’s favs seems to be shooting feature vehicles.

Setting up the lights for one of many pics. Each shot takes at least 10-15mins to setup and then constant tweaking until everything is perfect.

Our warehouse is not ideal due to sky lights, tons of reflections, etc… so the right lighting is key to getting a good clean shot.

With everything in place it is time to shoot.

Luke will come back to shoot the exterior pics at one of his secret locations. Nah jk, just a spot nearby that he found on the way to TEIN. Pickup Import Tuner to see the full feature.

First Time Driving @ US Circuit

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Hello everyone, my name is Yukio Hirayoshi. I am the accountant for TEIN USA. I came from Japan just a few months ago. I went to Buttonwillow Raceway with other TEIN USA staff on 6/19. It was my first time driving at a US circuit.

We arrived at 7:30a.m. I spent 2.5 hours from my house in Southern California to get to BW raceway which is near Bakersfield. On the drive I noticed how much open land there is and how I could see very far. I thought, ah, it’s America. There are not many locations in Japan like this.

My first impression for this circuit is really flat and open. I could see 60% of entire circuit from the pit.

I was entered in the beginner class. This class only allows passing on the home straight. It is a nice rule to drive safely for me.

The event organizers put orange pylons to mark braking, entrance and apex of corners which made it easier for me. I was surprised that you can drive with just a T-shirt and shorts at the circuit. It is one of the good things about America’s circuit because it was a hot and sunny day.

I did not drive so hard, only maybe 60%. I was just enjoying the drive and learning this circuit.

I had a chance to ride in the passenger seat of one of the instructor’s car, Greddy EVO X driven by Takeshi-San. It was fast and lots of fun. I could not say anything while sitting in the passenger’s seat because I was trying to hold on and watch driving line. I could see my co-worker in front of us with EVO 9, AWD cars are fast!

I had a lot of fun driving and riding as a passenger at this event. Next time I’d like to bring BBQ grill then my day will be PERFECT!

Thank you to the organizer – Industry Day and to Carter for letting me drive ISF.

Photos credits to Joey Leh of Octane Report, Jonathan Velasquez, Hannah H. and Naoko N.

A look inside TEIN USA HQ in Downey CA

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TEIN USA has two locations in the US. Our headquarters is in Downey, CA and our East Coast facility is in Norcross, GA.

A small showroom filled with samples of all the brands we carry. TEIN USA is the exclusive US distributor for DEFI, Fujitsubo, Carbing, and SuperPro. We also distribute Takata and Auto-Tech Interiors (ATI).

A look at the front office where most of the day-to-day operations are taken care of.

A typical desk and staff multi-tasking.

Service area where dampers are repaired or overhauled. One of our technicians hard at work. You can see the NMB shock dyno in the corner and a few of the repairs being processed in the foreground.

One of the many aisles in the warehouse. S.Tech springs can be seen on the left, various coilovers on the right and some Fujitsubo at the very end.

This is the section of our warehouse where we prepare products for shipping and house smaller items.

A few of the project cars (Elliott’s EVO X, Import Tuner 370Z, TEIN Mustang) we are either working on or temporarily storing for upcoming events.

The Import Tuner/ TEIN Lexus ISF sitting in the back of the warehouse. Look for a feature on this car in an upcoming issue of Import Tuner. This thing makes over 510WHP and 550 ft-lbs of torque with the help of a wet NOS kit.