Lexus ISF Xforce Varex with PPE Headers

[@mikeJones-zo8si]

I have the same set up, except sikky headers, love it. Valves closed its like stock.

[@newbiedebater]

Well... I know what setup I'm saving up for.

[@Midwest..]

Best exhaust ever love the open/close valve. 👍👍👍

[@iansimpson8309]

What a great, comprehensive video. Car sounds amazing.

[@on-site4094]

Lexus Isf what a sleeper Enjoy it it’s a pleasure to drive. looks like a regular IS

[@valdaviper1]

Definitely one of the best things about it. I let my neighbor drive it recently and it blew his mind. He thought I just had a 250hp front wheel drive fancy Toyota.

[@CubanLegend561]

this exhaust is Glorious. i gotta say i love it. your new valved videos are just filler with this setup. this is THE setup to have IMO when i finally make the jump to an ISF someday, thanks for posting these sound clips.

[@s14smigs1]

Was up brotha! Ppe Unequal lengths came in. Waiting for the xforce varex exhaust to ship out.! So ready for my car to sound like this! Thanks for the videos bro!

[@valdaviper1]

Nice man, hope you enjoy!!

[@MMPGAMMING]

God dude this setup makes me rock hard. Absolutely love it can’t wait to get my own ISF I’d mod it very similarly to yours!!

[@plusp1804]

Sounds amazing ❤️😘

[@jefflebo5836]

Sounding good viper! Thanks for sharing all of these videos.

[@Rj-bc8sn]

Super dope isf

[@TheLexusIS250Dude]

sounds amazing good job with your lexus

[@ricowoodall1]

Definitely thinking about getting me one for sure

[@nathanharambe5521]

I wonder how this varex would sound with the equal length headers instead of the unequal length

[@TheWalkerfamily1234]

Sounds great !

[@villanelle4263]

Well done :) sounds mean

[@dspada67]

Excellent, thanks.

[@canoeshoe]

love those PPE headers.. Varex lacks support though. Do you find them restrictive when closed? Please report in on their reliability, i would get spare motors

[@valdaviper1]

It's October and I've had the exhaust since January. I open and close it 2-4x a day, almost every single day. Zero issues other than having to use better gaskets upon initial install. They offered 1 year warranty on everything mechnaicla/electrical and more years on the metal. I was told out of warranty the motors are sub $50 to replace so I'm not worried. Sorry for the late reply.

[@Saji]

Great video. Are these the Equal length or Unequal length headers? Long tube?

[@valdaviper1]

Sajid Hasan unequal, not long tube.

[@mustang66312]

@valdaviper1 what’s the difference between equal and un-equal PPE headers?

[@valdaviper1]

BZ747 The unequal length are cheaper and sound more like a muscle car. Equal length are a more involved design and aim to have gasses leave the engine in a more uniform and better way for the motor, leading to a higher pitch and more exotic sound. They cost more and supposedly drone less too. SIKKY offers only unequal for about $1500-1800, PPE offers Unequal for around $1800 and Equal length for about $2800. Previews can fluctuate but generally the difference is $1k or so. Novel offers equal length design also, which sound fantastic. More like a Ferrari V8 or even LFA-esque. Most run unequal since they achieve about the same power, but equal length are the $$ ones everyone wants.

[@mathanyoseph4349]

I noticed you have had various setups. How would you rate them from 1-7?? also could if you include cost efficiency as a part of your rating that would be great. thanks

[@valdaviper1]

Mathan Yoseph So I have had a number of setups, of which many I uploaded a video previously with a compilation of them where in the info I also go into detail about it . TLDR: A catback which gives bigger piping, and deletes secondary cats with a muffler delete is the best sounding and daily drivable and cheapest decent option. Loud enough to grab attention but not be too annoying. A simple $750 XForce with $250 muffler delete is cheapest, or you can just Frankenstein the stock exhaust. I loved my stock headers with Borla catback with mufflers off. Catbacks range from $750 Xforce, $1200 Borla, $1600 Joez, $2k PPE, and many more options. If you add the $1600-2800 headers you will need to ceramic coat+install and likely need a valved exhaust like my Xforce Varex $1100 or PPE dual mode $2600, or just deal with the drone daily driving it. Describing in detail all aspects of the different exhaust I’ve had I don’t have enough room to type here.

[@mathanyoseph4349]

@@valdaviper1 thanks for the info and getting back to me. One last thing if you have PPE headers would you say its a necessity to have control valved exhuast?? Would noise level be tolerable enough to have the cheaper non valved option??

[@kevinherndon4509]

Hey man, I just got this exact same setup. PPE UEL headers and the X Force Varex. Question, did you ever have issues with your OEM exhaust “tips” in the bumper melt or warp from the heat? One side of mine just warped and part of it fell apart. Not sure what to do since the mufflers only have one outlet now since the ones they use are also used for other cars.

[@valdaviper1]

So the early xforce catback tips have a tendency to rub the back of the oem faux tips. Not sure if it’s been fixed but if so, it’s an easy solution to cut some off. I think we cut 1/4” off mine. As far as the OEM faux tips falling apart, that’s common due to age of the cars even with no aftermarket exhaust. There are ugly knockoffs on eBay but the OEM used usually sell for $300-400ish.

[@bleyran]

Sounds nice. Did you have any issues with fitment? Mine was installed at the Toyota dealership and rattles on startup like it’s hitting metal.

[@valdaviper1]

Brian Leyran My passenger tip was 1/2” too long and touched the OEM stacked tips on the inside so it had to be trimmed. Also I had to replace two gaskets with better ones. I have read that some people vibrated on the center cross brace but I didn’t have that issue. It helps to go to a exhaust shop for this because what may be a 5 minute job for them toyota May try to squeeze more from you. Either way, I’m sure it’s something simple. The next dual mode exhaust option is nearly double, so just comes with the territory of going cheaper. Good luck!

[@XxGrandSTORMZxX]

I'm super new to exhausts and stuff. Can you link me to the exact product of each mod that you did that contributed to your ISF sounding EXACTLY like this? I think this is the one.

[@valdaviper1]

It’s pretty simple really. PPE makes headers and their ISF options are unequal length for ~$1800 or equal length for $2800. Both are catless and sold by RR Racing or Mod in Japan or Meraki. Xforce makes an ISF regular catback for $800, and a valved catback called the Varex for $1100. Both are sold by Summit Racing. I have PPE unequal headers and Xforce Varex catback. Can’t really put links on KZbin comments sadly.

[@XxGrandSTORMZxX]

@@valdaviper1 Wow. Thanks for the prompt reply. I really appreciate it. What does it mean to be catless? What are pros and cons to being catless versus with cat? PPE doesn't sell it on their own website? They contract that out to RR Racing and Mod in Japan? What are catbacks? Do you need both lmao?

[@valdaviper1]

@@XxGrandSTORMZxX catless means you get rid of the catalytic converters. Going catless offers more power, but increases the emissions. For the ISF, it has 2 cats in the manifold, and 2 more in the exhaust after the first "cats", hence it's usually called a catback exhaust. Every catback for the ISF deletes the secondary cats as well. The primary are the biggest clog of HP, people get up to 30whp gains just from gutting or replacing with headers. PPE may sell direct, but it's usually cheaper from their distributors who offer better pricing due to volume sales.

[@BWItoATXF]

Sounds good man. You mentioned drone. Did the borla have drone as well?

[@valdaviper1]

supremeNundftd If you check my previous videos I had Borla with and without mufflers paired with the Ppe. Maybe it was the age or what, but even adding two additional resonators didn’t help with drone. I ultimately made it sound too quiet but still with drone, so this new setup is the best of all worlds for me. Without PPE even a muffler deleted Borla was just fine to daily drive.

[@BWItoATXF]

valdaviper1 nice. Drone really kills exhausts. I think any header paired with the invidia would be perfect.

[@valdaviper1]

supremeNundftd I’ve never seen or heard an Invidia exhaust for ISF, you have one?

[@GE-Kang]

Hi does RR tune makes the exhaust note better ? I don't want to tune my car so will I get the same note without any tune ?Thanks

[@valdaviper1]

Hello, Tune has zero effect on sound. You will have to modify your headers or catback or both to get the sound you like. Catback is cheaper, but absolute cheapest is modifying the stock exhaust, like a muffler delete.

[@mirkos6294]

Are you have the oval muffler or the (cannon) round? I want that muffler for my m5 e39 3inch round with straight pipe mfg mirko.

[@valdaviper1]

I have the xforce varex with oval mufflers. they have various muffler only sections they sell in oval and round sizes too, all have the varex switchgear.

[@paladin3116]

if i had this same exhaust but i kept the cats on would it sound similar? i think it would sound deeper with cats and less raspy i think idk

[@valdaviper1]

Depends which cats, on primaries or secondaries? HFC or oem? It would be quieter and less raspy. But if on primaries then there’s no point to headers.

[@paladin3116]

@@valdaviper1 i only have oem cats on right now. If i wanted a more deeper tone, more like a mustang what do you recommend?

[@valdaviper1]

@@paladin3116 get a catback that deletes the secondaries and get a muffler delete on it. Check my other videos, I’ve had like 9 setups

[@paladin3116]

@@valdaviper1 ok ill check them out. what about the resonators? and my only option would is the oem cats or some aftermarket cats cause it will fail inspection in my state

[@valdaviper1]

@@paladin3116 ​What state are you in? Some states do visual inspection, and some just test for a CEL which the tune deletes. Every catback comes with it's own resonator, so it's nothing you have to change. If you're aiming to save money rather than just getting an actual catback and just want to delete mufflers and change the resonators I can't really help. It's gonna be trial and error until you find a sound that works for you, plus will be tougher to sell it to someone else down the line. I'd just get something proven that everyone knows how it sounds.

[@yaninavasquez3151]

En que país esta

[@dbdb1681]

Question How much is insurance for u? I’m looking to get one of these ik insurance varies per person but I wanna know

[@valdaviper1]

dens bernard Insurance is very tough to compare. I live in Maryland and it is nearly twice what it was when I lived in Virginia but as a plus there is no car property tax here. I also have my wife’s car and our rental insurance all on my account. I pay $300/month with a perfect driving record. I would guess that by itself my ISF would be $130 or so. I also have my deductible is very low and full coverage as well as extras such as accident forgiveness and oem parts replacement and aftermarket parts covered. Compared to my previous cars it is not expensive.

[@dbdb1681]

valdaviper1 thanks hopefully I could get this car

[@dbdb1681]

valdaviper1 insurance if definitely gonna be high for a 18 year old lol

[@MrTherooster]

Have you ran into problems with your valves ?

[@valdaviper1]

No problems here. I’ve had it installed since January 2020 and drive the F 6/7 days of the week. Probably put 20k on it. Always use them multiple times a day even in rain and do undercarriage touchless car washes a few times a week. Love the exhaust!

[@johndoe-bk7tk]

ppe unequal headers come catless?

[@valdaviper1]

yep, all headers do

[@rockybaucom]

I have this same exact setup on my 2012 ISF. What’s the best way to get the check engine/trac off light to disappear ?

[@valdaviper1]

Is the CEL for the catless setup? If so either conditions/defoulers or a tune removes that CEL.

[@rockybaucom]

Thanks I’m eventually gonna get a tune just haven’t done it yet

[@Thabed100]

How reliable are these cars?

[@Agent00J]

Very reliable. Reliability and rarity are why these cars tend to hold their value. Especially when compared to their European competitors (M3, C63 AMG, etc) the ISF is typically the cheapest of the bunch to maintain. The European cars are still really nice machines though.

[@Thabed100]

Agent00J trying time find a 11 and up.

[@valdaviper1]

Very reliable. I had an 08 ISF before this I drove for 3 years from 29k to 100k. I even paid for bumper to bumper warranty at the time but never used it. The only issue I had was a somewhat common issue called valley plate leak(basically very slowly loses coolant), typically a $1500-2k repair, but even 2 months past warranty Lexus corporate covered the majority of it, so my out of pocket cost was $200. I paid $30k for that car plus taxes and warranty, 70k miles and 3 years of driving later, I sold the car for $23k. Amazing depreciation and very low out of pocket cost. I even did 8-10 runs of auto and 10-12 runs at drag strip. You can see my previous videos, just catback I ran 12.7, catback and tune and good summers but stock headers I did 12.3@115, not bad at all for a 12 year old Lexus. With my commute I aged 20-21 and up to 28-29 if I baby'd it. Another somewhat common issue are stock header/manifold cracking which is easily replaced by a great upgrade of headers(gives you 30-40whp). Other common issues may be dash panel and door plastics melting(currently covered by Lexus recall until 2021), and that's about it really. None of the issues are catastrophic like with AMG/M. My current ISF is a 2012 I bought last summer with 50k. Came FBO/tuned etc. Amazing daily driver, lots of people I know track them with no issues. Transmission is pretty bulletproof even with SC kits pushing 650whp.

[@Agent00J]

@@Thabed100 Unfortunately, production numbers were pretty low for the later years. Example: for the US market; 658 sold in 2011, 568 sold in 2012, 139 sold in 2013, and only 86 sold in 2014. Very rare cars.

[@Thabed100]

valdaviper1 I already have a 800 plus sedan. Planning on getting a IS-F for reliability and power for sure and rarity. Headers, exhaust and a good tune from RR sounds what I’m going to do, I have my eyes open for a 11 and up, I don’t mind the 08 but the later upgrades do look appealing.

[@rmoore4yris]

Personally the valve closed for me.🤫

[@valdaviper1]

It's an amazing daily with them closed! Quieter on the highway than my GX470 lol

[@kamranmadatov7994]

How did you install the varex system?

[@valdaviper1]

I paid a shop $250.Only issue was passenger side exact tip was 1/2" too long and needed cutting. No other fitment issues.

[@MD-uu5nt]

@@valdaviper1 how do the valves get power?

[@valdaviper1]

D the cigarette lighter connects to the controller in the backseat pocket, then is wired to the trunk, under the spare, and out into the muffler area.

[@Thabed100]

How’s drone ?

[@valdaviper1]

My main goal was to avoid drone and I achieved it. With valves closed there is ZERO drone. It literally sounds like stock. With valves 1 click open, still no drone and a bite more noise, though cold starts are a touch louder. 2-3 clicks it sounds good and there is more drone but still very livable. Less than just with a Borla and stock headers. Wide open valves there is drone, but again way less drone than my PPE+Borla setup. The drone isn't terrible, but past 40 minutes can get annoying. TLDR: This exhaust is fantastic for drone.

[@Thabed100]

valdaviper1 love the car man, Everytime I want to steer away from getting one. I watch this video and reels me back in lol.

[@chazmorgan1516]

Any drone?

[@valdaviper1]

Closed or 1 click open no drone, 2 clicks very mild drone. 3 clicks or fully open there is drone but is tolerable. About how any other header/catback combo would sound. My previous headers and borla with mufflers off combo had a lot more drone than this current setup even wide open.

[@kamranmadatov7994]

How did it do at the drag strip?

[@valdaviper1]

Kamran Madatov I have not raced it this year yet. Local tracks are all shut down for now. When I bought the car it came FBO tuned and seller showed me slips of it running 11.7 on slicks and 11.9 on street tire. I’m hoping to match or even beat it. My previous 08 I only had tune and catback and that video is on my channel, it ran 12.3 at 115.

[@kamranmadatov7994]

valdaviper1 12.3 is really good with just catback exhaust and tune. Also, how was the fitment if the varex exhaust, any problem with it so far? Do you still recommend it?

[@kamranmadatov7994]

Also, how did you install varex setup? That would be so helpful. I’d like to buy one

[@TONELOWthaWRITER]

How much horsepower you got now?

[@valdaviper1]

I haven’t dyno’d it, but people with the same mods as me have got 405-420whp

[@nelsondavila4070]

Bird chirp > ISF 😂😂

[@suleiman3811]

Okay mazda3🤣

[@nelsondavila4070]

@@suleiman3811 😂😂😂😂 "Mazdaspeed3 producing 400hp

[@suleiman3811]

Nelson Davila not sure as to what your point is lol still shit

[@rockybaucom]

Here I am again

[@brianenzorojas6292]

Do you have Instagram?

[@valdaviper1]

I do, Russiancarguy same as here. I sold my F a few years ago though.

[@vincerobledo4047]

Sounds good!