Supercharger - Is250

[dougie175]

6 minutes ago, Lev said:

Hi

So far the kit and car are amazing. Always exciting whatever the occasion. 

i havent had any ecu work. But i know it can have even more power with an ecu remap. 

I am sure my friend would fit you one.

I was lucky and found a new one cheap. 

Hks ones need importing from America i am afraid and are expensive.

my car is auto and it has paddle shift too. 

Thanks for the feedback, yeah mine is also paddle/auto

Sounds a very good setup, any ideas what the issues where with the injector seals?

Any clues where you picked your up from, is it somewhere that I could replicate the deal or was it a 1 off at the price you picked a brand new setup for?

I'm usually pretty good at googling things but I am really struggling to even find these supercharger available from anywhere brand new let alone second hand!

[Lev]

The seals leaked a bit. Easily sorted with new seals. 

I was lucky, found the arma charger on eBay new. They don't make them anymore as far as i am aware. Hks is your best bet or if you find a car for sale with one on. 

My mate said the arma one was made for the car and very good. He said a remap on the new ecu for the charger could increase the power further. Not sure i want to stretch the engine more. It is so quick and fluid, i am happy at the moment- isf is the only upgrade for me

[dougie175]

12 hours ago, Lev said:

The seals leaked a bit. Easily sorted with new seals. 

I was lucky, found the arma charger on ebay new. They don't make them anymore as far as i am aware. Hks is your best bet or if you find a car for sale with one on. 

My mate said the arma one was made for the car and very good. He said a remap on the new ecu for the charger could increase the power further. Not sure i want to stretch the engine more. It is so quick and fluid, i am happy at the moment- isf is the only upgrade for me

Any ideas where you can buy a HKS one from I cant even find one available?

Wonder why ARMA have stopped making their one for the IS250???

I was under the impression it wasnt possible to map these ECU as it was heavily locked down?

Yeah I imagine it flies with the supercharger, it is the ideal upgrade for this engine!
Yeah seem to be most peopled dream who on an IS250 to upgrade to the IS-F one day, its a bit jump in cost though!

[dougie175]

On 15/03/2016 at 4:40 PM, Lev said:

 I meant the supercharger's ecu. It is separate to the lexus one. 

I think they didn't sell enough.

hks chargers are on ebay, you have to import from America.

 

 

Shame as the HKS is silly expensive, the supercharger imported would be about the same as buying quite a nice second car!

You can get IS-F's for that sort of money but they been to the moon and back, for one that has done nice low millage they still seem to be about £24k - 25k so an IS-F with similar millage to what I got on my F Sport and same year it is £14500 more expensive for the IS-F over the IS250

[jackcramerr]

dougie

If you are good with bending pipes and mechanics, you might be able to slap on a junk yard supercharger

[dougie175]

11 minutes ago, jackcramerr said:

dougie

If you are good with bending pipes and mechanics, you might be able to slap on a junk yard supercharger

I have installed several intercoolers previously so yeah I am ok with pipework, but only ever on vehicles that already had a turbo install so was just a case or rerouting how the air got from the turbo to the inlet!

I'm not sure I am quite up to creating my own supercharger kit however! Any ideas which vehicle to look at removing the most suitable super charger?

May do a bit of online reading about create your own super charger though but I doubt I will be able to risk going through with it

[Dcisfsport]

https://www.rr-racing.com/RR-Racing-Supercharger-Kit-for-Lexus-IS250-RWD-p/is2scr2002.htm

[AntC]

Keep in mind that the IS250 auto uses the A960E transmission which can handle up to 300nm of torque per specs. So I'm not sure if supercharging it with the stock transmission is a good idea.

I did recently look at some turbo charged IS250s, however, they were using the 2JZ engine and R154 transmission from the Supra MK3.

I would also love to get some more power out of the car, but I believe any noticeable improvement will be very expensive and won't be done in a local garage.

[Linas.P]

Nice old thread!

Back in the day (2014), that may have been viable, but as of today one is better off just to get IS-F... I guess the best window of getting it is late - IS-Fs no longer costs £12-14k, but still even at £18k it would be cheaper than fully sorting out IS250 supercharger. Say IS250 in good shape costs £4000 (questionable), then you need to spend like £10k on just parts and installation of the kit... and then if you need different gearbox add another £3k to sort it out.

End results - you still have IS250, with ~300hp and similar amount of turkeys, but loads of lights, issues and headaches for £17k vs. IS-F with 471hp for ~£18k which is very reliable and dependable. I tend to believe it could be done without gearbox, but still you end-up with way more complicated car with less power for not much less. 

I feel standard gearbox should be able to handle the supercharged - IS350 was fitted with same gearbox and I am sure Lexus kept some margin of safety there, so it should be fine as long as one doesn't go significantly beyond IS350 power levels. Whole thing is helped by supercharger delivering power in line with the engine linearly, so there are no sudden bursts of torque like on turbo.

Besides if resale value is of any concern - IS-F will maintain the price, may even become classic, IS250+SC will be worth about the same as normal IS250 and most people will avoid it because they would not be inclined to deal with mod related issues. Ok maybe in a long while one may found enthusiast who will part with the cash knowing how much it costs, but still that is going to be maybe £2k extra on normal price of IS250 for what was £10k investment. And not to mention that £10k itself can buy you whole separate car which would be as fast as IS-F and you still have money to spend on few years of insurance. 

[AntC]

Actually, the IS350 uses the A760E transmission. While still a 6-speed automatic transmission, it is a different one that can hold under higher torque.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_A_transmission

So that would be a very expensive build, assuming that the 350 tranny will have the same mounting points as the 4GR engine.

Would be cheaper to import a 350 from the US.

 

[Linas.P]

Would still be cheaper to buy IS-F in UK 🙂

IS350 in US costs more (or very close) than IS-F in UK + import duties and shipping.

[bernieeccles]

Question, come insurance time, "has the car been modified?"

I dread to think what the revised insurance premium mighty be.

[Alan305]

Insurance, as usual, depends on driving record and company. I did lots of mods on my Corvette and Westfield. APlan recorded all the mods and the premium didn’t change much. That said I didn’t do a supercharger, but the Corvette was 436 bhp as standard, insurance was around £450. Westfield less than £200 but with limited miles.

[H3XME]

The manual gearbox can handle it, you won't be at 300lbs/ft by using the supercharger. Unless you're planning on tracking the car, I wouldn't worry too much. And if you was to start thinking about a new box.. BMW conversions are cheap enough. However.. CREST Motorsports offer something around £5-6k drive in & out 3UZ conversions for IS200s.. and when I spoke to them they were very interested in getting into this platform and doing a deal, so if you're in a position where you can fork out ~£5k cash, you'll have V8 IS250 for a lot less than spending money on IS-F.. The ECU is the biggest problem of doing anything on this car. You need a LINK or something.

[Linas.P]

I think ECU would come with 1JZ, so it should not be a problem. The problem is rather other way around - if you wanted to run 4GR in other car that would be an issue. 

That said I can't see benefit of 1JZ in place of 4GR - both are 2.5L engines, for £5k - we are talking 70-80HP or £71 per HP... that is loads money for not a lot benefit. If it would be built 2JZ with 600HP, then it would make more sense, but still it would be a lot more money.

I just can see benefit building on the basis of IS250, all options of getting more power are very expensive, to the point where it snot economically viable. 

[SeanR]

Interesting reading

For those wanting 400bhp, reliability and not wanting to spend much

Maybe look for a Jaguar s type R, they go like a rocket.

O7 preferably.

I know its a Lexus forum but couldnt help the mention.

Messing adding a supercharger sounds like a pain

Just a thought.

[Mr Vlad]

Funny you should mention the S type. I nearly bought the supercharged one a few months ago but saw sence lol.

[SeanR]

Ok fair enough haha

I wrote the above with a beer and looking through my rose tinted spectacles, it was all the talk of faster cars that got me off on a tangent.

Amazing cars to drive, i remember when i went to view the one i bought and the owner took me out for a spin. Looked a sensible bloke, just shows how you cant judge a book. He said il show you what it can do, whilst on a leafy country road. Been in some fast cars but il never forget that day, like being in a motor with Mad Max, supercharger noise included. Not the quickest 0 to 60 but when they are going, best car ive been in.

The downside, as always, the earlier ones had an engine issue that needed sorting and if not checked the sills can become rusty.

Last but not least, NOT very economical. You can actually see the fuel gauge pointer moving haha. Earlier ones were cheaper tax.

As a car you get out of the garage now and then, maybe, but not an everyday car, especially with whats going on at the moment!

Had a look at prices yesterday, seems late examples with lower mileage are now going for £13k upwards, i sold mine 3 years ago for £7700.

Might find a bargain somewhere if someone cant take the fuel pump costs

They do have a fan base.

Anyways, back to Lexus.

[Mr Vlad]

Yes you're right they're a great drive. Why I saw sence was purely the reliability and being an even older car than my is250. Oh there's nowt wrong with writing something after a 🍺 or more and through rose tinted specs. I've done it a good few times lol.

[H3XME]

supercharger and install £6k.. not a bad way of getting to 300hp. But thats only if you want a manual gearbox since you can import IS350 for ~£6k that will give you ~310hp but its auto 🤷🏼‍♂️
 

[AntC]

Well, as Linas said before, better to just buy an ISF for the kind of money that you would spend upgrading the IS250 😁

Keep in mind that the 4GR-FSE engine has a 12:1 compression ratio which is quite high. For reference, anything above 10.5:1 is considered high compression. This completely eliminates the possibility of installing any turbo or supercharger kit without significant modification. Imagine introducing even more compressed air into this system. You'd likely need to replace the entire engine block to ensure it can handle it.

While the IS250 does look sporty, and handles as such with 17 and 18 rims, its still mainly a luxury car and not a sports car. Plenty of options out there for tuneable cars if you're looking for speed. As for the IS, I think its best to drive it as intended by the manufacturer.

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, AntC said:

Well, as Linas said before, better to just buy an ISF for the kind of money that you would spend upgrading the IS250 😁

Keep in mind that the 4GR-FSE engine has a 12:1 compression ratio which is quite high. For reference, anything above 10.5:1 is considered high compression. This completely eliminates the possibility of installing any turbo or supercharger kit without significant modification. Imagine introducing even more compressed air into this system. You'd likely need to replace the entire engine block to ensure it can handle it.

While the IS250 does look sporty, and handles as such with 17 and 18 rims, its still mainly a luxury car and not a sports car. Plenty of options out there for tuneable cars if you're looking for speed. As for the IS, I think its best to drive it as intended by the manufacturer.

High compression engines are quite happy with superchargers (GT86 has 12:1 if not 12.5:1 CR & SC is a very popular option exactly because of the CR) - it's only a problem with a turbo as you're forcing the air to go in in a different way to a supercharger.. supercharged engine will act like N/A car on steroids - completely different to turbo.

unless IS-F come down to ~£12k again, you're still way better off buying a 310hp IS350 for ~£7500 today or spending £7k on supercharger & brake upgrade on the IS250 if you want power and manual gearbox. I agree that it's never going to be sporty car, but with the right mods it can be changed enough. Doing basic suspension upgrades & tyres alone make a HUGE difference to the dynamic of the car. 

2010 IS350 F-Sport 80k miles - £8900 > https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/684821345897608

2008 IS350 SE-L 68k miles - £6900 > https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/525608128971013

[Linas.P]

IS still don't think even after spending £7k on what is now £5k IS250 is going to be anywhere near IS-F from any measurable angle. I would rather have IS-F for £15-18k with 471hp and a car which is actually appreciating, not modified IS250 for £12k if lucky, with unknown reliability (and you definitely don't want to deal with unreliable IS250) and even higher depreciation.

Supercharged IS250 maybe more comparable to IS350... but as you just illustrated yourself - there is no point supercharging IS250, when there are IS350s on sale for as low as £7000-9000 (I assume JDM?). IS350 comes with better engine design (because it has both port and DI) and already comes with brake kit. 

[H3XME]

1 hour ago, Linas.P said:

IS still don't think even after spending £7k on what is now £5k IS250 is going to be anywhere near IS-F from any measurable angle. I would rather have IS-F for £15-18k with 471hp and a car which is actually appreciating, not modified IS250 for £12k if lucky, with unknown reliability (and you definitely don't want to deal with unreliable IS250) and even higher depreciation.

Supercharged IS250 maybe more comparable to IS350... but as you just illustrated yourself - there is no point supercharging IS250, when there are IS350s on sale for as low as £7000-9000 (I assume JDM?). IS350 comes with better engine design (because it has both port and DI) and already comes with brake kit. 

Oh no, it won't be on the IS-F's level. 350hp is realistic with the SC. It's just that if you already have a manual IS250 and want more power then £7k will give you more power and better brakes. That's just for the sake of retaining a manual gearbox. Otherwise it's a no brainer to get the JDM IS350 that are for sale at the moment. (I know you want one @Linas.P 😉, me too!) 

and again with IS350.. not comparable with the IS-F as the power jump between 350 & F is bigger than from 250 to 350. 

The cheapest IS-F is now for sale at £18,500 with 100,000 miles. 

IS350 - £6900 with 68,000 miles. 

IS250 Manual - £2800 with ~100,000 miles.. 

I think it'd be stupid to even consider the Supercharger on an automatic IS250 - it's cheaper to just go for IS350 and you have a better car then. However, if really want a manual then you gotta have a supercharged IS250. I think that's why the supercharger even exists.. literally just for people with manual IS250s otherwise it's just better to buy 350 or IS-F. 

[Linas.P]

There is such thing as supercharged IS350 as well 😄

I personally never had issues with automatic in IS250, so keeping manual is not on my list of concerns.