Steviewevie

What wheels do you have on ? The ones in the pic ?

Yeah, they don't exactly go out of their way to make it clear that VAT needs adding on. Bit naughty IMHO.

Don't forget to add VAT on to TDi's prices :winky: (and delivery too)

Whether they're harder at the front or back will greatly alter the handling characteristics, e.g. oversteer vs understeer. I'll leave it for someone more knowledgeable than me to comment further though.

There are lots of different uprated ARBs, though some are easier to get than others. See this thread for some info on different types. They are relatively straightforward to fit yourself, there's an article here on the subject. I got ToyotaGT to fit mine though. You may want to budget for new drop links to be on the safe side. Unfortunately it is a common problem that the existing drop links can't be removed except by cutting them off (due to a bolt that ends up spinning rather than actually unscrewing). I decided on the C-One ARBs myself. They do come complete with new bushes (not all ARBs do, and new bushes will help you get the most out of them). Another advantage of the C-Ones is that they come with a much stronger mounting bracket for the ARBs themselves (compared to the OEM bracket). Again this helps you get more out of the new ARBs (i.e. stiffer bracket combined with stiffer ARBs). The ARBs aren't cheap, but if you compare them with the price of coilovers, they start to look a lot more attractive.

Surely there are more differences between the 3S-GE and 3S-GTE than simply having a turbo bolted on, otherwise there wouldn't be issues with the mounting of the 3S-GTE longitudinally etc. Similarly, otherwise wouldn't ToyotaGT simply have suggested a 3S-GE swap then add on a turbo ?

I second the recommendations for ARBs. IMHO the best value-for-money mod that you can get, such is the transformation of the car's handling. Don't think you'll notice any difference from a strut brace unless you're going on a race track. The K&N filter is great, I've got one myself.

You tease ! :P We want pics ! :D

Had my trip to WIM earlier. Tony had a look and sure enough my geo was slightly out. One thing that I hadn't thought of is that the increased stiffness of my new ARBs seemed to have changed things slightly (particularly at the rear, if I remember correctly). Tony worked his usual magic and it felt superb again on the drive home ! :D

I've already got a Halford Professional socket set, so hopefully that means my sockets are already decent quality. Thanks for the tips though, sounds like I will be picking up a 16" breaker bar before too long.

Wow, great stuff ! :D Why are you selling now though, after having done all that great work ?

Isofix is a system of fixed mounting points in certain cars that a baby seat can be clipped onto. So if you have a car with Isofix it's a great way of attaching the seat. I can't say more than that really because my own IS200 doesn't have it.

Congratulations, looking forward to pics ! :D

On the same original topic of this thread, as I mentioned earlier, I need to get hold of a breaker bar myself. I see that they come in different lengths. Would I pretty much just be best off getting the longest one that I can, i.e. to supply the biggest leverage ? That was my plan but just wanted to check I'm not missing something.

Wow that intercooler is big ! Bet you haven't stopped smiling yet ? Great that you've got your car back now, nice one :D

Sorry for potentially insulting your intelligence here, but can't you just get one from Toyota/Lexus ? Are they too expensive from there ? I presume you're looking for a better price and can't locate one at a breaker's ?

Taking a slightly different tack, the 11-spoke alloys being sold by the guy on eBay were undoubtedly at a bargain price. I bought a set, unsure whether I'd fit them or not, and then later sold them on via LOC at the same price I'd paid for them. I would have felt uncomfortable personally snapping up more than one set on eBay to make a profit on, because I (again, personally) would have felt I was potentially depriving other LOC members of a bargain. Not trying to dictate what everyone should or shouldn't do, but profitting on items which have been pointed out to LOC members doesn't feel in the spirit of the club to me. Others may of course disagree. Just my own thoughts.

A breaker bar is just a longer bar (as you can see from the links) and will let you apply more force to whatever you're trying to loosen/tighten. Actually, you've reminded me, it's something that I need to pick up myself, and since I've already got some Halfords Professional stuff (which seems very good) I think I'll get it from them - as Mac said if it breaks you can get it replaced free.

In the past, some have recommended Japarts for much cheaper (than Lexus) coil packs for the IS200. Don't know if the same parts are used on the 3S-GE engine but might be worth trying Japarts ?

Am I right in thinking that the same connector/lead is used for the MR2 ? I seem to remember reading that here, though I could be wrong.

Very interesting indeed !

Glad it's ok. Make sure your anti-virus software is updating itself properly on a daily basis (e.g. check the date of the database that it's using). Also run spyware scans every now and again. Hopefully the problem won't come back.

Oh dear, AOL :duh: Has AOL tried to update itself recently ? I wonder if it's done something and screwed up. But do run a spyware scan if you can get onto those links somehow though. Might be worth going back to an earlier Restore Point, as Johnboy suggested. Are you on XP ? If so, it's in Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/System Restore. Pick a recent date where things were working ok.

Where are you typing the search into ? It's possible you've got something that's hijacked your browser search utility. I would run a spyware scan if I was you. If you haven't got any spyware scanners then try something like Ad-Aware (the free version, not Plus, no need to pay).

Woo-hoo ! :D