andyk134

Ali, I couldn't agree more. I went with Eibach and the front was great but I hated the arch gap at the rear as the car has a nose down stance as standard. If you go with 50mm Tenzo springs the back looks great but the front may need sorting and too low to drive around town and rub the arch liners. Also -50mm on standard shocks wont give you the best ride and the more you lower it the more the alignment is out as the standard set up can't be adjusted enough to compensate and you scrub the tyres. I know a lot don't care and just slam their cars to the floor, but I went to coilovers to get the best "flat" look and adjust the height so I can still drive where I want without ripping the exhaust or spoilers off. I still need to get arm adjusters to get the perfect set up, but I like to do things properly. Lots of options you can have, just decide what you actually want and go for it

The best are Hotchkis that you can import from USA, try and find some second hand TTE's, I have Eibach to match the springs but not sure if still making them. I also had Eibach spacers too. Try eBay or google them to find some.

Agree that Eibach is the way to go. I had them on standard shocks for 5 years before I went to coil overs. If you want to really improve the handling then updated anti roll bars make the biggest difference and I had spacers on too which helped stability and looked so much better filling the arches.

http://www.**********club.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=15456 Try that link, follow it down until you get the full settings the missing bit is out law jap all one word

If you are on Facebook, the settings are on their forums. or join the IS200 club on Facebook and someone there will have the settings and loads of other really good advice and parts for sale too.

Join the IS 200 club on Facebook, there are loads of very knowlegeable and helpful guys on there who can sell you parts and help with the build. Engine will take about 300bhp with standard internals on a turbo against about 210-215 on a charger. I love my turbo, worth every penny.

Alignment should always be done regularly. The one thing to remember is that the "standard" Lexus settings are rubbish and chew your tyres up, especially the fronts. A company called Wheels in Motion in Chesham have developed their own settings that many Lexus drivers swear by, especially those who have spent a lot of money on their cars and want is set up right. This gives better handling and longer tyre wear so well worth getting done. If you aren't close to them, their settings can probably be found on Google so just take them to your local specialists and get it done, you will notice the difference. Worth every penny.

I am no mechanic as I freely admit. Turbo/lightened flywheel conversion was supplied and fitted by Simon Souster at MJS in Ipswich. He has developed a kit for the car that gives 230-240bhp. Only criticism of his kit would be that the turbo is a little large for the engine so it doesn't really come on boost fully until about 4000rpm, but bangs for your buck, it is worth it. was £2700 supplied and fitted and set up. Downside is that the standard ECU is non adjustable so not ideal. I then went to Jamsport in Northampton for a piggyback ECU that they have used on this conversion many times. The read out after set up was 261bhp and 280ft/lb torque at 9psi which it will run at all day with no problems on a standard engine and yes it does fly when you want it to. £680 fitted and rolling road set up. Using it as a daily driver is no probs at all as driving it normally it behaves very well, it is quicker all the way across the rev range but you get the real kick in the back from around 3500 onwards and you have to be careful in 1st and second you don't hit the limiter which is all to easy to do. If you are a mechanic and know what you are doing, then probably doing an engine swap to the 2jz 3 litre engine would be cheaper and will give you 210bhp and more tuneability later on. But for me having to have it all done by someone else, this was the way to go. I have also sorted the suspension as you will see from my profile and that does need to be done if you are looking at more power, I wouldn't want to drive mine on oem suspension that's for sure.

Charger about 210-215 bhp, turbo 240-270 bhp so choice is yours

saw a set on the IS200 club on facebook for £150 in good nick. There are loads of wheels for sale there or ebay all sizes

You are welcome, I am very much the same I had my first driving lesson 45 years ago yesterday and my IS is the best car I have ever had despite its age. But I have done quite a lot to it (have a look at my profile and have had a piggyback ECU to set the turbo up so it now gives 260bhp). I have bigger wheels and tyres and like you intend to keep the car until I or it falls apart, it has only done 73k so hopefully neither of us will anytime soon...... I guess I feel the Lexus is such a luxury marque I could never run steel wheels on it no matter what, it deserves a bit more. I love the fact that mine is a bit of a sleeper and no one thinks a "granddad" in an old Lexus is going to leave them standing so its great fun! Enjoy your car.

there are loads of wheels for the Lexus new or second hand and please don't put steel wheels on a Lexus, that a real no no..... If you are going to keep it for a while then a refurb will be worth it.

Probably best to aim that question at whoever you bought the springs from first, they may just suggest you wait a few weeks to see if it levels out.

Hi Geoff and welcome. Do you mean what other oem Lexus springs or aftermarket ones? The Sport has 15mm lower springs than the other models but the shocks are the same. If you want to go aftermarket, then I used Eibachs on mine which were great, before I went full coil overs. Have a look on ebay there are loads of oem and aftermarket springs on there.

Piggyback ECU on a Turbo IS200. Just driven back form Jamsport in Northampton where they fitted and set up the EMU piggyback ECU. A big thanks to them for getting it done in the day and their excellent service. Has come out at 261 BHP at 9 Psi and 280ft/lb Torque so safe levels for power and reliability. If you are still running the standard ECU on a Turbo, you should seriously consider getting it done, it is like driving a different car and by having the fuelling set correctly, a far more reliable one too. A really good company and knowledgeable guys too. Looking forward to getting to know the car better now.

If you join the IS200 club on Facebook, you will find loads of very helpful people on there and they have a classifieds page as well for buying and selling anything 200.

Welcome and agree your car looks amazing. The Turbo kit on EBay is from Simon "Squint" Souster, who has developed it over the past couple of years and has gained a good reputation. He has supplied around 20 and fitted most as he only charges £200 to fit it and as it is his design that's a no brainer to get it done by him. I had one fitted last October and it has been great even with just the standard ECU. I also went for the lightened flywheel he does to reduce stress on the engine and help it spool up quicker Strangely I have just driven back from Jamsport in Northampton today who have fitted a piggyback ECU which they have done to quite a few IS's. That is like driving a different car again and by setting the fuelling and ignition you also have greater reliability as well as even more power. Mine came out at 261 BHP at 9 Psi and 280 ft/lb torque which is as far as you want to go on stock internals. I have also done a fair bit to the suspension/brakes/wheels as you can see from my profile and would look at that first as running the turbo on an otherwise standard car that has probably done a few miles really isn't a good idea! Give Simon a call at MJS Services in Ipswich and talk it through with him, he is a really helpful guy to know. Enjoy your car whatever you choose to do to it.

Has anyone changed their front seats to something a bit more supportive? I realise being electric and heated might be a problem (but then be honest how often do you actually use them!). if so what have you put in and how do they feel? Thanks for your help

,Hi Dan, thanks for your comments. I have had my car for 6 1/2 years now and have gradually improved it year on year with the big upgrade last year to Turbo etc. I did have the Powerflow back box before I went Turbo and it just sounded a bit deeper without intruding and there was a slight increase in response, despite what some will tell you on here about not getting anything if you change the exhaust. Like everything its a personal choice, but I didn't want to make it sound too different and found the Powerflow an excellent compromise. on the Meister's they will go lower, I am running it higher than when it was fitted because it wouldn't go over some of the speed humps around here and that wasn't set at the lowest point. And I didn't want to make it look too low that's not my thing, but yes it will go lower than my set up. Even with the Poly bushes it isn't as hard as the Koni kit I had on my Civic so very pleased with them. I love the Rota's too, I spent a long time searching for the right wheels to replace the smoked multispokes I had on as standard and am pleased with the outcome. I still have the old wheels if anyone is interested.

Intake for Turbo

most on here seem to be of the opinion it doesn't add any extra horses just a bit more noise. the stock intake is very efficient pulling in the cold air from just under the bonnet lip. you can change the filter which makes economic sense if nothing else. Mine is now a turbo, so no precats and I had the main cat taken out and have a powerflow back box. even with the massive K & N intake and wastegate it still sounds nice and not loud like some of the boy racer brigade. At the end of the day is a Lexus and for me I would not want it to sound like a hot hatch with a drainpipe exhaust you see and hear so many of. Go for a custom system so you can choose the level of sound it will be worth it. As for induction, I would spend your money elsewhere on enhancements.

I went from sport maxx to Michelin pilot super sports and is like driving a different car. but like most things in life you get what you pay for.

Welcome to the club and a nice looking car and the wheels do suit that colour very well. I totally love mine and have no intention of changing it until it ceases to be viable. for tyres the correct size is 225/40s to give the same rolling circumference. I have 8.5 X 18s on mine and on reflection I would have gone to 235s as they look pretty stretched but they do fit ok. I have had the rear lip cut away under the arches which is cheaper than rolling them and keeps the lines of the car the same. I went for Michelin pilot super sports that give amazing grip. BC coilovers are quite hard, I have Meister R;s which have a lower spring rate which I find it better for our excuse for road surfaces in this country! But like everything it depends on how you like your ride. I have spent a lot on mine over the years as you can see from my profile, but dont regret a penny of it. You can have something very different from the usual crowd that's reliable and lovely to look at. be good to see how your build progresses. Enjoy your car.

I actually agree, I know most hot hatches would leave me standing but I love my Lexus and it now goes the way I feel it always should have. And also because its different, there isn't another one that looks like mine around and I think it looks great too, so I will keep mine as long as its viable good luck with the conversion and look forward to seeing the pictures.

I am sure you have more planned for the suspension that just lowered springs, when I first added my roll bars to my lowered springs, that made more of a difference to changing the springs to be honest. you might want to look at using super pro poly bushes to tighten it up a bit. What sort of BHP are you looking at when you have finished? Some on here have said around 240 is about as far as you would want to go on stock, depending on the mileage. the guy who turbocharged mine has done about 18 conversions now and only had one problem with one he didn't want to do as the car had done over 200,000, but the guy insisted and it did break. but all the others are still going strong with no problems. And of course it depends on how you drive it...... I have a B & M quickshift that was quite tight when first fitted, but loosened up and is now a really nice quick change. Good luck with the conversion.