noby76

I don't think it makes that much of a difference if AC on or off I do have mine on considering its warmer these days and mpg still hovers between the 25 -27mpg mark but I do about 5 miles town and 20miles motorway to work. today was showing 26mpg with A/C on about 20 mins before turning it off once the inside has cooled. had it on most of the time over the weekend on a 140 return trip to the midlands and returned around 29mpg. the mpg computer is quite accurate considering I worked it out manually and got about the same result as the on-board. you do extract more on an open road than when in bumper to bumper city driving.

Not sure if this is across the EBC range but I fitted their "ulimate" pads to my LS and they were squeally, juddered when gently applied and dust was horrendous with low mileage road use.

Thanks Streve i did read a few threads online about this..not so worried about dust but sqealling and juddering might be a concern.

I got redstuff pads for 2 months and passed on them 2200km(400km in city) so I am not sure whether they need more time to bed in. Manufacturer claims they have special surface layer working immediately. Compared to IS OE they make definitely less noise and dust. But they need to be heated in. At the point where OE began fading they start working well. Useless in a city, braking pedal is loose in 1st half of its way (never happened with OE). But driving downhill after 500m they are excelent (braking pedal rsponding from begining).

you right thier website does confirm the special layer is meant to work immedialtey without needed heat. to be honest I wont mind OE Lexus or equivalent like Pagids or Brembos but thought the Red Stuff being ceramic and heavy duty pads will be a good investment but still not sure tho..might need to do some more investigation i guess. :)

Hi Guys has any one used EBC sport Redstuff brake pads and was it worth it? we all know the GS's are quite heavy cars and am all up for any discs and pads which will improve the braking. the redstuff pads are meant to be ceramic compound and they claim it will last longer whilst delivering improved stopping over OE.

not too concerned about brake dust wont track my car but if there are better brakes than OE out there in the market, why not fit one to my car i guess.

I priced it up on tEBC's website and for both discs and pads all round will be just over £100 when compared to OE equivalent Brembos which i beleive are not ceramics so has any one had experience with EBC ceramics if so were they and improvement or should i save my self the £100 and pick up OE parts from Lexus or brembo.

I echo TigerFish comments havent had mine long to comment on reliability and coming from an IS300 Sport this feels larger inside out and more solid on the road. mpg wise on V power shell and oil changed, i am now averaging around 21mpg urban town driving and almost 30mpg on a 140 mile return trip to the midlands so not that bad. doesn't need a lot of revs to get it going from a stop so makes it more of a cruiser but sure does go when you give it some.

why not phone or e-mail a lexus branch for confirmation.

i was under the impression the IS models are designed and marketed to be sporty models? i dont think the f-sport would have made any difference in terms of how it drove. i didnt think the model i had was a bad handler if anything i recon it handled better than my IS300 which had 18" and factory sport suspension. it was just the way it drove and delivered power i felt it was lacking something. it does shift when floored but never got me excited or on the edge. i think a faek sporty sound when in sport mode would have done the trick just to give the driver that idea i guess.

i do agree the Gen 3 might not handle like the IS but what you loose aroudn the corner you make up in straght line and the V6 engine will naturally make it sound more sporty. :)

So I took my car in for cambelt change and was handed over keys to a new IS300h as curtosy car. first impressions of the car was it looked sporty with a slight aggressiveness look to it which drew attention during my drive.

Good points

Not sure which model this was but I am guessing it was the executive as it had the navigation and 17“ alloys. Sat in and thought this looks smart different powered it up and nothing happened. Dead silence engaged D foot brake off and car started moving but no engine sound thought that was cool. Driving around town it felt put together, sound system was good eve thought this was not the mark levinson. 23 degrees today so had to use AC which was fresh and ice cold. Also played with the cooling seats which was nice.

Didn’t really push it round the corners but it gave the impression it handles better than Gen 1 IS. On the open road in gear acceleration was quite impressive cruising at say 40 and floored it and 70 came quite quickly. And cruising at higher speed car still felt planted on the road without any wondering. Mpg was showing 38.4mpg for combined this included mainly town driving and brief open road blast thought was ok compared to my 23mpg V8.

Bad Points

The whole interior of the car felt more compact and for some strange reason, smaller compared to my Gen 1 IS300 can’t really explain it but my other confirmed the same as well she thought it was smaller inside checked the dimensions against the gen 1 IS and these are meant to be larger everywhere so not sure why it felt smaller. If am not mistaken the IS models are meant to be the sportiest Lexus’s but for some reason I did not get this.

It didn’t feel that sporty for a 2.5litre petrol I expected the engine to sound sweet when on song but all I got was an agricultural sound. I mean its better when compared to a diesel engine sound on full throttle but not for a sporty petrol. Do get me wrong I know its not 6 cylinder or V8 but I feel Lexus could have tuned the engine note better when sport mode is selected I don’t know maybe get it to play a fake V6 sound or something.

Not sure if lexus had dulled the throttle but sport mode was not that responsive at low speeds for a 2.5litre it should be reasonable but I didn’t feel it. Might be the fact it starts from batteries from a stop before engine kicks in that’s the impression I got. Boot space was ok I think it was slightly longer than gen 1 boot space but not larger.

Conclusion

The IS300h was meant to be a sporty car but I didn’t get that feeling . it felt too agricultural for me for some reason maybe if I came from driving diesel engines then 300h would be refined in my eyes. and if I had 30k to spend on a new car and had to choose between the 300h and 250 I would go for the IS250 instead worse mpg and higher road tax but I recon it would sound sporty be more fun so makes up for it.

But if I was asked to go hybrid for 30K then I personally will skip the 300h and go with an approved used Gen 3 GS450h would be my pick spend about 15k on a used one and 15k saved will go towards running it. More power when you need it top end and wont feel sluggish at lower acceleration due having more torque low down when compared to the 300h Don’t get me wrong not everyone wants to be Hamilton behind the wheel but with those aggressive and striking sporty looks I felt it should have been more fun to drive. that drivetrain and chasis can take more power than Lexus gave it i recon. The power is there and its delivered well mainly rolling acceleration but my IS300 was just more fun although the performance was no different to the 300h.

i dont see anything wrong with the advert, for starters its a 12 year old car. he has confirmed the car needs a service as the last one carried out was around 15k miles ago, been 3 years but doesnt mean the pistons will start melting these things are over engineered. he has confirmed issues with the car i.e steering column, etc.

he also welcomes any viewings before making a bid which its a good thing if he had something to hidehe would not accept viewings or test drives. i see it like this so long as it clears HPI check, MOT histroy check, there are no signs of leaks, engine starts up and revs smoothlky with no rattles or hesitation, gearbox shifts through all ratios ok, no engine lights coming on and air suspension goes up and down during viewing/test drive then sounds like a bargain to me.

we all know this car is not worth 13k not even 10k at its age but with all things working as its supposed to i would happily pay £3-£4k for it. these macjines were over £40k brand new and at only 70k it has a lot of life left in it. knock the price down get a full service including plugs and all fluids changed and cambelt , get it professional valeted and wheels refurbed and you good to go.

I think he has been honest..

Welcome..

not to offend but you don't find girls driving around in Lexus IS's let alone Turbo charged versions so Im quite impressed by that you must be into your car mods then :). which piggy back you running and whats it pushing out at the moment? considered boosting my 300 but changed it to a GS430 instead V8 power an no turbo lag.. enjoy your ride.. and yeh I believe you the only one running a turbo'd IS300 on here everyone else's in standard..

no need to spend 1000's subtle vip mods looks good stick to 18's ,dont lower suspension, light smoke tints, and a pro detail treatment and thats it just like the GS above not OTT.

i recon the GS and LS' wear deep dish alloys best especially on silver colured cars i recon blacked out alloys and red calipers looks good on darker cars. Ive recently acquired a GS430 and considering subtle VIP mods

enjoy.. those LS430' looks far from an 'old man's' car once they get the VIP treatment seen a few of those and the KA9 Honda Legends VIP'd and they look awesome.. :winky:

This was what i thought hence i decided to try it out first before attempting to programme it. there are a few threads on the net which gave the idea it needed programming even a few key cutting shops i phoned up or went to either said they could not cut it or would need programming by the dealer i even explined to them i already have yhe remote all i wanted was the blade cut but they said it wont work which makes me think how many of lexus owners have been told the same only for them to pay hundreds of ££'s at tge dealers to have a completly new key with remote..

my master keys fell apart due to wear and tear so bought these £2 blank outer case with blade off eBay took it to my local Timpson Key cut shop and within 15 mins i walked away with a copy of my original mater keys before purchasing these blanks i was made aware by various threads on the internet the key blade will need reprogramming by doing some form of pedal dance combinations others confirmed this didnt work and had to get it programmed at the dealers.

so got home removed the remote from the old master key and since i have been using my valet key since the master fell apart, i decided to test the Battery in the the master remote by locking and unlocking the car this worked fine. i the transfered the remote into the newly cut £2 chinese eBay key screwed it back up unlocked the car again with it inserted into ignition waited until dash lights went out and fired it up.. and Bingo it worked :D .. must admit i wasnt expecting it to work since i hadnt programmed it yet so looks like the car indeed does auto programme cut keys with master remote fob so cant understand why all threads say it needs to be manually programmed any one else experinced this or did i just get lucky.. £2 key £15 to cut every thing cost less than £20 so am happy :D ..

I have a gs300 its got 17 inch wheels off a different model but has anyone done any hardcore mods?

eg

fitting the v8 engine

engine mapping

uprated brakes

is there a manual box that will fit the 300

or is it the sort of car that no one does anything to?

Not sure why you want to reinvent the wheel when Lexus already has a V8 model? you might aswell get the 430 which adds just over 60bhp agaisnt the 300 and see if you can source a manual box for it and uprate things like brakes, suspension and fit an LSD. or alternatively get an Aristo

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-Aristo-V300-JZS161-2JZGTE-Supra-/331546381059?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d31b44b03

i think its a gen1 ES250?? not sure maybe someone else might confirm the right model

Interesting Dave, I find mine annoying on the 430, and use it all the time with the stick pretty much. I found the ect/pwr mode in the mk1 GS to adapt the box perfectly for me, and have been totally disappointed with the mk2's version.

Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

i find the zigzag stick not that flexible to use when compared to the E-shift. do you think the MK1 having a cable throttle instead of electronic plays a part as to why it felt more responsive than your MK2's. there are some threads on the US forums about this comparing GS400 to GS430 and most confirmed the 400 felt quicker and more connected/responsive than the 430 due to having cable. its really weird as i find electronic throttle strange it can lag one minute when accelerating from a stop and become very responsive the next. its not a linear sensation .

thanks Dave you confirmed my thought about why the E-shift was not needed in the 430 thing has bags of torque low down lol... test drove one 2 weeks ago and could instantly tell the difference in drive feel compared to the GS300 i test drove 3 years ago before deciding on the IS300 due to being more 'fun' to drive but i see a GS drive past with the VIP look and i am like i want one and its benefit of being spacious aswell but kinda concerned the 430 power might not be accessible when needed 'pronto' when situations calls for it and will have the half a second to a second lag before deciding but i know the power is there tho..

striking looking motor you got there Adil it looks flawless at 4 years old.. dont know why someone will spend ££'s buying brand new when there are flawless cars like these on the approved used market. enjoy

you might be right Stu but I am guessing Lexus would have been hinting it with concept photos etc.. if there was going to be one on the way in the near future..

so considering Honda Civics Type R has just recorded the fastest FWD time for a hot hatch at the nurburgring and could be picked up for less than £35K with over 300bhp on tap from its 2 litre VTEC Turbo engine makes me wonder what Lexus is waiting for? brands like the SEAT Cupra, Renault Megane RS, Ford Focus RS ,Civic Type R etc have been said to punch above their weights, are said to be fun to drive and have a cult following. even guys in US are crying for hot hatches like the focus RS and Civic Type R to be made available for sale over there which those brands are considering.

Audi have the RS3, BMW have the 135i, Merc have the A45 AMG which confirms there is a market place for premium fast hothatches so why has Lexus not considered this? they do have CT200h chasis so why not drop the 2 litre turbo from the NX into one up the horsepower to around 300bhp and back that up with a 50bhp hybrid Battery to complement it get it round the ring faster than what AUDI, BMW and Merc has to offer and use that as a marketing prop I am sure this formula might give them a market place for fast hot hatches and some recognition even though Lexus doesn't need recognition, what are your thoughts i think Lexus Execs are sleeping at the moment...

might be considering a GS again due to needing more space..so for those who have owned both the MK2 facelift GS300 and GS430, how is the in gear response like in the 430 when compared to the 300 considering the 300 has the M mode E-SHIFT capability and 430 doesnt. reason why i ask is my IS300 has this which i find quite handy if and when i need to hold a gear to prevent the box from automatically shifting up when i dont want it to.

i found when I am in D even with ECT PWR engaged, it lags a bit collects its thoughts before engaging the right gear this can be irritating sometimes when you need to move on quickly but M mode allows you to lock the highest gear for a quick move on its no manual box but i find it handy and a bit of 'fun'. so for those who have owned both do you miss this M mode feature and any reason why Lexus decided to not include it in the 430?

best is to locate a breakers yard near where you will be based once in UK to see if they breaking one alternatively, search on eBay or gumtree for someone breaking theirs and contact them for parts.

Colin just beat me to it.. not forgetting 0-60 figures does not tell the whole story when it comes to performance of a car but sure does sell cars. i can name you fwd cars which will hit 0-60 in twice the time with under half the power figures which cost less than 20% of the exotic cars listed above which will wipe the floor with all of them at most places except drag races.

i also read the tesla can only handle spirited driving for short durations only any more and they result in limp mode to preserve the batteries. which begs the question why give me 600bhp when i can only use it moderately??

either way one looks at it the IS300h works out a better deal in terms of running cost when compared to the cheapest tesla in the market and will offer better convenience as a whole and if i wanted 5.2 secs performance then the 450h is not far off wilst the tesla driver goes into limp mode after few spirited runs..

Not sure how buying a tesla s at a cost of £55 works out a better deal that the £41K IS300h. this is a whopping £14,000 difference in savings. one could argue Tesla has 110hp more, a 3 second advantage and an extra 15mph top end speed than the IS300h but is this advantage worth paying an extra £14,000?

IS300h still works out cheaper to run over say a 4 year period when compared to the Tesla .a £41k IS including the safety kit with a 4 year service of 2 interim and 2 full services will total around £42,500. A £55k Tesla with a 4 year prepaid service of £1800 will total £56,800 this is a difference of £14,300

The OP confirmed he does an 80mile trip every day and IS300h F sport has been stated to have a combined mpg figure of just over 61mpg lets say lexus was over optimistic by 15mpg(which I doubt) and the real world mpg is actually 45mpg for combined driving, this works out at around £9.12 to drive
80miles a day at 112.9p per litre of fuel. So around £182 per month or £2188 per year. So fuelling the IS300h over 4 years works out £8,752 considering one saved £14,300 initally, by subtracting the cost of fuel from this figure still leaves a change of around £5500. Ok road tax for 4 years on IS300h works out £80 this is still £5400 savings of driving the IS over the tesla for 4 years

These figure do not include the cost of fitting and charging the tesla over 4 years which means the savings will even be more once this has been factored in.Will the Tesla be more fun to drive in terms of performance? Absolutely but if its performance one is looking for then 450h f sport has this. I also like to hear the sound of an engine/exhaust be it I4 or V8 when I put my foot down Tesla doesn’t do this which in my opinion will make it boring after a while.

Toyota’s hybrid systems has been tried and tested for years so one can be guaranteed their reliability. Tesla I am not so sure about as its still relatively new. I have seen a few vids of the Tesla interior and I recon the IS interior is way better.

Will electric cars become the future one day? Well not until oil companies go out of business which is not any time soon. Petrol/hybrids will also be easy to live with and less of a hassle as one could literally fill up at any petrol station. With tesla you have to ‘plan’ you journeys carefully always making sure there is enough charge. Charge points are increasing but petrol stations still dwarfs them not to mention the time taking to charge the vehicle when one can drive in fill up and drive out in less than 5 minutes. So in this day and age I would pick an ICE over EV for convenience.

I personally think if one really wants to save money on running a car, then buying brand new doesn’t make sense. A 3-5 year old approved used makes sense since most of the deprecation has already taken place, most manufacture models run for a minimum 5 years before a newer model gets released so with a private number plate, no one can tell the difference.

e.g 3 year old GS450h’s with less than 30,000 miles are going for less than £22K on autotrader running these over a 4 year period will work out cheaper than leasing and running a 15 plate £41K IS300h over the same period of time.. just my 2 cents