noby76

they not cheap. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JDM-Toyota-00-05-Lexus-IS300-ALTEZZA-Emblem-Badge-Chrome-GENUINE-PART-NEW-RARE-/300691338909?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item460299b69d

Hi mo...good choice man you wont be disappointed with the Lexus and the IS250 is a good drive had a test drive when my 300 was in for cambelt change and tho its not too quick off the mark its not far off from the 300. and cornering is more confident!! with you coming from a BMW118d to V6 250 the drive will be more refined and gearshifts will be smooth as butter. will say drive the 250 for about 6 months and see if the performance is enough for you because they are not slow cars once they get up to speed hold on to your seats cus they fly. an ISF does 170mph and this is a stock IS250 doing 160mph (260kph) on the German autobhan where these speeds are permitted not in UK tho. IS250 has got some speed even in stock form.

off topic: not having a go Tango but reviews I have read both on here and other websites have IS220d owners or people who have driven them always bashing the 6th gear ratio saying "it was a waste of space, wasnt needed, never used it" etc but Audi's, Mercs and BMW's also made from 2005/6 all have 6 speed gearing but they dont seem to get the same bashing from owners or people who have driven them. with diesels being torquey I think 6th gear is just an overdrive gear i.e. motorway cruising gear with 1 to 5 being the main ratios but people mistake 6th for also being a town(urban) driving gear or 50/60mph ratio which its not...

having geometry sorted wont make any difference as I have had mine WIM'd and i spun 90 degrees to the right when approching a runabout doing around 50mph luckicly both vehicle stabilty control and traction control kicked in with loud continous beebs and it cut power to the rear wheels. drivers behind me thought i was tryna show off (drift) little did they know i was in trouble . I think Chris did the 180 degrees because IS200 does not have vehicle stability control. I have now learned to take roundabouts slowing when its wet!!

I have just had a look and unfortunately lexus mapped the Tourqe band(400NM) of IS220D between 2000-2600 rpm where as BMW's , Merc and Audi tend to kick in around 700rpm lower i.e from about 1300rpm which makes them drivable with higher gears at lower speeds. my guess will be lexus made it slightly peaky to be a bit more sporty(revvy) as thats what an IS is meant to be!! a sporty saloon. if changing down gears to keep it in the tourque band is a mission for you then maybe the remap will be your best option but how reliable that will be for the engine and turbo once this is done I wouldnt know. engineers at Lexus had thier reason for setting it between 2000-2600rpm.

I dont think you need to spend money on a remap! just drop down a gear or two and you will be within the power band. I know most diesel drivers prefer to stay in say 4th or 5th gear even when they are cruising at 30MPH which gives the notion of making the car use less fuel but people forget using the wrong gear ratio based on your speed can actually labour the engine and actually chuck more fuel into the car to get it going when say you crusing at 30mph in 4th gear and floor it. Just drop it a few ratios down to match the right gear to the speed travelling. all Turbo engines suffer from lag be it petrol or diesel cars and most ways manufactures overcome this is using small twin sequential turbos rather than a single big one so its not a problem which is unique to Lexus only. Merc, VW, Audi BMW's all suffer from turbo lag. its a dissadvantage of driving a turbo charged car until its fully spooled then away you go.... I think your manual should list the gear ratios one should use based on speed travelling!!

Ohh man come detail mine too looks nice....hope the sun stays out for longer wont be fare driving in the rain on a detailed IS!!

nice one Sprinter!! you really good with the tools and creative aswell :winky: ... really loved the pull of IS200 with the Greddy Ti-C noticed power really kicked in at 0:10 !! looks like you will be keeping this one for a while ....really like it not over the top with your mods!!

Hi billy1…tho I don’t own an LS400 100,000 miles tends to be the mileage these timing belts, tensioners and idle pulleys are designed to withstand. Some cars could go further than 100K but will depend on how the car has been treated if driven sensibly, the belts could last slightly longer give or take extra 20k. don’t forget it’s a belt made from strong synthetic fibre which after spinning for thousands of miles and enduring heat under the bonnet become tired and weak. Same applies to drive/serpentine belt and water pump they all need replacing at somepoint and manufatures depending on the engineering of the vehicle state either 60K or 100K to have these parts replaced. So no!! belts will not last the lifetime of a Toyota built engine as they tend to go on for years. Anything which comes into contact with heat and stress looses its mojo after a while and will need replacement. Same applies to engine oils manufactures say 10,000 or 12 months because they know not everyone covers 10,000 miles during the year but after about 12months an engine oil doing short trips in a car will still loose its strength and start breaking apart. And for timing belts they tend to be designed for either 60K or 100K before they start shredding apart which if not checked and replaced in time will = engine rebuild ££$$.

Hi Waz this is what you need. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Lexus-Spark-Plugs-SK20R11-Iridium-/180699086064?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item2a12813cf0 OE Denso iridium tip for IS200

sorry misunderstood you there! thought you was on about IS200. IS200 could even benefit from High Octane Fuel. In fact all Lexus engines benefit from running them on High Octane Fuel due to the fact that the engines have high compression ratios and VVT-i which alters the charateristics of valves to allow a bit more air(breathing) into the cylinders before ignition. IS200 = 10.0.1 compression ratio IS300 = 10.5.1 compression ratio IS250 = 12.0.1 compression ratio ISF = 11.8.1 compression ratio from the horses mouth http://www.powerchipgroup.com/articles/PET0605.pdf To answer your question ISF will benefit from Super Fuel due to high compression ratio, VVT-i and most important dual stage intake system technology to aid breathing when rpm is passed 3600 rpm http://www.lexus.com/models/ISF/features/performance/twostage_intake_system.html

Off topic.I started driving when I was very, very young and my first gallon after passing the test was 11.5p inc Tax (newly arrived cut-price Jet Petrol - the company, not stuff for aeroplanes) - even more to think about because that was higher against the cost of living than it is now, and really slow lousy 1litre cars then rarely managed as good as 30mpg. Even more to think about - my first Insurance Premium was £2.75 (3rd Party, Fire & Theft) for a whole year for a truly dreadful, rotted 10 year old 1172 cc Hillman Minx. It went down when I got to be 18! Then went up to £4 when I got a "tuned" Ford V8 Pilot....... Geez sounds like the 1930's to me !! just messing about

Hi we are not the first to debate about this and certainly won’t be the last. Its some people say Super fuels are waste of money and don’t do anything to the engine of cars others like me disagree as I believe they help car engines combust air/fuel mixture more accurately being a higher RON rating and also include cleaning chemicals which cleans internals of the whole engine during combustion process. For starters read about what RON really means and what fuels with higher RON’s can achieve. Also read on the term ’engine knocking’ and what can cure engine knocking. Read on what a ‘knock sensor’ is and in the case of Lexus’s they tend to have a minimum of two knock sensors. Read on ‘higher compression ratio’ and in the case of IS200 it is 10.0.0. Super fuel will not suddenly make an IS200 perform like an IS300 but will make the engine run smoothly, engine pick up is more instantaneous, engine wont straggle to hit top speed etc.. I personally am using Esso(Mobil) 97 RON in the 300 an I have outperformed and kept up with cars which I shouldn’t be it big engined diesel cars or petrol ones. So I personally prefer Super fuel but others will disagree. Its all down to personal preference if you like and can afford Super fuels go for it. Lexus doesn’t quote ’95 or MORE’ in their manual for nothing as the engine is capable of advancing ignition timing with a Super fuel. But do more reading your self on the section I pointed above and decision will be yours to make. Just my two cents…

if he could stretch the budget a little bit then would be ideal but hes not interested in going the full monty(Turbo)...

this might be thier UK site.. http://www.xspoweruk.com/product//supra/XS10382-2JZGTE-Single-Turbo-Conversion-2JZ-450-550WHP-Kit.html

scrap the back box stuff mate Am tempted my self to have this kit but trouble will be finding a good tuner in UK who could install it reliably. cost falls into your budget perfectly this alone will be putting 330 rear wheel horse power which equates to roughly 420 bhp to the crank on all stock internals. This four door baby Supra will be rubing shoulders with ISF, M3's M5's on the road/track http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Supra-SC300-GS300-IS300-Soarer-Turbo-Kit-2JZ-GE-or-GTE-/120814195426?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item1c211652e2

ebay will be your starting place.. you can always have a different colour resprayed to your car's colour by a body shop and most of them could fit them aswell. tho the link is for rear bumbers contact the sellers they might have front ones about if you lucky. http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=is250+bumper&_sacat=0&_odkw=is250+front+bumper&_osacat=0

Lance i think you might have a point here given Toyota engines with GE codes tend to be over built with seriously strong Pistons, engine block, crank and conecting rods the 3S-GE in the Tezza will handle NOS pressure easily and its legal aswell.

yes we all free to choose which ever fuel we want to fill our cars with and am not trying to convert anyone here. but have a read about these two articles for some thought. http://www.simplemotoring.co.uk/supermarket-vs-branded-fuels/#.T-Ww3lL4IsY http://www.lambdapower.co.uk/technotes/fuel_contamination.asp http://www.injection-correction.co.uk/cheap_fuel.html branded fuels are not sold a couple of pence more than supermarket ones for nothing. there is a reason why supermarket ones are slightly cheaper mate!

three cheap simple mods you can do is the SUCK , BANG , BLOW suck as in getting an induction kit or good sport panel filter, bang as in fitting performance(irridium denso) spark splugs and ignition leads blow as in fitting a catback or full exhaust system which can only yield about 10 -15 bhp which you wont really feel on the road but the thing with these mods is they can sometimes lead to loss of power/slugishness if not done properly or right aftermarket parts not used. I agree with above only way to get the Tezza pulling is forced air induction(Turbo/Supercharge) but thats if you willling to spend that kind of money and also finding an excelllent tuner who could fit parts and map the ECU... people also forget its not all about engine output I mean RS200 is not a slow car 210 bhp is good. sometimes investing in good suspension not necessarily lowering springs but performance springs, good grippy tires, performance brake pads and discs, sport clutch and lighter flywheel can make a less horse power car handle rapidly around very tight corners and brake very late for bends etc which can help keep up with say a Subaru making 300bhp. just for fun watch what the Corrola AE86 predecessor of the new Toyota GT86 does to the Nissan Skyline... was all down to good car balance and high revs.

not trying to get anyone to agree with me Tango. I personally use only Shell or Esso religiously in all my previous and current vehicles so i tend to stick with branded fuels. Same scenario applies to engine oils some people say oil is oil which in a way they are right but i disagree. Oils like Castrol Mobil or Shell have been engineered and refined to last a minimum of around 7 - 10,000 miles before they start breaking apart due to 'again' additives which keeps them going for longer but that cant be said for other brands ..so you might be right in saying using say a higher octane fuel in the ISF wont have any significant benefit to the performance being a naturally aspirated but those additives will certainly do your engine good by keeping it clean all year round. its all down to the engineering which goes into a product be it an engine, oil, tyres or fuel so i stick to my original post about using good high octane fuels every now and again if you want to protect your engine. Stick some budget tyres on your ISF and see if your car will perform or handle like when it is wearing Bridgestones, Toyo's, Pirellis or Michelines!! see where I am coming from? Same way tyres is not just tyres as they differ in the engineering which goes into it tho they all made from rubber that science also goes into fuels. Fuel is not just fuel they also do differ based on their engineering (additives) and mass

definatley not waste of money and unnecessary.. yes all petrol car engines sold in UK are desinged to run on 95ron fuels but you forget to mention higher octane fuels like Shell 99, Esso 97, or BP 97 ultimates containe cleaning additives aswell which cleans , valves, injectors, fuel system, and cylinders as a whole helping the car perform smoothly. a clean engine = less stress on friction parts which = less carbon build up which = better mpg and smooth operation. so although Turbo charged engines only get to benefit from slight horsepower gain from using high octane fuels, Naturally aspirated engines can gian from engine cleaning agents in these fuels be it petrol or diesel... my advice to people will be run your cars on high octane at least for a whole month every now and again to clean the engine and always stick to Shell, Esso(Mobil), BP, Texaco and Total as these companies know thier stuffs when it comes to fuel additives. No matter how cheap supermarkets sell thier fuels i never go near them would rather pay the 0.3 p more for good fuel.

if you had all four wheels balanced aswell then wont have a clue mate!! might need to the car to a suspension specialist for inspection..

Hi Stavros on a long trip to and from birmingham most weekends which is about 85 miles each way I average 33.8mpg in my 3.0litre IS which is shown from my Garmin Satnav. that will equate to exactly 508 miles to the tank. which is diesel car or 1.6 litre petrol car territory from a 3 litre automatic... might be the fact that i prefer to use higher octane fuel than regular. this shows big engined cars could be fuel efficient ounce they get up to cruising speed say 67-70mph... at those speeds a big engine car is hardly stressing. mine sits at 2500rpm at 70mph which is just 1000rpm above a mordern diesel car doing that same speed. Mpg wise there is no much difference between the 2.0litre auto and 3.0litre auto IS so if you want an auto go for the big bro(3.0) which will have 5 gear ratios and mo' motor(power) under the bonnet if you want it!! driving a manual car in London can be a mission with having to clutch down every couple of meters so if you will be doing more London driving get the auto 'Less stress on your left foot' also if power is your thing IS300 performs better than the 200 with no huge sacrifice to fuel, road tax or insurance as they are pretty much the same for both engines!! thats why i went 300...

wow a corsa VXR over took you and mixing with GT3s and R8's well am not surprised when it comes to twisties you gotta give it to the hot hatches cus they can be thrown around with no hassle..sounds like you guys had fun mite make the trip one day just for the experience and also see some high performance cars in the metal..