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Comments
BTW, this car makes me happier everytime I get in it, especially after driving just about anything else. I spent a brief stint in my FIL's Z4 again this weekend; that made me about as happy, but I require more than one passenger seat on a rather regular basis!
That memory seat option sounds like a good add. Appropriate.
I just completed the class on Aug 9,2003 in Wisconsin and the only word to sum it up is FUN.
http://www.lexusdrivingschool.com
BTW, $395 for the school is a little steep in my opinion.
Admittedly not having been, I'd agree, especially considering the whole thing is nothing more than a rolling Lexus promo to begin with. But, as I said, I haven't been...
What about residual values for all you lessors - what residuals (%) are you getting on '02 and '03 IS300's?
Thanks for the help.
So, Fred and Jmess, I made the mistake of toying with rim and tire combos online (Fred knows this already) and I'm feeling more and more impetus to follow through (silly boy that I am). SSR GT-1s - 17x8 forward and 17x9 aft, matched with S-03 Pole Positions - 235/40-17 and 255/40-17. I think I'm hooked on the wheels, but with all the rubber choices out there, the Potenzas aren't at all a given. Any thoughts my young friends?
Actually, you are right. $395 is pretty reasonable for a high performance driving school where you use their cars (I think that Lexus provides the cars, correct?). I think the Saab Flight Academy is around $1200 for two days, BMW is a couple of thousand and the Porsche Driving Experience is something like $4000!
WB - If you got the play money and the desire go for it. I love the GT-1 and it should look great. I don't have personal experience with the S-03's (I'm too cheap, especially since the MR2 eats rear tires every 8-10K miles) but everything I have read has been positive. I just put Yokohama AVS ES100s on the back of the MR2 and am quite satisfied with them. One of these days I'll have to try a set of the really expensive tires and see if they are worth the difference.
A couple things to consider is being able to rotate the tires and the changes that you will get in ride quality. By having the same wheel and tire on all 4 you can rotate front to back (tires are still directional).
I find the 17x8s and 225-45s on the front really makes the car turn in better and you have a lot less understeer. It is easier to get some throttle oversteer (at least until the dam VSC cuts in). The down side is when you are puttering around town in the 30-50 MPH range you will notice the firmer ride. Not really overly harsh but definetly not stock. Going to 40 series tires would make for a little firmer ride than I have now.
A wider tire and wheel on the back would add back in some of the understeer that was taken out by the wider front wheels and tires. I would suspect that the balance of the car would be fairly similar to stock; with a lot of initial understeer on turn in. The better grip provided by the tires will also highlight the shock valving.; which is tuned more towards ride quality than at the limit handling.
You guys be careful with the driving schools; way too much fun. I started out in 1985 in a driving school. From that point on I was hooked. I was lucky enough to be able to race for 16 years; amateur road racing. I had to give it up this year to focus on work and the retirement account. The dam wife wants to retire to a house at the coast instead of a motorhome at the racetrack.
BTW, I'm curious, you have said that the LSD is standard on the IS but it is actually an option. I want to get it but every dealer tells me they can only get it on MT cars here in So Cal unless I want to get a fully loaded one with NAV. Where are you located? Do most of the cars in your area have LSD?
Fun car to drive. Nice acceleration. Great brakes. Great steering. Great handling. Rode better than I thought it would. Good headroom, even with the sunroof. Had enough room in back for out two kids.
Some gripes. Couldn't believe it used a prop rod to hold up the hood. And was very disappointed it used the space-intruding gooseneck hinges for the trunk lid. Smallish trunk that loses a lot of useable space to these hinges. And there was no lumbar support adjustment for the driver seat. And the steering wheel did not telescope. Mileage figure nothing to write home about. Only 18/24 mpg estimate. (3.9:1 Final drive gearing hurts highway fuel economy. Engine was turning over more than 3,000 RPMs at 74 mph in 5th gear.)
I made the same trade in and to be honest the lack of problems, dealer service, refinement and smoothness of the IS make up for the memory seats, trip computer and rain sensor ALL DAY LONG.
The wider rubber is obviously a grip enhancement for me, but also has tremendous cosmetic value, and one of the cosmetic touches I like is "M" style fat (or phat, if preferred) rubber stuffed neatly under the tail.
Probably lays me open to a charge of peddling cooked starch product, but well, so be it; I like what I like!
The rotation thing, or rather lack of it, is just something I was going to try to get used to anyway, but I definitely hear you there.
I think I may look at stiffening things up in front a little after the wheels. There is an L-tune cross-brace available from Carson; any thoughts on that?
The IS300 is far from perfect as you have noticed. Yet a heavily discounted IS300 offers a pretty good package for the money. Even though it lacks some of the amenities of a well equipped 325, it offers equivalent or better performance (MPG not being one of them :-) for less money along with some things that you can't get in a 325 like an LSD.
I personally prefer the M3. I would take one with SMG. I exceeded my lifetime quota for manual shifts quite a while ago.
Forgot one other gripe. I was unpleasantly surprised by the weight distribution. 54/46 for the sedan. Noticed the battery was under the hood, on other side of the el cheapo prop rod. Why didn't they move it into the trunk like BMW and others? They need to be serious about weight distribution. But at least they did make the rear brakes larger. Likely on that account.
The L-tuned suspension kit is supposed to be made by Eibach and you will get the same setup if you bought the Eibach Pro Kit springs (.75"-1.0" drop) and the Eibach sway bars. I currently have the Eibach bars on my car and they made a noticeable improvement in handling.
The bigger disks in back are probably more to address braking at max gross weight; more weight in the rear. You can usually get by with less swept area for the rear brakes when you have more weight up front.
IS300 weight Front to Rear Weight distribution:
SportCross 53%/47% @ 3410 lbs
3410 x .47 = 1568 lbs on the rear wheels
1842 on the front
Manual Sedan 54%/46% @ 3285lbs
3285 x .46 = 1511 lbs on the rear wheels
1774 on the front
I don't know about you but the wife probably sticks 100 LBs of "stuff" in the back every time we go on a road trip?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Where did you obtain the info on the '04 changes? I am extremely interested since I recently purchased a "SportDesign" E-shift. Paid extra for the 11 spoke wheels that was supposedly going to be unique just for this limited edition model. Do you know what the limited edition amount is for the SportDesign?
WALE: still loving my car - the only "complaint" I have is - once you get in the car you just don't wanna get OUT!! remember the scratches I told you about? well, it got fixed a body shop sprayed the entire front bumper. i actually went down to check on my baby & saw the bumper detached sitting on a stand waiting to be sprayed. the body shop owner was nice enough to explain what was going on. it looks absolutely perfect! got an IS loaner for almost 3 weeks too! (auto shop was backlogged on jobs). racked some mean mileage on the loaner!
hows the wagon??
mishima8105, in 05 a redesigned IS is supposed to show up with a V6 instead of the I-6. The I-6 is based upon the original Supra I-6 and has an iron block. That is partly the reason why the front to rear weight distribution isn't closer to 50/50. Toyota can save money by having a standard V6 design. They can then play around with compression, cams, and exhaust to change torque and hp specs just like Nissan does.
The safety engineers also claim that a V-6 allows more crush space in front making it easier to exceed government crash standards. This is kind of sad because the current I-6 is very reliable and smooth engine. I have heard that even BMW could be forced down this path at some point in the future?
Everywhere else, Lexus IS200 & 300 are sold as "Lexus".
I would much prefer they went in the opposite direction and called a spade a spade, but I'm clearly in the minority on that one.
Fred:
"On the other hand, my Maxima let me know that the cartridges needed replacement by slamming the hood down on my head..."
That explains a thing or two...
Zone: Nice to hear from you. I'm still in love with my little mule too! I have read posts from people who claimed their car was so wonderful they never wanted to stop driving, but until I bought this SportCross, I thought they were just puffing. I go to great lengths to find the long way there and back on a constant basis in this car. My commute is too short. Try and find ten people who'll say THAT!
Mine was in the shop for three weeks after my Fresno incident, and I was miserable in a Grand Prix rental. It has to go back in, however. Whoever prepped and sprayed the hood and bumper wasn't the same person who did the quarter panels. The panels are perfect, but the hood has swirls and scratches under the clearcoat, and the bumper has runs under the top of the intake.
Jmess: the rumor of an IS430 seems ever more persistent as well around the web. Ah well, just so long as a wagon is available, I'll give the V6 a shot I guess. I wish they'd just give the I-6 an aluminum block and a maybe a slightly bigger bore, though I really don't need to up the power. Did I just say that?...
It is funny but their top Toyota is not LS430-based but a 5.0 V12 trowback to the 1960's: Toyota Century (no styling changes since 1967).
How about that engine in the LS? LS500 V12 anyone?
reiz, Math wasn't my best subject so I don't know how the numbers you are looking at stack up. Time is on your side though. The 03s aren't getting any newer and the end of the sales month is approaching.
Thinking of getting rid of your wife's 323iA for an IS300? Don't let the guys over on the 3er & 5er boards hear about that:)
Just curious, how come an IS300? Are you looking at anything else?
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Will Mr. Millen's mods be Lexus reliable? Trying to remember who all Millen makes mods for. Does he do it just for Toyota/Lexus? Or also for other marques?
Noticed it gave no information on pricing. If it starts pushing $50,000, can't see it competing too well with 545i6 or CTS V. The current IS300 has interior materials and amenities in the near luxury range. And GM is offering the mid-$30,000 Pontiac (Holden) GTO with 5.7L V8, 350 HP, RWD, IRS, LSD, and 6-speed manual.
One huge issue could be weight distribution. The current I6 is 54/46. Will the V8 and mods add weight to front end? Better not add much. That could play heck on overall dynamics. BMW and Cadillac have worked hard to get near 50/50 for their RWD V8s. New BMW 545i6 is 50.9/49.1.
I'll believe it is for real when I see an actual one on sale in my local Lexus dealer's showroom. Lincoln hyped doing a 400 HP LS 6-speed back in early '02. To be done by McLaren. But the near $50,000 price and slowing LS sales overall killed the project. IS300 sales have been anything but stellar. Not sure what the IS430 project does for Lexus' overall image. Who will it bring into the showroom? Bunch of people to look at a car they can't afford? Not too many young boy racers can throw $50,000 on such an expensive toy. [And if they have tattoos, nose rings, piercings, etc., they might just scare off the ES300, RX330, and LS430 crowds! They likely won't be too hip to the F&F/2F2F crowd.
The blurb also said the car will come in three styles: sedan, coupe and convertible with AWD as an option.
Millen is responsible for much of the L-tuning, again, IIRC, and if his parts are installed by a Lexus shop do not affect warranty.
Finally, an iron block I6 v. an aluminum small block V8 might not affect weight distribution as much as you think. Maybe jmess knows the specs, I can't look 'em up just now.
M3 killer????
I would think that all the engineering work would have been blessed by Toyota and Mr. Millen crew will just be following the receipe when they implant the V8. I would think Toyota isn't going to risk damaging the reputation the Lexus brand has for quality in the market place. So I expect if the 430 wasn't going to be up to Lexus standards for quality and driveability they wouldn't build it?
I too am concerned that the price as delivered for a 430 could be pretty steep. I don't recall what the L-Tuned package cost delta was but I think it was about 3x what it would cost you to do it yourself. I would think it would be at least $10K over the existing car. If it is much more than that doing a turbo conversion to the existing I-6 would be a much better deal. There are a number of well engineered turbo and supercharger kits out there that make some serious HP at the rear wheels of an IS300. The "boy racer" crowd likes boost anyway.
As far as the weight distribution for the 430, the I-6 is using a version of the tried and true iron block supra motor; which is probably heavy by today's standards. I think the V8 is an aluminum block which should help. Also an I-6 engine's crank shaft tends to be longer than a V8 which also adds weight. So the V8 might be pretty close to the I-6. There was a comment about the V8 needing more room under the hood which seems to imply the engine sits up higher, which will change the center of gravity. CG calculation use to drive me crazy in my racing days.
I guess we will just have to wait and see if and when the 430 shows up what it will cost?