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I have been looking at the correspondence on this BBS for about 2 months. ( Most helpfull, I truly thank all contributors)
This BBS decided not to allow me in today so I am now Somebody2, as opposed to Seadog7. The car I wanted was a Mystic Ultra with ecru and pewter wood trim.
I had to compromize for a tin can Silver Ultra with a black interior and purple Formica (tm).
Today the car went over 1K and I dared to hit the gas. What a sickening let down. The car does not even meet minimum safety capabilities. My old un-turboed LS 400 had more omph.
If anyone knows of a place that adds blowers to Ls 430's please tell me.
I appologize for spelling since MS spelling is not supported by this BBS.
4x3 (regular TV/VCR) pictures on my widescreen TV - the Pioneer Elite provides various stretching modes, or you can watch 4x3 in actual aspect ratio with gray bars on the sides. One of the stretching modes is called 'natural wide' and it scretches the video horizonally enough to fill the screen, and vertically, some, not in exact proportion, so it doesn't cause very much vertical cropping and doesn't affect scrolling tickers or banners like on CNBC or CNNH. So in this mode people look slightly 'wide' on first glance, but you get used to it almost immediately. I'd rather watch it in this mode than with the gray bars.
But since I love movies more than regular TV, the trade off is MORE than worth it.
Go see a Pioneer Elite sometime... it will blow you away.
Of course if you want to drop some bigger dough, go get a plasma widescreen display.
Keep giving them hell on the other boards. You're posts are some of the best reads around.
You also said the car is unsafe. Is that because you feel it doesn't have enough power? I would think having even more power would make it LESS safe, by encouraging people to drive too aggressively.
Happy driving!
Renny
The "lighter" GS430 with exactly the same engine produces 300HP. Why would the LS430 be limited to 290HP unless there is a significant reason. Lexus is foregoing advertising the LS as having 300HP when clearly that is a possibility.
I have a GS300 and my wife does not like the way the vehicle "jerks" off-the-line. One must be very careful with the throttle when first starting up in order to avoid this affect. I have taken up all of the slack, backlash, in the throttle cable but still have the problem.
Maybe what you are seeing in the LS is Lexus' efforts to have a more "smooth" power application, torque curve, as might be desired by most people in a luxury vehicle of this class. Remember, the LS has an "E-throttle" so the rate at which the engine "comes-on" is completely uncoupled from the gas pedal. The engine computer can do what Lexus damn well wants it to do, not what the driver might expect on full throttle application.
Since the GS is marketed as a "sports" sedan, I wonder if this isn't the reverse of my GS300 problem, lots of quick torque application at the bottom end to make one feel "sporty"!
One comment that just occurs to me is one concerning emissions. Whenever I picked up my mother she would have great problms with the LS400 exhaust. Thus I would round up a "head of steam" before coasting to the tront of the house in neutral, engine off, to pick her up. Bedazzled by all the new gizmos I have failed to remember to do this with the new 430 at least 5 times. No smell. Thank you Lexus. The low polution engine does indeed work.
Unless the 2002 LS430 comes with it that is.....
Going to a golf demo day this afternoon, so I guess I'll be taking the RX - and parking up front for once!
The interior was a dark gray and it had a similar color gray double pin stripe on the side.
It was a clear, sunny day so I believe I saw it in it's best "light". Other colors on this car look more distinguished and "expensive" in my opinion. Perhaps this is why it is a rare color.
The messages here offer many good reasons to consider the LS430, but the steering wheel problem has me reconsidering. Anyone have any further experiences with this?
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
Has anyone suggegestions on 17" wheels? Right now I'm zeroing in on wheels from Discount Tire. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
As far as wheels from Discount Tire or Tirerack or anywhere else, there are good ones and not so good ones. For handling, look for lighter rims. For looks, maybe chrome is your style, but that makes the rims heavier.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/sidewall.htm
Not sure that I would take the LS430 to 17" wheels, that's not ITS "style". I would go for the Bridgestone Turanza's for quiet. The BBS-RR (japanese market only) really look good on some LS'es.
If you find you need winter tires keep your old wheels and mount all-season on them. Me, I park my LS (GS300 at the moment) and drive my RX.
Huh? Lexus offers them even, and I think they look a heck of a lot better than the 16s. I think the 16s just look way too small for the body.
quicker downshifts
redisign the cruise control setup
came back from lexus link service in columbus oh (wow what service even filled my tank) got on 270 at 65 got 29.5 mpg then on the way home got 28 mpg--that's wonderful mileage.
We love this car, anything else we drive just is fatiguing. my wife want's to trade in her turbo yellow bug for a station wagon, like the volvo. the rx probably will be resisgn for 03. our loaner rx wallows a bit, but nice, the volvo has more room in the cargo area, we'll also try a highlander. but she likes the volvo--any comments?
I would buy the LS430 for quietness and "comfort", not for "sporty" handling characteristics, I understand that's the market the GS430 is aimed at.
I don't really expect to become involved in any car chases or races in my LS, I'll leave that market to BMW.
17" wheels look REALLY good on the GS, but somehow out of place on the LS.
Definitely take a look at the Highlander - it's more roomy than the RX7 and rides smooth and quiet and handles well. A friend of mine got one a few months back amd loves it. I think the next generation RX7 will probably be somewhat bigger, roomier inside and more luxurious if you can wait. I need 3 rows of seats and am likely going to the LX470 shortly. But if I didn't need the 3 rows I'd give the Highlander very serious consideration.
I would hope it's roomier than a Mazda RX7 - a 2 seat sports car :-) I assume you meant RX300. Maybe Edmunds' glorious 'spell checker' at work again?
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
As for that earlier referenced shot at my color selection, today my golf instructor highly praised my choice and is thinking of buying one for himself. However, he distinctly did NOT praise my choice in golf shots. I tried to explain that none of those errant shots were by choice, but he remains unconvinced. Sounds like new clubs (Callaway Hawk Eyes, here I come!) are in order!
They come in 53, 58 and 64" diagonal sizes.
Oh, er, that Lexus is a cool car! I saw a black LS on the road home tonight - I didn't care for it in black to be honest... just seems too big a car for black... I like the more 'rich' colors, and of course, silver. Still don't like that gray wood interior on some models though.
On hdtv's you have a few choices and the prices are dropping. You can buy a 4x3 conventional shape hdtv ready set which automatically adjusts to a 16x9 pix with black bars above and below the pix when a hd broadcast is detected or a true 16x9 shaped set. The advantage of the former is that conventional broadcasts will look the same as you have always seen them except with greater clarity because of the better set and better set top box. The hd pix, when broadcast, will have the exceptional clarity, colors and 3D of a 16x9 set and the pix will take on the rectangular look with more width of picture than a 4x3 broadcast (ie in football you will see (say) 15 yds. of turf rather than (say) 10yds.) but slightly less than you would see in a true 16x9 set. When hd is broadcast and captured on a true 16x9 set you won't get the black bars and you'll see more width of picture. But conventional broadcasts will be seen with gray bars on the right and left side of the screen or you will need to stretch the pix to proportions of the 16x9 shape and this will show some mild distortion to the way the pix would look on a 4x3 set. So the trade-off is the blackbars and less width of a 4x3 vs. the perfection of a true 16x9 in hd and its distortion in 4x3 broadcasts. Don't buy a set with the converter box already in the set as the standards may change. Better to switch converters than tv sets. Finally check the hd video ports. Some sets have y,pb,pr ports (Sony, Panasonic) and some have the computer based ports of your set top box (RCA, Proscan models). You can always buy adapters if you have incompatible hd video ports though.
Host - off topic but fun to discuss.
A defective "yaw" sensor, for instance, might cause all four brakes to be applied extremely intermittently, but never simultaneously. Something that would heat the wheels but might not give any other noticeable indication except slightly decreased gas mileage, maybe.
The one thing I do agree with you on is that there should be a default choice of having the cruise enabled when the car is started. It always annoys me a little (but not a lot) that after starting, I have to go through the motions of enabling the cruise before I can Set a cruise speed (in my case I also have to select my preferred following distance -- one of three choices -- that too should be included in the default selection).
Of course we would have to admit that these complaints are not quite on a par with nealm1's Volvo experiences, wouldn't we?