dfkd Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 This attachment is of a gen1 underbody. You can totally see the slight raindrop shape at the back and the smoothness of the undercarriage. I suspect the newer ones are very similar, in fact they should be even better... Cd (drag coefficient) of 0.29 on 1st gen...down to 0.25 on the 3rd. It really shows that the head designer of this car was an engineer...this is just rediculous! I remember reading that the rest of the design team was worried because he spent so much time on the aerodynamics of the car and not on other things. Little did they know that he was working on the most outstanding aspect of the car. I just love how the Japanese get to where they are through careful thought and calculation rather than brute force. A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine. The Japanese achieve quiet by calculation and engineering perfection and speed by refinement of a good engine. This car just continues to impress me more the more I learn about it. AMAZING! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SW03ES Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 Cool shot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadfoot Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I wish mine was still this clean underneath! Pesky small mammals...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I wish mine was still this clean underneath! Pesky small mammals...... ← I'm pretty sure that's a press photo since I've seen it in books and magazines before! I doubt anyone's '90 still looks like that after 15+ years of service! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 That is defintaly a non production car as the exhaust piping is not chrome but brushed stainless steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfkd Posted November 20, 2005 Author Share Posted November 20, 2005 I wish mine was still this clean underneath! Pesky small mammals...... ← I'm pretty sure that's a press photo since I've seen it in books and magazines before! I doubt anyone's '90 still looks like that after 15+ years of service! ;) ← :o DUH!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine.The Japanese achieve quiet by calculation and engineering perfection and speed by refinement of a good engine. This car just continues to impress me more the more I learn about it. AMAZING! ← This is hilarious..... these cars are a lot more costly than their american counterpart... even still.... i rather have a cts-v than a 430ls... my car is very quiet and i love it.. no denying it... but the engine still lacks greatly in fuel economy power and overall package size... The LS1 is a far superior engine.. while the japanese spend their time designing on CD, which is awesome, they didn't continue that same pattern into the engine. The engine lacks so many things its even horrible to describe... take a look.. after the DUMBESTIC ls1 came with coil on plug and ETC.. lexus came with the same on the 1uz fe and what did i just find out changing my spark plugs? it looks like my cruise control is not controlled by the PCM! jajajaja you have to judge everything in its context. All in all... aside from interiors.. i find that many of the American engineering is superior to the japanese. But... I will aggree with all of you to disagree as i know i will get flamed for this.. dont get me wrong... i own 4 ls400 a corvette.. 2 camaro, 2 c1500 truck. And by far i like the ls1 engine better and its a lot more FUEL EFFICIENT than ANY 1uzfe. this engine is a gas guzzler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfkd Posted November 20, 2005 Author Share Posted November 20, 2005 A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine.The Japanese achieve quiet by calculation and engineering perfection and speed by refinement of a good engine. This car just continues to impress me more the more I learn about it. AMAZING! ← This is hilarious..... these cars are a lot more costly than their american counterpart... even still.... i rather have a cts-v than a 430ls... my car is very quiet and i love it.. no denying it... but the engine still lacks greatly in fuel economy power and overall package size... The LS1 is a far superior engine.. while the japanese spend their time designing on CD, which is awesome, they didn't continue that same pattern into the engine. The engine lacks so many things its even horrible to describe... take a look.. after the DUMBESTIC ls1 came with coil on plug and ETC.. lexus came with the same on the 1uz fe and what did i just find out changing my spark plugs? it looks like my cruise control is not controlled by the PCM! jajajaja you have to judge everything in its context. All in all... aside from interiors.. i find that many of the American engineering is superior to the japanese. But... I will aggree with all of you to disagree as i know i will get flamed for this.. dont get me wrong... i own 4 ls400 a corvette.. 2 camaro, 2 c1500 truck. And by far i like the ls1 engine better and its a lot more FUEL EFFICIENT than ANY 1uzfe. this engine is a gas guzzler. ← Nice point on the LS1 however i did a bit of research and what i found is that the LS1 didnt debut until 1997...it's from a different era so you cant really compare the two can you. A computer in 1989 was running on a 486dx processor @25Mhz. In 1997 we were at almost 300mhz. You cant really compare those either can you? In that year they were adding VVT-i and what not to the Lexus. I'm not trying to say the LS1 isnt an awesome engine...it sits with the best, i just dont think they can really be compared that way. And they werent built for the same application either. (speed vs luxury) And actually, the declared gas mileage is exactly the same on both (18/25). Just my take... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jschunke Posted November 20, 2005 Share Posted November 20, 2005 I was dissappointed with the road noise on my '93. It's quiet on smooth terrain, but it roars over rough pavement. It's a fine automobile, but I feel that Lexus "quietness" is overrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 The LS-1 is a PUSHROD engine - give me a break. Yeah, coil on plug, well actually coil NEAR spark plug as they have short ignition wires to them. Many LS-1 's have been replaced under warranty for crankshaft trouble, due to poor oil passage design. They are not some kind of world class engine as has been stated. They are sort of like a really advanced tube amplifier in today's world. Interesting, certainly the world's most advanced pushrod engine, but that's about it. A step up from the LT-1 which GM fought with for some eight years before mercifully killing it. Remember the optispark distributors on that one? Waste of time. Headgaskets blowing out? Low oil pressure due to bearing wear? Stretched timing chains? I have worked on those GM engines. They don't rate with any Lexus V-8. The 1UZ-FE is arguably one of the finest V-8 engines ever built. I haven't had to work on them, and I have yet to find a Lexus tech who has pulled a head off one. Keep your GM products. I a few years they will all be orphans anyways after GM declares bankruptcy. And it won't be because of "excessive health care costs to retired employees" it will be because of a lousy product line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFeldes Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 In response to jschunke......The tires make all the difference...check on this forum and others for quite tires...you will sacrifice performance but if you like a boulevard ride, it is in the tires. Same goes for handling but there will be road noise. It is all about vibration and not wind noise. Wind noise is where the LS shines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 the LS4's 1UZ-FE's fuel economy is bad? since when? Ask blake, who averages something like 28mpg...with over 260,000 miles on the clock! NO General Motors engine could get that good fo mileage with that many miles on original internals. sorry, cant be done. the GM will never get that good of mileage brand new, or nearly new, becuase they run too rich to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine.The Japanese achieve quiet by calculation and engineering perfection and speed by refinement of a good engine. This car just continues to impress me more the more I learn about it. AMAZING! ← This is hilarious..... these cars are a lot more costly than their american counterpart... even still.... i rather have a cts-v than a 430ls... my car is very quiet and i love it.. no denying it... but the engine still lacks greatly in fuel economy power and overall package size... The LS1 is a far superior engine.. while the japanese spend their time designing on CD, which is awesome, they didn't continue that same pattern into the engine. The engine lacks so many things its even horrible to describe... take a look.. after the DUMBESTIC ls1 came with coil on plug and ETC.. lexus came with the same on the 1uz fe and what did i just find out changing my spark plugs? it looks like my cruise control is not controlled by the PCM! jajajaja you have to judge everything in its context. All in all... aside from interiors.. i find that many of the American engineering is superior to the japanese. But... I will aggree with all of you to disagree as i know i will get flamed for this.. dont get me wrong... i own 4 ls400 a corvette.. 2 camaro, 2 c1500 truck. And by far i like the ls1 engine better and its a lot more FUEL EFFICIENT than ANY 1uzfe. this engine is a gas guzzler. ← Nice point on the LS1 however i did a bit of research and what i found is that the LS1 didnt debut until 1997...it's from a different era so you cant really compare the two can you. A computer in 1989 was running on a 486dx processor @25Mhz. In 1997 we were at almost 300mhz. You cant really compare those either can you? In that year they were adding VVT-i and what not to the Lexus. I'm not trying to say the LS1 isnt an awesome engine...it sits with the best, i just dont think they can really be compared that way. And they werent built for the same application either. (speed vs luxury) And actually, the declared gas mileage is exactly the same on both (18/25). Just my take... ← Rated gas mileage vs actual is way different... I am comparing a 97pcm from a ls1 to a 98pcm from 1uz-FE and lets not talk about the 99pcms from GM.. .they are way better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 the LS4's 1UZ-FE's fuel economy is bad? since when?Ask blake, who averages something like 28mpg...with over 260,000 miles on the clock! NO General Motors engine could get that good fo mileage with that many miles on original internals. sorry, cant be done. the GM will never get that good of mileage brand new, or nearly new, becuase they run too rich to begin with. ← 28mpg on open road.... yes.. i've averaged that with my ls400.. but... you know... same speed.. same everything i have averaged 36 with the ls6. it has 110hp more and a lot of more torque.... the ls400 IS A GAS GUZZLER compared to an ls1. PERIOD.. even on city driving the ls6 will give you WAY better gas mileage.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 In response to jschunke......The tires make all the difference...check on this forum and others for quite tires...you will sacrifice performance but if you like a boulevard ride, it is in the tires. Same goes for handling but there will be road noise. It is all about vibration and not wind noise. Wind noise is where the LS shines. ← i aggree.. wind noise is very very nice and quiet.... its a really nice car... its just not that uuuhhhhs and aaaahhhss as everyone wants to put them... American cars are cheaper and are better in many more ways than people give them credit. Japanese do not know how to make a v8 still. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 the LS4's 1UZ-FE's fuel economy is bad? since when?Ask blake, who averages something like 28mpg...with over 260,000 miles on the clock! NO General Motors engine could get that good fo mileage with that many miles on original internals. sorry, cant be done. the GM will never get that good of mileage brand new, or nearly new, becuase they run too rich to begin with. ← are you judging my gm engine to your viper engine??? i know the viper engine will not give near that gas mileage not even new! jaja... but you know.... when i opened up the engine after 30k miles there was absolutely NO WEAR on the engine.... it was a cherished engine, although ridden hard every day.. oil change every 1500 miles with synthetic oil... I have seen a few 400k mile lt1 engines running as stock giving 14s on the quarter like they did when new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 the LS4's 1UZ-FE's fuel economy is bad? since when?Ask blake, who averages something like 28mpg...with over 260,000 miles on the clock! NO General Motors engine could get that good fo mileage with that many miles on original internals. sorry, cant be done. the GM will never get that good of mileage brand new, or nearly new, becuase they run too rich to begin with. ← 28mpg on open road.... yes.. i've averaged that with my ls400.. but... you know... same speed.. same everything i have averaged 36 with the ls6. it has 110hp more and a lot of more torque.... the ls400 IS A GAS GUZZLER compared to an ls1. PERIOD.. even on city driving the ls6 will give you WAY better gas mileage.... ← You want to run that by me again? I have a 2.0L, Less than HAlf the engine of an LS6 or an LS1, With a 5 speed...and i can BARELY average 40mpg on the open freeway, and that is DAMNED GOOD for a car that isnt a hybrid. There is no way in God's green eart an LS^ or an LS1 gets 36MPH on the freeway in anything other than the chevy SSR (maybe it because it doesnt weigh much). My car weighs 2,000 lbs and has 130ish HP stock from the factory. its average is clearly stated at 25/33. maybe...just MAYBE, an SSR at 55mph, with no wind, downhill with the clutch pushed in....MIGHT...hit 36mpg for a few miles....maybe. But there is no way it averagew better, (or anywhere near the same) as my car on the open road. i go almost 400 freeway miles on 10 gallons of gas. thast about 36-40 MPH average, lets do the math on yours, my friend has a silverado Z71 with the 350 vortec. he gets about 400 miles on a tank of gas, if hes lucky, and his tank is 27 gallons. do the math, 400/27=14.81mpg. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?acti...87&browser=true check it out. i would believe 25, not 36. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 the LS4's 1UZ-FE's fuel economy is bad? since when?Ask blake, who averages something like 28mpg...with over 260,000 miles on the clock! NO General Motors engine could get that good fo mileage with that many miles on original internals. sorry, cant be done. the GM will never get that good of mileage brand new, or nearly new, becuase they run too rich to begin with. ← 28mpg on open road.... yes.. i've averaged that with my ls400.. but... you know... same speed.. same everything i have averaged 36 with the ls6. it has 110hp more and a lot of more torque.... the ls400 IS A GAS GUZZLER compared to an ls1. PERIOD.. even on city driving the ls6 will give you WAY better gas mileage.... ← You want to run that by me again? I have a 2.0L, Less than HAlf the engine of an LS6 or an LS1...and i can BARELY average 40mpg on the open freeway, and that is DAMNED GOOD for a car that isnt a hybrid. There is no way in God's green eart an LS^ or an LS1 gets 36MPH on the freeway in anything other than the chevy SSR (maybe it because it doesnt weigh much). My car weighs 2,000 lbs and has 130ish HP stock from the factory. its average is clearly stated at 28/36. maybe...just MAYBE, an SSR at 55mph, with no wind, downhill with the clutch pushed in....MIGHT...hit 36mpg for a few miles....maybe. But there is no way it averagew better, (or anywhere near the same) as my car on the open road. i go almost 400 freeway miles on 10 gallons of gas. thast about 36-40 MPH average, lets do the math on yours, my friend has a silverado Z71 with the 350 vortec. he gets about 400 miles on a tank of gas, if hes lucky, and his tank is 27 gallons. do the math, 400/27=14.81mpg. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?acti...87&browser=true check it out. i would believe 25, not 36. ← I'm telling you my personal experience and my personal math... when i was on an open trip we did 582 miles on the same tank... and we still had some left over... where the rsx's bmw's 540s s2000's nsx's and supra TTs had to fill up twice. we did it with one full tank. do the math... IIRC the tank capacity is 18 gals on the c5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I retract my previous statement, 36 may be possible in a corvette or a camaro....maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 check this out http://www.fueleconomy.gov/!Removed!/2001cartablef.jsp?id=16439 doesn't feel to far fetched when you know what you are doing to save fuel :D vs this http://www.fueleconomy.gov/!Removed!/compx2005f....=Lexus&model=LS 400&hiddenField=Findacar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I retract my previous statement, 36 may be possible in a corvette or a camaro....maybe. ← Its possible.... it is.... i have done it.... now you get my why i get so *BLEEP*ed off about the fuel consumption of these cars??? i own 1 93 2 95s and a 98..... same gas mileage for all of them really.... when i bought the corvette z06 it was my first ls1... and i thought it was going to be a gas guzzler car... i remeber i did 29mpg the first week when i was doing the break in.. and that was because i wasn't doing steady state... i had to vary as how i want to do it.... car is lighter... less weight more economy... that i know.. but on the camaro, where the weight difference is not that high you can see that the lsx engine with 1.5 more liter... 100hp more on average is more fuel efficient... my dream... an ls400 with an ls engine... that would make it the REAL LS! jajaja on city driving locally.. with all traffic jams i get around 17-18... vs 11-12 from all of my ls's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 Of course when you say 350 chevy i automatically thought silverado, my mistake. those ARE gas hogs LOL. i had forgotten breifely that GM's crossplatforming allows the 350 to be used in everything from a camaro to a cadillac. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highlander Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 I LOVE THE CTS-V! i just had an awesome deal on this one and i couldn't let it go.. and that crossplatform ideal is what makes the engine a lot cheaper too... and the overall size of the engine is smaller than an ls! and lighter :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine. ← LOL Completely disassemble your interior, and tell me the insides of a LS400 aren't chock full of insulation. The glove box has a big piece of insulation on the back of it just as an example in addition to just about all trim pieces, under the top and bottom portions of the back seats, thick carpets with tons of insulation, insulation in the trunk and hood areas, etc., etc...I don't think you'll find something like that on your typical GM or Dodge product. the ls400 IS A GAS GUZZLER compared to an ls1. PERIOD.. even on city driving the ls6 will give you WAY better gas mileage.... ← While I can't agree that the 4.0 is a true gas guzzler, I do think the hwy mileage could be way better than what it is since (80mph is good for over 2,500 rpms, that seems a little agressive.). It just kills me to ride in any American car that is going 80 on the hwy, and it spins close to 1,000 less rpms than the Lexus does at the same speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyofOne Posted November 21, 2005 Share Posted November 21, 2005 A domestic (american) car would try to achieve quietness by adding sound deadening and speed by the biggest possible engine. ← LOL Completely disassemble your interior, and tell me the insides of a LS400 aren't chock full of insulation. The glove box has a big piece of insulation on the back of it just as an example in addition to just about all trim pieces, under the top and bottom portions of the back seats, thick carpets with tons of insulation, insulation in the trunk and hood areas, etc., etc...I don't think you'll find something like that on your typical GM or Dodge product. the ls400 IS A GAS GUZZLER compared to an ls1. PERIOD.. even on city driving the ls6 will give you WAY better gas mileage.... ← While I can't agree that the 4.0 is a true gas guzzler, I do think the hwy mileage could be way better than what it is since (80mph is good for over 2,500 rpms, that seems a little agressive.). It just kills me to ride in any American car that is going 80 on the hwy, and it spins close to 1,000 less rpms than the Lexus does at the same speed. ← I have to take you for a ride in the escort...85 MPH, brings 3200 RPM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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