Neo

They will fit. I have them on my 98s so that person does not know what they are talking about. I also know many others who have done this mod. You will also need to get the new wiring harness though. Plug and play after that. Enjoy!

XERD makes headers for the IS300 and they claim that it will work on the GS300. I have no first hand experience. Just what I was told when I emailed them.

Here is a kit based on the Powerdyne with some numbers and info. PLP Powerdyne SC

1. Nope. The frame is different on the two cars so the spacing is different. 2. I don't have the SAFC so I'll let the guys who do have it chime in. 3. I don't think this will work either. Although the engine is the same, the components around it are built differnently to fit/take advantage of the space around it. On top of that, the chip is supposedly tuned specifically to the different cars (all components and not just engine). I think the engine parts that are interchangeable are the radiator and oil covers. ;) (well and some non-serviceable parts) Go for GS parts. Your car will like you better for it. :D

A few notes: Exhausts will sound different on the GS300 and GS400. I cannot tell you how the Apexi WS will sound on the Gs300 but it will be different. ;) SAFC is nice but you will have to manually tune it. If you are into that, then it's great. The SRT Intake ECU is setup to be what SRT thinks is optimal for the car. Whether you agree with that setup is another story. :) STB - I have not heard of someone installing a front Cusco STB. i'm not saying that it does not work. I just have not seen posted an install of one. I've seen people use the rear but not front. Does your car have an engine cover? I know the 98s do not and early 99s do not. The engine for the GS300s sits relatively high and I have not seen any STB fit the GS3 with the OEM engine cover still on, except maybe the RMM but I'd have to verify. All I'm saying is make sure about the Cusco before buying it.

Bruce Nomura http://www.brucenomura.com/ He is very busy though.

If you are looking for a tight ride like your 3series, you won't get it in the GS. Remember, it is much heavier. The 5 series is tuned better for that. But for the price difference, there are aftermarket suspension parts that you can add to give it that tight feeling. BUT always remember that you are pushing around more weight (even with the 5). I know some that have driven both a 540 and a suspension modded GS and they actually liked the GS better. All aI'm saying is as far as handling goes, the GS can be made to be tight. In the stock condition, it is a little floaty and sloppy. If you want Tiptronic, then you will need a 98-2000. Lexus took out the manual shift from the 01+ (and added it to the 300s :chairshot:). The TL is the biggest bang-for-the-buck in the group but I feel it is in a different class than the GS or the 5s. Just sit in it and you'll feel the difference. Look past the whiz-bang technology (it is a new model year 2004 vs. two older models (not year)) and you will see the difference in the fit and finish. It is a very nice carfor the price but I've heard of some tranny problems already. I believe the Nav is touchscreen but I'm not 100% sure on the GS. The 98-00 are hard drive based and the 01+ are DVD based. Once you get into the GS430s, there are not many options left. I think Nav or ML sound are the two biggies. It is a hard decision and I don't envy you. You should drive all three and see how they feel. Then look at your views towards the car in terms of "newness": brand new car vs. used car. I love my GS and it is VERY reliable. It definitely edges out the 5s in this case. The GS4 engines are strong, smooth, and quiet. They don't jump out of the gate (there are also mods for this ;)) but you'll be surprised at how fast you get above speed since it is so quiet and smooth. Then it comes down to looks and how comfortable you feel in the car and its ergonomics. Good luck.

I have not had experience with the CUSCO bar but AS FAR AS I KNOW, there are only two STBs that will fit on the GS300: UGO and RMM. These are also in the price rance of the CUSCO (read not cheaper). The other popular ones like TRD and Tom's have clearance problems. There is also one that is "cheaper" called RVM. This one is sometimes rebadged with other names. I have the UGO. I'm not sure you can even get the UGOs anymore. As for intake and exhaust, I went for quietness so I got the PLP Silent Flow Intake and RMM exhaust. For power gain, I do like the SRT intake. It is a little noisier and I did not like splicing into the ECU. The RMM exhaust is almost dead quiet until WOT on a 400 but drones a little on the 300s. It is still on the quiet side. There is a nice system called Carson Tuned which I believe is full catback. These are also quiet until pushed. It is about 900 though. I may trade up to this one of these days but not now. :) If you wnt a little more sound, there are others from L-Tuned, Apexi or HKS. THe HKS Hiper is somewhat popular. You can get an idea of some exhausts by going here: http://www.lexusgonewild.com/norCal_v2/QT_I6exhaust.htm Although some of those cars are ISes, they use the same engine so the sound should be close.

Not my style of wheels but if you like them, go for it. As for fitting, the rear should be fine. The fronts will rub a bit depending on how low you are dropped.

you can adjust the ride height with coil overs. personally, i don't think it's worth putting on coil overs because the ride is so rough. i'm all for the stock ride which my car rides like a dream on regular intrax springs. but that's my opinion. It really depends on the coilovers. They range from racing applications to street cruising so it is just a matter of buying the ones that fit your needs. As for coilovers, here is a little write up a friend of mine (Todd from TMEngineering) wrote about it: The term coilover refers to the physical placement of a spring around a shock absorber. Older cars for the most part didn't have what is referred to as a "strut". Most had some coil springs on a-arms and/or leaf springs or some combination thereof. The shock absorber was usually separate and connected some suspension arm or axle to the body or usually the frame somewhere. Newer vehicles (in the effort to save time, money and weight), use what is usually referred to as a McPherson strut assembly, which contains the whole shock and spring in one assembly. Many times this is also an integral part of the suspension, rather than just a separate component that controls height or damping. In the technical shock world, any shock with a spring on or around it is referred to as a coilover (simply by definition of the word itself). Now, most aftermarket replacement springs use the existing shock or strut, or a replacement shock that is designed to be a direct replacement. This is fine, especially so if you can find a shock that is matched in damping to the spring that you are using. As mentioned above, there are so many variables with other suspension components, tires, plus user preferences and intended use, that it is pretty hard to cover them all. This is the beauty of so much stuff on the market, that one can choose what is best for their application. Especially so nowdays with the resource of the internet, where you can exchange information and experiences to help guide you in the right direction. Now, most race cars, both road and drag have what they refer to as a coilover setup, which has a spring around a shock, but with the added twist of a threaded or adjustable spring seat. This is used sometimes to adjust vehicle height, but also to change spring rate. On a race car, optimum suspension settings are very critical, and this allows the user to make fine adjustments for corner weight, shock absorption, plus usually damping adjustments as well. This is where the more common "coilover" term comes from. Now some aftermarket companies developed shock and spring setups for street cars (or weekend race cars, or stock-type race cars), and tooled shocks with adjustable spring seats, and specific springs. These of course don't work with the stock parts, you simply remove the whole stock assembly and replace it with the new shock and spring setup. This of course is very expensive to tool and produce, as virtually everything has to be made from scratch. In the world of aftermarket parts, this is not too cost effective, as most people are not willing to spend the $1000 to $3000 that these cost. It takes a serious enthusiast to spend this money, but there are added benefits beyond normal springs and shocks... The stock shocks are a given length, which is fine for stock use. When using lowered springs, of course the car is sitting lower, but that also causes a problem with losing some of the original suspension travel. Other than the body of the car hitting the ground, the tires hitting inside the wheelwells, or the control arms binding up, the only thing controlling how absolutely low a car will go is usually the shock body itself. Toyotas have a tendency to have longer shocks than some other manufacturers, so lowering them more than 1-1.5" is usually the most you can go. Of course this still causes a loss of suspension travel from static ride height until the suspension is bottomed out due to the length of the original shock. This is something you cannot escape no matter what. This is where the aftermarket coilover setups can be much superior... These are designed with the shock and spring together, and are also intended for use in lowered applications. Why is this important to us? Because they will make the shock SHORTER than the stock shock. This allows the suspension to travel more before bottoming out. This also allows the shock to stay in an optimum portion of its stroke during normal use, which is something that the stock shock doesn't get to do. There are very few manufacturers that are willing to make a direct replacement shock that is significantly different from the OE unit, probably due to compatibility issues or what not. This is where the coilover setups reign superior, and are also able to ride better at the same or lower heights. It is when the suspension bottoms out on the bump stops when the suspension provides a "bad ride." Some Koni and Bilstien shocks also have adjustable spring seat shocks, which have grooves milled into the shock body with a c-clip that can be adjusted to change the height of the spring seat. This is basically the same thing as the threaded adjustment seats, just without the infinitely adjustable height adjustment. But once again it all comes down to the length and design of the shock itself. Todd Matsubara TM Engineering LLC www.tmengineering.net

HREwheelmaker, Neo has got me intrested....do you thin you could post a pic on here? I would love to see it myself! I hope Bob doesn't mind but I'd like the honors. ;)

It is not a brand name unit but the guts are Phillips. Total plug and play and the bumper stayed in place.

If you are looking for a guarantee, then you won't get one. There are always some exceptions. If you want to be reassured that you are getting one of the best built car there is, then I will say yes. I've had mine since 98 and no major problems. There have been some recalls butthe dealer took cared of them, most of the time before I even got the recall notice. I love the car. The only thing you might regret later on is that you did not get the GS4. ;) Congrats and enjoy your new car.

Haha! LOL! :D

Here is one of mine with an aftermarket 6000k kit.

I also have a 300 and have basically given up on making it fast. I was going to do FI but have now backed off and save that $ for the hybrid GS in a few years. Other than FI, your options are headers, exhaust, intake, and torque converter. You'll probably be able to squeeze out about 20-30 HPs (and not even at the whees) at best. The TC will help you get the most out of your torque but you are still limited by the 220. The TC will eat up most of the 2k since it is 900+ for parts and another 400-600 for install. Not really a DIY. Although you cannot make the 300s faster without significant $, you can make it handle well (or as well as can be for a 3800 lbs car). For 2k, I would concur with HREWheelMaker that you can get a good set of dampening and height adjustable coilover set for about 1300 + 200 install. Then for 500 you can get the Daizen sways. These will flatten your ride without hurting the ride quality. There are more braces and bars for front, rear, top, and bottom that are in the 200 - 400 each that you can add overtime. I know coilovers seem costly and you can go with a shock/springs combo. You just need to be honest with yourself how far you are going to take your car. I started with shocks/springs and wheels thinking that was it. I now have intake, exhaust, all the available bars and braces, coilovers (3rd suspension: 1 s/s, 2 coilovers), different wheels, body parts, and a whole bunch of little touches. I never thought I'd take it this far but I love my car. If I knew I would be here, I could have saved $ but going to what I have in the first place. And I'm still not done. ;) Good luck in your search. Let us know what you decide or if you have more questions.

Get ready to drop your jaw. Bob has one of the sweetest modded GS around. Expect class not rice.

18s will fit on your LS. You just need to be careful with the offsets like the others said and it would also help to get wheels that are high disk. The later LS400s have larger 4-piston calipers that need the high disk fitment to clear the caliper. Sometimes you also get lucky with the wheel design and how it curves. This sometimes help with the fitment. As for the hub-centricity, hub-centric is always preferable. If you cannot get hub-centric wheels, see if they make hub-centric rings for the lug-centric wheels. These are like adapters taht will allow the wheels to act like hub-centric wheels. Good luck.

Intake and exhaust can get you close to that 2k already depending on what you get. What are you looking for in an exhaust? If you are looking for power, don't expect too much from the current choices. How loud do you want it to be? The SRT intake is pretty good. Many are happy with it but you will have to splice in their piggyback ECU. Some have reported the check engine light coming on with the SRT, more of an annoyance than anything. What else are you interested in? Body? Drop? Suspension/Handling? You are somewhat lucky in the sense that there is a good amount of choices for the 2nd gen GS. The bad part is how to choose what to do. ;)

Here are some threads you may be interested in. Enjoy! http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=turbo+sc430 http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...&hl=sc430+turbo

I'd go to coilovers right off if the funds are there. ;) What are you looking for? How much drop? Handling vs ride considerations? What size wheels?

Got it this time. Thanks.

Hey Wil, Did you send me the details on the products and install pricing? This was on ClubLexus but i jsut noticed you here. :) Again: neo.one@gmail.com Thanks.

You really only need to do the lows. The highs are so rarely used that it would be a waste. If you want to flash your highs at someone, the HIDs won't work either since it takes a little time to ignite. ;) As for bulbs vs. real HIDs, I leave that to you. It is a personal choice. You can get the coloring with the bulbs but they won't be as bright as real HIDs. The HID conversion kits are easy to install but you won't have the right reflectors in your headlights to get a good focused light. OEM HIDs are nice but they are more $ and it is not plug and play. You will need to splice some wires but it has been done.

I don't discriminate. :D I usually use the View New Posts option and see everything.