tundra-lover

How about a new sealed enclosure 10" and amp getting signal from the factory 8 line output? What is a crystal line? I also couldn't find any freeair style woofers, as most shops told me they would suck. I was told that they could build an enclosure to mount under the stock location with a nice new 8" sub and leave or replace the stock amp? What do you think?

Ok, I know this has been talked about in the past. I am wondering about the best way to do this without a new head unit? Just for a little better bass response. I have the 97' with the factory Lexus 6 speaker syste'm with a factory 8" sub. The sub really doesn't cut it! I would like to pull the stock 8" woofer- leaving a hole (allowing sound to come through). I would like to put a aftermarket sealed inclosure 10" and an aftermarket amp to push it. Can I just do line-out from the sub to the new amp? What would be the prefered method. I know they have some sort of line-out to RCA conversion, are they any good? If so what make? And if you do this, will it cause problems with the factory head unit- as it is no longer powering the stock sub?

I doubt its trashedt! I would just douche it out really well, and run some good synthetic oil in it. You should be fine!

I'm in West Valley City (Worst Valley), Utah too! Not by choice at the moment. I'm a full time student, part time artist, MR. Mom with my daughter, and big time vehicle enthusiast! I'm presently working for LDS Hospital as a Surgical Resource Coordinator and Laser Safety Officer. Before that I worked as an Anesthesia Monitoring Tech sticking Art lines on heart patients and setting up heart/trauma rooms and a CNA. Before woking in the medical industry, I worked in many other fields with many layoffs- I just figured that everyone would have to get medical care sometime. I was in the Electrical/plumbing, video duplication, auto painting, store remodeling, sign making, shoe sales, restaraunt, warehouse, car detail, lawn care, cardboard box making, worked for the state in Recovery Services (sucked), and I'm sure I forgot some more but who cares- you get the point! Jobs kind of suck here. Thats why I'm still in school to start my own business. The only reason I bought my Lexus is because my ex took my 4Runner(that I dumped $8k into), and I had to sell my heavily modified Tundra to a guy in Alaska to pay for my Lawyer, and needed a good source of transportation that I would be more familiar with (I've owned just about every Toyota they make, and love them a lot). I found many faster, funner, same priced cars, but my 97' was more family oriented and still good on gas. Paid $10,000 with 110k miles, two sets of wheels/tires, very clean. I'm more of a truck guy, and miss having a bed to throw things into, and take fishing- not to mention the poor visibility to the traffic ahead of you on the freeway. Anyway, I'm learning to cope with my car experiences.

Thanks!

Well, I don't have a problem with the wheel, and I don't want to pay for new ones at this point. The tire is the only thing rubbing, and it's only by less than 1 mm. Not enough to even scratch the tire, but can make some noise. So grinding down the plastic wheel well "lip" cover pretty much solved it. Since I'm allready in the market to buy new struts, I'm trying to find the best way to kill all the birds with one stone- If possible? You know the old saying of stretching a dollar! I don't care enough about the car to drop some major money- its just a daily driver (but still needs to look and drive good). I appreciate your comments!

My 97' (with 114k miles) had a tire rub in the back when I put new tires on, but only with someone in the back seat. I'm running a 225/55/16 with what looks like a ASA EM7 7" wheel. The wheels were on the car when I bought it, but it looks like they barely clear the fender lip, so it could be a 8" wide wheel?? When I looked at the tire clearance, I noticed that the black plastic trim on the fender actually stuck out past the actual fender lip. So, I decided to take them off, and grind them down flush with the fender lip- which gave me another couple of mm clearance. So far its worked, unless I hit a big dip at higher speeds with someone in the back seat. I guess my question, without doing major work, and spending a lot of money at the same time is: Do you think changing out the rear springs with new stock replacement springs when I do the rear struts would help? Or, do you think that lowering springs would make it stiff enought to keep it from rubbing- or would it be to low causing it to rub more? Another thought of just replacing the stock struts to TOKICO may make it stiff enough to keep it from compressing to quickly- thus eliminating rub?? Any ideas guys? Or just all of the above?

If you want them smoother, you can SIPE them. I have had all my tires siped, except my Blizzack's- seems to smooth them out a bit. It also is mentioned to provide more traction in bad weather, which I would agree with. As for my balance problem, I found out yesterday during my third trip to the tire shop for another balancing- they acutually have 3 different ways to static balance your tires. They did mine on the 1st setting, twice! It was terrible between 55-75mph. This time they put the machine on the second setting which puts the "stick on" weights near the outer edge (by the spokes if you have them), and another set of weights near the middle of the wheel. It smoothed it right out, no more wobble!!!! I ended up telling the guy: "This is your last chance to get this right, and the next time my business is going somewhere else." I also explained to him that I didn't appreciate the black hand prints all over my steering wheel, and door. They seemed to have finally got it taken care of.

Ya from what I understand, if you starve a particular "vein" of tranny fluid due to clogging- it would make sense that it would not operate properly. It may have missed a tranny service?

Lexusfreak, you have to remember that sk is running a deep-cycle style battery, and the red top is not a deep cycle. You can buy just about any brand deep cycle to do the same thing- but it may not be the spiro-cell technology for shock resistance etc... If your not running a big stereo, you don't need a yellow top. The yellow top is much more expensive than the red top at $120. You also have to remember that the Cosco version is different, which is why you can get it so much cheaper at $110 (here in SLC). The dealer battery is a rip off!

I've been doing it for years, and HIGHLY recommend it to everyone! This can be hard to do if you have'nt done a lot of care care in the past. Your paint will have a build up of small black spots (usually some sort of tar substance), and some small rust spots on the surface from road salt in the winter. The clay bar is much better to use than the fine-cut polish, as it can cause more scratching if not careful. When purchasing a clay bar, I have bought mine at the local autobody shops so I don't have to buy the cheaper small ones at the parts stores that also come with a detail spray. I use my own detail spray, and you can also buy your own version like: Meguires Detail Spray- works great with the clay bar on a clean car! After your done claying the car, you can apply a couple coats of your favorite wax. You can also get some great stuff out of Griots Garage catalog, or web site. You'll love the results! If you have never done it before, and you live in an area where salting the roads happens every year- I would plan on spending the better part of the morning working on it. I gave up on the fine-cut cleaner after struggling for an hour on one body panel, and just used the clay bar and had the whole car done in 4 hours. After the first time, and after waxing, the next time is only a few minutes when washing your car. This could all have been avoided if I had a nice buffer, but thats on the list!

Just getting in on this, but what I noticed was that the Audi driven was a diesel. The difference is that in a diesel, they are running full torque @ 1800 rpm's and its torque curve is probably as flat as the table your computer is on all the way to red line at some insane amount of 400lb ft+. They are much more fuel efficient, and not comparable to gasoline engines. I don't see how the radio has a damn thing to do with it though? SWO3ES, is it true that you get 55 mpg in your new Prius? I heard that they only get 42 mpg on the Speed Channel about a month ago?

Yes, same parts!

I loved them too, and have had them for years now- great for the daily driver, and running in my truck!! BUT, I have had trouble in a long term situation with the non-daily drivers. They don't keep the charge like they claim they do, and I also have a couple friends that took them out of their camp trailers because they wouldn't keep a charge. I took mine back to the shop I bought it at, and he told me that he wouldn't every buy another one- and took it out of his trailer and his 67' Camaro cause they wouldn't hold a charge, and won't recommend them anymore unless your putting it in a truck with a winch or something with a big draw on it. I'm sticking with the Die Hard, and after researching it a little, they have had the best reports over most batteries for a long time for less money than Optima (Interstate) batteries- non deep cycle. Good luck with em'!

I love those tires too! I nearly bought them instead, but I just use mine for daily commute- so the overkill to me was price but not performace. I drive all of my vehicles pretty hard, and am not affraid to drive. I just like something that can take my abuse and then some (thats what I mean by overkill). For wedding rings- I'm going with a silver band next time- screw the diamonds! BTW: I have the same shake at the same speed, and am going to have them rebalance again-making sure they have a highspeed balancer, and heard that the stick on weights don't work as well? I hope it works!

Aftermarket ones don't fit as well, and are not as easy to install.

There is a reason for not being able to find it..... It would ruin the appearance of the vehicle! You don't want to put anything cheasy on a nice car. Save the door chrome, and chrome plastic door edge guards for the Ford Truck guys- they can get away with it.. Ha, Ha!!

(Undercariage) Just say NO to rustproofing! The problem with it is, the body panel it is sprayed on can rust from underneath the coating. It is porous material. If you try to coat it on a vehicle that has already been on the road, the moisture and dirt can get trapped inbetween and cause more problems that you can't see. If you wanted to do it right, you would have to have the underside completely stripped down, and epoxy coated- then use a polyurethane based spray like Rhino liner. Then you can put the car back together! Other than that, the spray can stuff is only good for sound deadening, and some can be painted over. But I would only use if for small pieces you can do your self. (Fender) If you take your car to a good body shop, usually the european body shops. They can probably fix a small section for around $400. They would have to fabricate a new piece of metal to fit, or replace a complete section. To do it your self, you would need a machine that bends the metal lips with contours, and a welder. It would probably be cheaper to replace the entire fender? Other sections would have to fabbed up by hand. You would also have to cut out the bad piece (into the good metal), easiest with a plasma cutter or jig saw, then patch and weld- use body filler to smooth out, and repaint the whole panel and maybe blend into the panel next to it. You may be able to rent a paint booth for cheap. That is one thing I hate about buying a used car, is that most people don't ever wax their vehicle! Even once and a while would help situations like this from happening to a body panel. Oh, well- not everyone is as OCD as me (good thing). Good luck with it!

No such thing as OVER-KILL, unless your talking wedding rings. Did you forget that the ES 300 speed limiter is set at 146mph! Not that you should do that, but when the kids borrow the car you have no idea what they are doing. (I did it when I was younger). When I buy tires, I alway plan for the worst- especially with my trucks, as you may need a 8 ply if you decide to haul a trailer around or something like that. Now, I could say that a 24" wheel/tire on a fourwheel drive is overkill, and a waste- but they have the money to do waste I guess?

Are they Finalized? I know I've forgot to do that myself. The burned CD's I have work fine in my 97', and I've just used the Roxio program to copy my CD directly.

I'm wondering if they would also fit the 97' and up model- if available? Also, does anyone recommend a good pad? Is anyone running Hawk brand, and what do you think of them?

To each his own! But it is stainless! Parts are expensive no matter what vehicle anyway. I think you can just replace the muffler by Borla version for a little over $100 and pay to have it welded in. The TRD is a bolt on unit from the cat back. Not many of us can afford a $175,000 GTO, so the ES will have to do! Thanks George. Personally, I think I'll leave mine muffler stock- I need other parts worse!

You might want to check the part number as they share the same parts bin as many other Toyota vehicles, like the Avalon or something like that. It may even be the same as the Landcruiser as its a V8, or Tundra V8 alternator? The parts counter at Toyota may be able to cross reference it for you. Other than that, you may be able to find one off of a wrecked car at a salvage yard? Once you buy it, they are not to bad to replace- though you might want to buy a service manual to help guide you. Before you replace it, I would have another shop check the alternator to make sure that is the problem.

Ya, I know the TRD one your talking about, and it fits the Camry. Its very nice, and looks even better- Thats the one I want! I think its around $400 from the Toyota dealership? From what I've seen TRD use, it might be the Borla with the TRD tag on it?

I know the feeling man! When I bought my car a few months ago, it had bald snow tires, and bald summer tires! So, I went on the tire search my self! Now just for a little background, I love tires probably as much as women like shoes! I know truck tires better than anything else, so car tires were a bit of a challenge for me. Anyway, my search consisted of great looks, performance, and tire wear without spending a fortune- as my ex is sucking the funds out of me! Now, my results were from every tire maker under the sun! I limited my self to about $90 per tire, and 360 tread wear, and a non-z rated entry level performance tire in a 225/55/16. I really liked the Michelin line-up, and many others like the Toyo- but price was a big factor, along with not finding them in a good size. I ended up finding a great tire made by Falken (Ohtsu) called the Zexuis, for $88 and had them siped. They look great, ride very smooth, and look like a high performace tire with a lot better tread wear! Check them out, if you can find them out there? I found them at Les Schwab in Salt lake. Good luck!