New Daily Driver - Lexus IS300 LS3 T56 - 459hp/425tq
06-17-2011, 01:05 AM
#25
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Nope - it's not a Miata, but I thought you guys might be interested in this. This week I picked up a new daily driver - a Lexus IS300 with an LS3 V8 stuffed under the hood. I found the car on Atlanta craigslist while searching for an LSX RX7. Despite the fact that it wasn't exactly what I was looking for, now that I've had it for a few days I'm realizing that I would much rather have this car than a LSX RX7 - it's more unique, more practical, and very well built.
Hey Nick my name is Shant form Los Angles. You picked up a nice car man congrats. I was looking at plane tickets to Atlanta not knowing I saw his listing a few days after you had already bought the car.
I registered for this site to PM you but I can't PM till I have some posts... sucks.
Just want to say if you consider selling it please let me know. I used to build Mazda rotarys and IS300s so we have a little in common lol
congrats and enjoy
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06-17-2011, 08:43 PM
#26
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Hey Nick my name is Shant form Los Angles. You picked up a nice car man congrats. I was looking at plane tickets to Atlanta not knowing I saw his listing a few days after you had already bought the car.
I registered for this site to PM you but I can't PM till I have some posts... sucks.
Just want to say if you consider selling it please let me know. I used to build Mazda rotarys and IS300s so we have a little in common lol
congrats and enjoy
I registered for this site to PM you but I can't PM till I have some posts... sucks.
Just want to say if you consider selling it please let me know. I used to build Mazda rotarys and IS300s so we have a little in common lol
congrats and enjoy
I'll shoot you a PM with my contact info. At the very least maybe I can give you a few thoughts on the car to help you determine if an LSX IS300 is what you really want.
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07-08-2011, 04:23 PM
#29
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Sorry man - this one won't be for sale anytime soon. The more I drive it, the more I love it. I can't imagine a more perfect daily driver - it's comfortable, looks nice but not so nice that it screams "look at me!", it has cold AC and a nice stereo (I added a Pioneer double DIN, MB Quarts, and an old PPI amp I had laying around), the suspension setup is dailed, it has four doors and a usable trunk so it's practical, the exhaust note is intoxicating, it has good brakes...oh yeah, I almost forgot that it is insanely fast too.
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07-08-2011, 07:14 PM
#30
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Sorry man - this one won't be for sale anytime soon. The more I drive it, the more I love it. I can't imagine a more perfect daily driver - it's comfortable, looks nice but not so nice that it screams "look at me!", it has cold AC and a nice stereo (I added a Pioneer double DIN, MB Quarts, and an old PPI amp I had laying around), the suspension setup is dailed, it has four doors and a usable trunk so it's practical, the exhaust note is intoxicating, it has good brakes...oh yeah, I almost forgot that it is insanely fast too.
oh well, Enjoy it!
Im thinking of building one with a Lexus V8 auto. No mods just a regular xx430 motor. wont be as nice as yours but im trying to stay civilized and in budget lol
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11-22-2011, 11:14 AM
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Yesterday I had my first real chance to enjoy this car - I took it out to Little Talladega for a track day. I didn't think the car was going to be ready in time, but I worked on the car all day Sunday and got everything in order (new control arms, cleaned up some wiring in the wheel wells (from the wire tuck) that I thought could come into contact with the wheels under suspension compression, etc.
I really didn't want to push it too hard - this was supposed to just be an opportunity to shake down the car and find any weak points that might need some attention in the near future. I did find one - more on that later - but it was no big deal.
My restraint only lasted about halfway through the first session. I started off at about 7 or 8 tenths, but after a few laps I got really comfortable and was pushing it hard. Coming from a Miata I expected this car to feel a bit on the heavy side. While it's not as nimble as the Miata, it was surprising how well this car hooks up. I started the day on a new set of Kumho Ecsta MXs, but then switched to V710s. The V710s definitely had more grip, but the car felt really good on both.
The car is a monster. The power and torque are intoxicating. It's going to take some serious discipline for me not to rip the interior out of it, throw a cage in there and make this a dedicated track car. It's just too nice and too much fun on the street to do that.
I only had a chance to upload one clip last night:
And another one from outside the car
Should have more video in the next few days.
The car ran great all day - the power steering got a bit hot, so I'll probably add a cooler at some point. On my last run of the day, the accessory belt sheared off, leaving me without a few critical things: power steering, water pump, alternator, etc. Luckily I was able to salvage a chunk of it that had the part number and make a quick run to O'Reilly's to get a replacement. Not a bad job - only took about 5 minutes to get it on. Huge thanks to Casey Foster for letting me borrow his truck to run to the parts store, and to VitaminD and JZilla's friend Brian for helping me put it on, and to JZilla for hanging out while I got packed up!
I really didn't want to push it too hard - this was supposed to just be an opportunity to shake down the car and find any weak points that might need some attention in the near future. I did find one - more on that later - but it was no big deal.
My restraint only lasted about halfway through the first session. I started off at about 7 or 8 tenths, but after a few laps I got really comfortable and was pushing it hard. Coming from a Miata I expected this car to feel a bit on the heavy side. While it's not as nimble as the Miata, it was surprising how well this car hooks up. I started the day on a new set of Kumho Ecsta MXs, but then switched to V710s. The V710s definitely had more grip, but the car felt really good on both.
The car is a monster. The power and torque are intoxicating. It's going to take some serious discipline for me not to rip the interior out of it, throw a cage in there and make this a dedicated track car. It's just too nice and too much fun on the street to do that.
I only had a chance to upload one clip last night:
And another one from outside the car
Should have more video in the next few days.
The car ran great all day - the power steering got a bit hot, so I'll probably add a cooler at some point. On my last run of the day, the accessory belt sheared off, leaving me without a few critical things: power steering, water pump, alternator, etc. Luckily I was able to salvage a chunk of it that had the part number and make a quick run to O'Reilly's to get a replacement. Not a bad job - only took about 5 minutes to get it on. Huge thanks to Casey Foster for letting me borrow his truck to run to the parts store, and to VitaminD and JZilla's friend Brian for helping me put it on, and to JZilla for hanging out while I got packed up!
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11-22-2011, 12:55 PM
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I'm running HP Tuners on the GM ECU. The amount of control it allows is impressive - almost like having standalone engine management. The software is also super easy to use. Is it common to have an aftermarket solution like this for other manufacturer's ECUs? I'm used to the NA Miatas where you have zero control over the factory settings.
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