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Is200 Performance Or Lack Of...


jamle
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yeh im not so sure my self now i have 2 admit, i cant insure a 200sx full stop lol. went out in an altezza this weekend at drift day and that was loverlly to skid, but there ALOT of money. so undecided yet as to what im going to do what ur help has been very much appreciated! great bunch of informative ppl :D

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As said if its a drifter your looking for and you havent got many thousands in your pockets for some engine trickery then i would step away from an IS200 right now !!

They are "uber slow" my little sisters 1.4 diesel 206 whips the lex's arse !

And because of the lack of power its not the easiest to control when you skip the back out ....

For the fuel they like to drink they should be much MUCH quicker

All in all not too shabby if your a triad or something and just want to cruise , but CERTAINLY no drift/racer car (in standard form anyway)

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Dont buy an IS200 if you want speed thats for sure..i got an TTE supercharger in mine and it is still pretty slow..by no means a fast car but way more fun than a standard car.

Go for a soarer or a chaser if you want a big "luxury" car to drift

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wow some utter crap being discussed here, the IS is not slow, its just as quick as the Altezza, if driven properly, however where the is200 looses out is the fact the car carrys more weight due to the extra materials and sound deadening fitted

try driving the 200 properly, using the full rpm range and gears and i think you may be surprised

regards drifting it...get a car for it, not a "Luxury" sedan

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monster-mat you are the one talking crap now...even if you use the full rpm range and gears it is still a slow car..why ? 155hp in a car that weights around 1450kg is NOT a fast car,,even when supercharged it is not a fast car but with 205hp from the supercharger it´s quick enough to have fun with and accerlation is more than enough to have the edge over some GTi hatchbacks and such.

but the lack of speed does not make it boring at all infact it is a fun car thanks to the fine chassi and handling even when stock 155hp...it is as fast as a 1445kg car can be with 155hp no more no less....supercharging it will make it alot faster but still not at fast car but a very very fun one.

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oh i must be wrong ive only owned, 5 is200's and 1 altezza...., of which my white IS200, was the 1st officially Supercharged UK is200 by TTE....in 2001........oh and of course the Monster

this is not a willy waving contest, im talking from real world use over 10 years of ownership, living most of that time on the Continent

So, lets now compare the car that the IS200 was pitted against when it came out...yes, the car is Old now

it was the BMW 320 (2.2 engine, with 152hp 0-60 in 8.2 secs, where as the is200 is 7.1 (both manufacturer claimed))

my point is you cannot compare the car against a hot hatch, or a car that is 10 years younger than it, it is by far ...not a slow car, it is by most modern car standards , of similer spec, still equal to them i mean compare the old is200 to the performance of the current 2.0 litre BMWs

by the way, where abouts in Sweden?i go to Ystad now and again and kavlinge,Malmo and Lund

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oh i must be wrong ive only owned, 5 is200's and 1 altezza...., of which my white IS200, was the 1st officially Supercharged UK is200 by TTE....in 2001........oh and of course the Monster

this is not a willy waving contest, im talking from real world use over 10 years of ownership, living most of that time on the Continent

So, lets now compare the car that the IS200 was pitted against when it came out...yes, the car is Old now

it was the BMW 320 (2.2 engine, with 152hp 0-60 in 8.2 secs, where as the is200 is 7.1 (both manufacturer claimed))

my point is you cannot compare the car against a hot hatch, or a car that is 10 years younger than it, it is by far ...not a slow car, it is by most modern car standards , of similer spec, still equal to them i mean compare the old is200 to the performance of the current 2.0 litre BMWs

by the way, where abouts in Sweden?i go to Ystad now and again and kavlinge,Malmo and Lund

Thats what i was thinking Mat. The car is not slow (thought I think it's 0-60 in 9.1secs Mat not 7.1 :P) its just a bit slow off the line due to the poor low end torque and wieght it carries around. Once your on the move the car has plenty of shove - even more so with the charger.

As Mat said you have to remember that this is a 1999 design and you have to compare it to other cars of the time. If the IS200 is too slow for some of you why didn't you get a 300?? The car is a rival for the 2ltr 3 series not a Nissan Skyline.

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Ejan is "damaged gods" :D

His previous car was a civic raped with a turbo producing way to much power...

Sorry Ejan! I still hope I get a ride in your SC IS. :D

I don't think the is200 is a slow car but it would be nice with some more tourqe. Still I think it's a fun engine with the kick it makes at 4200rpm and the noise after that :D

I like the car and do not compare it with something else because there isn't something else outhere that I know of that drives as nice, makes me smile and looks as good.

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Monster-Mat Iám not dissapointed at all with my IS200 infact i love it..but calling a stock IS200 fast is not right becuse it is not...i dont compare it to it´s rivals becuse it is irrelevant becuse it´s rivals are equally slow in standard form...you dont buy a IS200 or it´s rivals based on straightline performance..you buy it becuse it is a high quality saloon with superb looks that gives you a very very nice drive.

i dont know what kind of stock super IS200 you owned that goes 0-60 in 7.1seconds(did you start in a downhillslop?)...thats way way to fast...manufactoryclaim is around 9.5seconds and arguing against that is stupid when you look a power vs weight...a 1450kg car with 155hp will not ever do 7.1sec 0-60 on a straight level road

not even with the TTE supercharger it will do such times..infact i hardly get below 8.2sec 0-60 with my supercharged IS200(and i know how to launch a car from a standstill) but i really dont care becuse the car is a fantastic drive and it got enough power where i want it(50-100mph)

i live in Borlänge(near Falun):) so thats not close to ystad

Martin_80 I did not own a Civic with a turbo..my previous car was a Honda Integra Type R´99 with 208bhp(thats a fast car btw)

you must think of Anders ? he owned the Lexus before me.Iám the new owner :P :winky:

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well at the mo im completely in the air about the lexus. I understand its not a fast car. but i FEAR the problems i currently have arrising. i have my first car at the mo a 1.9 td golf puching all of 75 bhp lol. and tbh its frustrating lol. over taking is fine but always points where u just wish i had power. hence the next car although a drift car will be a daily hack into uni (50 mile round trip) when spending just over £2500 on a car im going to be wanting something that i sit in on the road and feel dam wish id brought the 328i... its a good driving car and will basicly be a "serious" car for me if im going to be spending on parts because they dont come cheap need 2 make sure its not money wasted on a car thats never really gong to have any potential.. but if comparing it to a 328i SE 4d 6.8 s 149 mph 193 bhp is never going to pay off mayb i am better spending money on the common not as pretty bmw.. I just like the lexus so much is frustrating when capped by money not to be able to get a 300 or alteza with the beams engine!

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By an Altezza if you looking for something that you can have a bit of fun in at the weekends fit five of your mates and use as a daily drive. there not as plush inside but lighter and an extra 55hp

6 speed manuals are a bit harder to find but they are about but you may need a few more penny than £2500

here's 1 on eBay

RS200 MT

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right! i think im gona go down the is200 route... i know its not as fast etc etc but its a nicer car, not anywhere near as common as the 3 series and figure if im gona be forking out for coilovers etc its gona be a reasobly serious drift/daily comute car, figure whislt at uni for nxt two years have fun in it and when i finish if the performance is actually as bad as i think it may be ill swap in something like a ls400 engine or soarer twin turbo lump lol!

what key modifications would u suggest to some1 looking to get just that bit more poke from it i know it wont be wounders but what little things that make just a little bit more difference are advisable.. i heard you cant re-map is200's? is it true and if so what other similar style things can be done and what sort of gains are we looking at! exhuast system how much will that add etc etc..

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Exhausts, induction kits, performance filters etc will add little bhp, for serious bhp gains you need to look at a supercharger/turbos/engine conversion etc.

Edit: I've read this thread again from the start and I personally think the IS200 (in standard form) is not the car for you as you are looking for a car with (as said by Clarkson/May) POWARR, drifting abilities etc.

If you are set on the IS200 then an Altezza might be a better option for you?

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im not looking at serious gains, just little tweaks to make it just that little bit better. it is mainly a daily drive car and when it gets wet / opportunity arise the back may step out a bit (when on private track land of course). its to nice of a car to not get purley down to 40bhp or so and im not a fan of common cars is200 is just that little something different.

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  • 2 months later...
Hi guys and girls, ive recently started looking into the lexus is200 sport route as my next car in june. Getting some good feedback for people except one major issue... performance. Alot of ppl are advising me against it because they lack and power or tourque. Is this really the case and are they that difficult to make a little hotter off the blocks!

thanks jay

Well...I have worked my way upscale from 98 Celice (118 bhp), 97 Celica GT TRD (198 bhp), Honda Integra Type R (187bhp), Civic Type R (198 bhp) then my last was a Subaru Impreza MY00 UK Turbo 2000 (approx 250 bhp). Just in september there I purchased an IS200 Sport (2004 with Aero Kit).

I always loved the look, but did obviously enjoy a bit of power and fun from my previous cars, which made me S**T myself at prospect of day to day driving of an IS200. Would it be fun? Will I regret it? Is this a bad move? All these ideas were going thru my mind like yourself.

I can honestly say I do NOT REGRET purchasing one whatsoever!!! If you can drive cars hard and enjoy plenty B Road driving, this is ideal!! Turn off the TRC Button and its unbelievable fun, but you just have to work the Revs slightly harder!!

I'll admit, its not a FAST car when accelerating, but get up to 50mph onwards its as good as youll get from any NA engine!! Best mods id recommend if that is necessary is sticky tyres, and decent suspension and camber setup!!

For day to day travelling however, it is as good as youll get from any other higher end vehicle, or even newer!! I know this as I work for VW Arnold Clark and have driven a million diff vehicles (which also pushed me toward purchasing an IS200).

Lots of comments here are on 0-60 times, and how poor the 200 performs....but this is completely irrelevant!!! Knowing how to drive a 6 cylnder Rear Wheel Drive Sport with LSD is much more fun. You WILL NOT BEAT these type R's, Subarus, ST's etc on straight roads but am sure as hell ud have much more fun trying, especially on the twisties!!!!!

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Hi mate, IS200 is a fun car to go sideways if you have a bit more power than 155bhp. A supercharger or a light turbo conversion transforms totally the IS. Regarding the performance of the IS I have past many OEM Civic Type R's. It all depends how much you want to tune your IS. You can reach it up to 800bhp (if you have the money and the craziness to do it) by just fitting a supra engine or a motor from an IS300 and fit a turbo kit...

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