Paradroid

I've only had my IS200 Sport for 3 days and the back has skipped out 3 times already! Admittedly the weather has been unbelievably wet, and every time it's happened it's been slight - no opposite lock required, but I'm still wondering if it should be like that. The rear tyres are one Dunlop Sport which is due for replacement, and one Semperit which has plenty tread left. Every time the back has lost traction, the weight of the car has been on the Semperit, not on the worn Dunlop Sport. Would some tyres improve it or is the IS200 set up so that it loses grip at the rear, to help handling? Does anyone have any tyre recommendations? Looking for quality but not the absolute top of the range. Does anyone rate the Semperit tyres? There are two on the car with plenty tread but they are not on the same axle. I guess I'll move them so they are both on the front and get new rear tyres?

There's something wrong with the bootlid on my IS200. From a quick look underneath, it looks like one of the torsion bars has popped out of the retaining clip in the middle. I'm going to see if it will go back on, because when the bootlid opens there's some strange clonking noises from the loose torsion bar.

Well I checked and it says A/TM A03B/J160 Meaning Axle/Transmission I guess? Anyway the B is there so looks like LSD, interseting it has A03B though, the posts I've read all say A02A or A02B.

I'm seriously chuffed :) Been out half the night taking mine and my wife's parents out in it, they are all impressed. Father in law said he liked it and was jealous, and he drives an E-class Merc! I also find I can put my foot down a bit without scaring people silly because it's so smooth and refined. With four people in the car I thought I heard a clonk from the front on turns. Hmm, ball joint needing replacement? Will keep listening out for that one. Oh yes - even though I was out 1/2 the night I took the keys and went out again at 10pm for a quick drive.

Well I picked her up, had a quick blast in the rain on flooded roads, then had to go back to the office. Car feels excellent to drive, it's so well sorted :D Maybe felt a little bit floaty on the motorway but I'm used to a hard riding MG so will get used to it before I decide whether the geometry needs checking. Apart from that it's stunning, ride quality and handling seem perfect, engine is a peach, I know it's not the most powerful but the smooth power delivery is amazing. I was flying on the motorway without even realising it. This afternoon is really going to drag, waiting for the drive home :)

On other forums I've used, I can set it up so that when I reply to a thread it automatically subscribes me to that thread. This means I can go to the subscribed/tracked threads page and it shows any that have been updated since I last visited, which helps track conversations that I'm part of. This forum software is slightly different, does it offer the same feature? I've found the way to manually subscribe to a thread but it would be nice if it was automatic. Not bothered about the email subscriptions, just want a list on the site of threads I've posted on :) Cheers :)

Thanks :) I pick her up about 12.30pm tomorrow, can't wait. It's really weird that it's round the corner from my office. My missus is giving me a lift in, then at lunch I can just leave the office and it's 10 minutes walk away. Then I get to drive back. Somehow I doubt I'll be going straight back to the office :)

Out of interest, has anyone found much improvement from replacing the factory speakers? Can the amp be easily replaced with a custom model or is the size/connections different?

It sounds awesome in my IS200 Sport. I believe there's a separate amp unit behind the glovebox, which might have something to do with it! Does anyone know who manufactures the headunit/amp/speakers? I read Bose somewhere but have seen no Bose logos anywhere.

Me neither, looks pretty nice to me. Very interesting to see number plate removed from bootlid, makes the bootlid look better, but then the plate looks a bit tacked onto the bumper. Overall I'm not so sure.

If it's the ones I'm thinking of they are based in Skem, not that far from where I live. They have a very good reputation for quality and are supposed to be able to build you anything you want (quiet, loud, ricer loud!!!). I seem to remember there's some vids on youtube of their systems, but probably different makes of car.

The reason I asked whether it was struts vs. torsion bars is because if it doesn't open fully and has torsion beams then it could be that the bars have come out of place or they aren't strong enough. Torsion bars can be unreliable on some cars if they aren't uprated to take the weight of spoilers on sport models etc. Seeing as the new IS has struts, I'd say the bootlid is doing exactly what it was designed to do, and is designed not to spring open for whatever reason. I had a car a few years ago where the torsion bars were getting tired and the bootlid could come down and smack me in the head while I was putting stuff in the boot. That used to annoy me.

Does the new IS have gas struts or torsion bars on the bootlid? I have the old IS and was a little bit disappointed that there's torsion bars and a stick to hold the bonnet up, was hoping for gas struts. Then again struts might struggle with the weight of the bonnet.

I can understand the feeling of not being able to wait, I'm desperate now to get mine! Hoping to pick her up on Thursday but we'll have to see.

Was the dash tray standard on some models? I'm sure my car has this already. It's a 54 plate Sport.

I see so he's just bought a fresh one. Was wondering if it was better somehow!

Very interesting, thanks to you both :) I'll have a good think about this when I get the car. It felt very direct and sharp on the test drive, but I realise I need to get used to the car to see if it is a bit out and could be improved on. Sounds like a really good move, I wouldn't be happy with 10k tyre life that's for sure!

Looking good, very clean shiny car :) What is the last picture of? I recognise it as the storage box on the top of the dash, but is that part different from the standard one? I haven't got my car yet so can't check!

I'm picking my IS200 sport up next week, and would like to learn more about this. Firstly what are the telltale signs that the geometry needs lucking at - is it just tyre wear or is there anything about the steering or handling? Do they all leave the factory right and drift out over time, or does WIM set them up in a way that's better than the factory? Once done, how long will it last? Can I ask what the price is? (newbie to Lexus, apologies for all the questions!)

Excellent thanks Carles!!!! I wish I could look and know for sure but I can't get the car for another 4-5 days yet. It's driving me mad, I'm so excited now!!

Thanks I'll try and find it.

I just read this on Wikipedia: Did this take effect in the UK? I just bought a 54 plate IS200 sport, not taken delivery of it yet, but I understood it would have an LSD. Is there any way to check by looking under the car? How do I tell visually between the standard diff and the LSD?

Thanks. It's going to be next week because loan company cocked up and didn't do the next day transfer I wanted so I have to wait now! When does your lovely Aero-kitted 18" wheeled motor arrive :) It took me a while to get used to the style of car that I've now bought, I always thought I preferred the original-style wheels, but I've managed to convince myself I like it now.

Rock and roll!!!!! Deal done on car, finance all sorted too now. Just got to get the money to the dealer and she's mine! As a precaution I went back tonight for another look with a friend of mine who works in a paint shop to check for any accident damage, he's checked it all out and it's fine so I signed up and it's all final. It's going to be sad to let my current motor go but it's time for a change and I'm really looking forward to the Lexus. Thanks for the welcomes too folks, will be seeing you around now :)

Ah of course it's only needed on the manual because they were worried about people wrong-slotting the supercar-style manual box. Auto doesn't have that problem. Good call :)