yoshi

The brakes are fine if you use the magic combo : Black Diamond Discs / Predator pads.....Goodridge stainless steel lines too (although not essential for road use) I run the more expensive Project Mu SCR-Pro discs now with the combo (track/road) pad + the Goodridge lines. Brakes really well on track + road. I also run the Castrol SRF Dot 5 fluid too which stops fade on track.

No haven't done it personally but I have the GS repair manual somewhere which should explain it. My mechanic does it no problems so I don't think it's that difficult.

Yeah, it's horse****. I get the garage to change the brake fluid all the time. There is an electronic doo-daa for the braking but you must follow the instructions printed on the car. I think you need to pump the pedal X amount of times. Any decent Jap tuner garage should do it for you.

You want to get that car to someone who will give you honest advice - I recommend Kenny Brown in Hillington, Glasgow - 0141 882 6757. He's done loads of work on my Aristo V300 / Lexus GS - LSD, suspension, uprated timing belt, intercooler etc. and he rebuilds Subaru engines etc. so worth speaking to. There's never been a bad job out of that garage.

Found a receipt for a sushi bar inside when we took it apart once.

You either have to - buy very low price to reduce depreciation OR - order the newest/hottest car and sell it after 9-12 months to avoid too much depreciation, then get another e.g.Honda Civic Type Rs etc. OR - run a 500 quid banger which doesn't depreciate at all (but is in the garage getting fixed most weeks!)

The Aristo Mk.2 has an open diff. I've fitted a 2-way LSD from a Supra which gives great traction and higher corner exit speed. I went with a Cusco although Kaaz are good too.

I've got the sliding pin/clip kit for the rear brakes if you need.

Aftermarket suspension makes clunks, like my Tein. If it's stock lexus stuff, shouldn't make any noise.

38K for a Citreon - vive la France!

I opted for brand new calipers - not much more than seal kit + labour so I figured brand new cals better, particularly after I killed the previous set on the racetrack. If you go for Project Mu discs + pads, it'll give you whiplash...no need for 4 pot calipers and all the hassle that goes with the wheel size change. Another good setup is Black Diamond grooved discs + predator pads. Not quite as sharp as the Project Mu stuff but v.good for road use and at least x2 stopping power of stock discs. On another note, I do believe Pro Lex are designing a 6-pot caliper kit which fits the stock rims - very interesting. There is also an AP 4-pot kit that fits with spacers or something but I don't recommend using spacers.

Porsche not great at holding their value either sadly....although wouldn't take much to beat GS430 residuals. Personally, I'd just keep the car and save the money. Sure the new M5 would be nice, but no doubt in a few years time you'll be on another forum moaning about it's crappy residuals also. Cars are just so expensive....

GS430 just not desirable - it's not a hyped up saloon car. Most saloons depreciate loads. I bought the import Aristo V300 which is same features/bhp as the GS430 for a mere 22K / 6 months old. I've probably lost 50% in 5 years as a result. Aristo V300 has some additional bells and whistles such as 4 wheel steering and F1 shift - but big bonus is the tuneable 2JZ-GTE engine as found in the Supra. Personally, if I wanted to save some bucks, I'd slap a supercharger on your GS430 and get the suspension reworked with TRD and Tein coilovers, maybe drop in a limited slip diff and you'll find it performing very much like the new M5 'cept with comfier seats. :) Remember, M5s depreciate wads too...the safest bet is the M3 for lower depreciation.

I urgently need some racing brake pads (FRONT) for Lexus GS Mk.ii or Toyota Aristo Mk.ii or Lexus IS I had budgetted my last set for Le Mans, but they appear to be around 40% of maximum so no good for track use. It's a bit tight timescale wize to order from Japan... Anyone got some in stock? EG Project Mu pads etc.

I'm sure you will get a seat that fits, or modify the baby seat itself with padding, foam etc. as previously mentioned. It is a family saloon, so I'm sure baby seat will fit if you get the right one.

Be aware the Blitz ecu for the Mk.2 Aristo is mapped for a Blitz intercooler. I am unsure as to what this Mk.1 Blitz ECU is mapped for, stock or aftermarket intercooler. You might want to check with Blitz.

I guess that would make sense - as the ECU is just controlling engine/gearbox. It will feel quicker 'cos the boost will be up a bit and the ignition timing advanced. But it will need 100RON fuel at all times, otherwise detonation.

I have spare parts for Mk.2 aristo on my website www.lexusvertex.com Got various stuff just now, just let me know if you need anything particular.

I'd be pretty careful about plugging in a Supra ECU. It should just control the engine and nothing else if it's like the Mk.2 (seperate ecus control aircon, windows etc.) For proper delimiting, just send your ECU to MINES and for about 600 quid it'll be re-programmed with the speed de-limit and also the boost limit off too. Ignition map will be advanced for quicker throttle response too. In the end I went for a TOMS ecu for my car, I had to wait about a year to get one 2nd hand. Otherwise I'd have bought the MINES.

You need the ECU upgrade for speed de-limit....those speed jumpers screw up the gearbox and make it shift down when it shouldn't (dangerous). It costs around 900 quid for a standalone or about 1/2 that if you send in your ECU for reprogramming. MINES are supposed to be the best, you could get a map to 1.2 bar from them. TOMS supposedly is remappable but the s/ware isn't easy to get - they don't sell it to my supplier.

Cheers Gaz. Strictly speaking, some of the stuff on my mods list is still in it's boxes! I did fit the downpipe (Questpower) and the SARD cat - a decent difference. Once you hit 4000rpm the car really opens up and you defo get my power in the mid-range. The TOMS ecu advances ignition timing and seems to kick in the twin-turbos earlier - result is it pulls better at lower rpms. And of course, proper ECU is the ONLY way to de-limit the speed on the Aristo Mk.II. I'm getting the Inter cooler/coolers fitted this week and my air-fuel ratio meter. I'm hoping the TOMS ecu is moving the fuelling up enough I can run 1.2bar without running lean. I know the car is cool at 1.1 bar from Jap info. At 1.2 bar it should make 450hp min. Off to Knockhill end of month to try it out and see how fast it'll go - should be no reason why it shouldn't lap around 63-65s or the same as a 300hp Evo. Doing Le Mans and Nurburgring this year too. The car should really shine there as the big sweeping corners are more suited to the Aristo rather than these tight twisties at Knockhill.

Mk.II Aristo can run up to 500hp on stock turbos, although this isn't that reliable. Setup for 392ps (Jap rollin' road car) - 1.1 bar boost pressure via boost controller, uprated downpipe and Front Mount Intercooler + TOMS ecu. If you run around 1.2 bar it'll develop 450hp. At that rate the fuel pump is running lean so you need a fuel controller and an uprated fuel pump for safety. Also a fuel/ratio meter to check the fueling. I'm fitting all this stuff to my car this week, so should develop 450hp when finished at 1.2 bar hopefully. TOMS ecu increases the fuelling so hopefully it won't need a fuel controller.

There is a place in the UK that rebuild to 1000hp spec. Can't remember the name of them, but they are in England. Maybe you can post up the link if you find out about them?

Supposedly the seals start to strain after 650hp, but if you're only turning it up to 800hp for the 1/4 mile here and there, it should last OK.