skeet94

Hey, Just thought I'd pop in and give a quick hello. Haven't been online on here for quite a while, last I was on here was talking about going full Stroker & Turbo with built automatic transmission. Everything went tits-up earlier on this year, lost my job, almost lost the car (stupid lorry driver@a roundabout), debts piling up one after another, etc. Lost touch with Gaz - Hope you're fine mate, and I hope you're still making "fast cars" ;). Just didn't have the balls to show myself after all the talks we had about my plans for the car and all the above happening. Lost touch with Syd - Hope all is fine with the Aristo and you got your new wheels. Just browsing and still trying to see who's where on the forum right now and if there's anything new with people. BernardTamHK - Apologies for wasting your time and if possible any money. If you want I'll compensate you with whatever you lost. Again sorry. Monster - Glad you've gained ALOT of knowledge on the car, apologies for not getting back to you earlier. Just that LOC UK was non existant on my priority list with all the above going on. Just hit a REAL low, apologies for not getting you the pictures or anything either. The car had been in the workshop for the past month, just getting the damages repaired from a little run-in with a lorry, not to mention costing me ***** loads of money which I didn't have after losing my job. WOW There's alot of people on here than when I was here, not to mention one guy doing a Single in his JZS141 - Congrats mate, hope it all works out good! :). This part of the forum also seems to be getting a bit livelier. Anyways just thought I'd pop in to say a quick hello. Also got some new toys coming in terms of wheels, suspension & brakes. Am still dead set on going single just have to pay off debts first! :(. Hope everyone is ok.

Thanks tdiplc, I've taken all that into consideration regarding the 9000rpm. I'm sticking to the stock rev limit, since the 3.4L will give me some nice spool and a flatter more usable power curve too. Just so everyone knows...Gaz (Envy Performance) is going to be the Helper/Installer/Tuner for this project. Also going with the HKS FCON V PRO as it can be used alongside the HKS VCAM controller for ease of tuning and less complications/headaches. Will have pictures up as the project progresses. Just curious about one thing...nobody seems to have answered ANYTHING regarding standard replacement maintenance that should be performed on the car. Want to replace majority of the wear & tear maintenance parts before anything else...anyone??

Hello Gaz & ProLex :). Doesn't the Flex take away that "Lexus" feeling because I mostly want this to be a high powered Luxury Cruiser. Reading up on www.clublexus.com the CS is more orientated towards the stock comfort whilst not being as stiff or noisy as the Teins. Worst comes to worst - Tein make custom coilovers too so will consider that. Also Tein's will be used with the EDFC so wouldn't that help regarding stiffness/softness in different driving conditions with the CS. Although I've no way of taking a GS300/GS430 or Aristo for a drive with the CS or Flex as there's not many being modified here :(. 1) The 3.4L Stroker will be from Titan Motorsports in the USA...I'm actually considering picking up their street/race shortblock as it comes fully machined/assembled and is just a matter of "plug & play"...but just unsure if I'll be able to do just a straight swap (of the shortblock keeping the VVTi head). If not then I'll just pick up their Stroker Kit. Also a waiting time of about 3-4 weeks is REALLY tempting compared to JUN, HKS, etc. Is also rated to 9,500rpm but since it'll be a daily driver I'll stick to the stock rev limit if not for anything else but reliability as you both pointed out. For more info on these...check out... http://store.titanmotorsports.com/builenparpac.html I'm deadset on this Kit since it's been proven over and over again for both Race and Daily use and also has the advantage of a Billet Crankshaft something which HKS do NOT offer. Shipping comes up to about $600. So about £7,750 including Del + VAT & Import Duties for the shortblock and about £5000 including Del + VAT & Import Duties for the Stroker Kit on it's own. 2) Turbo-wise...I was considering the SP63 before I was told I won't be sacrificing much spool if I went with the SP67 considering it'll be a Stroker & VVTi not to mention I'll have the power on boost when needed and no need for upgrades in the future. Might consider getting the DBB version of this. Skipping 3)... 4) I'll ask you on MSN regarding how much and when I can pick this up... 5) I'll definitely look at the Blitz now...was just trying to overbuild the car for it's power but you're right (once again) lol. 6) The Motec M800 it is, the AEM can't control VVTi true, but wouldn't the HKS V-CAM Kit Controller help with this? Or would that just be a whole lot of headache. 7) The Kit includes everything for it, and more or less covers me for the future should I wish to upgrade to more power. Thanks for the approval again Gaz. 8) The A340E rebuild is done by...STC in the USA...found via www.supraforums.com. Their stage II rebuild is able to withstand 700rwhp and 9/10 second passes. Again proven on the road and track by alot of people and highly recommended alongside BL's rebuild. Here is a link to their forum... http://www.supraforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=125 Also do Torque Convertors which are better than anything on the market right now for a rebuilt A340E being pushed by a high powered Supra. Drivability is not sacrificed and neither is the smooth shifting unless at full power launches where the shifts are fast & hard. Waiting for response from Marko (guy from STC) regarding pricing including shipping etc. The rest I'm glad meets your approval. I do plan on keeping the car for as long as possible hence the three sets of discs & pads lol... Although can someone tell me what kind of general maintenance items I should have taken care of before I begin? Thanks. I'll post up pics of everything I get, as soon as I get it. First up will be the Veilside Wheels & Rotora BBK. I'm planning on picking everything up first one by one or two by two as budget allows and having it all thrown in, in one go.

Mr Morse: Will definitely look at the site. Need to do more research as it is before I go and spend all my money lol. Matt: That bit of info helps alot! :) Already got a quotation Gaz :). Let's just say it's the same if not more than buying a GReddy Manifold and having it installed, even if it is a bit more I don't mind. Going all out with the car for sake of peace of mind. No skimping anywhere especially with a engine rebuild/manifold/turbo/etc. Just out of curiosity would there be NO advantages whatsoever in a equal length manifold? OR is it just that advantages are minimal?

Need to know what kind of design aspects should be followed when having a custom manifold made. I've spoken to Hayward & Scott for a custom exhaust manifold, downpipe & midepipe and am wondering what kind qualities would make for a optimal turbo manifold? Equal length is a given, but what other qualities would be a given for a high quality manifold. Any opinions would be most welcome. Thanks.

OKAY I'm gathering up my shopping list for the car for this year. Syd (aka Tempo) this car will be a completely different car to what it is now (and when you had it) OKAY I've been doing alot of reading and talking to some american people and reading opinions/experiences. I've just managed to secure myself what I've always wanted on the Aristo. A set of Veilside Andrew Racing Dish Wheels (19x9 in the front & 19x10 in the rear). I'm also having a Rotora BBK ordered from the USA for all four corners all around (6pot front/4pot rear). I seriously think the brake/power ratio is just not right on this car whatsoever. As well as the BBK Kits I'm having an extra 3 sets of discs & pads for the BBK bought along with it so shouldn't be a problem for future maintenance. The wheels will clear easily so thought why not? Now what I need to know is, what kind of maintenance items should I have replaced before I begin my single project? So far I've got the following: 1) All Brake components are covered. 2) New suspension will be in the form of Tein CS Coilovers with TRD struts all around (from Japan). 3) Full upper and lower suspension arms (OEM) 4) ARS Cancellor 5) Water Pump/Timing Belt (when the engine is out). 6) Uprated Radiator My mind draws a blank from here onwards...If anyone could give me some more things? I'm looking to have the following modifications done to the engine while it is out of the car: 1) 3.4L Stroker Kit & port and polish head. 2) SP67GT (should spoolup very FAST with Stroker & VVTi)yet have silly potential 3) Custom Manifold, Downpipe & mid-pipe leading to Blitz Nur Spec R's (just love the sound and look) 4) HKS V-CAM & Controller 5) GReddy 4row FMIC or Spearco or Garrett (Spearco & Garrett will be custom application) 6) AEM EMS or MOTEC M800 (still not 100% which one depends on who can tune it) 7) Full PHR Stage 2 Fuel system to support the upgrades (maybe Stage 1 as I'm only looking at 550-600rwhp). 8) Custom rebuilt A340E Automatic Transmission with a 3200rpm stall torque convertor (recommended based on 3.4L Stroker & SP63GT combo) with two coolers & fans 9) Tuned for 9250rpm redline (crank on 3.4L rated for 9500rpm) 10) Racelogic Traction Control 11) Full complement of DEFI Guages (Boost, Oil Pressure, Water Pressure, ATF Temperature, etc) Now you see why I'd rather get the general maintenance items out of the way at the same time :). So come on people help me out so I can start shopping for it all :). Also need some sort of a guideline on price on how much it could all cost (setup, tune, install, etc). Gaz I tried PM'ing you on MSN regarding this but no answer as of yet :). If there's anything you think I need Gaz let me know and I'll add that onto the list but I'm pretty certain that's all there is to it. As of right now I'm just in the process of buying all the parts. Should have everything in my hands by summer ready to be put in! My goals with this car is for it to be a highly streetable car with stock looks except for the wheels and the "slightly" visible FMIC. Daily power will be around 400-450rwhp and for more "fun" days 550-600rwhp.

One more thing!! DO NOT get rid of the VVTi...I agree with Gaz it is the best feature of the engine...if you read up on www.supraforums.com, there's alot of people after the VVTi head. It gives you more lowend torque compared to the non-vvti, mostly noticable when going single apparently. Also can be upgraded with the V-CAM (Cams & Controller) from HKS should you wish to upgrade after moving up over 600rwhp. I can't wait till I get the motor stroked....the lowend will just be stupid! (stupid meaning super-fast spooling)

I had someone who had access to a computer for the Diagnostics port and reset the ECU, but thanks anyway Ahmedm :). Any pics of your Aristo? Also welcome to the club (although it's your 2nd post).

I hope it would, since I was looking into it myself albeit for the Mk2 :). Only way to get at it is to see connections of both in the rear, I'm sure someone here has a picture :).

I'm pretty certain the VVTi can be kept and will definitely help spoolup with a small single turbo. The stock injector size is the same as the JDM MK4 Supra TT, which is 440cc. The stock twins are good for 17/18psi, but there have been numerous people who've had problems with that kind of boost, so I'd stick to say about 15psi to be a bit on the safe side unless you have deep pockets and want to go single any time soon. With that kind of power you should expect what Yoshi has about 340bhp. The 93-98 Supra parts are all okay as long as they are engine parts, the radiator pipe should also be a good fitment, just the intercooler piping and manifold might cause a bit of trouble since the Aristo does have a "tighter" engine bay than the Supra. Manifold I'd either take a look at www.takakaira.com and check out the HKS Setup kit or go custom. Also if you're going aftermarket ECU I'd suggest you look into an AEM or a Motec, do it right the first time :).

I've not got one and don't know of anyone that has one in the UK, but I'm going down that route very soon (later this year). What kind of information is it that you are really after though? As I know someone from the USA who's got a GS300 Mk2 with the Aristo Swap done running single with about 600rwhp (SAE so minus 15%-20%).

I know the Aristo MK2's are 10" maybe the same on the UK GS?

Where is your friend located? As I'm sure there would a huge interest.

£3k can get you a bit of power :). If I had £3k, I'd look at doing the following in order: 1) FCD. 2) HiFlow CATs or DeCAT with aftermarket exhaust with a restrictor ring to prevent boost creep (personally get a turbo back system in case of future upgrades). 3) BOV. 4) Boost Controller to boost up to 17psi (highest I'd do if not looking to replace the twins is 15psi to be on the extra-safe side). 5) One grade cooler spark plugs. 6) APEXi S-AFC or any other AFC. 7) Induction Kit and heatshield (prefab if you can find one, or DIY). Heatshield does make a big difference with a Induction Kit...or you could just use a high performance K&N filter in the stock airbox if you prefer. 8) Remove front fogs to enable better cooling of SMIC. 9) With all that power I'd upgrade the Brake Discs & Pads, and Goodridge stainless brake lines (Black Diamond is highly recommended by Yoshi). 10) I'd also look into getting a Automatic Transmission Fluid Cooler or two with fans to make sure the gearbox is cool and if you want pick up a high stall torque convertor and run the turbo's in True Twin Mode - Parallel instead of Sequential; to achieve a higher boost level (around 18psi) safely. 11) If you have more money burning a hole in your pocket then look at getting a FMIC, then go single with the supported fuel and transmission modifications. That should easily eat away at £3000 and maybe more. Should give you quite a bit of power increase. Hope that helps :).

All Engine parts are common with the Aristo & Supra, except maybe the FMIC and the Manifold. Also if anything there's a thread with majority of the information you need... http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...topic=30094&hl= :). Both have similar topics in terms of modability and pricing :).

Cost of the TV conversion can vary depending on what you get done with it...ie: TV & DAB, TV & DVD, etc. TV on it's own isn't too much (iirc £300 or around about that). I'd PM Luke about that personally...I'll forward his PM details to you in a bit. Timing Belt should be done @ 60k. BPU mods should be done first of all, which consist of sorting out the breathing (Exhaust, Induction Kit, High-Flow CATS/De-Cat, higher boost). Shouldn't cost more than £2500 including Labor). After that you can pick up a FMIC, uprated Radiator. I'd suggest you do NOT de-cat with a larger diameter exhaust, as you'll encounter Boost Creep (NOT GOOD!). Although I highly suggest you get used to the car and standard power before modifications. Also I suggest you look into improving handling before getting more power (Coilovers, struts, anti-roll bars, etc). Braking should also be improved IMHO before upgrading power. Then finally comes BPU (Basic Performance Mods) before you upgrade to a single and therefore the gearbox too. In summary: 1) Handling - TOMS ARS Cancellor, Suspension (Tein CS or Flex), tires (Eagle F1's), anti-roll bars (TRD or Daizen), strut braces (TRD or TOMS). 2) Braking - uprated discs/pads (Black Diamond Discs & Pads) or BBK (StopTech). 3) Performance/Cooling - Exhaust, High Flow CATS, Induction Kit/Performance Filter (APEXi Power Intake), Boost Controller/AFR Controller (HKS or Blitz), FMIC (HKS, GReddy, Blitz or Spearco with Custom Piping) & Uprated Radiator, Upgraded Traction Control (Racelogic), Upgraded & Rebuilt Autobox (Boostlogic, SP Motorsports, Import Performance Transmission) with high stall Torque Convertor, Piggyback or Full Replacement ECU (GReddy E-Manage Ultimate, HKS F-Con, AEM EMS, Motec M600/M800) Uprated Fuel System (Powerhouse Racing, Boostlogic), Manifold & Single Turbo (HKS Manifold from Taka Kaira or Custom made with Boostlogic, SP, Garrett, HKS, PowerHouse Racing), Stroker Kit (3.2L Jun, 3.4L HKS, 3.4L Titan Motorsports). I think that covers most of it if not all of it. Pricing can vary but if you need them give me a shout and I'll post up the individual website links to all of them.

IMHO the Aristo is much quicker than a SC IS200. Also more comfortable :). Power delivery is smooth as well, just quicker and has the "plant you in your seat" feel when at WOT. For Turbo's the first turbo spools up about 2,500-3000rpm and the second at 4,000 rpm IIRC (been too long since I've driven mine just sitting in a garage :( ). If you hear a whine of any sort, LIKE THIS then walk away, without hesitating!! Thats the noise the 2nd turbo makes when dead. Also make sure the gearbox kicks down perfectly. Check for knocks in the front when parking up or turning at low speed. Check the CD Player isn't skipping, or sound is intermittent until you smack the CD Player (misaligned Laser in CD Player). Make sure tiptronic and everything else works properly. Power/Snow should be checked. ABS should be checked. Brake at high speed (70mph) for juddering of the steering wheel, which would suggest ball joints or warped discs. Make sure the ARS is working, check all lights. First upgrade I'd recommend on car is to pick up the ARS Cancellor from TOMS for no more broken ARS racks/uneven tire wear. Smoke on startup should be checked, blue smoke = oil burning...possibly the valve stem seals. White smoke = moisture or internal coolant leak. Check for smoke in rear when at Wide Open Throttle, to see if all is normal (no smoke) or black or blue smog. Apart from that just check for standard body damage. Check for cracks etc on rubber piping, especially the top radiator pipe and IC piping (although hard to do properly). Facelift models started from 2001 onwards IIRC, changes are purely cosmetic. Extra equipment is TV, SATNAV, Electric heated memory seats andleather. Talk to Luke (soarer tv conversions) regarding SATNAV & TV & DAB conversion. Good prices and a very good guy to talk to. Finally, drive it away slowly so the previous owner can say bye properly :). Anything more, just ask :).

:o You're selling? OMG, If I had something like that I'd never sell it regardless hehe ... anyways goodluck with the sale! :). You will be staying around on here though won't you?

Mat: Depends on the goals of the owner. I mean I bought one as I really wanted to do some major upgrades to the car before, but money said otherwise :(.

DB: Downside to the Supra Brakes would be new wheels that would clear the Calipers on the GS300. What about trying Diamond pads/discs like Yoshi, who speaks VERY highly of them in terms of stopping power AND life? OR you could always pick up a StopTech Stage 2 kit, which includes just about everything that you'd need to upgrade your brakes (F & R Pads/Discs/Brake Lines/Fluid). I was considering it myself.

Don't know if the Blitz Nur Spec is available for your car, but they are also known to be silent than the HKS :).

Chips: As long as you're not driving like you just stole the car, you won't even hear the BOV :). On motorway journeys though it does come into play more often when letting off the throttle even a touch. AristoLam: If you want you can buy a stock BOV from a Supra owner and use it on your car, which will completely eliminate the noise :). A BOV just helps the spool of the Turbo in-between gears as well as to reduce lag (although not really noticeable IMHO at stock power levels).

Happy Birthday Geoffers.

Agree with Bernard, the HKS is LOUD, but between the two I'd go with the HKS :).

Agree with Chips :) and trust me, in a automatic if the clutches in the autobox were to be replaced you would know straight away (gears slipping = bouncing off rev limiter, and constant gear changes to find correct gear). As Chips said, it's most likely you've got a Vent to Atmosphere Blow Off Valve :).