Welshman Adam

I've been keeping an eye on mine as I've only had it a few months. Worst I've had is 28 mpg, best 33.5 mpg. The later was mainly dual carriageway driving, so sixth gear around 60 mph. I managed to get 415 miles from one tank, was well impressed after reading how bad the fuel consumption can be on these cars.

Are you planning on fitting the springs with standard shocks? I'd really like to lower mine but don't want to pay too much as I'm planning on selling the car 12 months from now...

Mine has 120,000 on the clock, 2001 IS200 S. Bought it with 118,000 on the clock in January and have to say I'm amazed by how fresh it feels. No squeaks or rattles. Reading these posts just reinforces my opinion on what a great car it is. Going shopping for wheels this weekend! :)

I used my car last weekend for the first time in 3 weeks. As soon as I pulled off there was quite a loud grinding/scraping sound from the rear wheels. Drove a few hundred yards thinking "it'll stop, it's probably the brakes". It didn't, so I took one of the pieces from the tool kit (the long lever thing - it was the first pointy thing I could find) and pushed the plates behind the brake discs back just a little. Hey presto, no more grinding/scraping sound. :)

OK, so I've looked into tyres. Apparently the 215/40 R18 isn't a common size, so the cheapest I can get for a set of 4 fitted including VAT is £345.00 (Falken). If I go for 225/40 R18 I can get a set fitted including VAT for £276.00 (Nexen). Have no experience of either tyre, anyone got these on their car at the moment? Are they any good? Used to have Toyo Proxes T1-S on my Cupra and they were superb... (T1-R's are £390 in a 225/40 R18)

Excellent... Thanks to all who've posted. I knew I'd get the answer on here. So the conclusion is that 215/40R18's 7J on wheels with a offset of 35 will happily go on an IS200? Sweet. :D Ormi, where are you getting those tyres from if you don't mind me asking? Internet order or local tyre specialist/chain? Be good to hear from you tomorrow once you've driven the car with those rims on, just to be doubly sure there's no rubbing. Nice motor Stav, RX-8 wheels really suit it.

Well the existing rims are 6.5" (205/55R16), so we're talking half an inch wider. I can't stand the look on some motors when the wheels just don't look "right". It has to look like it could have come with them on it as standard if you know what I mean! After much investigation I've just found this: Wheel Bible Chucked in the wheel details and it states that a 225 on a 35 offset is 20mm further out but 0mm closer to the suspension. 215 on a 35mm offset bizarrely is 5mm closer to the suspension and 15mm further out from the body. I'm unable to try one on the car as they aren't with me at the moment. And yeah, I think they would look sweet on my car! Was very impressed when I saw them yesterday.

Thanks for the info Rob. Not sure if I like the idea of them sticking out... And I don't want to fit the arch kit, I like the look of it as is (excluding the 16's of course!). Hmmm...

Hi all, I've seen a set of RX alloys that I'd like to fit to my IS, only before I commit I want to be absolutely sure they'll fit as I also need to fork out for tyres after I've picked them up. They are 18" diameter, 7" wide. PCD is correct as they're from a Lex, but it's the offset I'm concerned about - apparently it's ET35. I've actually seen the wheels and I'm annoyed with myself for not checking inside the rim for the size, can anyone confirm the offset? Hopefully there's a pic attached to this post so you can see the wheel style. RX on IS Any help gratefully received as always! Thanks, Adam P.S. Correct tyre size would be 225/40 x 18 right? Or 215/40?

Glad I spotted this thread, I have a 2001 model that's done 120,000 miles but would really like to get it lowered at the same time as fitting 18's (once I've found a set I like/can afford!). Like others in this thread, I want to keep cost down. I don't plan on keeping the car for more than a year but at the same time want it looking sweet for the summer! B)

Ultra Deep Shine is a wax in itself, aimed at "modern paintwork" and "darker colours". They still do extra gloss protection, which to me sounded more like a liquid when I picked it up off the shelf while making a decision on which to get.

Cheers. If you deduct the time it takes to brew two mugs of tea, drink one, forget about the second, reheat it in the micro, drink it... I reckon 90 mins? I was in no rush though, so I certainly reckon it could be done quicker. I also think it'll be easier next time, I don't think she'd been waxed for a while. I'm not sure I'd bother with this for a light coloured car, I'd probably go for Super Resin Polish. I was looking for something that gets rid of the "swirls" you get on dark cars. Light cars get away with all that. Well, that's what I'm going to tell my old man when he tries to nick it for his silver motor... Assuming it doesn't chuck it down tonight, I'll try and get some better images tomorrow.

Hi all. Am nearly at the end of week two of IS200 ownership and I'm really enjoying it. Treated it to a wax today and was tempted to try Ice, but then I saw Autoglym "Ultra Deep Shine" which states that it's particularly good on dark colours. Have to say, I'm well impressed. :D I thought I'd upload a few pics for you all to have a look at. Deep Shine 1 Deep Shine 2 Deep Shine 3

Exactly. Even completing a simple bit of work like this on a car be can make you feel like a proper bloke if you sit at a desk all day like I do!

Wozza and edeath, thank you for the offers. Will give it a go myself and if I get stuck I'll be in touch. Unless of course there's a cuppa in it for me too. ;) Cheers.

Dragging this one up from last week, but I've just bought the K&N panel filter and plan to fit it this Saturday. The only thing I'm wary of is resetting the ECU. I've seen the guide, is it really that simple? Are there any risks to be concerned about? I'm guessing that resetting the ECU will help with regards to switching from regular unleaded to V-Power too? Thanks, Adam

Thanks, this is just the start I reckon. I keep telling myself I'm going to leave it as it is but I know that's a lie...

Thanks for all the welcome messages by the way, much appreciated.

Am going to try and book it in very soon. Bromley? I used to live in Beckenham (New Beckenham area). Really like it round there.

Thanks!

Hi all! Just wanted to say a quick hello and thank you all for the info you've contributed to this site - it really helped me make a decision on this car. Didn't actually plan on buying a car at all but a mate made me an offer I couldn't refuse. She's a mint 2001 "S" model with quite a generous mileage, but with all the right stamps in the service book. My last car (3 years ago) was a SEAT Ibiza GTi Cupra Sport so this is quite a change - never driven a rear drive before, or a car with a 6 speed box. Only picked it up on Sunday and I've already covered around 300 miles, I love it! Can't get enough of that straight six sound... I have only one query, she's pulling slightly to the left, so I'm holding the wheel to the right a little just to compensate. Will a trip to WIM sort this out? Thanks again all, Adam