andyk134

What is in the kit?

I think that would probably be a no a that is quite a big step up. Any reason why you didn't go for an ISF?

My IS200 is 10 years old now but I wouldn't swap it for anything else at the moment unless I came into some money. Where else could you buy a car as reliable and individual and luxurious as that for around 4 grand? And I am not a fan of the mark II IS so wouldn't bother with one of those.

I have run mine on V Power (previously optimax) since the day i bought it 5 years ago and wouldn't use anything else. I also tend to put some cataclean and a decent fuel system cleaner through once a year when i run the fuel level low to make it more concentrated and it as smooth as anything I have ever driven.

Wow, it really looks well and sits lovely.

Gorgeous car.

I've decided to proceed and order the eibach pro kit but I must now also consider the wheel spacers too! So 15mm front and 20mm will be ok with my standard 17 5 spoke alloys?

Have 215/45 all round...

Don't want any rubbing issues just want to fill the arches out!

Hi again Edwardo,

Just to ask if you have had the Eibach's fitted yet?

I took mine back and had it raised by 10mm at the back and 5mm at the front as it was rubbing and a bit of negative camber at the back too. I may get the rear arches rolled as it is only about £30 - 40 a side and then I have no issues at all, but so far raising it slightly has done the trick.

Just to give you an idea of ride height. As we all know the standard car does ride pretty high with a front down stance. Fitting the Eibachs does help but probably in reality takes it down by about 25mm all round leaving a fair gap at the rear (which I still didn't think looked right). The garage who fitted my coil overs reckon that from standard the front has gone down about 40mm and the back by 50 - 55mm and there is still a very small gap between tyre and arch so clearly a lot of scope to lower the car without any issues.

I will retake some pics now it has been raised a bit to show how it finally looks. the other thing to bear in mind is that the back will drop from almost no fuel to a full tank by a few mm so bear that in mind when lowering the car.

good luck

Hi,

Thank you, the garage I take it to have done a great job and I am very pleased.

the Eibach's will bring the front down nicely and the 15mm fill the arches with no issues at all.

I went for 20mm at the rear but if i hadn't had the coilovers fitted would have gone for 30mm. 20mm looks nice at the rear but still doesnt quite fill the arches and you may be disappointed at the drop at the back from the springs, it does still leave quite a gap and gives the nose down look that some like, but wasnt what i was looking for, hence the coilovers.

good luck

Hi Edwardo,

Picture of my Lexus with suspension mods attached. this is Meister R coilovers, Eibach Roll bars and spacers (15mm at front 20mm at rear). Have also put a pair of Continental Sport 5's on the front which feel much better than the Sport Maxx. Have to say the ride quality is better now than standard.

Coilovers cost £699. Koni shocks and Eibach springs would cost about £750 - 800 if you shop around, and easy choice for me.

Hi Piotr.

Not sure how far you are willing to travel. I live in Swindon and take mine to Performance Autoworks in Fairford. They specialise in Japanese performance cars and are happy to do any work on your car you need from a service to a Supra Turbo engine swap (I wish). Their service costs are a lot less than main dealer and they do more things in the service. Have been going there for 5 years now and wouldn't go anywhere else now, it's worth the trip.

Google them for contact details.

Cheers

Hi,

2 things I would say here.

Firstly the ride I have now with the coil overs is actually better than I had with standard springs and Eibachs, and I have heard that the Koni shocks are a bit hard even on the lowest setting which is the only adjustable option.

Secondly a set of Koni's and Eibachs would cost more than the Meister R's without the level of adjustability (32 settings)

Thanks for all the comments. I have ordered some Continental Sport 5's for fitting at the weekend

cheers

Hi Wardy,

the Eibach's will lower it about 25mm all round (only 10mm more on the Sport as it is already 15mm lower anyway). On mine the front looked ok but the back was still up in the air to much for me. The other thing to remember is by putting uprated springs with standard dampers, the dampers will try and work too hard and can make it a bit more "bouncy". Also after 10 years the dampers wont be at their optimum anyway anymore.

I actually decided to go to coilovers and had a set of Meister R'S fitted yesterday, I will post pics shortly. The Meister's have softer spring rates than the BC's or Tein's and are a far better set up for British roads. So far feels great, only marginal change in the ride but the handling is transformed.

Hope that helped a bit

That's good to know as I was looking at the next handling upgrade. How much did you pay if I can ask for the diff and where did you source it from?

Meister R's being fitted this week so watch this space!

Well when I was looking for is, thought about the diesel only. It took me few weeks to read most of the threads about problems with those D-Cat engines. Almost everyone says stick with the petrol. So I did. But ur one has small mileage, wouldnt b too bad till u reach 100k i'd say.

At 25k a year that wont be long! But with that sort of mileage the petrol would cost a lot more to run. Never owned a diesel anyting as yet so cant really comment on how they run

I guess over time there will be certain things that will "knock" slightly but not enough to generate any real play when checked. I had an MOT advisory last time of slight play in a lower ball joint but the suspension firm i went to couldn't find anything wrong and I never had any noises from it.

I am having coilovers fitted in a couple of days to compliment the Eibach roll bars, bushes and spacers I already have, so that should sort any issues and make it a more enjoyable drive too! Watch this space.

Probably best speaking to a wheel specialist as you can use spacers to make other wheels fit if you need to.

Again, that is an optional thing. Zorro originally came fitted with standard 16's (205/55/R16) but I upgraded to stock 5 spoke 17's and could not find the wider rears, so I got same size wheels front and back (215/45/R17) but I know these wheels will accommodate 225/45/R17 without any concerns. People have gone bigger and smaller and stretched. . .

But, for staggering, I decided to put spacers on. 15mm on each front hub and 20mm on each rear hub. This gives a slightly wider track and nicer look. when I finally get round to lowering, the wheels will sit quite flush.

Mine is on the same 17's with 215 tyres and the same size spacers on Eibach springs, but for me the springs dont lower it enough at the back. The front is fine but the back still has a gap i can get 3 fingers in and doesn't look quite right so i am going for a set or Meister R coilovers next week so watch this space!!!

but do agree, dont stagger the tyres if on 17's then 225's are about as big as you want to go and it will affect the speedo slightly with a bigger rolling radius. That said they do tend to calibrate the speedo down and my sat nav which is far more reliable says I am doing 70 when the speedo reads 76, so going slightly bigger for me would actually help to get a more accurate reading.

Mine had the 50A's on when i bought it and I didn't find them particularly good hence the switch to Sport Maxx. I have heard that the Michelin Primacy's are pretty good in all conditions too?

Thanks Colin, good to know

Welcome to the club. Lexus owners in the main look after their cars so there are some very good ones out there. It is worth spending the extra for full history and lower mileage. Mine is coming up 10 years old now with 64k on the clock and is still the best car I have ever owned and have no intention of changing anytime soon. Take it to a specialist when you get it to check it out and if you look after it, it will last for years. Good luck.

Hi john,

Thanks for the suggestions. I am currently running Eibach springs, roll bars and spacers which has turned it into a different car. I have Dunlop sport Maxx and would like to get some better tyres to go with it. I will look at the goodyears for sure.

Cheers

Hi, Sorry if this has been asked before,

looking to replace all tyres on my IS200. I don't do many miles so longevity isn't really an issue and would like to put the best tyres for on the road performance on the car with price no object.

I have been told that the new Continental Sport 5's would make a noticeable difference over my Dunlop Sport Maxx.

Does anyone have a really good tyre that sticks to the road and has anyone put 225's on instead of 215's and has that made a difference?

Thanks for you help

Thanks Andy I thought it would look good I can't believe you fitted 15mm on front lol it looks close already do you have any issues with suspension travel as it could hit the wing now and have you got a pic m8 to get an idea please I hope I'm not being a pain I just want it to be right cheers

Sent from my iPhone using Lexus OC

Hi Seb,

No issues with suspension at all front or back. I do have Eibach springs and roll bars so it corners nice and flat too, although I am going to Meister R coilovers in a couple of weeks so will let you know.

My profile has before and after pictures with the spacers if that helps.

Cheers

Have you thought about spacers to fill the arches better? I have 15mm and 20 mm on the rears and it looks tons better.

Hi Seb,

I finally put spacers on my Lexus a couple of months ago and wished I had done it sooner. The picture shows how it looks now with standard 17's. They are 15mm on the front and 20mm on the rears. With hindsight I would have gone 25 or even 30 at the rear as it would take it. I went with Eibach as they give you longer bolts for security.

Hope that helped

Cheers

Thanks Paul,

I did look at them but by the time you have bought the top mounts they can get a bit expensive and the cheaper Tein's are not adjustable. Its a toss up between the BC's and the Meisterrs that the company who look after my Lexus say they use on a lot of their cars.