Kavey

I work in the games industry - I didn't hear that! ;)

I've got a Sigma aftermarket alarm for my Altezza. Any idea if what you're suggesting could be hooked into that? I think it's a great idea!

my guess would be that they're the TTE 9 spokers (http://www.tte.de/tuning/website/complete-...o-external.html) they had them on the lexus stand at the motorshow and they're available in chrome for those with playas love of shiny wheels ;) also, lexus leicester are selling a used is with these wheels, they've called them '18" chicane alloys' sporty red number Thanks for that! I noticed something on the bottom of the IS200 page - http://www.tte.de/tuning/website/Accessori...exus-is200.html it says 'All TTE tuning parts are also suitable for the Japanese model "Altezza"' That's not right is it??? I thought the Compressor/Supercharger was only for the 6-pot engine? Or have I got something mixed up? Asam KV

Housebound :( got a broken ankle..... Waaaaah! Can't drive my car!

Hey all I know that some of you guys have upgraded wheels for 18s and 19s. Whilst i'm not quite on the market at the moment for some...yet... i've got too much time on my hands to surf the 'net and get curious about stuff. :P If I am correct in thinking the IS200s and Altezzas have the same 5x114.3 PCD configuration and I believe a +40mm offset. Is this correct? Anyway, if stepping up a size or two, it's obviously wise to increase the offsets to ensure that the wheels don't rub the side arches or inner arches. What kind of offsets should one be looking at for 8", 8.5", 9" wheels etc? What is the maximum safe width an IS range front wheel arch could handle full lock? 8.5"? Also, if you put wider tyres/wheels on the rear, obviously this will make it more difficult to rotate the wheels, in which case do you then get different offsets for the rears anyway (bearing in mind you won't be putting them on the front)? Can you get the same wheels in different offsets from most manufacturers? I've seen a lot of offset variations on wheels in the US, but in the UK I haven't found a single website that mentions different offsets for the same wheel (though I haven't rung and asked :D Anyone technically knowledgeable on these things around to clarify? Oh and I found this cool tyre calculator thing too by the way for anyone wondering how much their speeds will be out if stepping up with different wheels/tyres... it's probably been posted before, but I found it quite useful. Does anyone know what is considered an acceptable %age variation from stock tyres? All knowledge appreciated! :) Asam

Anyone able to do a scan of these 18"ers? Just curious. I don't get the Lexus mag being an Altezza owner Are they different to the existing 18" six spoke wheels? Asam

Are there any front non-automatic (Altezza) light clusters that don't have the orange indicator perspex? I'd like to get those orange/blue blinker thingamibobs to put in place of the regular bulb/orange filter. Just wondering. ASam

Hey Zee Good point about winter I spose, but it's a real drag getting em swapped out really isn't it? Nice to see also that we have similar tastes - my previous car was a Pug 306 too. I loved the chassis and the really workable front wheel drive understeer going around slippery roundabouts ;) It was deffo a good fun little car to trot around in. Not that I don't love the 'pop' of the back end on the Lex mind you :) I love the odd mini-slide when the roads are clear. Tony - I think I've been quoted far too much to have the wheels refurbed then - do you know who did the wheels for Lepsons? I know of a couple of main companies that service dealers - Pristine Alloys and Spit and Polish - has anyone had any experience with either, or are they likely both just as good? Cheers!

I had this problem with my original unit in my '99 Altezza. Basically the early Fujitsu 10 units they use (you can tell by the cassette player above the CD Slot - the new ones have the CD slot above) would jam quite regularly. I ignored the error for quite a while until the unit totally died on me, with CDs stuck inside. As my Altezza was imported, Lexus wouldn't warranty replace in the year, and wanted £1200 to get a replacement UK unit in its place. Given that the quality of the unit wasn't actually that great in the first place, I decided to get a temporary single din UK CD head unit (never use Tape anymore) to fill the slot until i imported a nice Double DIN and JDM Dash Kit to redo the fascia last year. Good Luck! Asam

Hey all When upgrading your original Lexus wheels, what do you tend to do with the old ones? Do you keep em or try to sell em? My original 17"ers are quite corroded as they were part of the early unlaquered set, so are in need of refurbing. I know this'll cost me about £300-£400. But I've seen quite a few cars in the gallery that have had some nice new rims put on. Just wondering what you do with the old ones, as I was thinking that that money could go better to new 18" wheels and tyres, especially if I can sell the old ones and get a bit more cash. I don't have a garage unfortunately, and storing a set of 17" wheels in my flat ain't really a goer (tho the girlfriend might stick cushions on em and use em as mini stools) :P Also, just curious, but do UK IS200's come with a proper alloy spare, or a space saver number like my Altezza? Cheers!

Very gutted - I know Brooklands very well - used to drive past it most every day for 5 years whilst working in Woking. As a new member, would love to come and show off the Altezza, but suffering from a broken ankle from this Xmas's snowboarding - won't be able to drive til end Feb :( Bah!!! Asam

OK I just joined. :D Once I get my stuff thru (can't wait!) I can start getting some upgrades for my baby... Cheers lads.

I asked my local servicing place, Jemca, about this once for my Altezza. The original Lexus ones are black and there are two sensors if I remember correctly, but they also offered me a cheaper non-Lexus set of 4 sensors whcih were bumper coloured. These did everything dunctionally identical to the Lexus ones but were about £200 instead of £350. You can get them fitted for the IS200 no problem though.

So they do servicing too, or do you mean just the upgrades? I think TDi are the only real choice for proper upgrades in the UK - though I know in Japan the Altezza's have a lot more tuning options. I reckon going Gold is the way forward :) I'm filliing out the form right now and the hardest question is what sticker I want! Does anyone have any images of what the two stickers look like? ;) As a matter of interest, is there a list of places that offer discounts to Gold members? Finally, as mentioned about the servicing (we seem to have got well off topic?) thanks for the info about Hadleigh Lexus. Does anyone know any other places (Lexus or not) that can service an Altezza properly, or should I just stick with the somewhat expensive Jemca? (Do Jemca give a Gold discount by the way?) Thanks all. Asam

Nah. Thanks for the compliments though - I really love my Altezza - I loved the IS200 as soon as I saw it but always felt it underpowered. When I found out about the more powerful raucous 4-pot, it had to be MINE! I actually broke my ankle on Xmas even so haven't been able to drive my baby for a month now :( I can see it from my window, looking longingly, but unable to give it a quick burn. Imagine my devilishly dismay when it snowed recently and the evil sliding instinct remained unquenched with me having to stay at home with my foot elevated I've got another month in a cast... boy that car's gunna get a seeing to when I can drive again The most I can do is pop out once a week to run the car briefly to keep a charge in the battery... and to listen to the stereo :D - I replaced the original Japanese unit with a sweet Kenwood Double Din from Japan with a JDM Dash conversion kit - http://www.kenwood.com/j/products/car_audi...0wmp/index.html It sounds sooooo great.... I have to sit in the car to listen to music at its best ;) Asam

Interesting that Rogue Traders thing about RAC. I too have generally found thew very good, but about 4 months ago, I had a problem starting my car, meaning I had to call the RAC out. It turned out to be something very simple - the immobiliser had kicked in and prevented me starting the car (doh!). Anyway, as soon as the RAC man came, the first thing he said to me was 'Blimey! That's a small battery - bound to be the problem', to which I replied I'd never had a problem with the battery, and then he got on with investigating the problem, and found it to be otherwise. It never struck me at the time, but I did find it curious that he suggested the battery was at fault before even touching the car...! Kinda somewhat made me wary though... Asam

hehe Thanks for that. I've seen the original 18" ones that lexus do and thought they looked really nice and clean, but not quite as stylish as the original 17"s. I've got the Limited Neo Customised 'Z' edition body kit on my car as shown, and am really looking for something a little more akin to it's styling... ;) Incidentally, what are you offering em @ ? :)

Hey all I've been toying with making some upgrades to my RS200 Altezza, such as the Stage 1-4 TDi stuff. I've had it 2 1/2 years now, and whilst I throw a bit of octane boost in every so often for a thrill, despite running it exclusively on Optimax, I could do with a bit more low-end & acceleration response. As it is, currently I've only modified the exhaust to let the system breath more easily, but as I've got a bit of cash for a change I wanted to treat my baby. Anyway, does anyone have any experience of the staged upgrades from TDi? Are there alternatives to look at? I'm not really in a position to fit stuff myself, but fancy a bit more ooomph from the car. B) I'm also toying with upgrading the wheels to 18" as the tyres on the original 17"s are getting worn, and to be honest, those rims have seem a few close encounters with the odd kerb :P Any suggestions on where I can find some cool wheels that fit the Altezza wheel hub? Also, where do you guys get your cars serviced in London? As you will know, Lexus won't touch em, but I use Jemca in Edgware in North London at the moment, but I'm sure I can do better. Do you guys know of any reputable garages that know how to take care of Altezza's (properly!)? :) As you might be able to tell, whilst I'm a great driving enthusiast, I'm pretty new to the upgrading game... ;) Thanks, Asam

They're fine with the import? I'm using Admiral at the moment, but want to shop around - but as the car is Jap spec, quite a few insurers baulk at it...! :duh: Asam

Hi all In a mad rush, so no time to introduce and say hello properly as I'm just about to rush into a meeting, but the insurance is due on my Altezza, and as I'm a newbie on this board having just found it I was wondering if any of you had any tips on good cost-effective companies to go with? Thanks in advance. Asam