IS200 suspension ideas and alternatives

J

Jasper

New Member
Hey guys. absolute newbie here. Have good car knowledge but my practical experiance is next to none so please if i say something stupid dont hate me!

I am driving a lexus IS200 (my first car actually) and before i bought it i thought it would be like any decent japanese car when it came to tuning especially since it had a 2.0l vvti straight six at the front, six speed gearbox in the middle and drive to the rear... i also thought being related to the altezza which is pretty highly regarded car that there would be an abundance of tuning parts avaliable even if it was only handling and braking etc that i could make use of due to the engine difference.

i was pretty damn wrong

an engine that only responds to forced induction and then really only safely up to 250ish hp. i hear the gearbox is pretty weak and i was a bit stupid and got an SE rather than a sport meaning no LSD at the back.

this thing will never be a performance car without major dedication or money and since i am new to tuning and broke because of the mpg i cant do either.

this means i will be going in with a friend and making a dedicated track/drift mx5 (we havent made our minds up yet) leaving this car open to a more aesthetic show car approach


my question is are there any trick suspension tips for this car. coilovers for this car start at silly money and i just dont think a suspension kit would quite satisfy me in the looks department. i know lowering springs are cheap but im almost sure the standard shocks wouldnt be able to take it for long. they have a fair few miles on them. are there any cheaper coilover kits for other cars that would fit? i heard somewhere that maybe lexus gs300 kits would fit but being a bigger heavier car probably wouldnt work too well. another stranger tip i heard was that maybe chaser jzx100 coilovers fit right on? seems strange but not impossible right?

anyway i realise this is a bit of an essay so sorry. just lots going through my head. any tips, tricks or unique ideas for this car would be greatly appreciated :)

thank you
 
there are plenty of trick bits knocking about, you just need reasonably deep pockets.

Suspension is the same cost as any other car really except you can't get ebay coilovers. That's a good thing as ebay coilovers are crap and really aren't good for anything other than lowering the car.

I think you should probably set out what it is you want to achieve and go from there. You can rack up dolla's on camber arms, tension rods, RCA's, steering knuckles, cut down hubs, Offset camber bushes. What is it you want? If you're just a newbie and you wanna do some skids, get some lowering springs and tensions rods and go skid it.
 
To be honest after about a year of research i have completely given up on the idea of skidding this car. my pockets just arent deep enough to get decent performance out of it. i will probably be buying a mx5 or s13 depending on what i can find in the next year or so with a friend instead and having it as a dedicated thrash car.

i just want to make my car look good now. i have a set of volk gtc ready to put on but dont want to do that until i can get it lowered too. the SE looks a bit like its on stilts. thought maybe the drifting community could tell me how to do that a bit more cheaply but still to a good standard?
 
by the way i recognise all the mods you are talking about apart from 1. by cut down hubs what do you mean? i know im probably sounding like a right beginner and well.... i am. sorry
 
when you fit the RCA's its good to cut down the top of the hub knuckle. As you're spacing it upwards with the RCA's cutting the top allows you to dictate the upper arm angle or just simply keep it as stock. Fitting RCA's and cutting the knuckles allows you to lower the car without messing up the geo too much.
 
I imagine the is200 would be an awesome car to learn to skid in. So lack of power isnt that bad after all. Just pump them tyres up to a million psi and off you go (<<< Dont do that, that was a joke)
Yea , the suspension stuff for these chassis are pretty expensive. Cheapest way to drop your front is to get some RCA's :) Rear, cut the springs if you are on a budget :D JZX100 stuff fits also. Its entirely up to you, depending which way you want to take this car. As an example, I sold my old coilovers for £300. So just have a look around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top