September 2003 Featured Car

By spinaltoad - September 1, 2003

Screen Name: Static911
Age: 23
Profession: Work? What is that?
Car model: Lexus IS 300
Car year: 2002
Engine size: Three 7-Up one liter bottles
Color: Dark blue

Modifications

Engine Modifications

Carillo Rods
SPS Carr Rod Bolts
Supra TT Pistons
PHR SS Piston Ring Set
ARP Head Stud Kit
HKS 1.2mm Metal Head Gasket
Blueprinted and Balanced Shortblock

Cylinder Head Modifications

PHR 246 degree exhaust camshaft
Adjustable Cam Timing Gear, exhaust
PHR Dual Valve Springs
PHR Ti Valves
PHR Ti Lightweight Retainers
Heat coated exhaust ports
Camshafts degreed and shimmed to spec.

Fuel System Modifications

PHR 17.5mm ID Fuel Rail
HKS 1000cc Injectors
6AN Fuel Feed and Return lines
PHR In-tank Fuel Pump Bracket Kit
PHR High Flow Fuel Pump 300lph
6AN SS 40 micron fuel filter
Aeromotive Fuel Pressure Regulator
100 psi liquid filled FP gauge

Turbocharger System

PHR GT60 Turbocharger
Mandrel Bent 3" Downpipe and Midpipe
Custom 3" Full Off-Road Exhaust
All exhaust components HPC Coated
HKS 200mm Air Filter
Aluminum 2.5" IC piping
Blitz Blow Off Valve
Spearco 24" Intercooler Core

Electronics

Motec M4 PRO ECU
Motec Wide Band Lambda Option, Sensor
Raychem Custom Wiring Harness
3 BAR MAP Sensor
NTC Air Temp Sensor
TRD Triple 60mm Gauge Pod
Apexi Boost, Oil Press, Fuel Press 60mm
HKS EVC 4 Boost Controller

Driveline

Getrag Supra Six Speed Transmission
RPS Stage 3 Clutch
PHR 3" Steel Driveshaft
TRD Limited Slip Differential
Syncromax Synthetic Gear Oils

Body

HKS Hypermax Damper II Coilovers
Daizen Sport Tuning Sway Bars
Toms Braces & Links
Brembo Front Brake Upgrade
RMM Carbon Fiber Lip Spoiler
Forgeline 17×8 Wheels
Yoko AVS 215/45F and 245/40R Tires

Miscellaneous
I am sure I am missing a few things here and there…

What led you to buy a Lexus?
My
first Lexus was a 1993 LS 400. It went through hell and yet it never
broke down or had any major problems. It now has about 190,000 miles
and it is still running strong. As for my second car, I wanted a manual
transmission performance car. I was deciding between a whole slew of
exotic cars or building a highly modified Supra, which was to be done
by Jarrett of Powerhouse Racing located in Texas. After some inquiry,
Jarrett mentioned he was selling his turbocharged Lexus IS 300. Since I
was looking at getting the work done on the Supra at Powerhouse Racing,
I thought what the heck, let me buy the IS 300. I bought the car within
15 minutes after receiving some details about the car. I took ownership
of the vehicle approximately one month later. The story continues on
below…

Interests:
In my spare time, I like to watch
DVDs, tinker with computers and electronics, read books and do market
research on various industries. I like to get into photography and
fishing. Golf is something I feel I am obligated to learn…

Goals:
Since
the car was already turbocharged, my next goal for the IS 300 was/is to
make it go faster. Jarrett laughed at me when I asked him to install
nitrous on the car since it was not installed previously. I took his
answer as a no. I am also thinking of installing an audio system to
drown out the droning noise.

The original set-up of this car
was meant to go in a straight line. I wanted it more suspension
orientated. So Todd Matsubara of TM Engineering replaced the HKS
springs and installed the HKS Hypermax Damper II Coilovers. He went
further by installing the Daizen Sport Tuning Sway Bars. I went ahead
and purchased the Toms braces and links from Steve Ganz of Carson
Toyota. I am still waiting to install the Toms products, but for now,
the car handles well.

Why you chose to modify your Lexus?
It
just happened that a tuner who was going to work on my Supra, which I
was still shopping around for, happened to sell a performance oriented
IS 300. However, taking care of a high performance vehicle is more work
than I initially thought. Within two miles and less than 10 minutes of
ownership, I destroyed the engine, clutch, flywheel and etc. This was
the result of the boost being turned up to an unsafe level by accident
and not knowing how to drive a manual transmission. So once again, the
IS 300 was shipped back to Powerhouse Racing for major repairs.

Todd
and Jarrett helped me with MANY questions while the car was at
Powerhouse Racing for repairs. I do not think they ever had a customer
email them with so many questions in a span of one hour.

Despite
some setbacks, I am pleased with the entire process since I have
learned many things about the car, especially the responsibility of
owning and maintaining one.

I would like to thank the following people: