The RS200 'Altezza' is a different sort of vehicle in terms of performance compared to the other lineups ( IS300 etc ). I am about to purchase my first car, and of course I'm looking for 'Speed / Performance '. If you would ask me if I know how to handle such a car, I would say Yes. I grew up driving Supras, Cressidas, Jzx90 etc. However I never installed a performance part in a vehicle before. My questions are as follows : -

1. Between the IS200 and the RS200 which is a better 'shell' that can take the pressure of a 2jz engine. ( Also look at engine bay room, transmission faulty lineups as some chassis you need to remove / bend parts for certain upgrades to be added ).

2. I'm never going to add an automatic tranny. Therefore besides the 6spd MT what's another good MT for a 2jz engine. I'd be basically using the car for street races and daily driving.

That's basically all my questions that needs to be answered from pros. I'd be posting pics of RS200s that I'm looking at. Some may already be tuned therefore I'd need people to assist me in telling me if the vehicle has a good setup or not.

- Thanks guys. I hope that the community is really helpful.

 

Welcome to CL as a brand-new poster. Glad to have you.

We have a forum for street encounters, but please understand that CL does not endorse street-racing where it is illegal. We can, and do, discuss many different vehicles and their subjects here in Car Chat, and some here in this forum may (?) be able to answer your specific questions. But the Altezza and IS200 is not sold in the U.S. You might (?) want to post a copy of your questions in our IS forums. We have one for each generation of the car. I think you might be more likely to get the answers you need in those forums.

 

What is a Lexus RS200?

 

AS200 (sedan or wagon) – 2.0-liter 1G-FE inline-six, 160 hp JIS (118 kW) or 155 PS (114 kW), rear-wheel drive or 4WD; sold by Lexus as the IS 200

RS200 (sedan) – 2.0-liter Yamaha-tuned 3S-GE inline-4, 200 hp JIS (148 kW), rear-wheel drive, not sold outside Japan by Lexus

AS300 (Gita wagon) – 3.0-liter 2JZ-GE inline-6, 220 hp JIS (162 kW) or 215 hp SAE (160 kW), rear-wheel drive or 4WD; sold by Lexus (sedan or wagon) as the IS 300



as for the original question...I'd choose the RS200 with the Beam's 4cyl. structure wise, they should be the same but you can make use of the Beam's 4cyl as you await the 2JZ swap you're after. if you're going to add substantial power, looking into partial caging and added tower parts, plus the plethora of suspension parts available to that gen IS

as for tranny, it doesn't get better than the 6sp getrag...but I would never discount the automatic, especially if going high power. look into the chevy tranny with adaptor combo

 

I'm fully aware of the 6spd Getrag, it would be on my list. But would the Stock 6Spd MT be able to handle a maximum of 700hp ?

(There are like 2 Lexus Gita for sale, and they're cheap but needs alot of aftermarket parts, such as the Gitas are Auto Tranny, etc. | You can say I have multiple options but I rather the Altezza )

 

Sure. I'd move over there.