cliffud

iTrader: (3)

So I notice quite a few people with modded out GS300s. They're not super modded out but there are a few members who have turbo kits in theirs. These turbo kits cost anywhere between 3-6k for parts and labor... and what do you get? 300-350hp?

I know you can crank out a ton more but can you do that reliably? Would you really want your daily driver to run so much boost that you're pushing 500hp? Wouldn't that significantly shorten the life of the engine?

With that extra 3-6k sunk into a GS300 to mod it out- you can sell the GS300 and pick up a GS400 or GS430 on the used market for another 4-5k (depending on mileage and condition naturally). Those cars have 300 reliable hp and can be modded for another $1000 to give you more 'oomph'. Torque converter, exhaust, SRT intake, etc...

So my general question is... Why buy a GS300 to mod when you can pick up a GS4 or GS430 that already has 80hp more right off the bat?

I dunno... I wanted to get a GS4 but I was convinced otherwise by my parents who felt I should get a slower car (GS300). Now that I've driven mine for 14k miles, I really want a GS4.


Your thoughts?


Thanks.


Clifford

Neo

iTrader: (3)

Well, most who get FI achieve at least numbers higher than the 4x0. There is also a difference between owning an FI car vs a NA car. For some, this is a nice thing. Others prefer NA power. Nothing wrong with either.

And when you are talking about spending another $1k to get the 4x0 more power, that is not going to be enough. From your list alone, the TC will be 700+ for the unit and another 400+ for the install. This is the low end of the pricing. Forget LSD, exhaust, intake not to mention other mods like suspension, brakes, ICE, and exterior enhancements.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

very well said. first of all, i would get teh v8 over the i6 any day. i just love the idea of being NA, and the power of the v8 engine is just massive at speed.

the i6 is strong and as long as you get a good shop to do the install and tuning, you can put a lot of power on the engine. however though, if you want more power, 6k isn't close to enough. as soon as you get out of the 350rwhp, you will start to look for better tranny, cooler, fuel injector, fuel pump, etc.... those things all add up and it's no fun. and if done right, the car will be reliable, but by comparison i would definitley think the FI gs3 would require more maintenance over the NA car

for the v8, you get lsd, tc, and maybe valve upgrade and you already that a car that's insanely fast for daily use, very reliable, and very smooth and quiet.

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

So what if you were to sink an extra 3-4k into a GS4X0?

What kind of hp would we be looking at then?

Thanks guys for the input, you guys are helping me with my future decision on picking up a gs4x0. hopefully on the back half of 2005 or in 2006.

-Clifford

Ditto

Resale wise, I'd get a GS400/430. You are not going to recoup your cost for a modded GS3 when it comes the time to sell it in the future.

if you plan on keeping it forever until it falls apart on your and with thousands and thousands of money to mod, I'd turbo the GS300.
But again why get a GS when there's the 911 or the Viper?

HKGS300

I would go for a V8 as well ... modding is something you need to do yourself, it is no fun buying a modded car ...

The planning / install ... that is at least 50% of the fun...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well with the gs4, if you talk about speed, you can get tc, lsd, valve body, instake, exhaust, pulley, that's about it.

the problem though is with the tc and supra lsd, you can't really see the power gain (or obviously) on dyno. so your car will still seems to have the same kind of hp, but the car is so much faster.

you can just ask people like hameed, future gs400, me, rmmgs4. we got the tc and the supra lsd mod, and our cars aren't good to play with. granted, it's definitely slower than a heavily modded gs3 with FI (a gs3 with normal FI will probably just as fast, you gotta have higher boost), but imho our cars are so much better to maintain and more reliable

cliffud

iTrader: (3)

I don't know if I understand what you mean here.

You can't see the power gain but it's so much faster? How does that work?

Seat of the pants dyno?


Clifford

Navaz

Think of gear ratios and power @ rpm and you should understand.

D2-AUTOSPORT

This has been discussed quite a few times.

Bottom line, GS4/430 if you want to do light modding (intake, exhaust, gears, etc) and be in the 250-280 rwhp range.

GS300 if you want to go further in the rwhp numbers (280-350 and beyond), while doing more mods.

Its all about you and what type of power/$$$ ratio you prefer! Good luck

ripe911

I prefer stock. Original factory condition.

Maybe in the next major lexus meet someone can let me test drive their modded one and I'll change my mind.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well, that's a common misconception (i had that before too). power numbers mean something, but it doesn't mean everything. with the supra lsd, you have higher gear ratio, that puts you on higher rpm constantly, put you right in power band.

with tc, it spins up the engine higher rpm befor engaging the tranny, also put you on power band. and it make throttle quicker

valve body kit, it makes shifting faster than stock, also makes the car faster

all these stuff, they don't show on the dyno numbers at all

bluelex

don't take this the wrong way but if your asking why do a 300 with FI instead of a 400 with some mods than just get the 400/430....to the basic person a 400/430 with 245 RWHP is enough, get a couple things like say TC 700.00 + 400 install, SRT intake 550.00 + 100.00 install, LSD 1500.00 + 200 install, VBU(valve body upgrade) 1200.00 +400 install= $5050.00 to get about 280RWHP mayb 290RWHP with great TQ and low end power...with about 1K more u can do a simple turbo on a GS3 and have easliy about 300-320RWP....or u can do a for about 2K more a toyomoto supercharger and get a nice smooth 310-320RWP......a lot of people get gs3 cuz they want a nice smooth car with some zip, than they do some boost for great power that the 400's can't match...some people get the 400's cuz they want power from the door and can't wait till later for much more power. it depends on want u really want out of your car in the short term or the long term....good luck

LXOGOOD

Shoot, the only reason why I bought a GS300 was because my monthly payment was almost $200 less than a GS430... That extra $200 goes towards goodies for my GS...

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i know what you aer trying to say adrian, but still keep in mind that the tc, lsd, and vb they almost won't affect the hp numbers at all. with exhaust and intake, maybe you get around 260 at the wheels, but that's about it. the majority of the "added" power from the tc and lsd aren't shown in the dyno at all. maybe a bit tq numbers, but that's about it

and i think to put in a good turbo system, i think 7k is a better number. i think 5k for parts and stuff is pretty standard, and another 2k for installation and tuning that's about right