RoRo

A shot to show that the IS does play nice with the 335



You know me, so the 335 has already been to the dyno and to the drag strip:




And just in case those #'s are hard to see, the baseline dyno was 285.75 hp/286.69 tq on the 4th gear run and 291.61hp/299.21 tq on the 5th gear run. You can see that I hit the top speed limiter on the 5th gear run and that is why the curve dies off.

The best 1/4 run so far has been 13.733@104. I've been to the drag strip twice and haven't managed to get a single clean run in. I'm either spinning right off the line or chirping the tires going from 2nd to 3rd. I went this last Wednesday and it was a complete waste of time because I couldn't get out of the 14s. The track kept getting shut down and then to top it all off, it started raining at the end.

This car feels much faster then the IS350 did stock. Although the great suspension and overall driveability that everyone brags about with this car doesn't seem to be there, at least for me. Maybe, I'm used to how the IS handles with the 19s, lowering springs, and strut tower bars. But the 335 seems to be floaty at times.

Head to head with the IS I noticed a few differences or should I say little quirks from each one. Stock for stock, it seems the IS comes with more features then the 335. The 335 has better stock seats that allow you to tighten up the sides with air. The IS steering wheel pushes forward and moves up and down easier then the 335. The 335 comes standard with the headlights that move as you enter a turn and of course the "angel eyes". The side mirrors look out of place on the IS, they are freaking huge.

I plan on eventually upgrading the internals and turbochargers on this car. I know they already make a flash for the ECU that nets 65 hp at the wheels, but i'm holding off for now.

I'm still going to be modifying the IS350. It is currently in my garage and I'm waiting on picking up a few things before taking it to a shop to get everything put in. It will be a "monster" as a fellow IS owner put it when it is finished.

For all of you cats in the midwest. The RORO family will be joining you very soon. We're selling our house down here in south Florida and will be buying a house in O'Fallon, IL. I can't wait to make the move because i've been tired of the overall environment of south FL for a couple years now.

One last shot of the current stable of cars in the RORO household:



As always, all comments, both good and bad, are welcomed.

Seize

Nice rides fellaz

Cornellian

RoRo, long time on the forum! eh?

Nice rides man, both of 'em!!

How do you feel about the OVERALL ride in stock IS and 335i??? I know you mentioned some stuff about it but, it would be nice to see some more in depth analysis......

TorontoIS

Here is my other ride....obviously not a car.

cajunboy

Nice stable and great review on both cars. Please keep us updated on the is350 project. Do you plan on getting the ISF in the future? if so, please give us a review on that also.

RoRo

I do not plan on getting the ISF in the future. I think i'll be busy with my current stable for quite a few years.

PIMP 350- it's hard to write about what my observations were with the stock IS because it's been so long since it has been completely stock. I think I had modified mine in less than a week, and then a month into owning it I drove it out to Cali to LMS and they did their thing on it. My IS is far from stock, but I never remember it feeling "floaty" like my 335 does, especially at speed.

combfilter

iTrader: (3)

RoRo. I noticed the same floaty feeling about the 335i. I was about to buy one, but went with the IS instead. I felt that was was nicer inside. I did not like the dash and ergonomics of the 335i. It was fast as **** though.

Hey. You haven't updated your thread about your supercharger in awhile. Last I remember is that you were looking for the right size belt?

IS_250

iTrader: (2)

First off, how the heck did this turn into a "showoff" my other toys thread?

RoRo, thanks for giving us the unbiased review. It great to see someone have both the 335i and the 350 and can give us a real world comparison. Usually its a BMW vs Lexus pissing contest on most forums. Can you give us an update on your 350 and what its putting down these days? congrats on the new purchase...

RoRo

SMGIS250 did kind of jack my thread, but it's all good. I would hope he would have the decency and do me a favor and remove his pictures and start another thread if he wants to about the skyline. It's not nice to jack someone else's thread with tons of pictures of your car unless they ask for it, just for your daily dose of forum etiquette.

I forgot to mention in the quirks section about the push button start on the 335. You still have to put that key fob into the dash and then you can push the button to start the car, it kind of defeats the purpose for me at least. Oh yeah, the passenger side view mirror aims towards the ground when you're backing up. I also like that the IS has found room for a sunglasses holder, but the 335 does not. The 335 also has a 1 touch switch that fully opens the sunroof unlike the turn dial on the IS. I don't like the white lights at your feet in the IS. I am constantly moving my feet around to hit the brakes or whatever when i'm driving and at night the reflection is just in front of my driver side rear view mirror. I am constantly catching a glimpse of the reflection of my feet from this light and it makes me think there is a car right there in my blind spot. More than once, i've given the "oh crap" quick head movement to the side to make sure there was no car there because of that light.

krookid

You just have to put the mirror switch in the nuetral position, it will stop the mirror from tilting when reversing (335), also if you just press the dial in instead of twisting (IS350) it will open the roof all the way up, press it in again and it will close it all the way as well.

BottomsUp

Yeah that is a very nice feature. Quick tap with the back of my hand and its open

RoRo

I knew about this feature, I was merely pointing out the difference between the IS and the 335. The 335's switch is more like a window up/down switch versus the dial on the IS.

javyLSU

iTrader: (21)

Congrats on the purchase, RoRo!!! I wouldn't mind having a 335, just to play with... that XEDE piggyback makes me drool. Keep us updated on your experiments and mods! By the way, whats the latest on the IS? Any new plans or modifications?

Oh, and if you ever need an extra driver to do some heads-up racing, let me know!!!

Javier

tmf2004

iTrader: (15)

Nice Cars RoRo.. Any full shots of the IS..

Wai

Nice rides.

Welcome to IL. If you ever want to go to any track events, IL is one of the best places you could be:

Road America
Autobahn Country Club
Putnam Park
Gingerman
Grattan
Mid Ohio
Blackhawk
Gateway

All within a reasonable driving distance.