kevenhang

I have a 2008 IS250AWD and my friend has a 2008 TSX. I already know that the AWD is the slowest model but I needed AWD. If I mod my car with Tanabe exhaust, JoeZ intake and headers would I be able to beat him. I just wanted to know because if i cant with these mods then I rather spend that money on a fabulous kit instead. Thanks

Oh yah and if anyone has this setup please give me some feedback.

llamaboiz

one thing i've noticed about the joez pipe (is250), when you look at the data dont only look at the top end gain, if you look at the midrange gains (where you mostly do your dailydriving at) its absolutely fantastic

Truth is thou, you have a is250, why you looking to 'race', 250 = show rather than go, get coilovers or airrunner/rims/kit

ELL Y

iTrader: (1)

lol
seriously, just be content that your car is much sexier than his =)
hehe.

lexboi250

iTrader: (10)

the 250 is definitly a show factor rather than speed. i bought my car not for speed, but for it's reliability in the winter here in canada. If i was after speed, i'd no doubt spend the extra money and get the 350 instead. maybe my next car, will be either a 350 or the 335i

iialcii

iTrader: (3)

fab kit ftw. Its a 250 like llamaboi said all show! not much space for performance.

IMO the 2is is much sexier than the tsx plus its rwd or awd so thats a plus over fwd.

slam it and get some wheels who cares about if ur going to beat a tsx cause in the end ur car still looks better. If u want speed, buy a civic and do a swap and rebuild im sure u'll leave ur friends tsx in smoke

ur car should be a smoother ride hence the v6 vs inline 4 with vtech

kuuqi

stock wise, the 250 is on par with the TSX (at least on paper). with some springs/coilovers you should be able to outrun him on the corners (chances are you already can since your AWD has great grip).

0-60 wise the 250 awd can hit as low as 7 seconds. someone on youtube did it. the tsx from multiple magazine reviews is rated for 7-8 seconds, on par with the 250. so can you beat him? yes. is your car prettier and sexier? yes. is it worth more? yes. is it a better chassis? yes (TSX uses an accord chassis. not to mention its FWD which isn't as sporty). i could on and on.

go get yourself a joe-z pipe. not whole lot of gain but it's something plus its a good price

cFoo

The TSX is sportier the ride is more firm. You'll be amaze at how smooth the I4 engine is when you get behind one. I've autox both the TSX and IS 250 RWD. Trust me the TSX is no slouch.

Be content that the 250 overall has better packaging. Sportiness and performance goes to the TSX. Don't waste your money trying to chase something your car is not.

deznium

TSX is more fun to drive than the IS250. I've driven both and the TSX is definitely more sportier. On paper, it has FWD, I4 whereas the IS has RWD, V6. When you drive the TSX it's a totally different story. The Engine feels more a like a V6, whereas the one in IS250 feels like an 4 banger. Like the previous dude said, the TSX engine is very smooth for a 4 cylinder, plus you're comparing four huge cylinders in Acura to small 6 cylinders in Lexus. In the end, the response is same but the TSX engine can revv-up and can be a dream to drive. If you're looking for a car to mod, then the TSX is a very good option. With it's elegant lines and exterior, if you can get some nice rims, then you're all set. The car does look very good. It's really a great car and has been named by car and driver's best car for 3 years. Also, there's is virtually no torque steer and steering feel is excellent. With its more understated look, just like the BMW and Audi is more appealing overall. The IS250 is a show-off car. Looks like its gonna fly off but it can hardly beat a Civic/Accord on the road. If you're looking to race or be a champ, then I would trade in or sell the IS250 for a IS350. To me, the IS250 doesn't make sense. It's just a way for Lexus to make some money and the car is not really appreciated by enthusiasts. The IS350 almost made it to car and driver's best, but got defeated to BMW. Anyway, Lexus's real car is the IS350. Get it, you'll love it and you can win all the races on the street.

TSX was car and driver's best in 2004, 2005 and 2006:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_and_Driver_Ten_Best

kevenhang

yah i already know that the TSX is faster thats why I was just wondering if i could match or beat my friends stock TSX with these minor mods. I dont really even want to race thats why i got the AWD too but for some reason people want to race me i dont know why maybe its because i have a red car or something. so far a civic,integra,tsx, and bmw tried to race me!!

cFoo

You nailed it. It's the red car stigma. You can blame the prancing horse for that one.

juice14

Im not sure if the mazzuri headers fit the 250 awd, but if they do that would be a good thing, they gave some impressive numbers on the is250 dynoed. why havnt you gotten the JOEZ pipe yet? is a great bang for the buck is like 100 bucks hehe. do it!!!

or you can just swallow your pride and race him stock. if he beats you by a lot, then go with the appereance mods. if he barely beats you then get JOEZ pipe.

kuuqi

make sure you get the mazzuri headers 2.0 revision. they supposedly work better (as first generations as you can call it have some minor problems). there have a specific header for the awd models which you can use. you should be able to keep up with the tsx stock for stock considering the HP difference is minute though the awd drivetrain has more power loss to the wheels and im sure the car is overall significantly heavier but with proper launch you can beat it or at least keep up.

that being said, mazzuri headers and full exhaust can pump about 230-240hp at crank. with a 15% power loss that's still about 200hp at the wheels. along with a joe z pipe or f-sport exhaust, you can probably get the full 240hp and a bump throughout the powerband (higher average power). this is of course just an approximation but you can look at it that way =]

headers though create CEL's on your dash. through mazzuri, they say your CEL disappears after awhile but i'm a bit skeptical on that since the primary cats are completely removed. but if you have the money and time, you should do it. it'll make you happier. and other AWD owners (such as myself) will love to see the results

"To me, the IS250 doesn't make sense. It's just a way for Lexus to make some money and the car is not really appreciated by enthusiasts"

the 250 makes perfect sense in that it follows suit with the segment. particularly the audi a4 2.0T, MB C300, BMW 328i and in Japan as G25 is available (though I don't know if they use the name G25 as I'm not sure if G35's are still Nissan Skyline 350GT's, they do have the Nissan Skyline G250GT but with this new generation of G's, I'm not sure). All have around 200HP give or take of up to 30hp. It's perfect marketing. Also 250's handle better considering the weight difference. Not by much but it's there.

And within Lexus, if you have an IS250, you can get AWD. If you want more power with AWD, you get a GS350. If you want even more power and AWD, you go toward the LS600hL. Basically you can't get AWD and power without going to the next model/class of cars. Seems more like a marketing move than anything.

In a race the 250 won't beat many cars of the same price range. It'll keep up enough at most. It's more or less a daily driver with a slight sport aspect to it. It's affordable and enough fun on your local hills/mountain roads and enough power for pulling away from traffic. It seems for the price, Lexus spent most of it's money on comfort and luxury rather than sport. In comparsion to a 328i or even a G35, its direct competitors spent more of its money on the engine than anything. For the money, I don't think you can get a better overall car in the same segment except for space.

deznium

The car still doesn't make sense. The germans are all about handling and fine torque. In the same class as well, the BMW has more torque and much quicker acceleration. The thing I don't like about the Lexus is that the exterior of the Lexus IS 250 gives it an aggressive look but it actually is not much faster than a Civic. The german cars overall have a very simple outlook but in reality they're more than that... in the end its not just the HP but the combination of torque, handling, balance etc. which makes a great car. For a $36K, this car is pretty boring slow. If it can't beat a TSX, a 4 cylinder, which is a great example of a great car. Balance between revving engine, low mileage and great handling, even after being a FWD. The IS250 needs to learn from Acura and BMW to make a more balance vehicle in the entry-level segment (I'm talking about IS250, 328, TSX and of the likes), either add more HP and torque for its weight or just not have this car (IS250) and only have the IS 350.

Namster

iTrader: (20)

You don't need any mods to race them. Just let them win now but wait until winter time and race them again...let's see how far the TSX go in snow condition

juice14

I am with you on this one, but as far as in Georgia, more IS250's have been sold (accorging to salespeople in Lexus dealership)