NCGS300

All,

I recently acquired a 99 GS300. I would like to purchase a turbo kit, but have no clue who sells the best for the money. It's going to be a daily driver so I can't see needing more than 300-400/hp. Since most of you are guru's I find it easier to ask the pro's. Any ideas/links?

Thanks for your time,
Eric

MurdaInc

I just currently just purchased a 00 gs300 and want to boost it also...im considering just doing a 2jz supra TT swap..wit the amount of miles on my car (100k)i want it to be more realiable..

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

Nobody really makes a kit for the GS. You could buy an IS300 kit and modify a few parts to fit the GS. Keep in mind, the GS is a very expensive car to boost if you don't know how to do ALL the work yourself. Personally, I've spent about $8000 to get my car to run in the 600rwhp range. Keep in mind I fabricated parts, put everything together, and install everything myself. If you took it to a shop, it will easily be double that to get to 600hp level just due to the amount of labor involved.

Basically here it is laid out for you:
Option 1: Buy a basic turbo kit for the IS300 $5500. Take it to a shop to install the kit for you $1500(includes modifying the IS parts to fit, installing the kit itself, and upgrading headgasket). Then you will need a valve body upgrade for the transmission which costs about $700ish including installation. So there's a total of about $7500-8000 or so for a basic kit running about 400rwhp range. Final costs may be more if the shop charges a higher labor rate. $1500 is pretty much as cheap as any shop will do this kind of work for. It's quite a bit of work.

Option 2: Buy a used 2JZ-GTE VVTi engine that's in good condition $3500. $2-3g's or so for a shop to drop it in(includes fabrication of stuff here and there and wiring it all up). Then at this point you're still just running the factory turbochargers which max out at about 375-400rwhp. Total spent here is about $6-7g or so. Final cost may be more depending on how much the shop charges you to drop in the motor.

The decision is up to you if it's worth boosting. If you want decent and RELIABLE power output, then spending money is the only way. This isn't like a DSM where you can just slap 1-2g into it and be running 400hp range.

bighitbike

Jeff you forgot Option 3! It's what you did, and what I was going to do.

Just build your own kit man, it's not that hard at all and just needs a bit of fabrication for the IC piping. I had a full kit laid out for 2700 that would put me at around 300 RWHP at 7-8PSI

mex lex

iTrader: (4)

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but if I do go boost in the future, I'd go for around 7-8 psi, like you mentioned. Something basic, not like your setup Jeff, although it would be nice . My question is would I need the valvebody upgrade for 300rwhp? If so, on average, how long do our transmissions hold up without the vb before they give in?

jriggs

quick question for JeffTsai and probably bighitbike did the is300 manifold need to be modified to fit the gs300?
if it doesn't need to be modified can you direct me to somewhere to pic one up?

other than some more fuel things its the last thing i need before being able to run super low boost. i can't tell if it will create clearance issues or not from the pictures i've seen

and dito on mEx_lEx 's question about the vb's? where is the 'minimum safe' boost level before that becomes a must?

thanks
-james

bighitbike

You don't need to modify an IS300 mani to fit the GS. an XSPower mani will do just fine. Just go on clubna-t.com and ask Mark for one. That's what Jeff is using and what I was going to use.

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

Well, I was actually speaking from the point of view as in someone that was just gonna buy the stuff and drop it off at a shop...not a DIY'er. Yes, the $2-3g turbo kit setup like mine and what you were planning can be done for that much money. IF and only IF you do all the fab work and install everything yourself. If you take that XS kit up to a shop to install...they are gonna charge an arm and a leg for custom fabrication/installation of the kit. It's far different to have a pretty much ready to go bolt on kit VS building one up from scratch.

And for the guys asking about the XS kit. Yes the manifold and downpipe fits perfectly. You should be fine with the stock fuel system if you keep it around 5-6psi or so. At 5-6psi you are probably going to be sitting at around the 275rwhp range or so. That's well within the safe limit for the stock tranny.

As for the max power holding level, I'm running close to 400hp with zero transmission upgrades...not even a tranny cooler lol. It slips at times but for the most part it holds up very strong. I doubt the transmission is going to last long under my power levels and driving style though lol. If you drive "sane", ease into boost, don't slam every gear, and don't go full throttle every light or two...then I'd say the stock transmission can hold good power up to about 350hp with no upgrades for quite a while. Just make sure you run some good transmission fluid. I have Amsoil synthetic ATF in there right now and it holds up FAR better than the factory Toyota T-IV fluid.

kit cat

iTrader: (6)

I was for sure you had some kind of upgrade or cooler!

SUPRA OWNER

drive one first. Our tranny is the weak link in our car, so we have to do some upgrade to it. Valvebody and a Tranny cooler is the minimum, Clutch packs and Sprag gear for 500RWHP and up. However, when you do these mods to your car that lexus feeling is gone. Forget about driving clients around in your car, prepare for hard gear shift, fuel smell, check engine light on. This is O.K when racing however, what happens when you are just cruising around with the wife and the kids? It becomes annoying. For those that claim they want only 275 to 300rwhp what is the sense? Just buy a GS400 and enjoy that power with no headaches. Trust me a GS300 at 275 or 300rwhp is not that fast when it comes to racing. A GS300 needs atleast 400rwhp to do damage on the street due to its weight.
Later, Jose

mex lex

iTrader: (4)

I figure I would be ok with the bolt ons, i/h/e & safc and be at around 200 rwhp but I figured a low boost setup would be more worth it than the bolt ons. But then again, I don't race on the street and I doubt I would even if I did have 400 rwhp. I am just looking to get more power out of my GS for the occasional gas pedal push. Maybe even go to a track once in a while and whip it around some corners. Perhaps I'll just keep the boost dream alive for sometime in the future

SUPRA OWNER

207 rwhp. Is it really worth it? When I was N/A I was happy beating maximas and 3.5 altimas and the first generation of the g35 sedans. I got spanked by g35 coupes and beat by Altima ser. Thats about the only cars you will be beating that is worth talking about. Now for a low boost application 7 to 9 psi, you might make around 300rwhp. Yes that is much better than a n/a application. You will toy with the cars that I mentioned above, but trust me you will be beat by some stock cars.
Later, Jose

mex lex

iTrader: (4)

Maybe I am just better off staying NA with the bolt ons and maybe like two years from now go boost. I just spent my money on something new and I have no funds for turbo. But like I said, a year or two from now I'll have to go boost b/c every year, new cars come out with more and more power and I gotta atleast keep up with them .

BTW, 207 rwhp isn't bad for bolt ons. What i/h/e did you have? Did you have any fuel management with that setup?

ElitistK

iTrader: (4)

what you spend on bolt-ons will eventually exceed the cost of a turbo kit. There are a couple of members on there with $3k worth of bolt-ons and all of them wished that they went FI even though it's more work.

mex lex

iTrader: (4)

Yea I know bolt ons can add up to almost the cost of a turbo kit but I have spent less than $1000 on my bolt ons ( not including exhaust b/c I'll have that whether I am boost or NA). I do not plan to spend no where near $3K on bolt ons, unless I go nitrous (not sure if it qualifies as bolt on ).