Hello All!!

I just bought a 97 SC300 (platinum silver) w/75000miles on it and am very excited to join this forum!

It has pretty much all the options (CD, Keyless, spoiler, chrome wheels, books and records).

Now, questions.

1. I am thinking of upgrading the wheels to the new SC430 18 wheels or IS300 wheels. Would these rims fit my car??

2. My current audio is just a factory (not Nakamichi) and they sound really crappy. Is my audio malfunctioning or is this normal?? All speakers work fine.

3. Front brake pads must be replaced. Do you guys recommend original Toyota parts or aftermarket ones are fine??

Thanks so much for your help, guys. I will post pictures of my SC soon. Hope to see you guys more often!

 

Welcome to the forums!! You'll find out all sorts of good stuff here on this site!

I have a 92 SC400 and I have the stock pioneer system and it doesn't sound crappy at all. You might want to check to see if the speakers blew out or something.

Ehh...I'm unsure if the price you bought it for was decent or not, I bought mine like 4 years ago for $16 so I think your 97 for $17 is a good deal. The other people on this forum will help you with the pad issue also...I'd just use the stock ones again.

Tony

 

thanks for the reply, acleansc

how can i check if any of the speakers blew out? i put my hand on each of them (while playing) and i could feel vibrations on each of them. maybe a problem with my amp??

another question. i will try those HID-look light bulbs (read some threads on here and decided to get sylvania ones first because they are cheap).
1. how many bulbs to replace including fog lights??
2. do you guys know the bulb numbers for each??
3. is it DIY-able or should i have my dealer do it? any diagram or pictures would definitely help!

thanks so much!

 

Welcome to the Lexus SC300/400 Forum. Here are answers to a few of you questions.

$17K is about right for you car according to most internet sights. A lot depends on condition. In March I paid a little more for a 97 with 63K miles and a 5 speed.

There is a pair of SC430 18" wheels on ebay. The starting bid is $1,000.

I am going to upgrade my brake pads, and change the break lines to stainless steel.

 

Well, as far as NY goes, $17,000 is definitely a good price, matter of fact if it was in really great shape I would have bought it. The best low-buck lighting upgrade is to fit 9005 bulbs into the 9006 low beam location, but the Sylvania SilverStarorwhateveritscalled or the Koito's work well, Manaray can provide you more info on these. Real HID kits are very affordable these days though. You may have popped a spkr or two, they're only crappy 4" paper drivers, take a look at them and see how they are. You'll love the jump from 16's to 18's, but most feel that those disc-style SC430 rims are pretty fugly, but if you like 'em, that's all that counts, do watcha like. I think a staggered setup is perfect for these cars, check into it. Choosing pads involves alot of factors, don't let someone recommend pads to you because they liked them, depends on what kind of driving you do, if dust is an issue, durability, cost, pads make a biiig difference, do your homework before buying. Tony, sounds like you got a deal, I paid thousands more than you, and thousands more than he paid for this 97 as well.
- Jon

 

thanks guys!!

so the SC430 wheels and IS300 wheels will fit my SC?

my car is in near mint condition. I think I got a decent deal after all. I am very happy with my purchase.

 

Please don't do it. It looks bad with these rims. SC430 rims are ugly and IS300 are too small. If you want to get something cheap get Supra TT rims. They fit perfectly and they're sport oriented since the rear rims are 9.5" wide while the front rims are 8" wide. It would look pretty good with them especally that you have a silver car.

 

The IS rims are only 7" wide, only .5" more than your existing rolling stock. Direct, I may be wrong, but aren't the Supra rims 17x8.5" front and 17x9.5" rear? Gonna go outside and measure yours? Sphere, the MKIV rims are definitely a great great bang for your buck.
- LL

 

I don't know, measuring them would be kind of hard plus I am rebuilding my brakes right now. I just put on them rotor shields. Boy these things look cool with the fins. I'll ask Jeff about the rims. He should know.

 

$17k sounds about right. The SC430 wheels are gross-looking, and the IS300 wheels are too small for the upgrade price you're paying. Look into more aftermarket wheel companies because there are waaaaay better designs out there. All stock sound systems are somewhat crappy sounding, but you probably have blown drivers because the Lexus stockers are not crappy sounding by OEM standards. All speakers do vibrate, so that feeling your experienced means nothing. If you're not into expensive performanc mods, just keep replacing the pads with Toyota pads, otherwise now might be a good time to put in some performance brake rigs (Supra TT brake upgrade!).

 

I just checked. It says 17x8 for the front and 17x9 1/2 in the rear.

Chris

PS. Smashed my finger against the brake while the rim was spinning. !@#$ it hurts!

 

Hey Sphereman:

I got a ' 97 SC3 w/ the 17in chrome IS300 wheels on it. They fit perfectly and look great. I especially like the fact that they look "factory". If you want to buy a set for cheap, there is guy who sells them all the time on Ebay. Doods name is Charlie. He sold me the rims and new Goodyear Eagles for $1436 (including shipping!). PM me if you need any more info.

Peace

 

I'm ordering a set of TT rims tomorrow, getting them through a local wheel repair guy (he's a genius, can make the goriest bent-up rims whole again) who will order them from a CA takeoff dealer and will guarantee them to be in good shape and will refurb 'em if they aren't - $875 for the staggered set plus freight. And I just looked at that cloth-seat SC3 on Ebay that's mentioned in another thread, and I'll bet the center caps off those wheels will fit the TT wheels.

I think this will be great bang for the buck - the wheels look good on my silver spruce car (Thank U Futuregs for the Photoshop composite! That's what convinced me), they are exactly the right 50mm offset, and they will fit over TT front brakes if I decide to upgrade - if I do, I will need a TT steelie (or another 17x8 alloy)for the spare since the stock spare won't fit over the bigger calipers.

And I think the TT wheels are available in chrome too, if you prefer that - - <edit>yeah, I just saw 'em on the sig two posts up, duh, I'm blind tonight -

 

here's that composite Futuregs did for me - -

 

There are some chrome Supra TT wheels on ebay for $306 a set right now. Some curb rash and chrome peeling though. For $300, I think it's worth it (not with shipping though). I need new tires soon and this is a better alternative to new tires, at least until I can afford bigger wheels. I'm the current high bidder on item, but have a look...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...tem=1849632773