Tempted To Buy Lexus Sc300/400 As 2nd Car For Drift

[HelgaTheS80]

Well, after a very long and futile attempt, I'm not going to do any more to my s80. I've just decided it's not worth putting any more effort into trying to make a car something it was never designed to be in the first place.

I'm definately going to add in eibach lowering springs, mabye ipd swap bars and give the bushings poly, but that's it. Going to leave it as a nice handling daily driver for commuting.

Anyways, which leads me to my next endeavor:

My dad has an 07 es 350 he got in January. Absolutely love it. Absoutely love Lexus now for that matter.

For the longest time I've drooled over the lexus sc300 and 400 as one of my dream cars I'd like to own. I just think the lines and the looks of them are just outstanding. I'd take this car over a toyota supra any day.

Herein lies my next quest: I've decided to take the plunge for a good candidate sc to make into a track car. I figure it's wise to just have one car dedicated to being reliable and the other for performance only.

Only problem is: which one...the sc300 or the sc400? Both cars are physically identical, except for 2 different powerplants. The 300 has a 1jz lexus inline 6 in it. People over at club lexus say that the lexus block can be mildly built to handle 400 hp with a single turbo, which I think is stout enough. However...a lot of guys are doing the 5 speed manual 2jz turbo engine swap from either a USDM or a JDM supra into these cars. They can make the big power numbers like the supra guys do with these engines...and they just bolt right in.

But then there's the 400 which has a 1UZ-FE 4 liter four cam V8 in it. Not really any aftermarket for the engine, but I've heard the motor uncorket and it's HEAVENLY. And the mean factor of a lexus with a growling v8 blows my mine. But still, a lack of any serious power upgrades concerns me. If I get one I'd wanna mod it. Npothing crazy, just a mild jump over stock.

So if anybody even cares, whick should I get? the v6 or the v8? I can make more power with the 1jz or the 2jz but I dunno.

Pics of what the car looks like to give you an idea:

Peace B)

[c70turbo5]

i say find a good 2jz motor for the car.... but if your drifting you should really be worried about what suspension your gonna run. what you need to do is get the car, build the suspension, upgrade the brakes and learn with just those basic things

edit- wasn't it you only two or three weeks ago that wrote like a page about how much you loved your volvo? i thought so... what you need to learn is that this is such a great community is because it takes car tuning back to it's roots. we can't just flip open a magazine and have every thing we could ever think of for our cars... yes its frustrating at times but it takes innovation and creativity, everyones car on here is a reflection of themselves... everyone that wants to be different here has to fabricate and try new things and ideas... thats what is great about owning a volvo... You want an idea of what to do with your s80? buy some wheel adapters, flare the fenders for some deep dish 19"s and drop it on airbags VIP style. but since your want an easy route... ........throw some pegs on it and call it a day :lol:

[Kibim]

Drifting isn't all about power. If you're making a track car to race, then stick to FIA regs, if you're making a car to drift, work the suspention. V8 drifter ... that'd be wicked. The torque will break traction for you... As i said, you don't need huge power for drifting. I drift my 125cc cart.

[Spoony]

edit- wasn't it you only two or three weeks ago that wrote like a page about how much you loved your volvo? i thought so... what you need to learn is that this is such a great community is because it takes car tuning back to it's roots. we can't just flip open a magazine and have every thing we could ever think of for our cars... yes its frustrating at times but it takes innovation and creativity, everyones car on here is a reflection of themselves... everyone that wants to be different here has to fabricate and try new things and ideas... thats what is great about owning a volvo... You want an idea of what to do with your s80? buy some wheel adapters, flare the fenders for some deep dish 19"s and drop it on airbags VIP style. but since your want an easy route... ........throw some pegs on it and call it a day

No offense but he was asking about a drifting project. He still enjoys his S80 but it would be very difficult to use an S80 for that kind of racing style. The S80 is somewhat like the black sheep of the volvo tuning world. He's already purchased rims and he's planning on some suspension pieces but he realizes it won't get much further then that. Maybe if he had an endless budget then the topic would look similar to "how to make an S80 drift ready". But, the topic was clearly started to ask about an SC300/400.

He never claimed to want to mount pegs on his S80. Slamming his S80 with some 19" deep dish also wouldn't solve his problem.

Back on subject, I agree with Kibim. You don't need all the power in the world to make a car sideways. I'd pick up an SC300, perform all the necessary suspension modifications and slightly tinker with the 1JZ. Once you get a hold of drifting, move on to a 2JZ if you really need it.

[RvolvoR]

see www.lextreme.com

[wmartinlsmith]

my .02 cents

if your gonna make a dedicated track car you need it to be light, powerful with a good suspension. so my suggestion would be to find one that has a bad motor or tranny, buy it on the cheap and gut it.... put a +t 2jz supra motor with a solid transmission and do a nice tein or progress coilover/track setup and you will be 1/2 way there.... or choose a car with "easier tuning options" like a nissan z, 240, or skyline.... toyota corrola, or supra.

or do a v.i.p. treatment to your car....

[HelgaTheS80]

No offense but he was asking about a drifting project. He still enjoys his S80 but it would be very difficult to use an S80 for that kind of racing style. The S80 is somewhat like the black sheep of the volvo tuning world. He's already purchased rims and he's planning on some suspension pieces but he realizes it won't get much further then that. Maybe if he had an endless budget then the topic would look similar to "how to make an S80 drift ready". But, the topic was clearly started to ask about an SC300/400.

He never claimed to want to mount pegs on his S80. Slamming his S80 with some 19" deep dish also wouldn't solve his problem.

Back on subject, I agree with Kibim. You don't need all the power in the world to make a car sideways. I'd pick up an SC300, perform all the necessary suspension modifications and slightly tinker with the 1JZ. Once you get a hold of drifting, move on to a 2JZ if you really need it.

Yeah. EXACTLY!

Don't get me wrong guys, I LOVE my s80. Always have, always will...and I plan on keeping it for a long time. Hopefully for another 100k miles or until the engine says otherwise. But I've realized I can't make a car try and do something it wasn't supposed to do in the first place. And this car is my lifeline. I cannot afford it to be not running right. I want to leave it as is so it's reliable daily transport for me to go to work and school. I mean, at least I've done my best to do some decent appearance mods to it so it's not a boing looking car at the stoplight at least.

First off, the tranny in my car is useless. I have the 46ETV (or whatever) GM trans that literally cannot hold any power at all. And my trans is starting to show minor problems already to adding power to it would only multiply that problem...even if I had the tranny built. Second, it's front wheel drive. I could have 500 horsepower if I wanted to if I was daddy warbucks, but I'm not. And even if I did it would be a futile attempt because IMO even if I make all this power, I still have a 2 ton car...plus all I'd be doing is shredding the front tires to pieces by it not being able to put the power to the ground. Third, this car is just too nice to try and make a racer out of it! I mean, it's the BEST car I've ever owned, and the most luxurious for that matter! I need to enjoy it for what it is. Modding the suspension and lowering it is definately one more thing I'm gonna do and then be done putting money into it. Also, the fact that this car has depreciated so badly also makes me feel it's a dumb idea to put any money into the car I'd never get back should I ever have to sell. And to add to that, who would even want a hotrod s80? i DOUBT I'd even be able to sell it at that point.

I'm a 19 year old kid who's going to school and has a part time job that pays a $8.50 an hour. So that's a preventing factor as well. I realize I am better off working with a car that has the aftermarket, readily avaliable parts, and a platform designed for such civilized hooliganism . And because I have a job that only pays 8.50 an hour for the time being, even getting an sc300 or 400 is going to take me several months if not close to a year.

oh and edit: I don't like Pegasus Rims!!!

[Mogatu'r]

Go for it... It's a project that I'd most likely start next year, any Lexus + 1jz or 2jz= HAWTNESS!!

[BlackT5]

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1800430

[Plan_B]

I have owned 3 Lexus (gs300) all were awesome cars.

DO IT!

[TorqueSteer]

Very smart idea to ditch the s80 performance wise, the SC is one of my favorite cars when done right (painted quicksilver, with blue HID projectors, slammed on deep dish rims.) Id go with the 6 cylinder and single turbo, find a good Japanese shop to build it up. I have the May 2007 issue of Modified Magazine in front of me where they feature a turbo SC300. According to the article, the JDM Soarer came with the turbo 2.5 liter 1JZ-GTE, wheras the American Sc300 came with a 2JZ-GE.

[BlackT5]

I have the May 2007 issue of Modified Magazine in front of me where they feature a turbo SC300.

See my link above

[maxx999]

look for a lexus/toyota soarer they are the same as the sc400 4 ltr v8 but also come in 2.5ltr twin turbo. i'd go with the v8, throw a blower on it get it upto 240kw's of power.

http://planetsoarer.com/indexfull.html

its kinda like volvospeed. good luck man B)

[wmartinlsmith]

See my link above

thats the fuckin sex..... mmmmmmm

[ACBarnett]

SC300/400's are way overplayed, everyone has one

you live in cali, right? get an imported toyota aristo turbo, those things are cheap, and you can register it with tags from a GS300 which are dirt cheap

they are meaner looking than the SC's, ride on the exact same platform/weigh around the same, and they have 2JZ-GTE's stock