hkgs300

nice!

Actually i have a question about springs myself. Did anyone heard of the brand neuspeed ? i ve heard that its a german brand but are they good? or just as bad as kings? thanks

Neuspeed is not a German brand. It is an US brand that is specialized on Audi and VW products.

Springs are not bad :P

Am looking to get aftermarket springs and found I can get "King" springs which are made here in Aus. If anyone has them on their IS200 could they let me know what they think of them or point me to articles about them.

Cheers

Geoff

There are many more popular and proven springs available.

You can try makes like TRD, Tanabe, V-Maxx, ...

What drop are you looking for?

Can you post any pics of your kit and wiring harness?

did you renewed your brake fluid?

Also, get stainless brake lines.

The spongy feeling is likely caused by too much flex. in the rubber brakelines and/or old brake fluid.

Another option is go for a big brake kit.

You can fit the Supra 4-pot calipers without any modifications, and together with the Supra rotors this will be the cheapest upgrade.

Then you can also fit the TRD bbk. Will significantly improving braking and the brake feeling.

Sorry to hear from your accident.

Happily you are ok.

Perhaps this is the right timing on what to get next ...

Which version are you looking at?

JZS147 (till mid '97)

JZS161 (late '97 - current)

I have a JZS161. The cars are pretty good. Very much troublefree. You need to check if the cam belt has been changed according to service schedule and check the lower balljoints, these need to be replaced after 3-4 years.

probably there is some condensation/ bad electronic contacts?

Try to take it out and clean it.

NZD2500

What are they replacing?

The entire car?

way too expensive. You can buy an entire set of new coilovers and fly them in to New Zealand.

BTW how much are the shift knobs?

I have seen Altezza with this shift knob.

Looks soooo cool.

Kings are heat formed so that are a piece of *BLEEP*...

Matt :)

Heat formed springs? ;)

These type of springs are not lasting long.

Heat formed springs are not holding its spring charge, so they will drop the car lower and lower

No problem though if you think that your car is not lowered enough

I have Apexi WS coilovers, and these are great. Good handling and good comfort.

Springs ... errr. some of my IS200 friends in Europe are using V-Maxx springs, and they like them :lol:.

Any V-Maxx users NZ <_<

One of my friends is considering eyelids and is wondering how they look in real life.

Any pics or comments? Where can he get them?

Splitfire is a grounding kit.

Congrats with the Apexi N1 coilovers. Although these are illegal in New Zealand, these will dramatically improve the ride of the car (and make it much stiffer and uncomfortable ) The good thing is that you can adjust the height ride of your car.

The most popular sways for the Altezza are the TRD and the Cusco sways.

I think that they are priced similary.

if you want comfort then you should not go for the Hipermax II. These are semi-racing. You can check the spring rates. They have relatively stiff springs. So should consider HKS LS or LS+. These are also much cheaper. The LS+ also has like 30 ways adjustment. The LS+ is also new (like introduced 3 - 6 months ago). It was a reaction to the fact that the Hipemax II was not doing well in Asia. For people who wanted comfort it offered a relatively poor comfort/price ratio but people who wanted a racy feeling, people went for other brands. By the way, HKS is not famous for its coilovers, but more for its accessoires, like turbo booster, oil temp, ...

http://www.hks-power.co.jp/products/suspen...sp_image_02.jpg

Concerning the LS and LS+ these are more comfortable and also less expensive. Or go for the Apexi World Sport. I have them on my GS300. I have 18s and the ride is excellent, very comfortable, but will good handling. They are relatively cheap, cheaper than the HKS LS. Or, go for the C-One. THe C-One is about the same price as the LS+, but C-One is considered as a much higher brand than HKS, they are like the big brother of TRD. You normally only see them in Japan, since C-One does not market its products actively outside Japan.

Brands like Cusco and Zeal/Endless, GAB, Tanabe are too racy and do not offer good comfort. Tein is also a very popular choice in the US, but the prices I have seen in Hong Kong for Tein are too expensive compared to the other brands. If you are looking for Tein, then you can consider Tein CS and Tein Flex. Tein HA are too hard/stiff. Some shops here sell some used Tein HA, but the HK roads are considered to be too bad for the HA and most people do not like them.

(copied it from my previous reply :) )

and put in a better air filter (HKS?).

Also, a really dumb question, but how do I identify the std air filter from a performance or aftermarket one? I installed a performance one (a sponge jobby) in my previous car (Subaru Legacy GT), replacing an obviously paper one. .

If you want to install an intake, I would recommend the Trust/Greddy intake for the Altezza :)

Not sure about the cost, other people will know better than me.

nice to see more people with a GS or Aristo :)

Sorry, don't have my old grille anymore.

Perhaps Matt aka LsportlineIS300 can help you get another one for cheap.

What mesh grille are you looking for?

My current grille comes with a mesh (that I removed)

I used to have a carbon fiber mesh grille that looks like the TRD grille. I do not have any good pics anymore. I know that there are also mesh grilles that need to be painted.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune.

The reason why the front was damaged that much, is because of the towbar.

The front of the car is designed to give max. protection to the car passengers, so it absorbed all the ipact.

Did you have an IS or an Altezza? It looks to me to be an IS?

Probably you only need to replace your hood, fenders, grille, frontbumper, radiator,...

Since the damage was done by a towbar, i am convinced that no structural damage was caused.

Just see it from the sunny side. Now you can get that CF hood, bodykit, sport grille, ...

Let us know if you need our help.

I believe that the engine of the RS200 is stronger than the AS200. Also, since the RS200 is a 4-cylinder and the the AS200 is an 6-cylinder, so i expect that maintenance for the RS200 is probably easier and cheaper.

Just be lucky that you can pick the RS200 over the AS200. Many people who want to get an RS200 do not get that option

A NA car will run much smoother than a turbo car and does not have the TURBO lag.

Also fuel consumption will be much better on a NA.

However, if you really want a turbo, you can do that as well. The Altezza is a very popular car in Japan, so a lot of very high-quality tuning products can be get.