Chin's build thread
#63
Game over. I never thought I would say this, but I am selling my car. I am removing all the aftermarket parts and selling it stock. Everything aftermarket will be in the appropriate sections in the next couple of days... brand new set of HRE 19's, L-Tuned sides, L-Sportline front & rear, Tanabe Medallion Touring exhaust, everything...
#64
OK, I came back to my senses. Sold the Audi (It just never felt right... except for the power & torque) Interior felt cold & cramped... hard to explain, but the Lexus interior feels as if you are home, the Audi interior felt like you were in a low budget hotel... I just couldn't get comfortable in there. Seats were hard, ergonomics were off, climate control layout is silly, Audi uses a rubberized paint on all the switches and some trim panels, which always flakes off and looks like sh&t after a few years... My OCD wouldn't allow me to keep the car. The Audi did solidify one thing for me though... a turbo and/or engine swap is mandatory in the GS300... 400+ horsepower in the GS300 will feel amazing because 340+ horsepower in the Audi feels great...
Small update. Ordered my suspension today. Decided to go with some discontinued Bilstein PSS's. I don't need to go super low, the Bilstein's have a lifetime warranty (never have to pay to get them rebuilt is incredible...) and I wanted my suspension designed, manufactured, and serviced by a real suspension company and not some guys who paint the same coils a bunch of different colors, slap on a few different stickers, and come up with a bunch of different names for the same generic low budget coils... To top it all off, everyone I have spoken to had nothing but good things to say about the Bilstein's...
I also switched out my exhaust. I had the Tanabe Medallion Touring and went with the Fujitsubo Legalis. The reason why I switched was purely cosmetic. The Fujitsubo tips are slightly longer and bend slightly upwards. It fits the L-Sportline rear perfectly in my opinion, the Tanabe was a little too short and got lost inside the bumper opening. The Fujitsubo is super quiet, quieter than the Tanabe. Quality on both is great, I would give Tanabe the slight edge on build quality though... nicer welds, tips are double wall design but the single wall Fujitsubo tips are actually growing on me. The Tanabe looks more refined, the Fujitsubo looks more sporty/aggressive. Can't go wrong with either exhaust.
After my suspension comes in next week, things should go pretty quickly. I already have my wheels, need to get tires, order some replacement bumper trims, working on getting some Brembo's and that will be it for the exterior... engine next...
Small update. Ordered my suspension today. Decided to go with some discontinued Bilstein PSS's. I don't need to go super low, the Bilstein's have a lifetime warranty (never have to pay to get them rebuilt is incredible...) and I wanted my suspension designed, manufactured, and serviced by a real suspension company and not some guys who paint the same coils a bunch of different colors, slap on a few different stickers, and come up with a bunch of different names for the same generic low budget coils... To top it all off, everyone I have spoken to had nothing but good things to say about the Bilstein's...
I also switched out my exhaust. I had the Tanabe Medallion Touring and went with the Fujitsubo Legalis. The reason why I switched was purely cosmetic. The Fujitsubo tips are slightly longer and bend slightly upwards. It fits the L-Sportline rear perfectly in my opinion, the Tanabe was a little too short and got lost inside the bumper opening. The Fujitsubo is super quiet, quieter than the Tanabe. Quality on both is great, I would give Tanabe the slight edge on build quality though... nicer welds, tips are double wall design but the single wall Fujitsubo tips are actually growing on me. The Tanabe looks more refined, the Fujitsubo looks more sporty/aggressive. Can't go wrong with either exhaust.
After my suspension comes in next week, things should go pretty quickly. I already have my wheels, need to get tires, order some replacement bumper trims, working on getting some Brembo's and that will be it for the exterior... engine next...
#68
Bilsteins's are on. Couldn't be happier with the ride height. It's exactly where I wanted it. Coils are at their lowest setting and the lowest setting happens to be exactly where I want them to be. I've only driven on them for about 10 miles, just finished up the install. The difference is night and day. 3 of my OEM struts were on their way out and 1 was completely blown. I'll post some better pics later, the shadow in the wheel well makes it hard to see the exact drop. I'll test fit my wheels & order tires in the next couple of days. May have to roll & cut the fenders & quarters... we'll see...
Last edited by Chin; 06-07-12 at 07:32 PM.
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