Hey guys, my friend is looking to get a 05 blk is300 from his cousin later this year. but he wants to start saving for some mod's now so he can get it looking all sexy right away. mainly he wanted to do cosmetic upgrades (no turbo =(). so i wanted to him him out by finding some price ranges and parts he should be looking for. so mainly body kits, drop and maybe a exhaust. i wish i knew more about the 1IS's =/ but any help and sugestions u guys could give would be great =).

btw he didnt wana spend too much, he was hopeing for 3k every thing installed =/. not counting rims, he figure's that way outa the budget for now

 

There are many upgrades that you can do to these cars and man price ranges that you can shop in.

Body: If your friend plans on purchasing a new kit of some sort then I would plan on spending a minimum of $1500.00 on parts. If he is willing to purchase used parts then he will spend much less than that provided he is patient.

Drop: As far as drop goes you can spend anywhere from $200 for springs to $2500.00 for a great set of coilovers.

Exhaust: Again he can spend anywhere from $300 to whatever depending on what he wants in an exhaust.

My advice is to help him spend his money wisely, you get what you pay for. Do some research additional research and jump on as many deals as you possibly can.

 

There is nothing wrong with starting on suspension first. A nice set of coilovers is the way to go, but if that is out of your price range, a simple shock and spring combo will do with the lack of ride height adjustability. I say a set of Tein basic coilovers go for around $800. You will not be dissappointed. You can also upgrade to a higher model coilover and get camber adjustment up front as well as dampering for about $1200. Save some cash and shop for a nice set of wheels and tires. 18x8 et42-45 would be a good choice with a 225/40/18 sized tire all around. This is just my opinion. With a shaved/pulled fender, you can stagger your option to 18x8 et35 front and 18x9 et35 rear. This could be around$1500-2000 for a descent quality wheels/tire package or maybe cheaper. Wheels do wonders to the IS300 with a good drop. Last but not least, I would get a lip kit. This price varies on quality. No problem with fiberglass, but urethane last longer. Kits range from $400-$2500. Paint is usually $500 for all four pieces. Cosmetically, you are looking to spend a minimum of $3000 and a maximum of whatever! Good luck and make a good first choice.

 

First things first. Drop it.

 

If your going to drop it you have to put wheels on it. i think that those two mods need to happen at the same time. Body kits are nice, but without wheels they only look half done. Many people dont like ebay, but ive built my IS with nothing but ebay items. You can do a lot you just have to shop around and not buy something untill you know that you cant get it any cheaper

 

thanks for all the input. im telling him to go coils also, he seems more set on just a drop w/ kit for now. he says he likes the stock rims enough to last him awhile. and real diff between the tien basic or somthing like tien cs/ss? (dont know too much about coils ) and any kits that you guys would recommend? i check some pics out n im a pretty huge fan of the wald kit already. how are these lips added on. i know for the 2IS's, most of our lips r just bolt on, you could 3m tape most the kits on and not have to mod any of the bumpers. is this the same case for 1IS kits? thanks again guys =) hopefully this coming summer i would have found another member to CL haha

 

You are in a different situation than most Juangado because you are in school for auto work. It is much easier for you to handle knockoff body parts than those of us that have to pay an actual shop for parts and labor. You are not in anyway wrong and I would love to be able to do you the things to my car that you have done to yours. I would just like to make others aware of your situation so they are not mislead in thinking that there are never issues with ebay. I do commend you and the work on your car and I look forward to seeing you again at Carlisle this year. By the way the thread is up.

[QUOTE=weesped;3171878]thanks for all the input. im telling him to go coils also, he seems more set on just a drop w/ kit for now. he says he likes the stock rims enough to last him awhile. and real diff between the tien basic or somthing like tien cs/ss? (dont know too much about coils ) and any kits that you guys would recommend? i check some pics out n im a pretty huge fan of the wald kit already. how are these lips added on. i know for the 2IS's, most of our lips r just bolt on, you could 3m tape most the

The difference between the Basic and the SS is that the Basic only provides ride height adjustability where the SS provides Dampenind also. The CS have both ride height and dampening adjustability but the ride is closer to that of stock suspension.

As far as the kits go all lip kits that are available just use bolt on and maybe some double sided tape. The Wald is really nice and you can get a good deal on a replica Wald lip at the following site. www.intensepower.com. There are several other options available and many of these can be seen at the following link.

http://www.isfanatics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=422

Good luck

 

wow thanks alot bernie. isfanatics is a great source. i like how they had all the lips right next to each other. very neat and organized. thanks for all the help guys i think this helps a whole lot as a base to start.

 

No trouble at all. If you need anything else just let me know.