I've been a regular reader of these forums for several months now but only recently registered. I own a 2006 black onyx IS250 AWD with the nav system. I am thoroughly enjoying the car, but sometimes wish I went with a 350 for more power. However, I'm located in the Cleveland area, so the AWD is definitely useful in the cold months.

My first question is concerning wheel/rim repair; recently, I was pulling into a very tight parking space next to a high curb and suddenly heard a terrible grinding sound. I got out of the car to see that my right wheel had been damaged fairly badly; about 40% of the very outside of the rim is marked/ground up, and though it isnt noticeable from more than a few feet away, I'm trying to figure out where to get it fixed and how much it would cost. Would any auto body shop be able to repair it?

My other question is about lowering the car; first of all, does anyone have a picture of an IS 250 AWD lowered but with the standard alloy wheels (17s)? Would I need to get new springs? Any suggestions on which ones? I am interested mostly in lowering the car for looks, and would want springs that wouldnt change the ride too much from stock. Finally, I am a complete noob when it comes to modding cars; in fact, this is the first car I've ever had. How much would it cost for the springs to be installed professionally?

Sorry for the length of the message. I'm grateful for any advice.

 

here in socal, there are some wheel repair/refinishing places. run somewhere around $100 a wheel. just call around and ask. i doubt anyone will have any pics of lowered cars with 17s. did u get the base package? try reading the aftermarket wheel thread, it has some lowered AWDs. and for springs, they're pretty expensive to install. you're looking at around $150 for install...

 

Hello, im a noob too, its okay. but i lowered my car on Tanabe Springs, which is what i would suggest for ur AWD as well however i used the LOWEST springs to make my car super low but most people lower it using the Tanabe NF210 because it keeps the same comfort... it'll run around $250 for the springs and $200 for installation...

anyways so this picture isnt good at showing the height but i just installed these so it has not settled yet... but i slammed it basically..



hope that helped kind of.

 

^ she probably chose the best springs for 17s. the gaps are HUGE on awd, especially with 17s so you need to find the lowest drop possible to eliminate the gap. even then, it might still be a little bigger than preferred.

if you're planning on upgrading wheels, say 18s or 19s, then go with eibachs. but if not, the tanabe springs for the GS (df210?) will be your best bet. not sure how comfort is with the tanabes, but i can say that with my car on 18s with eibachs, ride comfort was NOT compromised.

 

the comforts compromised a BIT. u feel the road more all the bumps and stuff... but its nice. im thinking of getting 19s for my car... and i have to roll my fender or beat it with a bat lol

 

i forgot to mention as well, tires will play a part too... after all, those are what touch the road.

but like i said in my first post, check out that aftermarket wheel thread. it might take a while to go through it, but you can find out a lot...

 

I believe the picture in the following thread is lowered on stock 17's.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=218482

 

I love the look of the car after the drop.. I have a question though.. whats the difference between a COILOVER vs SPRINGS don't they look the same (sorry might be a silly one.. )

Will a spring make the ride more bumpy?? Thanks guys

 

Most coilcovers are adjustable so you can adjust the ride height. Springs alone cannot be adjusted.

 

Thanks for the comments and link.

So I would want to get the Tanabe NF210 springs.. I googled the springs and found that there are many options for them, depending on which car you want to use them on.

I would want the ones made specifically for the IS350? Also, Tanabe lists the springs as giving a 0.8 inch drop in the front and a 1.0 inch drop in the rear, but the OP from the linked post wrote that the drop was even all around. Should I be going for an even drop, something like 1 inch all around?

 

That is an interesting question. The Eibachs for the 350 drop 1 inch front and .8 inch rear. That would appear to be the drop that evens it out all around. I'm on the fence as to which way to go, though getting the Eibachs up here will be a lot easier than Tanabe.

 

One other thing I meant to ask:

Can anyone recommend a good place to go to get this done? Preferably they would also be able to do rim repair. I'm located about 30 min southwest of Cleveland, OH.

Also, should I order the springs myself and bring them to be installed, or should I ask the shop to do it?

 

the tanabes drop the rear more than the front and you'll have an even bigger gap in the front in comparison to the rear. that is why i suggested to get the GS springs. if you're worried about using them, the GS has pretty much the same chassis as the IS and there are numerous IS owners that have them without any trouble. if you wanna stick with IS springs, the eibachs will even out your wheel gap while the tanabe springs for the IS will make it bigger (front vs. rear).

coilovers are nice because they are adjustable, but price wise (springs = ~200, coils = ~1-3K) they might be beyond your budget range.

check out the regional forum for your area... you might be able to get more help finding shops there.

 

Do you mean stock GS coils? And if I went with the Eibachs, which ones (model) would I want?

 

sorry, i meant the tanabe springs made for the 3rd gen GS. i believe eibach only makes the pro-kit for the IS.