zoralis

I just got a 2008 Lexus IS250 a few weeks ago and I was wondering how I can add to it/improve the performance. I have a few ideas in mind but I would like 2nd opinions.

How can I make the exhaust a little louder for a not too expensive price (without drilling a hole in it )? What brands would you recommend? What would happen if I added a cold air intake system? Would the car be faster or is there really no point? Are there any other ways to make the car faster?

What have you guys added to your car and what was the price of everything?

bbaugher47

^^^ little blunt , but straight to the point. But he’s right ^^^^ some axlebacks can be found for around 250.00 for ebay type stuff.( won’t really gain much hp? Intake will not gain HP ( may lose it actually). Sounds agressive under hard acceleration though. Ppe headers are around a grand but will bet the most hp gains. Check out craigslist and the classifieds section here. Or search Facebook to find a local lexus group in your area to find real parts used at a good price.

Robgrob

After reading the cost of HP in upgrades on these cars, I simply cut a hole in my airbox for induction noise and called it a day. Not worth spending 2K on mods for 20 (not even well documented) hp IMO. I think the general advice is to get a 350 as it will cost about the same and offer way more power.

rwhtide

little late, but just thought I'd mention that weight savings is one of the few areas that might actually produce some performance. of course it matter just how much weight youre shedding, but depending on what you don't mind removing, you could potentially shave close to 25lb without buying anything. ive replace the heavy stock mufflers on my 250 awd in favor of some lighter weight magnaflows. I have also considered removing the rear seats just to see if it feels any different (I hardly use the backseat, except for storage). For me though, even if my mods didn't yield any real hp gains, I still have the drive to bolt on everything I can find to make the car more unique; more of my own. therefore, I purchased a short ram air intake with cone filter (which sounds much throatier than the stock flat filter), cut out my resonator and welded in a straight pipe, and even went so far as to purchase slightly lighter EBC slotted rotors. However, the little weight I may have lost has probably actually come back due to all of the lips and spoilers I installed later. So IMO, it just comes down to how badly you want to mod your car. It is my main hobby and all of my mods are installed by me so I just did what I could, regardless of any actual gains. I just like to tinker! most you can really do on a budget with these 250's is customize the sound and look of your car.

isfvss

Sell and get a 350 or ISF AND THEN START MODDING. With the $$$$ you save on mods on a 250 you can buy a 350

rwhtide

agreed! I used to hear that sort of thing a lot with my base model '02 Volvo s60. "trade it in and get a turbo model" is what i'd hear left and right! There's really not much to be done with the 250 that's actually reasonable and worth the $$. however, it is not always as simple as just trading the 250 in for a 350 or ISF. the whole car buying process can be very difficult for some. I feel that I found a good deal on the one I have; too good to pass up (anything is better than that old slug of a Volvo I had before). So in my case, I own a 250 and will hopefully own the same 250 for many more years to come. That said, I cannot simply go get a 350+ (especially with decent miles and a decent price tag). But unfortunately for me, my brain thinks that modifying whatever car I own is a must for some reason, so I do what I can with the cards already in my hand. It may mean "wasting" money to a certain extent, but I suppose others dump a buncha $$ on their potentially useless hobbies as well. Overall, I wouldn't break the bank to try to get more power out of my 250, but I cant simply leave it alone either. I definitely have some car fever over here!

Robgrob

About exhaust, how did the note of it change with new mufflers? I would love some more DB, but my wife hates loud exhausts..

rwhtide

well I originally had a cheap muffler shop cut my resonator and mufflers our (res and muff delete) and they just welded straight pipes from the cat back. that was WAY TOO MUCH. sounded like a racecar on the interstate, but cabin drone on road trips was too intense and annoying; had to blast the radio to hear anything while driving 50mph+. therefore, I knew I had to get some sort of sound muffling something reinstalled. I considered just replacing the resonator and leaving mufflers off, but somehow decided just to have new performance mufflers reinstalled. so I bought a pair of Magnaflow mufflers with the same design/layout as the stock muffs. when I had them welded in (exhaust customization and welding is the ONLY thing I had a shop do for me since I don't own a welder), I was actually disappointed in how well the MF's did their job. going from the straight piping to the mufflers was a drastic change; I felt it was TOO QUIET. however, they seem to have "broken in" and now have a decently deep, raspy sound to em. You can tell (especially from a cold start) that the car/exhaust is not stock. recently installed a new short ram air intake with the metal intake tube, and it sounds much deeper/throatier. I live with two young ladies and they hated the straight pipes when id have to leave earl for work; would always wake em up. but both of them have now agreed that, while the car isn't necessarily quiet, it is a decent compromise as far as sound goes. will post a sound clip sometime today. The rear end pics show two 4" tips; I have since removed those in favor of the stock tips. I had to custom fabricate the stock oval tips (just drilled screw holes and added some bolts, since the tips were too big) to fit snuggly

zoralis

how much did all that cost you?

rwhtide