Modding an SC400 - Where to Begin?
12-06-01, 05:00 PM
#1
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Modding an SC400 - Where to Begin?
Hey guys, new to this forum and have been reading up lots for a friend of mine with no net access who has a sweet pearl white 97 SC400 with the factory chrome rims, Nak stereo, and tan interior.
What are the popular bolt-ons for this car, both performance and appearance-wise? He's not too likely to go for a bodykit, nor build his engine for 600+HP
, but any suggestions for effective and easy to add mods like intake, exhaust, ECU, and suspension upgrades would be excellent.
Also, I see some posts about upgrading the stock center sub - is this worthwhile with the Nak system, or do you need to replace the factory amps to get better bass out of a new sub? Which subs are the best for the replacement of the factory unit?
What are the popular bolt-ons for this car, both performance and appearance-wise? He's not too likely to go for a bodykit, nor build his engine for 600+HP
, but any suggestions for effective and easy to add mods like intake, exhaust, ECU, and suspension upgrades would be excellent.Also, I see some posts about upgrading the stock center sub - is this worthwhile with the Nak system, or do you need to replace the factory amps to get better bass out of a new sub? Which subs are the best for the replacement of the factory unit?
12-07-01, 02:00 PM
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did he buy his sc400 new or used? is it still under warranty (extended?)?
if it is used, first off all, and you don't have all the records of maintenance, spend the money and have all the fluids changed and whatever else needs to be done for the mileage/years the car has.
if it is still under warranty then:
1) upgrade the amp or run another amp inline with the stock amp ($400+). you can mount it underneath the rear deck for a clean hidden look. if that still doesn't do it for you, place a new free air sub that can handle the wattage of the new amp and that an fit under in the stock location. you might as well put in an alarm also ($400+)
2) upgrade to hids ($400+). or hid bulbs- for the low beams (9006, $75 a pair), parking lights-5w wedge (do this for a uniform look, $17), and the fog lights (h3, $25 or one). prices are approx. for piaas platinum super whites. installation is a b**ch.
3) suspension- eibach sprigs ($250)/tokico shocks and strut ($280) mods if you want stock ride with a little firmer feel. don't forget install costs ($400?) if you don't do it yourself. tein coil overs for a more aggressive look and feel (about 1k..). note, you may have a few rattles with any suspension mod but hopefully it can be circumvented...every car has it nuiances. you can check out www.tmengineering.net for current prices. also, haven't had any experience with the intrax springs...anyone car to comment?
4) rims/tires. looks to be determined by yourself. but make sure you go WIDER than the stock 7" chrome rims. at least 8.5" would be great but wider is available (no sense in upgrading if you don't get more meat to the ground). just make sure you deal with someone experienced to know the correct offset for the width tire you get. i'd say get 18 x 8.5 but it's basically up to you (lug configuration is 5x114.3). personally , anything bigger than 18s for an area with potholes up the butt wouldn't be good. you'll definitely feel more grip with 8.5" and the suspension mod. expect to spend at least $2500 for rim/tire upgrade. also check out tmengineering for this or anyplace else on the net. they know their stuff when it comes to the sc400 and good customer service.
5) exhaust- magnaflows, ultraflos, n1s, you decide. mainly depends on the shop and what price you can get...about $300? not sure.
6) intake-anywhere between $20 to $200. check out petes homepage at:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/pgscott/
infact, study everything on his homepage. since you have a '97, intake options are limited since the maf are different than earlier models and later models too. it's a weird year though the exterior styling is good.
thats about it. after your warranty is up, you can mess around with the torque converter (doesn't add hp/torque, just betters off the line take off) if you want header (haven't been dynoed yet for performance gains) they're coming out soon here and austrailia. supra big brake upgrade/stainless steel brake lines (1k) would be nice. final thing is the ecu, but that is still new and might not be available for the 97 model sc400 (possibly 1k-2k for this upgrade). also, stereo upgrades is up to you but find a quality shop to do it.
remember to study petes page and use the search feature of clublexus (where you select what model forum you want to read about) to find out more about what you want to know. alot of people don't realize this homepage has this feature.
good luck with the upgrades and be prepared to spend some $$$. although this is an awesome car, the aftermarket doesn't support the sc400 which accounts for the $$$ for products and lack of variety upgrade items.
if it is used, first off all, and you don't have all the records of maintenance, spend the money and have all the fluids changed and whatever else needs to be done for the mileage/years the car has.
if it is still under warranty then:
1) upgrade the amp or run another amp inline with the stock amp ($400+). you can mount it underneath the rear deck for a clean hidden look. if that still doesn't do it for you, place a new free air sub that can handle the wattage of the new amp and that an fit under in the stock location. you might as well put in an alarm also ($400+)
2) upgrade to hids ($400+). or hid bulbs- for the low beams (9006, $75 a pair), parking lights-5w wedge (do this for a uniform look, $17), and the fog lights (h3, $25 or one). prices are approx. for piaas platinum super whites. installation is a b**ch.
3) suspension- eibach sprigs ($250)/tokico shocks and strut ($280) mods if you want stock ride with a little firmer feel. don't forget install costs ($400?) if you don't do it yourself. tein coil overs for a more aggressive look and feel (about 1k..). note, you may have a few rattles with any suspension mod but hopefully it can be circumvented...every car has it nuiances. you can check out www.tmengineering.net for current prices. also, haven't had any experience with the intrax springs...anyone car to comment?
4) rims/tires. looks to be determined by yourself. but make sure you go WIDER than the stock 7" chrome rims. at least 8.5" would be great but wider is available (no sense in upgrading if you don't get more meat to the ground). just make sure you deal with someone experienced to know the correct offset for the width tire you get. i'd say get 18 x 8.5 but it's basically up to you (lug configuration is 5x114.3). personally , anything bigger than 18s for an area with potholes up the butt wouldn't be good. you'll definitely feel more grip with 8.5" and the suspension mod. expect to spend at least $2500 for rim/tire upgrade. also check out tmengineering for this or anyplace else on the net. they know their stuff when it comes to the sc400 and good customer service.
5) exhaust- magnaflows, ultraflos, n1s, you decide. mainly depends on the shop and what price you can get...about $300? not sure.
6) intake-anywhere between $20 to $200. check out petes homepage at:
http://www.users.bigpond.com/pgscott/
infact, study everything on his homepage. since you have a '97, intake options are limited since the maf are different than earlier models and later models too. it's a weird year though the exterior styling is good.
thats about it. after your warranty is up, you can mess around with the torque converter (doesn't add hp/torque, just betters off the line take off) if you want header (haven't been dynoed yet for performance gains) they're coming out soon here and austrailia. supra big brake upgrade/stainless steel brake lines (1k) would be nice. final thing is the ecu, but that is still new and might not be available for the 97 model sc400 (possibly 1k-2k for this upgrade). also, stereo upgrades is up to you but find a quality shop to do it.
remember to study petes page and use the search feature of clublexus (where you select what model forum you want to read about) to find out more about what you want to know. alot of people don't realize this homepage has this feature.
good luck with the upgrades and be prepared to spend some $$$. although this is an awesome car, the aftermarket doesn't support the sc400 which accounts for the $$$ for products and lack of variety upgrade items.
Last edited by 808state; 12-07-01 at 02:05 PM.
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