Been off the forum here for quite a while for one reason or another, but I figured I'd get back on here since first gen IS 300s are getting rarer every day, and many are in tough shape (living in Dallas, there are quite a few junky first gens around)
Had mine for 7 years, 230k miles on it now (bought it with 100k), been autocrossing since I bought it, and this year can finally do a full season of track events too. I spend way to much time and money keeping this thing going but it's a fantastic platform. Daily it ~200 miles a week, flog the hell out of it on the weekends. Drivetrain is original except the cylinder head (long story) and clutch.
Fortune auto 500 series coilovers with swift springs (I've got almost 70k miles on them an no leaking, still work great, excellent product), 32mm hotchkis front sway bar, dezod green header, greddy cat back, supra big brakes, corbeau seats (I have both fronts now) Enkei RPF1s for track stuff, stocks for street, lots of Figs/Super-pro bushings everywhere.
Best mod is steering wheel volume, converted from the e-shift buttons (car is a factory manual) but with a converter module and a few auto car parts they can be programmed to run volume on an aftermarket radio (if anyone actually wants to do this I can do a DIY post)
I've been driving and fixing this car for years, I've tried tons of aftermarket parts and companies, lots of different suspension setups and general mods, hoping to pass on some of my experiences to other owners to keep these these old things on the road.
Had mine for 7 years, 230k miles on it now (bought it with 100k), been autocrossing since I bought it, and this year can finally do a full season of track events too. I spend way to much time and money keeping this thing going but it's a fantastic platform. Daily it ~200 miles a week, flog the hell out of it on the weekends. Drivetrain is original except the cylinder head (long story) and clutch.
Fortune auto 500 series coilovers with swift springs (I've got almost 70k miles on them an no leaking, still work great, excellent product), 32mm hotchkis front sway bar, dezod green header, greddy cat back, supra big brakes, corbeau seats (I have both fronts now) Enkei RPF1s for track stuff, stocks for street, lots of Figs/Super-pro bushings everywhere.
Best mod is steering wheel volume, converted from the e-shift buttons (car is a factory manual) but with a converter module and a few auto car parts they can be programmed to run volume on an aftermarket radio (if anyone actually wants to do this I can do a DIY post)
I've been driving and fixing this car for years, I've tried tons of aftermarket parts and companies, lots of different suspension setups and general mods, hoping to pass on some of my experiences to other owners to keep these these old things on the road.