Quote:
Originally Posted by gurusan
trade the IS300 in for a manual 
However it's true that the Si is a faster car stock for stock. But if you start modding then the IS will quickly outpace the Si. |
The IS's manual transmission is remarkably weak. The auto trans can hold about 350hp without mods, and 450+ with just a valvebody. The manual trans starts to literally break gears at the 300ft-lb threshold, which isn't much at all.
The only remedy is to swap in the manual trans from a Supra Turbo, be it a pre-93, with the 5-speed, or an uber-expensive 6-speed from a 93+.
The point is, the IS still isn't balanced well. If we got the 3S-GE Altezza like Japan did, the IS would eat an Si for breakfast, in every category. The problem is, we didn't. Making up for the deficiencies engineered into the car when it came to the US just costs too much money, in my opinion.
As for the IS quickly out-pacing the Si with mods, I beg to differ. (to a degree) Once again, this comes down to money. Care to throw down 350rwhp in an IS? It'll cost you about $6k for a turbo kit, and WAY more, once you do the rest of the supporting mods, such as an LSD, if your IS didn't come so equipped. Or, if you go the NA path, good luck EVER seeing more than 250rwhp. From what I've read, only 1 car has been successful at surpassing that goal so far. Hell, there aren't even proper CAMS available for the IS.
Hell, with the Si, if I cared to, I could make a trip to Toda's website, and come back with a near-300rwhp NA K20.
In my opinion, which should count for something, since I've owned both
, the Si is a better platform, a better car, and has a better motor, with better aftermarket support. I've loved the Toyota 2JZ motors since their inception... But, let's face it, they're pretty dated now, and motors like the K20 are where it's at.