mazdaspeed talk on is300.net

[slug420]

apparently the mazdaspeed handles almost as good as an is300...
lol

http://is300.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=13355557&highlight=protege

the protoege handles pretty well(very well for a car at that pricepoint)



OMG

at this pricepoint?

what pricepoint?

less than 100k? is that the pricepoint?

It handles very well for a car of any value does it not? Not the best handling car in the world i understand, but regardless of the price of a car, if it handled like the MSP it would be considered a great handling car, am i right?

[chino]

yeah in my experience guys that drive IS300 tend to think they are just rolling in the phattest rides! Congratulations you own an entry level Japanese luxury car. You are SUPER COOL. Not saying the IS3 isn't nice(outdated though )but it's not the end all of compact luxury thats for sure.

[mazdaspeedpower]

they are nice cars, the people that drive them are rather pompus aswell, i know, I have a guy near me I roll with sometimes who owns one, he thinks he's king shit....oh well, to each their own.

[jflo]

hehehe...i posted a thread about racing an IS300 earlier. the guy was in college and fackin' tried to get ahead of me even tho there was no need to rush in TRAFFIC u facker...

[jred321]

if the is300 came with the same engine as the altezza did it would be cool. as is, just mediocre. needs lots of work to make it fun. thus the reason i didn't get one (used of course). but to each his own. whoever was driving that mazdaspeed was stupid though and some of those guys over there seem pretty cool, but that post is ancient

[jersey_emt]

I love the IS300...good looks, good performance, RWD, lots of creature comforts. Plus a helluva lot of aftermarket support.

But I hate the way most IS300 owners act. They think they are the hottest shit around. Just because of that little 'L' badge.

[slug420]

its funny, my friend bought an is300 at the same time i bought my msp. and since i paid msrp for the msp, and he got a deal on a used IS, i could have had either. if my msp hadnt come in when it did i might have given up and gone is300, but im glad i didnt, i like the msp better, its just more fun which is what i look for in a car......i love my friend's IS300 tho, and he likes my msp just as much, we are both happy having pruchased different cars.

we raced once and suffice to say, my msp was quicker, but i dont care, i dont brag about it, he doesnt care about it, and he acknowledges what awesome handling the msps/mp3s have and the noticable shortcomings his is have.

my friend is the one who just send me the link to that thread, and another one full of p5 bashing, and i just dont get it. I guess its because most ppl who buy an is300 buy it for a status symbol sot hey dont like being compared to a econobox mazda that is not a status symbol at all.

As i just said to my friend, thats another reason why im glad i got the protege instead of the IS. I would hate to go to an IS meet where everyone was fuckin stuck up and you werent allowed to talk unless u had a SC or turbo on your 30k car......hell owners of 323s and protege DXs are every bit as much a part of our meets and our communities as MSP owners are......and while there are still some protege owners who feel the need to bash a civic at every opportunity, its still a much more friendly atmosphere.

[jred321]

Originally posted by slug420
hell owners of 323s and protege DXs are every bit as much a part of our meets and our communities as MSP owners are..... i don't know about that DX stuff... they can hardly keep up with kids on mopeds :p

[slug420]

haha

[jflo]

Originally posted by jred321
if the is300 came with the same engine as the altezza did it would be cool. as is, just mediocre. needs lots of work to make it fun. thus the reason i didn't get one (used of course). but to each his own. whoever was driving that mazdaspeed was stupid though and some of those guys over there seem pretty cool, but that post is ancient

the is300 engine (2jz-ge) is a lot better than the altezza engine (a.k.a. IS200 w/ 2.0L engine)

[jred321]

Originally posted by jflo
the is300 engine (2jz-ge) is a lot better than the altezza engine (a.k.a. IS200 w/ 2.0L engine) i thought the altezza got a 3sgte? a turbo 2.0l


edit: i've been looking around, it looks like they come with a 3sge, not gte, and no turbo. i must have seen one in a magazine with a 3sgte swapped in. oh well, it'd be sweet if they did :D

[ZoomZoomH]

i got a chance to drive krillin's msp as well as the rental IS300 i rented when i was in LA (i ran the IS on Buttonwillow Raceway for track day)

my conclusion? the MSP feels a lot firmer and steers much sharper than the IS, I can imagine what kind of fun one can have with it on the track.

the IS, on the other hand, is no slouch either, it was softer than msp, but still firm enough to get a very good feel of the road. And the RWD and close to 50/50 weight distribution gives it a very balanced and neutral feel at track speed. steering is very responsive as well.

and boy does that inline 6 pull, so linear and smooth.

[spacemonkey]

That dude in the MSP is a complete idiot...way to represent Mazdaspeed...schmuck!

IS300 is a very nice car and fun to drive. I would gladly take one. Aren't they comming out with the IS200 in the states? Wonder what that puts out on a 2.0L ? oh, and IS430 will own us! :grin:
http://www.autoweek.com/images_content/2003_12/is430main.jpg
http://www.autoweek.com/weekart/2003/1222/is430engine400.jpg
http://www.autoweek.com/weekart/2003/1222/is430rim400.jpg

[ZoomZoomH]

*ahem*

this is straight from Lexu's website:


Sport-Tuned Suspension

The four-wheel, independent, double-wishbone suspension is equipped with offset coil springs, gas-pressurized shock absorbers and front and rear stabilizer bars. Combined with an exceptional power-to-weight ratio, the I·S handling becomes a vice you'll feel absolutely passionate about.

and I highly doubt they'll bring the 2.0 over here, now that the V8 is just around the corner...

[spacemonkey]

Dearly noted and edited...sorry. I wasnt sure thats why I said "I Think." No way did I want to give the image of a dumb MSPeeder.

[t3ase]

replied. :)

[spacemonkey]

Ummm t3ase...the 2004 has 215 hp and 218 lbs of torque: http://www.lexus.com/models/is/5speed_performance.html

The older models wernt that impressive.

[03BlkMicaSPD]

2004 IS300 specs @ Automotive.com
"The engine, using continuously variable valve timing, delivers keen acceleration. Of course, the sedan with the five-speed manual is quickest. According to Lexus, 0 to 60 mph acceleration times are 6.8, 7.3, and 7.4 seconds for the sedan 5MT, sedan AT, and SportCross AT respectively, and quarter-mile times are 15.1, 15.5, and 15.6."

the stock IS300 5MT and the stock MSP are prettymuch dead even... Depending on the driver, I had a 15.14 at stock boost.

[t3ase]

look for a 2003 rating, not a 2004.

[03BlkMicaSPD]

2003 Lexus IS300 Driving Impressions
"The engine, using continuously variable valve timing, delivers keen acceleration, but the three models are not equal. The five-speed is quickest, the E-Shift sedan next, and SportCross the slowest because it's the heaviest. According to Lexus, 0 to 60 mph acceleration times are 6.8, 7.3, and 7.4 seconds respectively, and quarter-mile times are 15.1, 15.3, and 15.6. Any one of them is considerably quicker than a Lexus ES 300."

[03BlkMicaSPD]

Almost the same...

[slug420]

t34se

all IS300s of all years were 215/218

i raced my friend's e-shift and we found the msp to be faster, manual to manual i would guess driver's race...

[espionage3]

I'm not a big IS fan atleast the us spec but I think that car is much better then ours. Yea stock for stock our car might be even if not faster but an IS is rwd and has a lot more potential then our car ever will. And all the guys who act all badass in them need to stop because the only reason why they bought that car is because they couldn't afford an M3 anyway.

[TampaBlackMSP]

I say bring 'em...I love making stupid pompus asses feel, well, stupid....:D

Now, an M3...well, I just ignore them on the road, so as to not look like I'm admiring it. The jackasses behind those wheels will NEVER get the satisfaction of me looking at them, whether I'm in my car, a friend's car, or standing on the side of the road...

Basically, people just plain suck. And a Happy Friday to all! :cool:

[spacemonkey]

Not the old M3....the Newer ones are sick. Whats with the IS300 hatered? I've never met a cocky IS owner, so maybe im lucky. Infact I chill with a cool/cute girl that drives a IS. They are fun cars with lots of potential...

[Notorious]

Well I have an IS300 AND a MSP. The IS300 handles almost as well as my msp does. That in itself is pretty impressive. The mazdaspeed is of course faster well cuz... it aint stock. But stock they run neck and neck with our cars. The thing i really love about the is300 is rwd in such a small car.

[Notorious]

Originally posted by t3ase
look for a 2003 rating, not a 2004.


They were all the same. The only changes for 04 is interior stuff and i think the wheels. All have the same 215 hp/218lb rating.

[ThrillRide]

i'm a big fan of the is300. i like them a lot. i have had more people ask me if my msp was an is. go figure. however for the price, the sound system, the handling and the pretty good speed out of an econobox i'll take the MSP.

[Notorious]

Here's a pic of when my msp was new. Sorry the pic is a little bit... huge. I can't scale it down on my work comp.

http://www.mazdamp3.com/vbb230/_handler.php/Notorious/dcp_0367.jpg

[Swerny]

Hey t3ase, you misquoted the specs on the MSP. We have 170 hp not 150 like you listed.
There was alot of arrogance and ignorance on that thread, but I didn't like the guy with the MSP bashing the IS on their board. God knows we can't stand it when it happens to us.
The guy who said they are 2 different cars, i agree with him though. The IS is a far more luxurious car then the MSP and no doubt has better materials and build quality.
The guy who was yipping about his leather seats was an idiot.

[YuYuRena]

Originally posted by jred321
i thought the altezza got a 3sgte? a turbo 2.0l


edit: i've been looking around, it looks like they come with a 3sge, not gte, and no turbo. i must have seen one in a magazine with a 3sgte swapped in. oh well, it'd be sweet if they did :D

3sge although not turbo is still a very capable engine. I personally prefer the 2L altezza than the heavy 3L version. And you can definitely swap in the 3sgte into an altezza there are parts for it everywhere.

[PhreakV]

I just think all of the trolls that go onto other boards and expect respect are funny... :D
of course IS owners aren't going to admit that with the ~$14k you save getting the MSP you could make a monster of a car to obliterate most of the ISes. the same amount of money invested and it'd be a total walk. but most MSP owners don't like to talk about the idea of getting a P5 and using the ~$3k savings on a turbo and getting a ton more performance... or even WORSE... getting a used civic and using the ~$10k savings and we all know about the Honda aftermarket...

trolls tend to give no respect nor do they tend to receive it... let's just let them believe as they want to (they will, whether we intervene or not) and all go out for a fun drive in the twisties :D

this is a pretty interesting find though, thanks to your friend for sharing it with us

[t3ase]

I know I misquoted the car.. I wasn't thinking, just tyring to act a fool. Post has been removed.

[JTP]

I think that the IS owners just have small penis syndrome.

[jflo]

t3ase...i think u were right tho...150 HP @ the wheel

[t3ase]

im kinda thinkin both of those #s were at the wheel ratings.

[spoolup]

I raced an automatic is300 and it was pretty much next to next.....but that was like the day after i got my MSP and i wasn't too great at launching it. By now i could probly beat him.

[spoolup]

yea i definetly meant NECK to NECK..... sorry bout that