2jz-gte Soarer

[EJD001]

SC400 is the australian name for it.. i hate it when customers come in to get parts and say they have a sc400.. i say no.. its a soarer... ppl try and argue with me about it..

1J conversions from jzx81 or jzx90 chasers are also very common.. also to be put into MX83 cressida's. i know of at least 5 in my general area!

[Mr Eps]

i think go for it - owning a soarer is a very rewarding car to have - they weigh HEAPS but don't let that hold you back

i say go for it

that also said - i dont see why the manuals are so sought after - the auto's drive FINE!!!

[EJD001]

i have driven the older G20 soarers in both auto and manual.. same mods , same year, same kinda kms.. manual was SO much better to drive.. the later model ones i have only driven auto's, tho a mate does have a manual one come to think of it!

[Birds]

SC400 is the australian name for it.. i hate it when customers come in to get parts and say they have a sc400.. i say no.. its a soarer... ppl try and argue with me about it..

1J conversions from jzx81 or jzx90 chasers are also very common.. also to be put into MX83 cressida's. i know of at least 5 in my general area!

SC400 is exclusively the Lexus model designation...so they are correct in saying SC400 if they do have a Lexus. You probably have a heap of customers with Soarers badged up to be an SC400.

+1 instead of dropping a 2J , get a 1J Manual Soarer they range from 10k and up. Get dumps ,front pipes and a cat back, with a FCD 15psi boost, FMIC and a fuel controller ie SAFC II or AFC Neo and you'll net 230rwkw. Then you can go for steel wheel turbos and ECU for more power.

Except they are a heavy car weighing 1600kg+, having owned a few SR20 s13's, a Soarer and a 33 GTR. Handling wise the GTR>s13>Soarer.

The Lexus SC400 is indeed a heavy bastard, however the poverty pack Toyotas are actually quite midrange (read: 1550kg in manual base-model form). These models are surprisingly nimble if they are TEMS equipped. By no means a racing car, but I've never seen a sedan sized vehicle stay so flat to the road during corners and yet maintain such a soft ride over bumps. I had no issue keeping up with the GTS-T Skylines on a Great Ocean Road cruise a few years back. Have been used in racing once or twice, see Targa Tasmania...

As Eps said, they are a fantastic car all round. Very underrated and the best value for money import IMO. Many of the internet quoted 0-100 times are horseshit...I've consistently G-teched a standard auto Soarer at 6-6.3 seconds depending on amount of stall used.

[STATUS]

SC400 is the australian name for it.. i hate it when customers come in to get parts and say they have a sc400.. i say no.. its a soarer... ppl try and argue with me about it..

1J conversions from jzx81 or jzx90 chasers are also very common.. also to be put into MX83 cressida's. i know of at least 5 in my general area!

nah its not, SC400 is the US lexus model designation. THERE ARE NO REAL SC400's here as they are LHD

I used to have a few soarer's and we were well known for getting the tv's working in the GT models.

Edited November 17, 2009 by URAS

[Birds]

EDIT: I was wrong, both SC300 and SC400 were US models.

[VB-]

get a 2JZ bottom end and put the 1JZ head

this is only worthwhile if you already have work done on the 1j head, or in this case, if you have a soarer and just want more capacity. there is a myth floating around that the 1j head flows better then the 2j item. its all bullshit

[bozodos]

a mate has an MZ20 with the TEMS setup, its not THAT good birds lol. Seems to me like its one of those HICAS type things. BTW what's wrong with the 7M-GTE apart from spitting head gaskets?

[Hank Scorpio]

"SC400 is exclusively the Lexus model designation...so they are correct in saying SC400 if they do have a Lexus. You probably have a heap of customers with Soarers badged up to be an SC400."

This is what I thought also.

As far as I was aware the 1UZ-FE Lexus' were called SC400's, the 2JZ-GE Lexus' were called SC300's and all of the imported Toyota's were called Soarers. Seeing as most people around have the V8's which I assumed were bought as a "Lexus" they were all driving SC400's! So in Australia they were sold as Lexus Soarers? Or were they not sold locally at all and they are all imported and therefor all Toyota Soarers and no Lexus'? Either way guess I was wrong! Woops!

Anyhoo (and slightly off topic)....

Before deciding on getting a different car I called up quite a few ads of people saying they had twin turbo Soarers for sale. Knowing a little about the 1J's I was quite interested and gave them a call. In 90% of the ads they didn't say what type of transmission they had (annoying!) when I rung up and asked whether it was a manual or an auto (and they all seemed to reply auto) they sounded shocked that I was no longer interested in their car. All other turbo import drivers it seems manage to let you know whether they have a manual or an auto, why not Soarer drivers? GRRR!

[STATUS]

this is only worthwhile if you already have work done on the 1j head, or in this case, if you have a soarer and just want more capacity. there is a myth floating around that the 1j head flows better then the 2j item. its all bullshit

true 1.5j's are not as good as 2jz.

[Birds]

Also the 1.5JZ conversion is more complicated than is led on. The extra height of the 2JZ block means you need to do a bit of engine mount modification to make the thing fit...also a rehash of the intake piping from memory.

Well I'm talking about a JZZ30 bozo...don't know if there's a difference between the TEMS system across models but I can certainly notice when mine is working. The lack of body roll in this car was somewhat comparable to my friend's E46 M3, which he conceded himself a couple of years back

Most Soarer owners aren't car enthusiasts from my experience. Like my mother and brother, they probably have someone in the family who is an enthusiast and imported the cars for them. That's probably why they look at you funny when you ask if it is a manual or auto. Many still don't know that they came from the factory in manual form. Last I checked there were 3 factory manual 1UZ Soarers in the country too...one of the rarest Jap cars out there.

[Mr Eps]

....dude - here.

click this link please

absolute minter.

but still - the auto's hammer. the auto is not like the commodore's or falcons or skylines. it's a really well set up system

but alas

the 1J is a mighty beast of an engine. and that is a very affordable manual soarer for it's condition. esp in black on black. very very rare car. and negotiable too.

[bozodos]

my bad birds, yeah my mate picked up his mz20 for like 3 grand for a daily, clean as apart from a bit of a dog eared interior - the previous owner went and bought a VX Commodore lol.

TEMS makes it feel a little firmer when you put it in the sporty mode, but either the shocks are stuffed or it just dosen't age well lol. That said how is a 1jz so much better than a 7mgte!?

[Birds]

It must be a different TEMS system then...cause on my soarer you can't choose between sports or normal or whatever, it automatically adjusts for you. It's possible for the system to wear out...all shocks do/can.

1JZ...they are just fairly bullet-proof engines (read: bullet-resistant; I did manage to hydrolock one of these) I guess. Can't be bothered looking up the specifications but from memory they perform better than the 7M in every way.

That is an absolute minter Eps! Something to hang onto. I'd buy it if I didn't have the Skyline.

[Hank Scorpio]

Mr Eps you are tempting me! Thats is a good looking Soarer!

Didn't ralsie the manuals were so rare!

[Mr Eps]

manual tacks about 5K onto it - i was trying to get my gf to buy that soarer but her mum won't lend her the money / guarantuer her loan for a second hand / import

...i don't really know why - like why the hell would you want to ramp your daughter into more debt on a vastly depreciating assest - the soarer, in a manual, will not depreciate, and if it does - it won't depreciate much...

maybe i'll buy it..

[eightsixboy]

The autos in the soarers are actually not that bad, but saying that the manual ones should be better to drive. Be prepared to pay anywhere from 5-8k more for a manual one though as the cheapest i've seen is 15k for one. The manuals do come with an lsd which is a bonus.

A friend of mine has a n/a 2jz powered jzz30 and it goes really well, haven't driven a turbo one but it would obviously be a fair bit quicker, i think there something like 6 secs 0-100 which is farking good for a standard car and they don't feel to heavy to drive, feels like it handles better then my gts2 which is a good 200kg lighter.

I would personally just stick with the 1jz as there a awesome motor anyways, can get heaps of power from them.

Edited November 22, 2009 by eightsixboy

[Birds]

The manual ones should be better to drive but they're not IMO. They're a fun car...but driving it, you can really tell that the gearbox was not designed for the Soarer. Toyota took the R154 from the JDM Hi-Lux range of gearboxes, so it feels every bit a truck gearbox. Difficult to do fast changes, need lots of RPM to get off the line...about the only plus is that it doesn't feel like you're going to break the gearbox anytime soon. Also I don't think all manuals came with the torsen LSD as standard...it was a $5000 factory option if I recall correctly. I have one in mine and it's a good biter...but the Soarer rear end is pretty heavy...it's very easy to end up in 360 degree spins when putting on a slide.

If you're getting a daily driver or wanting something quick off the line, no question the auto is the way to go. If you're after a track/drift car then the manual is a good bit of fun

[Mr Eps]

i'd like to add - i was actually considering buying this soarer over the last week on account of my gf can no longer buy it..

thinking long n hard about it i came to the conclusion that having DRIVEN a soarer - i would WANT a manual one - it wouldn't feel right ya know??

like - heavy, bulky, luxury, cruiser... in ... a manual... it's like wearing a really nice 5 piece suit... jacket, shirt, wesket, bowtie, dress shoes - but then wear track pants to finish it off...

i'd prefer an auto

[Birds]

The coolest part is being able to rev your engine / blow off valve and confuse people as to how you do that in a Soarer

But you're right, it's a cruiser...most of them came with autos for a reason. On the great ocean road though...she was a fantastic drive. Around town, bit of a pain.