[danthegolfer]

hey im gonna get in a race 2moro with a lexus ES300, and im gonna need to do all i can to beat this guy, it could be for 50 bucks

a few things i am gonna do to lighten er up is taking out the spare tire and the rear seats

what else can i do? i need my fastest 0-60 time here... should i take out the air filter? not much can happen in just a 5 minute period....

any other last minute things? my tank right now is sittin at just below 1/4 so im in good shape there, anything else u guys can think of? im also goin to check my sark plugs and maybe replace them.. however im not sure how to do that

 

[mike saunders]

Yikes...What madness possessed you to challenge a Lexus ES300? Was this a drunk bet?

There's nothing short of the other guy blowing his engine, or you stealing his wheels the night before, that will make you win. If you had a turbo, you might beat him from a rolling start, but....

The ES has something like 220 hp. You have 150. Did you not know this before you bet? (Sure it's not an IS? Even so, that's got 200 plus horses and way more torque than you...)

Don't bother with spark plugs, wax jobs, nixing the spare, or Marvel Mystery Oil. You'd have to take out all the seats, cut the fenders off, raise the hatch and pray for a tailwind so you could use it like a sail.

This is like walking up to Mike Tyson and saying, "I used to box a little at the Boys Club. Let's go three rounds...."

I don't mean to sound harsh, but why not just give him the $50 now and tell him that the beers are on him. That way you save face, and get at least one free drink out of it.

 

[danthegolfer]

lol i kno, itll probly just end up being for fun, but on www.edmunds.com they rate the 99 lexus es300 as having a 0-60 speed of 8.6 seconds

on edmunds, the 1998 saab 900s rates at 7.9 seconds

and i have the sport intake pipe and im a clutch master

 

[mike saunders]

Edmunds is generally suspect when it comes to specific car data for models with different engine configurations. Always go to the manufacturer's site or another first-level reference source.

For example: Saab says that the 4-cyl turbo 9-3 base model -- the B205L engine -- goes from 0-62 in 8.0 seconds. These are official factory figures, so it doesn't make sense that they would lowball them.

Still.....stranger things have happened. You might get a perfect launch, he might miss a shift, or blow his tranny, the fates could smile upon you and you could cruise ahead.... let us know what happens....

and don't go chasing after any Bimmers if you win!

 

[JABM]

ES300 is a slushbox, and having driven both cars, I can say that either car COULD win. If the Lex is running crap tires and doesn't hook up, you might be able to take him, but I wouldn't suggest throwing down money on a race that you really can't predict the outcome of.


Oh, and your high-flow air intake might bump you from 150 hp to 151 hp on a good day. Sorry, but it's not exactly going to play a deciding factor.

Not trying to pick on you, just trying to give you some content to use in making judgements about the fate of your cash

 

[Automaggot]

Gut the interior. Take out all the seats.

 

[danthegolfer]

yea i know, but itll be a good race, hes not a great shifter and im not sure he has much racing experience, and i do

his car is pretty much 100% stock, im gonna do whatever i can, inclduing taking out the rear seats and takig out the air filter... any few hp i can get out of this could matter b/c this has the hcance to be real close

i just gotta remember to keep my cool when i launch b/c if i drop the cltuch from 3grand my tires will spin and im ****ed

i plan on a slow drop of the cltuch from about 2.5 rpms, thatll give me ab9ut my best launch

its gonna be close, thats for sure, but ill probly get beat... but w/e

ill have a camera there so video of it will be comin!

and btw, the es300 is still a quick car but its not like one of lexus sport performance cars or anything, its still a sedan and still normal like that

btw, edmund says it has about 210 hp. yea im ****ed but itll be fun

 

[Adrian W]

My parents have a 1999 Avalon. 198 bhp, and it was still significantly slower than my old 1992 C900 non-turbo with headers and exhaust which should have only been like 160 at best and less torque than the 2.3L. The Avalon is roughly the same chassis/engine as the ES300.

If it's a newer one, it might beat you. But the older ones have nothing off the line. If you're a manual trans and know how to drive it, you'll be ahead of an older ES300 until at least 40 mph, and it may be enough to win.

 

[mike saunders]

You've got 60 fewer horses and at least that same deficit in torque....

I say you have a huge pair of balls to mount this challenge. Go get some octane booster and run that through a couple of hours before the race...

 

[BLÜE 9-3se]

Remove every ounce of weight that you can. Overinflate your tires, not too much, just enough to have the tire rolling on its middle instead of its edges. K&N filter. High octane gas. Fresh spark plugs and Mobil 1 oil. Put sugar in his gas tank. ;-) Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[stromer]

hes not a great shifter

Since when are the Es300's made with a manual trans?

 

[2ksaabturbo]

Hmmmmm.....
I was under the impression that a Lexus es300 is the same thing as a Toyota Camry...... except heavier.
I guess an estimated 1/4 mile time of a es300 is >16.5 sec. :roll:
Just remove a bunch of weight drop your front tire pressure (better hook up for launch) and inflate your rears (better weight transfer on launch and less rolling resistance) run octane booster etc. you might beat him.
The new ones have a 3.3 v6 and are probably a little more dangerous.
It would still be farily close.
If you're a good driver, I'd bet on it

 

[mg_td]

some wishful thinking couldn't hurt, or a turbo....:roll:

 

[dasaabguy]

Was this a drunk bet?

Don't bother with spark plugs, wax jobs, nixing the spare, or Marvel Mystery Oil. You'd have to take out all the seats, cut the fenders off, raise the hatch and pray for a tailwind so you could use it like a sail.

This is like walking up to Mike Tyson and saying, "I used to box a little at the Boys Club. Let's go three rounds...."

Thats some funny ishh!

Lets say you do win.......its still a 4 door automatic sedan you beat????

I say keep your fitty, and save your engine and tranny!

Is the guy in the Lexus a buddy of yours?

 

[stromer]

Lets say you do win.......its still a 4 door automatic sedan you beat????

And if you looose.....well don't tell anybody!

 

[hunt.dogshome]

Can you get a tow?

 

[Fast_Ed]

I say race him* and show him that luxury and automatics have nothing on a stick saab with a good driver.

If you lose, then you probably should've ridden in the car before making the bet.

*on a track in controlled conditions with the appropriate safety gear.

 

[Tboy]

You could borrow my wifes mazda, I wasted one the other day who was definately racing. They aren't all that just because it says Lexus on the back.


Good luck, (legal) racing is fun! It sure pumps up the adrenaline. Even if you loose its fun! I once raced a guy I KNEW I would loose to, but it was still great fun. A true enthusiast doesent care who wins or looses, its all about the thrill of a machine that performs well. Of course, its the icing on the cake if you win!

Tboy

 

[danthegolfer]

aite, to all u ****ers that acted like my **** was gonna get served, you were wrong

we raced, and i almost caught up to him... heres the story and this is the truth

we did 2 runs, in the first run my cltuch stuck but i was gaining on him in 2nd and 3rd gear
e
i guesss he saw i could beat him if we started more further back, which we could have... usualyl when i race at this spot we start ATLEAST 200 yards back from where we started.

this video is of the second race, but also something else happened. he jumped the gun. if you listen closely, you will hear his tires spin for atleast .75 seconds before mine do, this isnt b/c i have slow reactions, he went before my friend threw his hands down! my friend did a 3-2-1 countdown and we go on the hands bein thrown down, this dude went when my friend started to say 1.... lol

AND I ONLY lost by a car length!! if we had started at the same time, i am sure we would have ATLEAST tied... if we started back further, i am sure i would have won... but oh well... ill take losing by only one car length to a guy with a v6 es300 when he got a head start....

i am on the close side of the road, he is on the far side, and if u listen closely u can here his tires squeal (higher pitched) and then my tires squeal (the lower pitch)... and i chirped in 2nd too... w/e it was fun~!

oh and also, on the head start thing, after i left, he told me one friend who then told me, and i quote my friend who quoted him, " damn dude, if i hadnt gotten a head start he probly would have got me"

if u want the vid, im me on aim and il lsend it to you... b33fnch33s3tac0

 

[mike saunders]

So what you're saying is that you went a couple of rounds with Tyson and still got knocked out in the third....

Uh, good race....