Lexus IS200 Lowering Springs – Lex Appeal

The Lexus IS200 is widely regarded as the car that showed the BMW 3 series the way home. A superb mix of refinement, equipment and ride wrapped in a great looking package. To that list of credentials, you can now add ‘handling’ thanks to the latest performance spring kit from Cobra Suspension.

The precision-wound kit drops the lofty Lexus down by approximately 40mm, making it look rather more suitable for the track than the golf club. Thanks to its new found lower centre of gravity, turn-in and handling are greatly improved, with ride quality left almost untouched.

The manufacturing process behind each kit sets it apart from the competition. Each spring is cold-wound from high tensile Chromium–Silicone wire before being shot-peened for longevity and then finished with a phosphate treatment and baked-on resin powder coating, for a hard corrosion resistant shell. The Cobra kits also come with an unparalleled lifetime warranty against breakage, making them unique in the UK marketplace.

For enthusiasts searching for the pinnacle in handling and adjustability, Cobra also offer their Evo 3 coilover kit for the car which offers massive ride adjustments of up to 60mm, plus full bump and rebound incremental damping on a stainless steel body for just £1311.18 + VAT. This kit is aimed squarely at the fast road and track day enthusiast and offers the ability for full corner-weighting and precise chassis set-up.

So if you want the luxury and refinement of Toyota’s finest marque, combine with tenacious road-holding and an all-important improvement in stance and visual appeal – and for just £146.00 + VAT, click to www.cobra-suspension.com or call the team on 01530 517920.

New Alloy Wheel for the GTR from Dotz

Automotive artisan Dotz has released yet another stunning wheel design into the market. The GTR, their latest deep-dish design, offers a stunning 6-spoke profile, combined with the perfect dish and the all-important deep lip.

As its Eastern good-looks suggest, the wheel is aimed squarely at the Jap and tuner markets, but its superbly understated visage means it will doubtless be a hit in the VAG scene, with fitments being available for all of the usual suspects.

Size wise, you’re spoilt for choice, with staggered 18” offered in either 7.5” or 8” widths and 19” diameter available in both 8.5” and 9.5”. All are available from stock immediately here in the UK. Prices start from £118 + VAT for the 7.5” x 18”

For more details of the Dotz range, or Alcar’s extensive portfolio of wheel designs, please click to www.alcar.co.uk or call 01622 713800

Dotz Wheels to Mod Live At USC 2010

Leading wheel designer Dotz has long been known as the ideal ‘first call’ to improve the look of any car, but for this year’s Ultimate Street Car show at Santa Pod, they’re going one better! Over the three days of the show between the 6th and 8th of August, an assembled Dotz team will transform a stock hatchback into a showstopper, changing almost every part of the car in the process!

In front of a capacity 35,000 crowd, the Dotz build area will be a hive of activity over the weekend as the chosen ride literally gets reduced to a rolling shell, before having numerous upgrades including interior, suspension, induction, exhausts, brakes, audio and of course, a bespoke set of Dotz wheels. As a piece of literal ‘performance art’ it should be quite some spectacle with the team attempting to fit a week’s worth of work into the timeframe of the show.

It’s not only the thronging crowd that will get to enjoy watching the team perform under pressure, as the whole show, including the build, is being filmed for a one-hour special going out on Motors and Eurosport in peak-time air-slots later in the year.

So what car will they use? ‘That’s under wraps at the moment,’ explained Alcar UK Managing Director Kevin Greer. ‘We are still talking to our build and commercial partners to make sure that we all put on the very best show – and the car has to reflect that. The build will be inspirational, informative and entertaining, so bank on it being a core tuner motor – and that we’re going to throw a catalogue of the very best tuning parts at it over the weekend. All being well, if we finish on time, the plan is to run it up the strip to close the show on the Sunday.’

The build area certainly sounds like the place to be during USC with DJs, Models, wheel displays and Dotz merchandising to entertain the crowds as well as the delicious dilemma of well they/won’t they get it all finished on time?

‘We’re quietly confident.’ Smiled Kevin, ‘but that’s an awful lot of work in a tiny amount of time. Join us and find out!’

For more details of the Dotz alloy wheels range, or Alcar’s extensive portfolio of wheel designs, please click to www.alcar.co.uk or call 01622 713800