jashev Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 Well now what? Finding a new transmission for my '53 BelAir ragtop had been quite a task, but I had located one in Kenosha, WI. The owner still had it attached to the engine and would only sell the two of them together, so for $250 I had gotten a great deal. The cost of shipping the stuff back to New Jersey was four times what I had paid, so I figured on taking the drive out to Kenosha myself and bringing the stuff back. I stood in my driveway and looked at my '04 Diesel GMC Sierra pickup and back to the RX400. Now which one would I rather be driving for 14 hours each way? So I attached my small enclosed trailer (5X10) and headed out to Kenosha figuring this 1800 mile trip over three days would be a great test for the RX. The car ran flawlessly and I barely noticed the 1000 lb trailer behind me. Strong acceleration, good handling, good braking, etc. What I did find is that my mpg dropped dramatically. On the first leg of the journey, with no thought to fuel usage, I found myself running low after only 200 miles. Checking my mpg, I discovered that at 70 mph with the trailer attached I was getting 14.6 mpg (significantly less than my diesel gets). So given the fact that I had 14 hours ahead of me (and at least 4 fuel stops each way due to the tank size) I would play around with my speed and see what happens. I decided to bring my average speed down in 5 mph intervals and observe the gas mileage (at least it kept me awake). At 65 mph my mpg went to 16.7. At 60 mph it went to 19.5 and amazingly at 55 mph (though on these interstates you take your life in your hands going that slow) it rose to 23.4 mpg. I also found similar results with the additional 700 lbs of hardware in the trailer on the return trip. Of course the best mpg moments were while I was stuck in typical Chicago traffic and watched my mpg jump to 29. The conclusion is that if you want a nice comfortable towing ride, the RX is terrific. The abundance of available torque and hp makes it effortless for the car. You might just want to avoid long stretches with no gas stations since if you get much over 250 miles between fueling points, you ain't gonna make it. Just thought some might be curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeandsail Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 I tow a boat with my RX400h and my average miles per gallon without boat of 26.5 mpg drops to about 19-20 mpg with boat while driving about 5 mph slower. IE about 65-70 with boat and 70-75 without. I have about 13,000 miles total including about 3,000 towing the 1,400 pound boat and trailer. I have got as low as 17-18 with boat if driving faster. The RX400h is not a "high speed" economy vehicle. I get about 20-22 mpg at 80 mph. Any speed over about 70 drops the mileage dramatically. Ron Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katzjamr Posted October 11, 2005 Share Posted October 11, 2005 I dont tow however i do agree that everything over 60mph is a mpg killer. Also, alittle off topic but in the gas mileage vein, i have been parking outside recently over night in the Pacific Northwest where the morning temps are about 50F. This combo of cool weather and the need for the ICE to run alot longer if i want heat for the cabin is costing me 4mpg on shorter morning trips. I think a cool battery pack might be less efficient too for some reason but im only guessing on that. Winter should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indiasfinest Posted October 12, 2005 Share Posted October 12, 2005 actually i thought that cold surroundings made the battery last longer kinda like putting AA batteries in the friddge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesaintjim Posted October 13, 2005 Share Posted October 13, 2005 I tow a boat with my RX400h and my average miles per gallon without boat of 26.5 mpg drops to about 19-20 mpg with boat while driving about 5 mph slower. IE about 65-70 with boat and 70-75 without. I have about 13,000 miles total including about 3,000 towing the 1,400 pound boat and trailer. I have got as low as 17-18 with boat if driving faster. The RX400h is not a "high speed" economy vehicle. I get about 20-22 mpg at 80 mph. Any speed over about 70 drops the mileage dramatically. Ron Ron ← I tow around 850 lbs (jet ski + trailer) and get the same miles per gallon you get. I drive all highway to the lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jashev Posted October 20, 2005 Author Share Posted October 20, 2005 actually i thought that cold surroundings made the battery last longer kinda like putting AA batteries in the friddge... ← Actually, my understanding is that the cold weather makes it more difficult for the batteries to maintain their charge and that they also discharge faster when a load is applied. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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