Heater Performance When Starting Outside In Cold Weather

[DaRacerz]

Hi Guys (and Ladies)

New here to the RX and Hybrids in general. Just to give you a quick background, I do not own one at this moment, but seriously considering buying the 2010 RX Hybrid when it comes out.

One of the concerns I have is how effective is the Hybrid in Cold Weather. For example, the heater core. How quickly (compared to a non hybrid) does it take for the heater to work and how effective is it? Also, are there any special restrictions one needs to look out for over a gasoline powered car?

I'm asking because during the winter, I spend a lot of time skiing in the mountains where it can get close 0 F and the car stays exposed. And of course, after a long day out, the last thing I want is to be in a cold car for the duration it takes to get back to the lodge or any other trips I may make.

Thanks

Mark

[RX400h]

Although I don't have direct experience with our RX400h in 0 degree weather, I have used the electrically-heated seats and they certainly heat up very quickly. As far as the heat produced by the heater core, you should know that when the engine is cold, it will start almost immediately when you turn the key. In all likelyhood, the gas engine will stay on for many miles before the oil is hot enough to allow the engine to shut down. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences........

[vinovelo]

Although I don't have direct experience with our RX400h in 0 degree weather, I have used the electrically-heated seats and they certainly heat up very quickly. As far as the heat produced by the heater core, you should know that when the engine is cold, it will start almost immediately when you turn the key. In all likelyhood, the gas engine will stay on for many miles before the oil is hot enough to allow the engine to shut down. I'm sure others will chime in with their experiences........

I suspect that is is not much worse than any other vehicle with regard to warm up. I have noticed that while warming up if I stop at a light the engine will stay on unless I turn the heat off in which case it will stop the engine while the car is stopped. So, it appears the system is smart enough in that if you have the heat on and it is not up to temperature the engine will keep on running to warm the vehicle up.

Now, one quirk I have noticed is that if I have thew heat in DUAL mode with a great difference between the right and left temperature settings it has some trouble. The hotter side will get too much cool air. If I turn the dual mode off the problem goes away.

The previous poster is quite correct. The seat heaters seem to work well and very quick. I have an Acura as a second vehicle and it's seat heaters are very slow by comparison.

/M

[jrober]

I live in northern Wisconsin and we have hed many below zero days this winter. The heating system works exactly like every other car I have owned. The heated seats are warm in about 1 minute and I can usually get the cabin heat up to a comfortable temp in 10 min or so no matter how cold it is outside. You don't need to have any concerns about the heating system.

[400h08]

Just want to add that there is no cold cranking of the starter to deal with. It just starts the engine.

The coldest here in Toronto was about -15c and mileage suffered. I bought my 400h in July, and was running at 9.1 litre/100km in the summer, but with winter here, this average has shot up to 9.5 (a 4 % increase in consumtion). I am sure it will average higher as winter goes on.

[riwyle]

Just want to add that there is no cold cranking of the starter to deal with. It just starts the engine.

The coldest here in Toronto was about -15c and mileage suffered. I bought my 400h in July, and was running at 9.1 litre/100km in the summer, but with winter here, this average has shot up to 9.5 (a 4 % increase in consumtion). I am sure it will average higher as winter goes on.

According to my K&E slide rule, that is 25.5 and 24.8 mpg, respectively.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Hi Guys (and Ladies)

New here to the RX and Hybrids in general. Just to give you a quick background, I do not own one at this moment, but seriously considering buying the 2010 RX Hybrid when it comes out.

One of the concerns I have is how effective is the Hybrid in Cold Weather. For example, the heater core. How quickly (compared to a non hybrid) does it take for the heater to work and how effective is it? Also, are there any special restrictions one needs to look out for over a gasoline powered car?

I'm asking because during the winter, I spend a lot of time skiing in the mountains where it can get close 0 F and the car stays exposed. And of course, after a long day out, the last thing I want is to be in a cold car for the duration it takes to get back to the lodge or any other trips I may make.

Thanks

Mark

Welcome DaRacerz,

We seldom winter in Montana, but our 400h always runs great there, even in sub zero temps. However there's a catch. We too wanted 'instant heat'. No big deal, Toyota highlander part number CO140-00644. It's an enging block heater. They're somewhat of an oddity in the U.S. but easy enough to get from Canadian dealers. We have the extension cord on a timer set for about 90 minutes prior to driving. Nearly instant heat, BAM. Oh, as to the 'no big deal' I should clarify. The install took me over 2 hours, as I wanted to make certain I didn't screw anything up. It'd probably take the dealer less than half that time, but a buck here & a buck there, before you know it, it's real money.

[400h08]

Just want to add that there is no cold cranking of the starter to deal with. It just starts the engine.

The coldest here in Toronto was about -15c and mileage suffered. I bought my 400h in July, and was running at 9.1 litre/100km in the summer, but with winter here, this average has shot up to 9.5 (a 4 % increase in consumtion). I am sure it will average higher as winter goes on.

According to my K&E slide rule, that is 25.5 and 24.8 mpg, respectively.

Slide rule? The last time I used one was 1970 :D

[BillyShaft]

In doing some research on the Prius, I think I saw some info where the car had a small electric heater that helped heat the cabin until the engine warmed up.

Has anyone heard of the same type of thing for the RX400?

[RX400h]

Slide rule? The last time I used one was 1970 :D

Slide rule chapters were eliminated from engineering textbooks circa 1976. I have one that was given to me by my father, but I still don't know how to use it. My first scientific calculator was an HP-21 in........1976!

[DaRacerz]

I would like to Thank everyone for their comments and helping me get rid of any doubts I had about going Hybrid. Especially the last couple replies really provided me with the information I was looking for. Thanks fellas! Think those plans are solidified and looking forward to it. Can't exactly say getting an SUV is going Green, but if one is forced down such a path, its not a bad decision!

Also, I don't believe the RX400 has the electic heater coil for the Heating Subsystem when the motor is cold and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact the manufactures want to get the engine up to temperature for when its needed. Gotta remember, the electric heating coil would use a lot of energy from the battery.

[ilovelexus2007]

DaRacerz.

If you need another assurance about how fast the heater in the RX 400h works, you can take the words for the guy that lives in Minnesota :P Yesterday, we had freezing rain as I came out of the shopping mall, I forgot to bring the de-icer spray with me and it was pretty tough to clean off the windshield, I turned on the engine and had the heat blow at the windshield and windows, with in 2 minutes, I can use the wiper to wipe off my windshield because all the ice was melt into water. The car was also warm, I had to turn off and on the heat on my way home.

Here are a few things I've experienced of driving 400h in cold weather, just FYI:

The engine ALWAYS started in cold weather when you first turned it on, it usually turned off after a 3-5 minutes (1-2 mins in summer), the battery usually had enough power to generate the heat or AC without the engine turned on, but in cold weather like in MN, sometime the engine doesn't turned off unless you turn off the heat or at a complete stop (in the summer, low speed at 35 MPH or below will turn the engine off as well)

I got about 21-22 MPG now, down significantly from my high of 28-29 MPG in the summer. The average temp here in MN is 10F, ranging for low of -13F to high of 24F (I know :( )

I got the best MPG when the temp was around 60-75F. Warmer than that also kill my MPG, but not that much. Peak MPG was at 30, lowest is right now at 21.5

During my 35 miles commute to work before Christmas, where we had temp of -13F and the windchill of -32F, the engine was never turned off even at a complete stop AND the heat was down. That was the first time that I saw it behaves like that. I guess it was too cold that even when the engine was supposed to be warm, it still wasn't warm enough.

If you ever buying the 2010 RX Hybrid, share with us what you found.

[katzjamr]

to i love lexus, i think in the coldest weather the ICE had to run all the time just to keep the catalytic converter to its 800 degrees F or so. With the Prius toyota was concerned about the small atkinson cycle engine taking time to warm up and not staying warm as it sat, so an engineer came up with the secondary heater that sits in the lower left corner (drivers side) behind the bumper. that thing is easily damaged in an accident and the part alone without install goes for $1,000 or more. The RX400h with the v6 engine doesnt need this accessory as people here have posted.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

to i love lexus, i think in the coldest weather the ICE had to run all the time just to keep the catalytic converter to its 800 degrees F or so. With the Prius toyota was concerned about the small atkinson cycle engine taking time to warm up and not staying warm as it sat, so an engineer came up with the secondary heater that sits in the lower left corner (drivers side) behind the bumper. that thing is easily damaged in an accident and the part alone without install goes for $1,000 or more. The RX400h with the v6 engine doesnt need this accessory as people here have posted.

I must be missing something. If temps are sub zero, why wouldn't the V6 benefit just as much as a 1.3liter 4 banger would benefit from having a secondary heater? Common sense would tell you the V6 block is larger & thus take longer to warm up, thus benefiting the same way the small ICE would benefit. There are other heating tricks, BTW. You can put a 10 degrees warmer thermostat in the cooling system. I think the stock one opens around 180 degrees f. But they do make 190's. Lastly, there's always 'grill-blocking'. It's a bit tricky, but you can stuff the grill with foam pipe insulation. Everyone has seen diesel tractor's with canvas covers over the radiator ... it's the same effect. Works good, too. Heck, there are some new cars comming out this year that do grill blocking automatically, using mechanical louvers.

Edit:

Found out that the (PCT) secondary heating elements are only installed in "cold area" models, and only put out about 300watts. I'm going to have to see if I got 'em.

[largo]

Hi Guys (and Ladies)

New here to the RX and Hybrids in general. Just to give you a quick background, I do not own one at this moment, but seriously considering buying the 2010 RX Hybrid when it comes out.

One of the concerns I have is how effective is the Hybrid in Cold Weather. For example, the heater core. How quickly (compared to a non hybrid) does it take for the heater to work and how effective is it? Also, are there any special restrictions one needs to look out for over a gasoline powered car?

I'm asking because during the winter, I spend a lot of time skiing in the mountains where it can get close 0 F and the car stays exposed. And of course, after a long day out, the last thing I want is to be in a cold car for the duration it takes to get back to the lodge or any other trips I may make.

Thanks

Mark

[largo]

On the heater topic. I picked up my RX 400 new in October and our weather went to -30+ in November and stayed there until today. My vehicle heater works fine even better than my 2005 Highlander. I leave the RX outside and not plugged in some nights and it starts right up and is warm within 5 minutes. As a bonus the seat heaters get so hot on max you need to turn them down. In short there is plenty of heat in any weather in this vehicle, but the engine runs steady until the car warms up.

[SOMEONE ELSE'S GOT MY NAME]

Just curious ... do you run 5w-30 oil? . . . or 0w-30. In cold temps, I find the 0w-30 synthetic improves on sub zero mpg. But sometimes, just getting around on those days is enough of a feet.