amcdonal86 Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 I was just curious what kind of gas mileage numbers you guys are getting. I've only driven the car in the city since I've had it, and I consistently get about 15 mpg. This is with me driving very carefully, never revving over 2000 rpm (this car can actually still keep up with traffic doing that!). 14.5 mpg is not too bad in my opinion, but I was expecting a little closer to the EPA estimated 17 mpg. (I've been filling up at exactly the same gas pump to try to keep things consistent.) Maybe it's because most of my trips are short (probably less than 3-4 miles). So what are you guys getting? By the way, it's a '97 LS400.
eatingupblacktop Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Check out my poll: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=51747
amcdonal86 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 Check out my poll: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=51747 Thanks for that. It's still interesting how some people's WORST tanks are 19 mpg with a lead foot and I can't seem to break 15mpg feathering the pedal as much as possible and not having any fun! Maybe I will try lead footing it for the next tank and see what happens. Maybe the engine is more efficient when you give it a little more go!!
1990LS400 Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 Check out my poll: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=51747 Thanks for that. It's still interesting how some people's WORST tanks are 19 mpg with a lead foot and I can't seem to break 15mpg feathering the pedal as much as possible and not having any fun! Maybe I will try lead footing it for the next tank and see what happens. Maybe the engine is more efficient when you give it a little more go!! I saw in your thread of 12/26/08 that you "just bought a '97 Coach Edition". It may be a little early to be fretting about gas mileage. I don't see where "blacktop's" survey adequately addresses typical winter gas mileage -- which can be substantially worse than when it is warmer. I had quite a few tank averages in the 14-16 mpg range during winter on my first LS400 with a four speed automatic transmission -- and that was driving in the Kansas City metro area where the traffic usually flows quite nicely and is nothing like the traffic-hell I've experienced in northern Virginia. My suggestion is to track your gas mileage on every tank -- you will likely see trends that you can tie to traffic and weather conditions and how you are using your car. I've tracked gas mileage on all our cars for decades in a log book kept in each car that is eventually passed on to the car's next owner. I don't do it sporadically but track every single gallon. The log books also contain records of tire rotations, oil changes, other car maintenance and unexpected repairs. People in the survey seem to have reported some incredible gas mileage figures that I have to wonder about. I don't think I ever got more than the high 25's mpg in my gen 1 LS400 and that was on an west-to-east trip with a fairly strong tail wind. More typical gas mileage on long trips was more in the 23-24 mpg range. A mix of city and highway driving usually had the gas mileage at 18-22 mpg. My 00 LS400 with its 5-speed auto seems to get substantially better gas mileage than my gen 1 LS did but it can still be in the 15-17 mpg range in the winter if I stay off the interstate and it averages about 27 mpg when driven continually at the highway speed limit - 65 or 70 mpg - on long trips. I got nearly 30 mpg one time on a tank full but that was with a 30-40 mph tailwind when driving from Tulsa to Kansas City. Oh .... try driving with a "lead foot". I think you will see a change in gas mileage that you will not like.
amcdonal86 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 Check out my poll: http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=51747 Thanks for that. It's still interesting how some people's WORST tanks are 19 mpg with a lead foot and I can't seem to break 15mpg feathering the pedal as much as possible and not having any fun! Maybe I will try lead footing it for the next tank and see what happens. Maybe the engine is more efficient when you give it a little more go!! I saw in your thread of 12/26/08 that you "just bought a '97 Coach Edition". It may be a little early to be fretting about gas mileage. I don't see where "blacktop's" survey adequately addresses typical winter gas mileage -- which can be substantially worse than when it is warmer. I had quite a few tank averages in the 14-16 mpg range during winter on my first LS400 with a four speed automatic transmission -- and that was driving in the Kansas City metro area where the traffic usually flows quite nicely and is nothing like the traffic-hell I've experienced in northern Virginia. My suggestion is to track your gas mileage on every tank -- you will likely see trends that you can tie to traffic and weather conditions and how you are using your car. I've tracked gas mileage on all our cars for decades in a log book kept in each car that is eventually passed on to the car's next owner. I don't do it sporadically but track every single gallon. The log books also contain records of tire rotations, oil changes, other car maintenance and unexpected repairs. People in the survey seem to have reported some incredible gas mileage figures that I have to wonder about. I don't think I ever got more than the high 25's mpg in my gen 1 LS400 and that was on an west-to-east trip with a fairly strong tail wind. More typical gas mileage on long trips was more in the 23-24 mpg range. A mix of city and highway driving usually had the gas mileage at 18-22 mpg. My 00 LS400 with its 5-speed auto seems to get substantially better gas mileage than my gen 1 LS did but it can still be in the 15-17 mpg range in the winter if I stay off the interstate and it averages about 27 mpg when driven continually at the highway speed limit - 65 or 70 mpg - on long trips. I got nearly 30 mpg one time on a tank full but that was with a 30-40 mph tailwind when driving from Tulsa to Kansas City. Oh .... try driving with a "lead foot". I think you will see a change in gas mileage that you will not like. Hahaha, thanks for the info. I wonder if my gas mileage numbers have something to do with the 10% ethanol in the gas these days. I'm not fretting yet--just a little curious. Right now I'm giving the LS400 a good wash and then I'm going to polish out some scratches on the bumper and driver's door, and then wax the whole thing with some Collinite 845 that seems to work pretty well!
Marklouis Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 yes, Ethanol does affect the gas mileage for sure. congrats on the 97 c i just wonder how many more bells and whistles you have over my 95 basic edition?
amcdonal86 Posted January 5, 2009 Author Posted January 5, 2009 yes, Ethanol does affect the gas mileage for sure. congrats on the 97 c i just wonder how many more bells and whistles you have over my 95 basic edition? Thanks. Not too many, I imagine. I think it just has different leather and has comes with a sunroof and memory seats and traction control. I'm new to Lexus, though!
eatingupblacktop Posted January 5, 2009 Posted January 5, 2009 I don't see where "blacktop's" survey adequately addresses typical winter gas mileage -- which can be substantially worse than when it is warmer. You're absolutely right. I purposely didn't include winter mileage in my poll because of the multitude of factors affecting fuel consumption in the winter. Such as, weather conditions, idling time, heater temp settings, seat/mirror/defrost heaters, warmup time, snow tires/all season, amount of snow on the road, etc. Just too many factors to include. You're welcome to set one up though. Maybe it's because most of my trips are short (probably less than 3-4 miles). Maybe I will try lead footing it for the next tank and see what happens. Maybe the engine is more efficient when you give it a little more go!! You're not that far off the mark. Short trips are not good for your car. So getting the car up to normal operating temps, then doing a few backtoback WOT runs during the week to get the cats nice and hot will clean out all the carbon buildup and charge up your batt. I wonder if my gas mileage numbers have something to do with the 10% ethanol in the gas these days. I'm not fretting yet--just a little curious. As Mark mentions, ethanol reduces both mileage and performance. Enjoy your coach edition and keep the shiny side up!
90LS400Lexus Posted January 6, 2009 Posted January 6, 2009 Well, when I put gas with ethanol in my car, I get only 16 mpg. When I get 100% gas, I get 20-21 mpg! My car is a 1991 LS400 with 217K.
PilotguyPA28 Posted January 8, 2009 Posted January 8, 2009 Depends on the speed and roadway. I use 93 octane, pure gas, no Ethenol. Around town 17mpg. On the highway @ 65mph, no Ethenol, 29-30......at 75mph, no Ethenol, 26mpg. With Ethenol it decreases about 4%.
amcdonal86 Posted January 9, 2009 Author Posted January 9, 2009 I finally got to take the car on a long-ish highway trip. I drove about 280 miles on this tank and averaged about 23 mpg with 10% ethanol. This included about 30 miles of city driving and the remainder was all highway driving, with about a 15 minute time period of heavy stop-and-go delays. Cruise speed at around 80mph on some parts, but on average my cruise speed was closer to 70. This sounds kind of normal. I'm not worried anymore. P.S. Where on Earth do you guys find fuel that doesn't have ethanol blended into it??!
vyhanh Posted January 9, 2009 Posted January 9, 2009 Hi, My mpg drops about 2-3mpg in winter due to: 1. Sand bags in trunk 2. Longer to warm up 3. More idling due to winter traffic jams/slowdowns
ScottRoy Posted January 9, 2009 Posted January 9, 2009 Mine will average around 19-20 around town but definitely around 18 when my wife does the driving. When Hiway driving is dominant, it is closer to 22.5. Long drives on Fwy see it up closer to 25 (mostly flatish land). I did get a bump in mileage and can use lower octane gas when using DynoTabs http://www.dynotab.com/
amcdonal86 Posted January 9, 2009 Author Posted January 9, 2009 So where can I get 100% gasoline (not gasohol)?
emdc Posted January 10, 2009 Posted January 10, 2009 1991 LS400 with 164K Miles I get around 12-14 MPG city, and I've got a little bit of a lead foot. But when I'm out of the freeway not using cruise, going anywhere from 65-80 I get around 16-20 MPG depending on wind and accelerating and decelerating in traffic. I think it's the weight of this car that truly hurts the gas mileage when it is starting and stopping in the city.
GKLCPA Posted January 11, 2009 Posted January 11, 2009 I can definitely attest to the fact that ethanol decreases gas mileage.
027922 Posted January 21, 2009 Posted January 21, 2009 Your short drives hurt mileage since the car never fully warms up. Winter mpg will be less than summer and ethanol blend will lower mpg. Ask around for pure premium gas - it is usually available for collector or custom cars. I also find synthetic oil gives me easier winter starts (I live in the frozen tundra of MN) and about 5 - 10% better mpg. Good luck.
amcdonal86 Posted January 21, 2009 Author Posted January 21, 2009 As an update, last weekend I drove the car on a 260 mile highway trip and I ended up with 25.5mpg on 100% highway driving. And that was at 75mph! (Not too shabby, huh?)
JeffreyV Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 So where can I get 100% gasoline (not gasohol)? I believe that BP gas contains no ethanol. My 92LS400 gets about 21 MPG going back and forth to work in good weather. It's an 8 mile trip with just a few lights and stop signs. I think it has probably decreased to below 20 lately because of winter, warming it up, etc. It gets 26 MPG on the highway at 65 mph. But, my driving here in SC is all on level ground and it's normally warm. Although... then the A/C gets used every day in the summer.
amcdonal86 Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 So where can I get 100% gasoline (not gasohol)? I believe that BP gas contains no ethanol. My 92LS400 gets about 21 MPG going back and forth to work in good weather. It's an 8 mile trip with just a few lights and stop signs. I think it has probably decreased to below 20 lately because of winter, warming it up, etc. It gets 26 MPG on the highway at 65 mph. But, my driving here in SC is all on level ground and it's normally warm. Although... then the A/C gets used every day in the summer. Unfortunately, I don't think this is true of BP gas stations in Virginia. In fact, I think Virginia may have mandated E10, but I have no way to find out?
hurschel Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 '97 LS 400 last fill up was 22.87 that's lower than usual, rural roads and usually in the 24's. Last summer on Fla trip we got 28.6 on Exway going and coming from Ky. haven't had a chance to get all city mpg. I'm happy with that beats the 4 cyl Odyssey on the hwy.
amcdonal86 Posted February 28, 2009 Author Posted February 28, 2009 Well, I'm still having trouble getting it above 18 mpg with mixed driving (15 mpg with all city), but my highway mileage today was astounding! At 65 mph, I got 28.6 mpg. Previously at 75 mph, I got 25.5mpg, but I also just got new tires. I will test the mpg on the return trip on Sunday at 75 mph.
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