skyfish400h

I am going to check it out. thanks a lot for the help. Being a woman every mechanic in the world wants to charge you hefty fee just to look at my car. If you can post the pictures it would be great. EDV, this filter is an easy DIY item, here is a link to an old post of mine on the subject... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...mp;#entry283363 I get them at NAPA for $15-$20 and they work fine, you just need to change them often because they are so small. One thing I've noticed that has a HUGE affect on how often these need to be changed is the amount of time you run with the RECIRCULATE on. If you always drive with the fresh outside air, like I used to, then you go thru filters very fast. Now, I just leave it on RECIRULATE and open the windows to let in fresh air when I feel the need. Also make sure to use RECIRCULATE whenever you drive thru one of those no-touch carwashes at the gas station... your vent will pull in all the wet soapy air and ruin your new cabin filter... trust me, I know <_<

Changed my front pads at about 70,000 miles. Ron Do you still have them? Did you measure the remaining pad thickness? If my wear is any indication (approx 3mm per 45,000 mi) the pads on an RX400 should go to over 130K with 10% remaining.

That would totally depend on the geometry of the clamp and adjustment features built into the current 16s. If they are the same as the one I looked at when I got the Space Cadet, than I would have to say no. At that time it did not look like I could make the needed mods to make it work. I actually had the box on top of my car and looked at that prettly closely... beleive me I wanted to take that box home... but I could not see how to fit it without hatch interference so I refused it and ordered the Space Cadet as my second choice. The Space Cadet was much easier to fit.

I just had mine done. the alignment changed slighly (no better, no worse... just different... I'm probably the only one who could tell) and the road feel or weight on the steering wheel seems to have increased somewhat (less boost?). I like the new 400h feel. Driving the IS loaner car (and other RX's in the past) was unnerving because the other Lexus lines are all so over boosted and disconnected feeling. I hope the new RX450 follows the same approach with the steering.

To each his own. Those chrome rims spell sucker to me because they were a ploy by some Lexus dealers to get a "dealer markup" on the price of the car by charging $1-3K extra for the chrome job. But don't get them from ebay, you are only going to bail out one of these suckers who bit for the sales job. Since you mentioned wanting a winter and summer set, just get a regular set of lexus rims and have them chromed yourself. Nearly any big city will have a chrome shop. It's not nearly as expensive as you would think.

I would never purchase a car that adds a "dealer markup" to a vehicle. Looks like you live in Santa Monica. Go to Longo Lexus in El Monte, CA as they are the number one dealer in the US. They never add markups. At least give them a call. I concur about Longo in El Monte. I used them and their pricing policies as leverage against my local dealer to get my '06 without the chrome rim "dealer markup" where they charge you $1-3K for a set of chrome rims that cost them a few hundred dollars tops. Longo did not engage in this practice.

Laser cruise control was available on the RX400h in the US although it has been superseded by the radar cruise control option on the RX450h Just because your dealer didn't care to find an RX400h for you with it doesn't mean it wasn't available. Really. Do you have an '06 RX400h with either the laser or radar cruise control? As I said, it was not just ONE dealer. I talked with dealers in TX and on the East coast as well. Just curious.

Bags are not good for the Lexus because there is no protection on the roof sheet metal to have things sitting driectly on it. You will damage the thin sheet metal and scratch the paint. If you really wanted to put up a bag, I would suggest putting some of those side molding like runners on the roof between the cross bars so the bag has something to sit on. You can find the side molding anywhere like Pep Boys or Kragen, or online at places like JC Whitney. Good luck.

Just had Lexus check my brake pads and there is 7mm (70%) remaining on front as rear after 45K mi of not so gentel driving habbits. I get 21mpg because of my driving style.

If I remember correctly the laser cruise option was only available in certain configurations. I have the towing package for instance and it was not available with that. Too bad as I would have liked that. THE only feature I am sorely disapointed in is the voice recognition NAVI. Useless. /Steve The laser cruse was never avalialbe on the 400h in the US. Neither was the adjustable height air suspention. I wanted BOTH really bad and I got told NO at every turn. Even out of state dealers.

Apparently the current wiper is a bit of pain already... http://us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/index...showtopic=55545 As for cost of lexus repair, my little dent in the rear quarter panel (you can search it), cost nearly $4K to fix. I don't see how the new design would make repair costs any worse than they already are.

Here's my list of +'s and -'s for the 450h: +'s better suspension, wider track performance package (but may only be the tires) more leg room, longer seat cushions (I'm tall) ventalated seats (yum) more cargo room front grill and bumper treatment (much better) lazer guided cruise missle...er, I mean control XM traffic and weather on the nav pollution sensing recirrulate button (very thoughtful) over all less "egg" shaped hidden rear wiper -'s wood on the steering wheel (just does not belong there, sorry) less ground clearance (but now has plastic skid plates ;o) roof rack does not come with cross bars (sold separately, I hope?) chrome trim around the windows (why?) "shoulder" body feature along the sides (looks like it got squashed) $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

The small 12V pumps DO introduce more moisture because the tire serves the same funcion as the tank does at the service station. After the air is compressed its hot and can hold more water. As it cools the water condences out and collects on the inside of the "tank". In this case your tires. This is why you constantly need to drain these tanks at the service station because they will collect water in the bottom. Even the little compressor/tank combo's at Lowe's have a drain on the bottom. One way to combat this is to use a 12 compressor that has a tank attached. Even a small tank should allow enough heat transfer to cool the compressed air and squeeze out the water before it goes into the tire. Failing that, you could run the output from the compressor thru a long vertical coil of copper tubing (like a still) and then run the bottom of the tubing into a small trap where you can drain out the condensate. There is a price to be paid for everything... 2nd law of thermodyanmics.

The other negative to high tire pressure is uneven tire wear. I started out my new set of tires at 40 and quickly lowered it to 38 due to harshness as you point out. Then the uneven wear started to become noticalbe so I droped to 36 then to 34 and now the center is so much more worn than the edges I've dropped all way down to 30. The ride is nice and soft, but the handling suffers and milage should be worse, but I haven't see it yet. As for tires heating up, as long as you don't go over the MAX COLD printed on the side of the tire you are in no danger of over pressure at hot temperatures. But to get this right you have to measure and adjust the pressure when the tires are COLD. The best way is to overfill them at a nearby service station just before you get home and then bleed them down to the desired pressure the next morning when everythign is cold. Even if you try to measure the pressure as you are filling them at home with a 12V air pump you will still not be getting the correct reading because the air is heated by the compressor as its going in.

This is normal. The system tries to keep the battery at around the 80% mark to prolong the life of the battery. They don't like to be fully discharged or "topped off" because it puts stress on the inards. 19 mpg is a bit low but if you are new to driving a hybrid, that can happen. The single most effective trick I've learned is to briskly accererate up to your crusing speed and then take your foot off the gas pedel just long enough for the engine to shut off and the battery motors to kick in (less than a second). then gently re-apply gas pressure until you can just barely mantain your speed. Using the cruise control once you are up to speed will do the same thing. This behavior tends to set you appart from ordinary traffic, so its not always practical... but I do it when I can. Also using the "B" mode in heavy, slow and go traffic can help you not only control your position and speed in traffic that is constantly changing, but makes the most of regenerative breaking. But when traffic evens out you should swich back to "D" because that way you can take advantage of the coasting. These cars are REALLY good a coasting Coasting also tends to make you stand out in traffic too (in an obsticle sort way :chairshot: ).

I don't know anything about the basslink product, but I do know that the factory 12V battery is not worth routing wires to. It is too small to operate the exisiting electronics for more than a few minutes. Asking it to run anything else is pointless. What I look into is installing a booster battery (sealed lead acid type) near where you are installing the basslink so the heavy wiring is minimized. The 12V outlet in the cargo area could be the charging source for the booster. Some regulation may be needed to ensure the basslink does not try to draw all of its power from the cargo outlet since it is fused at only 10A. Keep us posted on your progress.

You have put your finger on the issue... Aerodynamic Drag. I've never reached the 25-26 mpg numbers that many have seen. The best I've been able to achieve on the old Goodyear tires was 24 mpg. Now with the wider tires 22 mpg looks good to me. Realistically, 20-21 is my normal mileage without extensive hypermileing behavior and going without the amenities like AC, music and heated seats which all take a toll. The "egg" shape of our RX is OK for aerodynamics below 40 mph, but wind resistance increases exponentially with speed. So when driving around on SoCal freeways at 75-80mph on a regular basis, the drag losses really have an impact. Adding even a small parasitic drag will be magnified exponentially by driving at freeway speeds, especially corridors like the I5 to San Diego or the I15 to Vegas where average speeds are even higher. If the factory cross bars were easier to take in and out, I would just leave them off unless I'm hauling something.

I think what is meant by "tinny" is that while Lexus has done a marvelous job of creating a safe and solid "feeling" vehicle, they do so using a minimal amount of steel. Sheet metal panels are very thin and easily damaged (as I have unfortunately discovered). The suspension always feels in control, but does has "give" to it that is noticeable. Toyota, on the other hand tend to build their cars using an abundance of steel, which is one of the reasons I've always liked them. Coming from that world and moving up to a Lexus, one does notice a certain daintiness to the design approach. Not that there is anything wrong with that ;) And, it was noted in the 2010 RX article that the weight increase was due in part to improving the RX crash protection.

I think the problem here is that the bumpers of the two cars are at different heights. I was rear ended by a passenger car into my MB ML320 with similar damages like what you described. I agree. We see this all the time in So Cal where there are lots of SUVs and small cars sharing traffic. When she hit the brakes at the last second, the nose of her car took a dive and went even lower than it would normally be if parked. If this were in traffic and your car had also been braking hard, with its tail even higher in the air... then you would have seen the kind of car on car action that is common around here. It will be surprizing if there is no damage to the the 400h. These are rather tinny cars and they are easily damaged. Probably why the 2010 redesign is so much heavier. I would be worried about the suspension and the drive train if she got that far under the car.

Yes it was a strawman argument. I never advised getting better rated tires, only that one should not use a lower rating that what came with the car. The fact that the 17" tire has a different rating is apples and oranges. If I was in the market for a 17" tire, I would not get less than an S rated tire. Does that help clear things up? Your perception of "testiness" is incorrect. I am only providing a point of view that seems to be missing from the discussion. It's always amusing when someone tries to say what another believes. It's almost universally wrong. What I believe has been stated but I will try again. Let me put it another way. If the tire makers felt that it was advisable to print "MAXIMUM SPEED 130 MPH" on the side of a tire, don't you think they would? They certainly do so for the pressure... No, the reason they use the convoluted (intentionally confusing?) H, S, V, ZR rating system is likely because that forces the consumer to READ how those ratings are determined and to NOT take to the MPH ratings literally (this gets legal off their backs). There are too many differences between the lab conditions and the real world to make such a bold claim. Your conclusion is based on a literal interpretation of the numerical rating on side of the tire. Extrapolating those values from the lab conditions to the real world... that is the fallacy. Having said all that, everyone is free to make up there own mind. I feel I've defended this position long enough. It's time to move on.

Classic straw man agruement... There are a number of important factors in choosing new tires for your car. The most influential is probably price and warranty over anything else. The vast majority of buyers will choose tires that match exactly the OEM specs. For some (like me), choosing a larger tire is justified to gain a performance edge (at the expense of fuel economy). But in doing so we are conscious not to sacrifice on any of the other key parameters. I agree the most important factor that should NEVER be compromised is the load rating. That is straight forward enough that hardly anyone would argue against it, although there may be some. I would also agree that the temperature rating should NEVER be compromised. Some could argue that they never drive in hot desert environs, and therefore do not need to match the temperature rating of the OEM tire. I would never do that for the same reasons I've articulated here on the speed issue. My personal choice, obviously, is not to compromise on the speed rating for those same reasons. I'm not qualified to re-engineer these key parameters in the downward direction that has been proposed. One especially has to be careful of these choices when they are motivated by price. Rationalization is a powerful tool of the mind. Certainly people are free to make their own choices. I just hope they have made their choices clear to the family and passengers that also use that vehicle so they can make their own choices.

Its not a good idea to put too much emphasis on the literal definitions for the speed ratings. It's a capability, a safety factor, a margin for error, a tolerance. It's something I would rather have than not. Actually I am not missing the point but I think you are. I am a Mechanical Engineer and I understand tolerances, safety factors , testing methods and all that you mentioned! I say again you dont need a V rated tire on the RX400h, and I again say the load rating is more much more important than the speed rating unless you plan on driving your RX400h on the autobahn at 130 MPH for long stretches of time. You can say whatever you like. Its a free country. I'm only providing caution for the non-engineers out there who are not prone to second guessing another engineers work. I'm here to say that maybe, just maybe it would be better err on the side of safety. That perhaps you don't have the whole picture, and that there may be factors that you have not acounted for in your "analysis". Here is a quote from the testing method on writeup on tirerack... Speed ratings are based on laboratory tests where the tire is pressed against a large diameter metal drum to reflect its appropriate load, and run at ever increasing speeds (in 6.2 mph steps in 10 minute increments) until the tire's required speed has been met. It does not describe any evaluaton of the tire after the conditions have been met other than the implied condition that it has not been destroyed. They don't repeat the test day in and day out like we do in our cars over the years it take to wear out a set of tires. And they are not doing it on a real road with glass and rocks and nails and pot holes and and and.... You make your own choice. But allow other to have a different take.

They sell washer formula for cold weather that prevents ice formation (also keeps the washer bottle from freezing). I hardly ever see it here in SoCal, but I have seen it at AutoZone on occasion.

Its not a good idea to put too much emphasis on the literal definitions for the speed ratings. They are only benchmarks for comparison. When you see 130mph, and think to yourself, "I would never drive an RX that fast, and neither should anyone else"... you are missing the point. It's a capability, a safety factor, a margin for error, a tolerance. It's something I would rather have than not. Re-read the laboratory conditions for how they determine those speeds and all of the caveats they put around those ratings on the tirerack link you sited. And think again about the real world conditions they have to operate in. Back on the size issue (size does matter ;)... Most any 255/55R18 tire will fit. Watch out for greater than 29" dia or 10.4" width. This size will give you a more stable ride, but will cost you 1-3mpg in fuel economy. The Michelin have the best MPG performance, but they handle like you're driving thru mud compared to my tires or the Toyos, or for that matter even the Bridgestone Alanza's which are a nice tire (and come in the OEM size). It's always something. Everything is a compromise. The Toyos that some have tried fit a little better than the GYResponse Edge because they are 1/10th of an inch less wide in the wheel well and that may be enough to avoid the minor rubbing that I experienced when the GY were first fitted onto the car (or maybe he has never pushed his RX to its limits like I have B) ). But now, after the first rotation I no longer have the rubbing (and I'm a bit more sedate in my driving... but I bet I could still get there. Come for a ride, let's find out :o )

There probably is a relationship between load rating and speed rating that would allow you to trade speed for load, but I don't know what that formula is. The point is that no reputable tire center will install lower speed rated tires then what is called for (unless thier snow tires). Pay the extra for the V rating. I have the Goodyear Eagle Response Edge 255/55 running on my RX and couldn't be happier about their performance over the last 20K.