LS4hundy

The best result I obtained was when I used it with aroud 1/4 tank of gas.

Just so i make sure, u had 1/4 tank then filled up, if so, i have about 1/4 tank right now but plan of filling up with gas tomorrow before i leave

So I am leaving for seattle tomorrow which is 500 miles from here(ashland oregon). I bought a bottle of berrymans(comparable to sea foam) and I have 40 psi in the tires for the gas mileage. Does anybody else have any mileage booster advice. I will let everybody know the mileage i get on the highway when i get back. Im thinking of setting the cc to 70-75 mph. Hoping to get 25-27 miles per gallon.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO ALL

Welcome to the 96 club! I've put 60k on mine and not one problem. You've got a gem with only 36k on the dash. Take care of it, keep it clean and maintenanced and you won't be disappointed. If I were you, I'd get all the fluids, plugs, and filters changed just in case. It hasn't been driven much and, if you don't have maintenance records, you may need some new blood in it. That thumping sound may also be because of the lack of driving. Let a dealer or shop that specializes in Toyota/Lexus take a look at it. A lot of people on the site use independent service centers. Start a good relationship with one and you'll save yourself a lot of money! Good luck.

Thanks and that's sage advice that I'll act on. There's an independent service center near my job and I think I'll take it by there during the next couple of weeks.

What do you guys think about the price I paid? I think it may be a bit on the high side when I look at TMV per Edmunds (about $ 9,300). Kelly Blue Book indicated a range of $12,000 to $14,000 for a 96. The dealer (non-lexus) wanted $ 16,000 initially.

My car is a New York City car that was driven an average of 3,000 miles a year. Apparently, the owner had a home in Florida and only used the car when he came North. I found it on the internet.

I think thats a fair price for a great car. I paid 11,500 for a 95 ls400 with 67k miles so i think ur doin well considering the mileage. U will love this sight, its very helpful and also nice to know that others here have a great taste in cars ;)

Sea foam is nothing special is it? Can I get it at shmucks?

hundy:

Yep, schmucks have it, but they want about $7.50 a can, which is totally outrageous. Check Wally World & GI Joe's, they have it on sale periodically.

SeaFoam is made primarily of Naptha. There are other products out there that are similar. Berryman's B-12 Chemtool comes to mind as well. It is also made with Naptha as one of the primary ingredients. SeaFoam really isn't one of the seven wonders of the automotive chemical world. It is "just" Naptha with a few other additives. Same thing with Berryman's. I think they both work equally well. I find that Berryman's is usually quite a bit cheaper. I've paid as little as $2.50 a can at Wally World.

Either of these products are just a fuel system/fuel injector cleaner. Naptha is a solvent which breaks down & cleans all the gunk & power robbing deposits that are a result of tens of thousands of miles of normal use. Nothing tremendously magical (in spite of what the marketing geeks say). You can also accomplish the same thing by taking your car into a good "Indie" and having the fuel system/injectors cleaned. But guess what they use? Well, maybe not SeaFoam, but something very similar. It will usually run you about $150.00, which isn't terrible. You can do the same thing over time by adding a can to your gas periodically. I usually add an entire can to a quarter tank of gas, which will probably elicit howls of protest here, but if you figure out the dilution ratio for four or five gallons of gas to 16 oz's of "goo", it's not that bad.

Stay away from the "Techron", Valvoline, STP type of treatments.......It's the same stuff in a fancy bottle for about four or five times the price of SeaFoam.

As a side note; I don't quite understand all of the discussion about wildly fluctuating mileage numbers. If I use cheap gas or do a lot of in city driving, I get 23 to 24 mpg. If I use good gas or drive mostly highway, I get 25 to 26.5 mpg and it's always been that way. However, keep in mind that I started with SeaFoam the day I bought the car. The most notable improvement was pedal response. I could definitely feel the improvement there. But it's not like I went from 17.1 (or something) to 25 mpg.

Wow, you are getting almost double the miles per gallon than me!!

well i feel alot better, I have been reading all these threads about guys so happy that they get great gas mileage on all the mileage threads. You guys are great, this forum is great, and my lexus is great. My fiance just started her career as a nurse and shes had the same corolla since 95, im trying to convince her to get an is(i think the older ones are smaller than the new ones). That would be nice to have both my boat and her sporty lex. Anyways, thanks again and i will update my mileage on my trip to seattle(cant wait to go back) Sea foam is nothing special is it? Can I get it at shmucks? Also, air pressure in our tire. Everybody seems to have a different opionon. I could care less for more comfort(there already plenty), i need better gas mileage!!

I have driven 235 miles and im at a little less then a qtr tank!!

So just to make sure, the 95 ls400 has a 25 gallon tank? Ive had all the fluids changed/filters/plugs(not wires/distributor cap. I just moved to a small town(ashland) where I drive around 5 miles a day if that. Once a week, I hit the freeway. Dont drive with the ac on. I drive like a granny but there is a alot of stop and go here. I know that stop and go kills the miles but doing the calculation gives me like 10-12 miles a gallon. Suggestions? I will be driving back to seattle on turkey day which is 500 miles from here and im curious to see my mileage on a long trip.

Thanks in advance

1995 ls400 70k miles

welcome and congrats. Im sure u will love ur car and the guys here are great at answering questions. This a great forum for us newbies...

how big r ur rims and did u lower it at all?

Thanx fellas for the info. Even though I think 20's and dropped a little would be beautiful. I would be sacraficing the reason why im in love with the car. The most comfortable ride ever. Maybe Ill look into some younger ls400/430 chrome rims.

I have an 95 ls400. I just recently purchased it. Im starting to get that rim feeling again. I know that the ride will be rougher but damn i think it would make the car look that much better. Does anybody know the specs for whats needed to for 95. Would I have to lower my car to avoid a big gap?

Thanks in advance

1 more thing. Can I put younger ls400 rims on the car, ls430 even

I have the bridgestone turanza and I think they are fine. Granted I have not tried anything else on the car yet.

good purchase. I recently bought a 95 with 69k miles and i paid $10,500. I thought i got a good deal. The car is in perfect condition with bluetooth but I think i paid a little too much even though its a 2nd generation. I just fell in love!!!!

I filled my tank up today with mid grade gas. I have always filled it with premium but I keep hearing that the mid-grade is just fine. I really love my car (95 ls400) and I dont want to hurt her in anyway but I thought I would try with atleast one tank. Does anybody agree that that the mid is ok or just premium?

Thanks

According to Consumer Reports, a near new LS400 filled with conventional oil, factory filters, facotry spark plugs, etc. gets 30 MPG on level ground at a steady 55 MPH. Your particular LS400 probably gets more like 27 MPG at 55 MPH because a number of maintenance items need attention or have been neglected over the years such as the air filter, oxygen sensor, throttle plate, distributor caps and rotors, etc.

Expensive K&N filters and synthetic oils not only fail to increase gas mileage (by more than a trivial amount), they also distract car owners from spending time and money on the maintenance items that are causing the cars to get only approx. 27 MPG or so at 55 MPH instead of 30 MPG.

So the savvy LS400 owner that's getting 27 MPG @ 55 MPH will spend time and money on certain maintenance items using genuine Toyota parts and procedures that will get the car back up to at least 29 MPG, while the "mechanic in a can" oriented LS400 owner will buy a K&N and synthetic oil and get 27.5 MPG instead of 27.0 MPG.

Thanks for all the advice fellas....So I guess a paper filter will do just as good as long as its clean. I just finishes alot of work in the last week. Timing belt, water pump, crank sahft seal, oil, spark plugs(forget brand but for japanese cars),distributor caps and rotors, coolant, fuel injection cleaning, transmission fluid change. So my car is running like a dream. The car only has 69k miles on it, for 95, i was very lucky. However, the car was a little neglected. I used all OEM products for the timing belt, water pump amd crankshaft. Its funny though, I saw all the parts that were replaced and im no mechaninc but they all looked like they were in good condition. Any how, I guess my next question is should i buy any old paper filter from the local shmucks or should i get the OEM filter online. Thanks, Im still trying to put pics of my LS up but I cant for some reason. Im goona have to wait until a computer savy friend comes over.

You want more mileage and are doing more highway then increase your tire pressure and use a good synthetic oil.

Also make sure the car is clean and waxed regularlly.

thanks sk....i watched ur video by the way..OUCH!!

So I need an air filter for my 95 LS400. Im considering a K&N. I want an air filter that gives me the most miles since I will have a new commute here pretty soon. I will have to make a 1000 mile trip about 3 times a year(goin back to college). Any suggestions? Does the K&N really give u more miles????

http://www.christophercoutu.com/LEXUS/COUTULS400.htm

Hey ladies and gents. Just added the sloted zinc plated rotors and they are AWESOME! On top of looking awesome I now have perfect breaking with no noise.

Today I had a few friends state, "Your new car is really nice."

Life is great with the LS400!

nice work....ur paint is glossin brotha

I have had good service from www.newlexusparts.com. This website is that of a Lexus dealer located in Texas. Their prices are excellent, and they pay shipping charges. The website shows the suggested retail price and their price on each part.

Their website has its weaknesses. It works great if you know the part number and can enter that. However, if you have to search for a part, you have to enter the part name exactly as it exists in their data base, or it will not come up. An easier way is to select on the general area of the car for which you are seeking a part, e.g., "brakes," and then narrow your search down as the various brake parts are listed.

Another on line Lexus dealer is at www.lexus-parts.com. Their weakness is that only a few of the most common parts are listed for each vehicle. Also, they do not absorb shipping charges. It has been my experience that their prices are normally higher than www.newlexusparts.com.

A third possibility is www.irontoad.com. On this website, you tell them what part you need, and they respond by e-mail with their price.

good to know thanks

I have had great experience from Matt Molini. Here is a cut and paste reference from a past post because I am technohindered and don't know how to link it! I just got a shipment of the same stuff last week. They are fast and good to work with and give the indicated discount. Ask for the other minor stuff you will need for the 90k service too o-rings, thermostat, gasket etc... Cheap and you will need it to complete the job. Good luck.

--Baja

I've gotten good service and 30% off retail from Matt Molini of Lexus of Roseville:

Matt Molini

Parts Associate

Lexus of Roseville

Phone: 916-783-9111

Fax: 916-677-8840

Email: mmolini@lexusofroseville.net

www.lexusofroseville.com

thanks, i actually already bought from thepartsbin.com I bought a timing belt,waterpump and a front crankshaft all for a little over $200 and they are all the OEM products, dont know if that matters much but thought I would pay the extra to have the factory parts. Thanks for the info though

00.

Also if this LS only has 50k you dont drive much do you?

God bless and keep the LS

Actually I do drive this car alot, I put in more then 10K in less then a year, it has low mileage because the previous owner hardly drove it. It's racking up miles fast with me. But I've dropped the idea of getting a new IS, I might wait a couple of years after it;s taken the most hit from depreciation, but I will be checking out a 98 SC300 tomorrow, the car has 38 K original miles, and he;s asking less then $12,000. If everything checks out ok, I might be switching to that one, less room for friends in the back, but it is a newer car and the price is pretty decent. We shall see how it goes tho, keeping my fingers crossed.

the 98 sc is a newer car but it looks very similar to the older model sc's. By the way, u were wondering how much u could get for ur LS. I paid 11,500 for a 1995 ls400 with 68k miles on it in immaculate decision, hope that helps.

I need a timing belt and a water pump for my 95 LS400. Any suggestion where I can buy them. Am I gonna get a better deal If I order them online oppsed to buying them from a shop?

Thanks

I have one , but it is not an amazing increase but not a bad thing at all.

so nothing special huh? It doe save u money though on your air filters i guess

thanks

Ive heard the k&n air filter is the best air filter to buy due to better gas mileage, added horse power and it lasts forever as long as its cleaned. Does anybody have one of these? and if so, does it really make a huge differance?

Thanks

So I dont want to ruin the comfortable ride but i want chrome rims.

y car is super clean but the only drawback are the stock alloy rims. Any suggestions?? Which stock chrome rims are the best in your opinion? I saw a 1995 with the new sc rims and it look pretty nice.

Thanks

Nice car.. A few months ago I had my serpentine, WP and timing belt done for 700 bucks.

theres this shop in seattle called wolfs garage. The guy used to work for lexus and he qouted me at about $800 for the belt and wp. I know another guy who will do it for cheaper but i figure the wolf knows the cars well. I tried to put up pics of my car but the its rather im retarded or the system wouldnt let me. If you have any advice, that would be great. I really want to put up my pics