RX400h

I agree with your sarcasm 100%.

I would love to continue to buy the 5-gallon container of Castrol anti-sludge formula 5W-30 oil, but try as I may, I could not pour without spillage, the oil from the large container into a filler funnel. You almost HAVE to buy quart containers to fill the crankcase cleanly.

Dave

I believe 34-37 psi is optimal, although since the outsides of my tires are all worn out (at 18,000 miles), I've boosted the pressure to 40 until I get the Bridgestones. I called the Tirerack yesterday and they told me that my tires will be in next week. I've been waiting for almost two months now. $150 each is a great price, IMO.

I can almost guarantee you that if you regularly drive around with your tires inflated to "MAX Pressure", those tires WILL wear out in the center and traction will be compromised. I've done this experiment before and while there is a "sweet spot" of the perct pressure, it is never at the max pressure that is listed on the tires' sidewalls. In the case of the RX400h, I'd have to say that 34-36 PSI is the sweet spot with the OEM tires. This is the pressure with which I will start when I get the Bridgestone tires.

We average about 25 MPG with both city and highway (more highway during the weekends and less during the week). I tend to be a more aggressive driver than my wife is and the result is that 25 number that is very consistent over many thousands of miles. By contrast, the three people I know who have RX330s are averaging about 16-17, city and highway. I got a kick out of a recent Car & Driver test of the latest Mercedes Benze SUV. The writer complimented MB from improving the GL-class with the new GL-450. He went on to say, "As a result, the GL's 4.7-liter V-8-one of the smaller engines in the category - delivers fine performance and economy." The hilarious thing is that Car & Driver averaged only 14 MPG. If this is what they call "fine economy", I'd hate to see what horrible economy is!

I think at this point it is only an inquiry and I would have to answer - yes, especially after the warranty period has expired.

Dave

Congratulations and welcome to the hybrid club! You and your wife will thoughly enjoy the Rx400h, especially after having the X5! :)

Check out this test I like the Alenza on braking!

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/chartDisplay.jsp?ttid=68

Great results - thanks! I'm still waiting for the Alenzas, but the good news is that my OEM tires have a ways to go before they are worn out completely.

Dave

I fill my tank up every two weeks and have never had this problem. However, I HAVE had this problem while fueling other vehicles and have found that the gas pump handle was at fault - never the car. Have you tried different gas stations?

What is the problem?

Not to derail the diesel discussions. What type of mileage are people seeing with the 400H so far? Hwy vs. City?

We get 25 MPG with about 50/50 city/highway.

Keep in mind that

1) Tire wear numbers are good to know only if comparing tires from the same manufacturer

2) Larger diameter tires will affect your displayed speed so that it is below the actual vehicle speed.

3) Wider tires may decrease fuel mileage and may not provide more contact area, depending upon the wheel width.

4) Larger diameter tires may rub against suspension components when the vehicle's steering wheel is near full-lock.

Is $152 their normal price, or a special sale price while on backorder?

That's Tirerack's normal price.

Dave

Unfortunately, the top-rated Goodyear Tripletread is not available in our tire sizes. Still, the Bridgestones appear to be excellent tires. My set of four is still back-ordered after one month.

LiON batteries have a serious drawback, they lose alot of there potential in cold weather, hence lending them to being less efficient. This can be offset by adding more cells since they create a much lighter cellpack than NiCD or NiMH, but the drawback would then be packaging... More cells require more space.

The best technology to date, and still remaing affordable is NiMH.

I believe the real trend in hybrid technology would be to replace Gasoline with Diesel as the component for the engine side. Diesel technology has come a long way, and it surprises me that Toyota has not taken advantage of this for automotive use.

Cheers,

MadloR

I'm not sure about your area, but here in Southern California, diesel fuel is 20 cents per gallon MORE expensive than premium fuel. Compare diesel cost to regular gas costs and it becomes very difficult to justify buying a diesel-powered vehicle. I, for one, am glad that my RX400h runs very well on regular gas.

Surprisingly, there are quite a few wheel and tire choices here:

http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/Whe...mp;autoModClar=

Still, I'm going with the Bridgestone Alenzas (if they EVER) come in! (still waiting).

Dave

I can't say I blame you; I am sportscar-biased, myself.

My 99 corvette Vert was getting 24MPG so its pretty comparable. I can't get over around 24MPG with the 400H but my wife consistantly gets 2MPG better than me and I drive the thing like a Granny and I used to drive the Vette much less granny like. :D

The C5 Corvette is capable of getting 30 MPG on the highway, but virtually impossible to get anything over 18 in city driving. I typically drive it "aggressively" early in the morning when there is very little traffic, and yet still average 20 MPG. This gas mileage is what seperates the Corvette from other sportscars, like Porsches and Vipers, whose owners achieve much lower mileage numbers.

You should remember, however, that the RX400h weighs 44% more than the Corvette. A GM SUV with Corvette engine would achieve far less gas mileage than the RX400h does.

s

I was in my Mom's RX400h yesterday and when the engine comes on at a stop it comes on rough. I think rougher then when it was new. She has about 30k miles on the car. In my IS when I turn it on the car doesn't move @ all and found the shutter in the RX disturbing.

Then again, your mom's RX is probably faster than your car........ :chairshot:

Seriously, there will always be features of other cars, even in the same family, that are preferable. My Corvette seats are light-years more comfortable than the RX's seats, but the 3200 lb Corvette averages only 20 MPG vs. the 4600 lb RX's 25 MPG.

Does the dealership have any other 400hs on the lot? If so, ask to listen to them.

Our 2006 RX400h has not had this problem at all. I am sure that a fix is in order for your RX.

Please let us know how it turns out.

I just brought my 2006 RX 400h in for service at 17,000 miles and the dealer called me and said it needs four new tires! This will set me back about $930 for Michelins. I cannot belive this. I have kept the tire pressure at the recommended 32 PSI and I do not drive the vehicle hard at all. I usuall get 50,000 miles plus out of new car tires. What gives? Any commenst?

I just bought Bridgestone Alenzas from the Tirerack. All four were about $650. Michelin makes good tires, but they are generally overpriced.

That's assuring to know - thanks! I hope to get more than 18,000 miles; maybe the alignment will help in this regard.

Dave

Why take chances when the better half is doing most of the driving during the week? These Bridgestones are rated very highly - not highest, as the Goodyear Fortera is #1 - see

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresult...ay.jsp?type=HAS

However, the RX400h tire size is not yet available in Fortera sizes. The Alenzas are back-ordered until the end of this month, but I think we should be okay until then. I'm going to have the dealership mount and align them (I ordered them from tirerack.com for $600 and some change). I may also have them install a trailor hitch so we can get a 4-bike rack, soon. The bike rack installs on a 2-inch hitch.

I should have some impression insight to convey within a month or so.

Dave

but instead, 400h owners are happiest about the fact that it has more power than its gas guzzlin' cousin, the non-hybrid version.

Actually, the Lexus RX350 has slightly more horsepower than the RX400h. The 400, however, has much more torque.