hi-ho-silver

Did you keep all the tires on their original side of the vehicle?

Do you have directional tires? Just wondering why you have to rotate them on the same side? The problem I see with waiting, is depending on how long (time) it takes you to wear out your front tires, the spare might be pushing the end of it's lifespan. Even without use, I think tire manufacturers recommend around five years for a tire lifespan. Even though you're not using it, it's still aging. Thanks for your feedback. My understanding is that for handling stability all radial tires should be kept on the same side of the vehicle when rotated. I would expect to wear out the front tires in two years or less and the rears in about four.

I hate to see an expensive spare tire go to waste in my RX400h. Lexus recommends including it in the tire rotation routine but since it has to stay on one side of the vehicle it makes no economic use of it. My dealer believes in just leaving it stored and just rotating four tires. This is what was done at my first (5000 mile) and thus far only service visit. I have been considering discontinuing any further tire rotations and letting my front tires wear out first and then replacing them with the spare and an exact match new tire which I would buy now. Since the rear drive (electric motor) is totally separate from the front drive there should not be any drivetrain issue with the tire diameter difference that will occur. I expect that rear tires on this vehicle will outlast front tires by at least 50%. Perhaps there are flaws in my approach and I welcome comments, criticism and other ideas.

Yup. Just the second set of cables, or if you haven't got the cable routed all under the dash, just move the whole thing. It looks very interesting. Where did you mount it and how did you route the cable?

Here are some links with information on Toyota CVT. Some are specific of the Prius, but the ECVT is very similar if not identical to the Lexus one. Also find a picture of the real gear. http://homepage.mac.com/inachan/prius/planet_e.html http://prius.ecrostech.com/original/Unders...ransmission.htm http://prius.ecrostech.com/original/Unders...SplitDevice.htm Thanks! These were a great help in understanding how the drivetrain functions. Still wish it had a tach!

I have been unsuccessfully trying to find some in depth information on the design and operation of the ECVT. I even bought a 24 hour subscription to the Toyota technical publication website but could not find much detailed info. In particular I am interested in the following: 1) How is the ICE (engine) coupled to the tranny? Is there a torque converter, electric clutch, etc. 2) When the engine is "off" does it disengage from the drivetrain? The car coasts as though it is in "neutraL". 3) What are the range of drive ratios? (I wish this car had a tach instead of that useless energy meter!)

Yup, really. The plate on the door jam reads 11/08 for the date of manufacture. Maybe it was one of the last produced. It was delivered to the dealer in late January.

2008 was the last model year for the RX400h. I just bought a new one the end of May that was made in Japan in November, 2008. At that time there did not seem to many left on the east coast except white or black.