is220d Low power between 1200 & 1700 rpm

acer54 · February 21, 2017

Power between 1200 & 1700 rpm is abysmal, I have looked into this problem a great deal and have found something that can allegedly fix it - Sprint Booster by Boulekos Dynamic.

Will this kit do what it says it will do and transform the car at low rev's? Has anybody fitted it? I would welcome your feedback. What about issues with insurance companies and Lexus regarding modifications i.e. extended warranty etc?

NemesisUK · February 21, 2017

As far as I've been lead to believe, this will simply fool the car into thinking the accelerator has been pressed harder. Changing the throttle response. It will do nothing to the engine power or mapping. Save your money and just put your foot down...

peachy · February 21, 2017

Dont waste your money. It will do nothing to increase power what so ever.

A remap is your best bet. Many people have had the is220d remapped and reported positive results.

acer54 · February 21, 2017

3 hours ago, NemesisUK said:

As far as I've been lead to believe, this will simply fool the car into thinking the accelerator has been pressed harder. Changing the throttle response. It will do nothing to the engine power or mapping. Save your money and just put your foot down...

3 hours ago, peachy said:

Dont waste your money. It will do nothing to increase power what so ever.

A remap is your best bet. Many people have had the is220d remapped and reported positive results.

This is pretty much what I thought, the cause of the issue has to be addressed which brings me to the question "What exactly is the problem" is it the gearbox ratios or something else?

NemesisUK · February 21, 2017

The inference from peachy's answer is the engine mapping. Get a bespoke remap and dyno session to reshape the power and torque curves.

As others have already had this done there may well be an "off the shelf" map available, tested and proven?

3 hours ago, peachy said:

Dont waste your money. It will do nothing to increase power what so ever.

A remap is your best bet. Many people have had the is220d remapped and reported positive results.

Shahpor · February 21, 2017

The problem is typical turbo lag, which is more prevalent on diesel cars.

So, unless you want to start messing with variable geometry turbos, a remap is the best you can hope for to compensate.

Something like this gets good reviews:

https://tdi-tuning.com/car/lexus/is220/22-d-175-bhp-177-ps-130-kw-400-nm-295-lbft/crtd4-twin-channel-diesel-tuning-box-chip

If you believe what the graph in the Technical Datasheet shows, then the car will boost sooner and harder than before. That should help with some of the lag.

Miłosz · February 21, 2017

In my opinion chip box it's not a good solution. Denso ECU cracked 2 years ago, i remapped mine and now my is220d behaves like an working car.

acer54 · February 22, 2017

Car has been inspected by Lexus Teesside today prior to Lexus extended warranty been granted - no real issues and extended warranty issued!

Regarding the low power issue between 1200 and 1800 rpm they are suggesting that the egr and possibly the manifold will need cleaning to eradicate the problems I'm having.

Also asked them to check the ecu firmware to see if it's the latest and it was so happy about that, also the inspection that they have done finding no faults is a bonus, only small things mentioned were the Battery tray needs replacing as not securing the Battery securely and the clutch release bearing could do with replacing (release bearing covered under warranty).

All in all quite pleased with today's outcome!

peachy · February 23, 2017

Any revs under 1600 rpm is a dead zone on the 2220d. Obviously it moves but very slowly until around 1800 rpm. As stated a remap will significantly improve things. I didn't have a remap but found after cleaning my egr valve, running bp ultimate and installing a kn panel filter it did improve.

acer54 · February 23, 2017

2 hours ago, peachy said:

Any revs under 1600 rpm is a dead zone on the 2220d. Obviously it moves but very slowly until around 1800 rpm. As stated a remap will significantly improve things. I didn't have a remap but found after cleaning my egr valve, running bp ultimate and installing a kn panel filter it did improve.

Going to book it in next week for an egr clean and possibly an inlet manifold clean and inlet ports clean if needed, I'm hoping this will improve things to at least a more drivable level.

Remap will be a last resort if cleaning does not cure the problem.

acer54 · March 7, 2017

EGR valve was inspected yesterday, full of carbon and clearly not functioning properly - after cleaning and reassembly car is a different animal, will now start using BP Ultimate or Shell V Power Nitro and see what transpires.

New standard air filter was changed last month so hopefully the flow on the induction side will now be a lot more......

On another note courtesy car was a Lexus is300h - very nice motor and did not really want to give it back lol

Rebecca · March 7, 2017

Glad to hear your lexus is running better Steve. I had the same problem myself and took it to lexus bristol who gave it a good clean for me and the car felt heaps better afterwards 😀

My problem was caused by regular town driving. These cars really need to be revved along with regular good motorway runs to avoid the carbon build up.

acer54 · March 7, 2017

2 hours ago, Rebecca said:

Glad to hear your lexus is running better Steve. I had the same problem myself and took it to lexus bristol who gave it a good clean for me and the car felt heaps better afterwards 😀

My problem was caused by regular town driving. These cars really need to be revved along with regular good motorway runs to avoid the carbon build up.

To be fair mine had probably never been cleaned before and it has covered 113,500 miles, I agree town driving is not for the is220d and as you say motorway driving is a must occasionally.

A lot happier with mine now and I took out the Lexus Extended Warranty for piece of mind regarding the failed head gasket scenario, only thing I will have to live with is the abysmal 6th gear - on a brighter note keeping it in 5th on motorways will also help to keep the engine free of carbon build up........

Shahpor · March 7, 2017

I bet you it has been cleaned before Take it apart again in 5,000 miles and see how dirty it is. I was surprised how much carbon there was in mine, even though I do mainly motorway miles.

6th is only good for 80mph plus. Like you say though, 5th at 70mph is somewhere between 2000-2200 rpm, which is excellent for keeping your DPF from getting clogged up.

Miłosz · March 7, 2017

Cleaning egr is work for about 40 minutes. I also cleaned but it was good for a moment. You can add special additives for diesel fuel. I am still using AR6900d-max. Cetane booster is working in my opinion :D

eleuterio.ramalho · July 26, 2022

Remap is dangerous if you want to ensure the durability and reliability of your Lexus. it should be the subject of in-depth investigation and fully aware of all the parameters in the equation. yet without exaggeration. Yes for me it's about turbo lag, high inertia, car weight, my 1730kg, wide tires and Gearbox, second gear too long.