Mods To Increase Fuel Economy

mrkilo · June 23, 2010

Hey,

I wanted to know (except driving habits) what physical modifications are there out there to increase fuel economy?

Also, I have researched superchargers, turbochargers throughout the internet where some say they reduce MPG and some say they increase MPG... Wouldn't a supercharger/turbocharger tuned for 14:1 air to fuel ratio increase MPG? and I have read a de-cat and modifying the catalytic converter reduces MPG, why?

Anyway, would be great to know how else fuel economy can be increased on the IS200 by mod. (and please, no replies like buy an hybrid or diesel)

Parthiban · June 23, 2010

I found that swapping the standard air filter with a K&N one along with using V Power made a slight increase in fuel economy.

It's hard to get much more out of the IS200 though unfortunately.

kam05 · June 23, 2010

Fuel economy and an IS200? You're havin a laugh mate!

Enjoy the comfort of the IS200 and forget about fuel economy- the IS200 is a thirsty beast.

mrkilo · June 23, 2010

Parthiban and Kam, Yes the IS200 is not exactly the most fuel economic car, but i'm sure with some tweaks I can get more out of the fuel without affecting comfort or performance... The basics would be correct or even over inflated tyres, and as Parthiban mentioned easing air intake etc.

If this stupid government cared about the environment so much, it would stop putting speed bumps every 10 metres... accelerate, stop, accelerate, stop,... fuel killer.

Anyway, if i come across something worthwhile, i'll add it here. Thanks guys.

stevie_ · June 23, 2010

over inflate the tyres on a rear wheel drive car... absolute winner of an idea

regular servicing with good quality parts. done

JollyRoger · June 23, 2010

Hey,

I wanted to know (except driving habits) what physical modifications are there out there to increase fuel economy?

Also, I have researched superchargers, turbochargers throughout the internet where some say they reduce MPG and some say they increase MPG... Wouldn't a supercharger/turbocharger tuned for 14:1 air to fuel ratio increase MPG? and I have read a de-cat and modifying the catalytic converter reduces MPG, why?

Anyway, would be great to know how else fuel economy can be increased on the IS200 by mod. (and please, no spastic replies like buy an hybrid or diesel)

Removing the cat unstrangles the engine allowing it to breathe out more easily, the best option would be to break the catalyst out of it,s housing

( should come out in chunks of debris and dust) thus allowing the O2 sensors to stay in thier original mountings, the O2 sensors will still anylise the gasses and the ecu will adjust the fueling so it should still pass an mot.

I,m getting 30 + mpg all day every day, i travel 10 miles to work and the same home on A & B roads with a few miles of town driving, Get it up to speed and then just tickle the throttle and keep the MPG gauge between 35 & 40, takes a bit of practice but it works, also dont use Tesco Fuel its crap, and is a false economy

lexynik · June 24, 2010

mines fully serviced at main dealer but i found adding a bottle of slick 50 made it considerably more economical,especially on long runs

Sixusel · June 24, 2010

As already mentioned I've found using V-power does make a difference, you'll have to weight up the extra cost against how much extra mpg you'll get. The other thing I've used in the past (and as a newbie I might get slated! lol) is an ecotek valve http://www.ecotekplc.com/. The only problem I had with it is the noise it makes when set up correctly other than that I did notice an improvement in fuel economy epecially on motorway runs I would sometimes see an extra 13-15%.

Stuart Aspey · January 8, 2013

Good morning all. I purchased a Lexus is200 SportCross on Saturday and wanted to know if there were any ways of improving the economy. I've had a good read and willl read more, just wanted to post invthis thread and say thanks for the advice thats been posted.

What are your opinions on low resistance eco tyres?

Stuart.

RedBookKeeper · January 8, 2013

Interested to read about the use of Tesco fuel. I have long since thought the refinement of they're fuel was poor, filling up at a local Shell station at the same price seems to have improved my economy by 2mpg. I drive a Lexus LS430

Anybody else discovered this?

I am interested to know about re-chipping my vehicle for economy and any constructive comments; UK only please.

Steve · January 8, 2013

I always stayed away from Tesco when it came to Diesel.. EGR killer

steve2006 · January 8, 2013

Interested to read about the use of Tesco fuel. I have long since thought the refinement of they're fuel was poor, filling up at a local Shell station at the same price seems to have improved my economy by 2mpg. I drive a Lexus LS430

Anybody else discovered this?

I am interested to know about re-chipping my vehicle for economy and any constructive comments; UK only please.

Hello and welcome to the LOC.

I also tend to avoid supermarket fuels, as you say there is rarely any difference in price between them and branded fuel.

I run my LS on standard unleaded with the occasional treat of super but with only doing around 3-4 K a year I don't monitor performance.

Retuning for any LS is difficult, apart from early models where an upgraded performance ECU was available there is nothing around either bolt on or piggyback. The LS engines are already tuned for economy, think about it a 4-4.3 Litre engine giving out between 250-280 BHP, they run detuned. The latest Ford 1.2 engine gives a claimed 120BHP, the crankshaft on the LS engines has 5 main bearings and in standard guise is rumoured to be capable of 1000BHP.

IS200Mike · January 9, 2013

Obviously removing any unneeded weight will increase fuel economy & even performace.

The IS200 has quite a poor BHP/Ton ratio, So i'd be interested to see if there is any dead weight anywhere that can be lost without sacrificing anything useful?

I thought about removing the spare wheel and tools, as my last car was a clio 182 which didn't come with it.

However it'd be embarrassing to get a flat in a car meant to come with all the gear, I decided the price of runflats would defeat the object!

noby76 · January 9, 2013

if you need fuel economy and still want to stay 2 litre then get a 4 cylinder engine..the IS200 is as fuel efficient as any other 2.0 6 cylinder engine the 1999 BMW 320i which is also a 2.2 6 cylinder only achives 2 mpg more than the IS200, same as the Jag X type with 2.0 V6 engine. so as you can see they are quiet similar due to more cylinders.. the more cylinders a petrol engine has the more fuel it uses unles its being injected diretly which mordern cars now do hence the IS250 with more displacement can achive 31mpg even with an auto gerbox, more power, more torque comapred to IS200 29mpg with manual box.. so am afraid there is nothin you can do to get an IS200 to achieve 40mpg. for the year and technology available to car manufactures that time, 29-31mpg was the best economy they could extract from the engine if you want any more then 2 litre 4 cylinder will increase this to about 34-38mpg which can be found in 2.0 Honda Accords, 2.0 audi A4, 318i bmw (2.0), 2.0 mondeo etc

Stuart Aspey · January 9, 2013

if you need fuel economy and still want to stay 2 litre then get a 4 cylinder engine..the IS200 is as fuel efficient as any other 2.0 6 cylinder engine the 1999 BMW 320i which is also a 2.2 6 cylinder only achives 2 mpg more than the IS200, same as the Jag X type with 2.0 V6 engine. so as you can see they are quiet similar due to more cylinders.. the more cylinders a petrol engine has the more fuel it uses unles its being injected diretly which mordern cars now do hence the IS250 with more displacement can achive 31mpg even with an auto gerbox, more power, more torque comapred to IS200 29mpg with manual box.. so am afraid there is nothin you can do to get an IS200 to achieve 40mpg. for the year and technology available to car manufactures that time, 29-31mpg was the best economy they could extract from the engine if you want any more then 2 litre 4 cylinder will increase this to about 34-38mpg which can be found in 2.0 Honda Accords, 2.0 audi A4, 318i bmw (2.0), 2.0 mondeo etc

I think someone mentioned in an earlier post, that over the past 5 years or more, people have become completely anal about MPG and the net result is the increase in diesel cars on the road. I was initially looking at a Focus Estate or an Astra estate (1.6 + 1.7 Diesels respectively) but then I saw the SportCross for sale and I thought, sod it!. If I can afford a 54 plate Lexus then I'm more than happy to pay for the cost of petrol. But it does worry me.

So even if I only get a years use out of the Lexus before deciding I have to sell it for something more economical, then 'By Gosh' i'm going to enjoy the heated seats and the luxury of driving a Lexus.

I'm still going to get the Hankook Ventus Prime 2 K115 (Eco B rated) tyres though . . . . . http://www.blackcirc...9&tyre=27530048

Stuart.

Pete Shawn · January 9, 2013

Obviously removing any unneeded weight will increase fuel economy & even performace.

The IS200 has quite a poor BHP/Ton ratio, So i'd be interested to see if there is any dead weight anywhere that can be lost without sacrificing anything useful?

I thought about removing the spare wheel and tools, as my last car was a clio 182 which didn't come with it.

However it'd be embarrassing to get a flat in a car meant to come with all the gear, I decided the price of runflats would defeat the object!

i did remove the spare wheel and use k&n air filter ,snow mode ,as well avoid supermarket fuel plus add in fuel injector cleaner every top-up fuel for couple months to see it make any different.

comparing with or without the spare wheel there's pro n cons as i get alot of wheel spin when pulling off coner on up hill as there's no weight behind the rear. to make safer on the road i've put on back the spare wheel to road gripping issue.

as for fuel... the car just run really smooth and still have to judge the way steping on the gas pedal.

Does the tyre play any role on to increase fuel economy ??

p.s just bought road tax cost £270 for 12 months :msn-cry:

Stuart Aspey · January 9, 2013

Obviously removing any unneeded weight will increase fuel economy & even performace.

The IS200 has quite a poor BHP/Ton ratio, So i'd be interested to see if there is any dead weight anywhere that can be lost without sacrificing anything useful?

I thought about removing the spare wheel and tools, as my last car was a clio 182 which didn't come with it.

However it'd be embarrassing to get a flat in a car meant to come with all the gear, I decided the price of runflats would defeat the object!

i did remove the spare wheel and use k&n air filter ,snow mode ,as well avoid supermarket fuel plus add in fuel injector cleaner every top-up fuel for couple months to see it make any different.

comparing with or without the spare wheel there's pro n cons as i get alot of wheel spin when pulling off coner on up hill as there's no weight behind the rear. to make safer on the road i've put on back the spare wheel to road gripping issue.

as for fuel... the car just run really smooth and still have to judge the way steping on the gas pedal.

Does the tyre play any role on to increase fuel economy ??

p.s just bought road tax cost £270 for 12 months :msn-cry:

I'm with you on the Car tax front, did that on Saturday . . .

Hankook clam that over a 650 distance, their new tyre can save up to 6 litres of fuel. No, this is completely dependent upon the way you drive the car, the 'hillyness' of the area you drive through and what sort of roads you use regularly. But if you can get away with driving your Lexus slowly, without W%$kers tooting their horn at you and do your uttermost to change gear around 2000 rpm, then you should be okay to get 500 - 550 miles out of a full tank, also, don't fill the car to the brim with petrol, keep the car light and visit the petrol station more regularly.

Stuart

Pete Shawn · January 9, 2013

Obviously removing any unneeded weight will increase fuel economy & even performace.

The IS200 has quite a poor BHP/Ton ratio, So i'd be interested to see if there is any dead weight anywhere that can be lost without sacrificing anything useful?

I thought about removing the spare wheel and tools, as my last car was a clio 182 which didn't come with it.

However it'd be embarrassing to get a flat in a car meant to come with all the gear, I decided the price of runflats would defeat the object!

i did remove the spare wheel and use k&n air filter ,snow mode ,as well avoid supermarket fuel plus add in fuel injector cleaner every top-up fuel for couple months to see it make any different.

comparing with or without the spare wheel there's pro n cons as i get alot of wheel spin when pulling off coner on up hill as there's no weight behind the rear. to make safer on the road i've put on back the spare wheel to road gripping issue.

as for fuel... the car just run really smooth and still have to judge the way steping on the gas pedal.

Does the tyre play any role on to increase fuel economy ??

p.s just bought road tax cost £270 for 12 months :msn-cry:

I'm with you on the Car tax front, did that on Saturday . . .

Hankook clam that over a 650 distance, their new tyre can save up to 6 litres of fuel. No, this is completely dependent upon the way you drive the car, the 'hillyness' of the area you drive through and what sort of roads you use regularly. But if you can get away with driving your Lexus slowly, without W%$kers tooting their horn at you and do your uttermost to change gear around 2000 rpm, then you should be okay to get 500 - 550 miles out of a full tank, also, don't fill the car to the brim with petrol, keep the car light and visit the petrol station more regularly.

Stuart

spot on,

always top up half tank unless going for a long journey

Stuart Aspey · January 9, 2013

How does Snow Mode help with economy?

noby76 · January 9, 2013

I'm still going to get the Hankook Ventus Prime 2 K115 (Eco B rated) tyres though . . . . . http://www.blackcirc...9&tyre=27530048

Stuart.

one thing I have noticed is the Lexus likes grippy tyres anything other than high performance grippy tyres will cause it to fish tail a lot or traction control to kick in frequently even in the dry so if the Ventus Prime does not give good grip in the dry then might aswell get something else looks like it does a good job in the wet and braking performance tho and the price is reasonable for a performace tyre.. a save of just 6 litres over 625miles of driving?? that works out a saving of 0.0096 litres for every mile travelled . this translates to a saving of 1-2pence saving for every mile travelled compared to the next man running the worst rated fuel efficient trye of 'G' . infact am due some new rear tyres in a couple of miles and I just cant decide :( to much to choose from. your likes of goodyear, Michelin, Toyo, bridgestone , Falken, Hankook, Yoko's ... they all good brands but thier enginering will differ...am leaning more towards the brands like Toyo's , Falken, bridgestones and Yoko's can't decide