Too Much Fuel :(

[Ishaq]

Hi All,

Still loving my Lexus IS250 Auto....but not loving the fuel consumption!!!

I drive in London and do short journeys every other day. Say 5-10 mile each, on occassions I would to the shopping centre trip around 30 miles each way. So mostly short journeys.

I have upgrdaed to K&N filter, used BG44K, and for last two months or so have used AR6200 at every fill, but have not noticed any improvement. This weekend I put in 30l Liters of fuel and the computer said 228 miles distance and 21 MPG, 24 MPG Average Tank. Its now Tuesday and the compueter is saying around 112 miles distance but I have not driven 100 miles in the last few days as I only drove the car after work for again short journeys.

I have four good tyres - 2 x front Dunlop Sport Maxx RT and 2 x rear Continenat Sport3

What am I doing wrong and is there any way I can improve my MPG?

Dont know if this is related but the car feels heavy to move, i.e feels like something holding it slightly when started for first time, but boy does it move once I am at the lights :) I have checked all calipers and nothing is sticking.

I spend around £40 per week for not doing much driving at all - If it carries on like this then sadly I will have to sell my baby which I really dont want to do :(

Any tips please - Thank you

[dazed]

To be honest, when I read that you drive in London and do short journeys every other day (5-10 miles), I thought to myself - that'll be 25mpg tops, so you're doing about right IMHO.

If economy is important then I'd recommend a smaller petrol engine car with manual transmission, unless your budget could stretch to a hybrid. Definitely avoid diesels though.

[Ishaq]

Thanks Dazed,

Cant go to smaller engine or manual after this baby - Too good!!

I guess then I am doing just about right then.

Thanks

[rayaans]

Thanks Dazed,

Cant go to smaller engine or manual after this baby - Too good!!

I guess then I am doing just about right then.

Thanks

Could try bumping up the tyre pressures and hypermiling :P It may have an effect on ride comfort but it wont be a drastic change.

Although the front tyres are well rated for fuel efficiency at C, the rear continentals are rated E! Maybe thats the problem?

[Exdee]

You can buy a lot of fuel for the amount of money it will cost you to find a car which has comparable spec and refinement. :)

But It shouldn't feel heavy. Check your handbrake too. If it's too tight, it will hold you back.

[Ishaq]

Thanks Exdee, its is a super car I love it.

I have only used Tesco Momentum Super Unleaded - Could this be the problem?

Should I change to regular unleaded or change to like Shell or Esso.

[Bingo123]

try Shell Nitro+. its very gud quality fuel

[rayaans]

Thanks Exdee, its is a super car I love it.

I have only used Tesco Momentum Super Unleaded - Could this be the problem?

Should I change to regular unleaded or change to like Shell or Esso.

Hmm wife used to use Tesco fuel, diesel mind but it clogged my wife's car up. Bad batch or something. They paid for clearing the engine out and everything but never trusted their fuel quality after that. Currently using BP and my Lexus feels super smooth!

[Ishaq]

Thanks Exdee, its is a super car I love it.

I have only used Tesco Momentum Super Unleaded - Could this be the problem?

Should I change to regular unleaded or change to like Shell or Esso.

Hmm wife used to use Tesco fuel, diesel mind but it clogged my wife's car up. Bad batch or something. They paid for clearing the engine out and everything but never trusted their fuel quality after that. Currently using BP and my Lexus feels super smooth!

Hmm, will change fuel and see what the results are. Will let you know how I get on.

Thank you

[noby76]

22mpg is the official urban(town) driving mpg IS250 will return so not sure why you would want say 31mpg if you drive primarily in London? your confirming of averaging around 21 - 24 mpg is accurate if not a bonus against the official figure of 22mpg.

A rated tyres do save fuel but not a lot in it when compared to a G rated tyre which is meant to be the worst. works out about 1p per mile for A rated tyres tested by Michelin against G rated when travelling at constant speed of 50mph this works out at around £100 saving over 10,000 miles which sounds good but question is do we all travel at a constant speed of 50mph when we hop in our cars? tyre manufactures also mention results do vary based on the type of car or climate conditions this means one wont reap the benefits of A rated tyres once they travel above this speed on an open road where 60mph or above is the legal speed.so i dont bother with A rated tyres.

few things you could try is

• run your tyres at 33psi
• keep your max revs around 3000rpm and hold trottle when you get to this rpm, your gear box will learn to shift up every time it gets to 3000
• drive with ECT PWR mode. this makes thorthle responsive and makes the your engine build up speed quickly then you can ease of once desired speed is reached.
• try and use the best engine oil and fuel you can afford. must admit when it comes to oil and fuel, am a brand snob so i stay away from Halrfords and Asda oil or fuel from Asda or Tesco.. and only buy from oil company brands like, Petronas, Castrol, Mobil and Shell. i only use fuels from Esso, Shell and BP.. 97 - 99 RON.

but in all honesty you are returning the official town mpg for IS250 which is 22mpg

[Bingo123]

gud pointers there.

i get around 25 in london and around 38-40 on long trips but car feels very responsive n smooth in Shell Nitro+.

tesco/asda fuel is crap so Shell Nito+ is defo a gud investment to get the fun out of driving.

official tyre pressure is 35/38 for 17 inchers. but if you feel ride a bit harsh then decrease by 1-2 psi.

i am gonna try the ECT PWR mode on trip up north this weekend, lets see how it goes.

[toffee_pie]

I drive in absolutely **** traffic in southampton, literally <10 miles to work but takes forever. My milage in a full tank is probably sub 300miles.

I did a few long runs and mpg went up to 32mpg ish, so that is pretty what i expect.

city driving is not good for any car, it was not good for my 2.4 accord and its not good for a is250.

but the car itself is fine. :)

[PhilipK]

Just make sure that you don't get so carried away with trying to squeeze every last MPG out of the car that you stop enjoying driving the car. You are driving a 2.5 litre V6, after all.

In the greater scheme of things, unless you are doing stellar mileage, the other costs of motoring (mostly depreciation, but also insurance, servicing, repairs, tyres, MOT, VED, etc, etc) will hugely outweigh the cost of fuel.

[noby76]

of topic toffee_pie but how would you compare your previous CL9 2.4 Accord to the IS250? without including the quietness and smoothness of a Lexus 6 cylinder engine how does it compre in terms of build quality, toys, mpg, power delivery and handling? am considering one in the Executive trim or a Subaru Legacy but haven't test driven those 2.4 accords yet to compare to my IS but reviews i have read so far shower them praises..

[toffee_pie]

2.4 Accord is great, the engine is fantastic, it feels a bit more nimble around town than the lexus but its not in the same league in terms of comfort and refinement.

depends what you want in a car, if you said would you track day a 2.4 accord on a weekend (one with coilovers anyway like i had), i would say definitely, the same answer on a is250 would be ...meh.!

the is250 was not really designed for wrapping around bends, but it still looks good and is very nice to be inside.

[toffee_pie]

Subaru 3.0 Rs too i looked at but hard to get, and engine CC a bit over kill, also a tad on the old side.

[Silver Arrow]

I never use expensive fuel....you get 5-7% more Octane for a lot more Cash!

[noby76]

2.4 Accord is great, the engine is fantastic, it feels a bit more nimble around town than the lexus but its not in the same league in terms of comfort and refinement.

depends what you want in a car, if you said would you track day a 2.4 accord on a weekend (one with coilovers anyway like i had), i would say definitely, the same answer on a is250 would be ...meh.!

the is250 was not really designed for wrapping around bends, but it still looks good and is very nice to be inside.

thanks mate..thats what i thought.. i personally do like the design more so in Type S with the body kits and lower stance. the 2.4's are also quiet rare on the roads which i like but for comfort and refinement, cant beat Lexus for sure. IS250's look quiet tempting at the moment but if i want to upgrade to another Lex it would have to be a GS..

[PhilipK]

I never use expensive fuel....you get 5-7% more Octane for a lot more Cash!

It's not just the extra octane that you pay for, though. There are additional additives and detergents in better petrol that you don't get with cheap/supermarket petrol.

I've lost count of the number of times I've read on various car forums about people having all sorts of problems, which go away when they switch from supermarket to branded petrol.

Personally, I only use Shell V-Power Nitro+ in all my cars.

[ColinBarber]

I never use expensive fuel....you get 5-7% more Octane for a lot more Cash!

It's not just the extra octane that you pay for, though. There are additional additives and detergents in better petrol that you don't get with cheap/supermarket petrol.

I've lost count of the number of times I've read on various car forums about people having all sorts of problems, which go away when they switch from supermarket to branded petrol.

Personally, I only use Shell V-Power Nitro+ in all my cars.

and equally there are plenty of people that only use supermarket fuel and never have problems.

[normski2]

and equally there are plenty of people that only use supermarket fuel and never have problems.

Head above the parapet wall moment...i do.

But I do use additives, Archoil fuel modifier to be precise, every two or three fill ups. With vouchers and points that Sal gets my last fill up was at £1.23 per litre. Car runs sweet as a nut and goes some when I want it to.

[rayaans]

and equally there are plenty of people that only use supermarket fuel and never have problems.

Head above the parapet wall moment...i do.

But I do use additives, Archoil fuel modifier to be precise, every two or three fill ups. With vouchers and points that Sal gets my last fill up was at £1.23 per litre. Car runs sweet as a nut and goes some when I want it to.

Well ive only been paying £1.30 and I use BP. Not too much of a difference!

[johnatg]

I'm with the 'best fuel you can get' brigade - and that's Shell VPower Nitro or whatever they call it today. It's all I use in my Lexus and in my MX-5 - that's supercharged and needs 98 octane not to pink. On the odd occasion I can't find a Shell station (it can be tricky in parts of Wales, and not all the Shell stations there sell VPower) I use Octane booster in the Mazda or just buy a small amount of whatever is available for the Lexus.

BP Ultimate (97 octane) is almost as good as VPower, but it's really expensive. (usually 13p per litre more, whereas VPower is normally 8p/litre more than 95 octane fuel).

I'm convinced that VPower gives better fuel consumption - 3-4 mpg more (say 10%) and for a price premium of about 6.5% on normal fuel that's a pretty good deal.

[toffee_pie]

i have put in nirto since i have had the car in June, don't know if I got any positives for the extra outlay but my car runs faultless and on long runs i seen 35/36mpg doing 70-80mph on cruise.

I think its worth the extra to put in some good quality fuel.

[toffee_pie]

what is the octane of nirto?