Lexus fuel economy question?
I have a 2001 Lexus IS300 stock. It is a 3.0 liter tiptronic (automatic and manual) with a V6 VVTi engine. My fuel economy is 18 city and 23 highway. Which saves me more gas, driving in manual or driving in automatic? And what are some ways to save me gas in general such as a cold air intake/lighter tires/dropping metal? Thanks!
If I’m not mistaken, your IS has 17″ wheels? If all you’re going to base changes on is to save gas, and not care for performance/handling offsets, then you can try these:
1. cruise control and limit to 70 mph. Unless you’re doing a lot of up and downhill driving, putting and using cruise control is the single best way to bring up fuel economy because without you realizing, when you drive with your foot, you tend to fluctuate the rpm a few hundreds here and there, so you’re using up fuel you should not. Cruise keeps the car more steady. Also, something like every 5 mph over 60, you’re using about 1 mpg more fuel, so keep it as speed limit, or 70-75 mph tops.
2. increase tire pressure by about 5 psi, so that you get slightly less tire contact, but don’t over do it or you’ll bald out the middle first and you don’t want that either.
3. go down to a smaller size rim and wheel. I think you have 225 on 17″ wheels, so drop to maybe a 215 or 205 width, on 16 or 15″ rims. They may look crappy, but if you’re only concerned with saving fuel, then smaller rims and wheels mean less weight.
4. take extra junk out of your trunk. Make sure you don’t have too much spare stuff back there. Carry only fluids you’ll need (antifreeze, wiper fluid, quart of oil). Don’t carry a whole trunk of goodies.
If you do all the above, then I would think you can get to 24 or 25 on the highway with no problems. Presuming that your car and engine are running at peak effiicency. Have you cleaned our your air filters and stuff?
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