Lexus HS250h Mileage Tips for Beginners

[kgenaidy]

- Realize that mpg is dependent on the choices and compromises that the driver makes. The first consideration should always be to drive in a manner that is safe for you, your passengers, and fellow motorists.

- Inflate the front tires to max sidewall pressure, rear tires to max sidewall - 2 psi. This will help the HS250h roll easier and improve mileage. It will also firm up the car's handling a bit. This may be a foreign concept to your dealership ... so you may have to be firm with them or specifically tell them not to adjust tire pressure once it is set to your preference.

- The warm up period is about 5 minutes in Texas. It will probably be more in colder climates. During this period ... there will not be great mileage. Just try to drive as economically as conditions allow.

- Drive in "Eco" mode whenever possible. Try to stay in the green band whenever possible and avoid the power band if at all possible. The lime green band will provide average results at best.

- When the HS250h is warm ... try to start from a stop in EV mode (slowly apply gas pedal while keeping it w/in the green band ... at about 15 mph apply more pressure into the lime green band ... this will start the ICE (internal combustion engine) and accelerate no harder then eco mode will allow. This approach will get you up to speed in most circumstances ... just maybe not as quickly as other traffic might like.

- Play with trying to use the least gas pedal pressure possible for a given speed. Reduce gas pedal pressure while trying to stay at the same speed. At first I was surprised how much less pedal would maintain the same speed.

- Try to keep the battery SOC (state of charge) above 60 percent ... this will help avoid forced battery regeneration which will hurt mpg's while it is happening.

- Once warm, depending on load, battery SOC, ... and up to about 39 mph ... you can get hybrid system to switch to EV (electric) mode by releasing the gas pedal for 1 to 2 seconds and then slowly reapply gas pedal pressure while staying 1 "mark" or more below the green/lime green point on the eco gauge. Another way to tell is to have the MFD in instant mileage mode ... wait for the mileage to max out (90mpg) and then slowly reapply the gas. This is the start of learning to Pulse and Glide (a hypermiling technique).

- The cruise control will not give you the best mileage in hilly or rolling elevations. It aggressively compensates for any decrease in speed (reads pushes engine into the power mode).

- When the car is warm and the battery is sufficiently charged ... consider EV mode in your neighborhood or a shopping complex. You will get a mpg boost. This is especially useful at the end of a drive ... since the cost to recharge can be a by-product of the next warm-up phase of the HS250h.

- In summer ... keep the interior of the HS250h as cool as possible (windows cracked, sun-visor, etc). This will make cooling the car easier when it is being driven. Using the AC will decrease MPG's. Try to find the highest temperature setting w/AC that you are comfortable with so the AC load is decreased. When you don't need AC ... turn it off.

- Consider reading, learning, and practicing some of the hypermiling techniques. The Toyota Prius and Camry Hybrid share the same type of hybrid system ... the same concepts apply to the HS250h ... however some of the measurements discussed will be different.

- Buy a Scanguage or equivalent ... so you can know what the HS250h is actually doing. Suggested settings for a SGII might be MPG/RPM/TPS/IGN.


Hopefully this will provide a starting point for improving the mileage with your Lexus HS250h.

[kgenaidy]

A few more items:

- Once the car is warmed up ... and you find the engine not auto-stopping (AS) when you are stopped ... you can get it to AS by putting it in neutral ... wait a second or two ... and put it back in drive. Sometimes I have to do this twice. I believe I read about this somewhere in the Prius forum.

- Plan your driving route to minimize the number of stops. Try to keep the car moving at as consistent a speed as traffic allows. Learn to "time" the lights. If it makes sense for you ... adjust your travel times to contend w/less traffic ... this gives you more options available to improve your mpg's w/out worrying about the traffic around you breathing down your neck.

- As soon as you realize a stop or slow down is required ... Take your foot off the gas and glide (coast). This is the start to learning to DWB (a hypermiling technique).

- If you get into heavy stop and go traffic for an extended period of time ... minimize the usage of the battery. I turn my daytime running lights off, open windows and turn off AC, etc. This allows staying in the battery pack as long as possible w/out the ICE firing up and doing a recharge on the pack.

[kgenaidy]

Additional thoughts and tips:

- The definition of great mileage will be dependent on the driving conditions ... going into a heavy wind (30+ mph) ... 35 mpg might be considered great mileage. The same situation with a tailwind ... 35 mpg would be bad.

- Get to know the routes you normally drive. Think about where are the opportunities to get great mileage, ok mileage, and where do you need to work to keep from getting "bad" mileage. Try to capitalize on the great (improve mpg) , manage the ok (keep mpg), and minimize the bad (decrease mpg) opportunities.

- If you have navigation ... set the display to show your last 30 minutes fuel consumption. I believe all models have the multi-function-display (MFD) to show instant fuel economy ... set the MFD to this mode. This will give you feedback to see what works and doesn't work from a fuel efficiency standpoint. It's not a Scanguage ... but it absolutely helps.

- Left to choose on it's own ... the HS250h won't always do what you think it should or operate in the way that really is most fuel efficent. You may have to help the computer make the right decision. How, is dependent upon the situation. Usually, when I want to run off the battery on a "glide" ... I have help get it there (release gas pedal pressure for 1-2 seconds ... gently reapply)

- Lastly ... does any of this really work? Below is a picture of the consumption for about the last 30 days in the DFW area.




These "tips" are based upon many great ideas and forum threads throughout this site. I simply was trying to place some basic information in one place to get individuals started.

[xcel]

Hi Kgenaidy:

___Thank you for your HS specific culmination as I pick up the HS 250h for the Chicago to LA and back trip in the morning.

___I will check oil levels but I am sure it is its OEM moly loaded fill and I really cannot do much about that. And of course bring pressures up as soon as I get it back to my home before we load it up with 500 pounds of gear and 700 pounds of people.

___Unfortunately, our HS is a stripper (if you can call an HS that) and with no NAVI, I am not sure that we have the FCD screen available.

___We will have a Garmin Nuvi 1490T w/ EcoRoute along for the ride but that is not quite the same as Toyota/Lexus' TCH/HS w/ NAVI consumption screens

___We will also be SG-II equipped and if it drives anything like the TCH with an 18/18 SHM, this could be a very interesting trip indeed?

___Expect to see a few short snippets as we figure out what the HS is worth on a mostly all highway drive. The TCH in the summer will do 60 + mpgUS on the Interstate but this is not summer of course We had our first snow yesterday morning and temps are currently in the low 30's here in Chicago. Hopefully by the time we get south of St. Louis, we will pick up a few degrees and maybe the HS will liven up some. I did see LA had highs in the low 70's so at least we have some good temps to drive Lexus' latest while in LA.

___For the Full Review, I might tap you for the technique pages as you have already got a good start here. During the MAMA fall rally, I had the chance to drive an LS around a short and low speed city/suburban loop while Gliding, P&G, WS, DWB, DWL and of course RR while just below the PSL’s. The HS proved its worth and was only bested by the 2010 Prius and Insight that day. I did not take out the FFH but overall the HS had a very good showing to say the least.

HS at the MAMA rally results.

___And the preview in MI around a slightly longer city/suburban loop during the HS Preview.

HS Preview

___What I am a bit concerned with however is the 2010 TCH (48.2 mpgUS highway) achieved better Highway test cycle FE than the HS (47.4 mpgUS highway) when looking at the non-adjusted, RAW CAFÉ based EPA_FE figures. That one still has me somewhat confused given the same Cd while having a smaller frontal area and incorporating HSD-II vs. the TCH’s HSD.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[kgenaidy]

- If I understand things right ... the 2010 TCH has the AT-PZEV rated engine ... while the HS250h has an engine that is SULEV II rated. Maybe that's the difference? I don't really understand why they would be different.

I am really looking forward to your thoughts, tips, and impressions. Have a great time "kicking the tires".

[coldcase]

How much difference in mpg would 18 inch wheels make compared to 17 inch wheels?

And would odometer have to be re calibrated?

[Argelius]

I went for my first HS test drive on Saturday. (I had been waiting for my dealer to get one in with Nav and Tech). I was generally impressed and am definitely moving in the direction of a purchase. I was almost ready to but one that day, but that was put on hold in learning that in the US the Mark Levinson option is available by special order only.

How stupid is that. What's the point of keeping that option out of a vehicle that has every other techno-gizmo under the sun? Anyway, regardless of whether the upgrade is worth it, I know I'll always regret it if I dont have it, so I guess a special order may be in my future. I'm just REALLY bad with delayed gratification.

[kgenaidy]

I have the premium w/the 18" wheels. Don't think it makes a difference since it's a lower profile tire (225/45x18 vs 215/55x17).

Hi Argelius ... regarding the ML ... I know I wanted it ... but the stock audio is quite livable (at the 1 1/2 mth mark) ... i.e. ... I'm not grinding my teeth when I listen to it.