What Works, And Why, Of Fuel Economy

[ChrisRX300SE]

If you have sensible tips that save fuel, let me hear them please? My company only pays me 12p a mile to use my car for work but I want a comfortable ride and my hobbies mean that I venture gently off road.

My 3 year old RX300 needs to be trained to sip not swig.

I have tried a few ideas - Super unleaded (Optimax) does give me better mileage (22-25 on 95 RON unleaded changes to 25-28 on 97/98). This is because our engine management systems will detect that the engine is not pinking, advances the timing and we get slightly better power at the same revs. I now use Sainsbury's 97 octane (it is BP Ultima someone from BP told me!) 87.9p locally.

My trek to work is 32 mixed miles each way, I get good cruising economy because the cruise control uses less fuel than I do at the same speed (yes I have tried)

My efforts have also included tyre pressures, I have 16" wheels and they need to be 33psi as the book says, 30psi costs me money!

What else works?

[fergy]

I average about 20mpg, best is about 26-27 of a run behaving myself... to be honest I doubt anything short of a LPG conversion is going to change it much.

I tried driving smoothly etc... but end up forgetting and back to usual driving style.

I'm fortunate in that I don't do many mile a year ( <8k) so can put up with the mpg, but it still a pain, but nothing I did not know about before I bought it.

[ColinBarber]

Try cleaning the MAF sensor - there isn't much more you can do, the RX just isn't good for economy.

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/knowledge..._v2&id=152&c=11

[Jiberjaber]

Those figures for fuel economy are pretty much standard, they are similar to what I get out of my IS300.

[jbanfie]

Turn off the Air Conditioning - stops the compressor working, should save you a couple of mpg - does on my Jag, awaiting RX400h