Rapidone

I've been reading the old threads and came across this. I recently asked my dealer which oil they used on the car for the service. The reply was this : Mobil 5W/30 semi synthetic. If someone is doing a search at a later date, maybe this will be of use.

Cheers! I know they're not great for economy (though I notice you're getting 42mpg from a 220D! - did you get anything done to get that much?) but in the last few days of town driving (and I'm trying to keep in low revs and go very light with the right foot) it is now down to 22mpg! Can't be right, can it? I'm not sure that keeping low revs all the time is the best options for ecconomy. It may be the best option when maintaining speed on a flat road, but for accelaration and hills, shouldnt the revs be higher. I read that a petrol engine runs most efficiently at about 3000rpm, no idea what it would be for a deisel. I tend to use alot of throtle when pulling away from a standstill, and get up through the gears quite quickly in a short distance, thereby getting the advantage of higher gear for more of the journey.

Is that offset the same for is250 models also?

Yea, I think you are probably correct. I've done alot of reading about tyres over the last week, and a set of 16" 225 wheels with 50 profile tyres seems like the best bet for lower noise. I've also been looking at new tyres, Yokohama AVS dB V550 seem to be the best option for low noise. Alternately just replace the tyres on the 17" wheels that are on the car, with the Yoko tyres. The problem with this being, although the Yokohama 245/45 17 tyres for the rear wheels are listed on the manutacurers web site, they don't seem to be on sale in the UK. There doesn't seem to be a problem with the 225/45 17 for the front wheels, they are fairly easy to find. I'm unsure what to look at next, maybe a full set of 16" 225 wheels with 225/50 tyres, however I don't know the offsets of wheels to look for. And don't know if there will be any handling problems running the same size tyres on both front and back. This could take a while.

The only information in the manual seems to be Gross vehicle mass 2045kg The tyres currently on the car have a rating of 95, which is 690kg. From the list in the link. http://www.pneus-online.co.uk/public/stati...dice_charge.php Perhaps the question should be, what's the lowest rating that won't invalidate the car insurance? Thx.

Well, I was thinking of getting soundproofing for the boot of the car only first, since there seems to be so little in there already. So today I tried stuffing the boot full of bedding quilts to try and dampen the noise. I couldn't decern any change in noise levels at all. I realy don't understand where the noise is coming from. Transmitted through the wheels up the suspension, or comming off the wheels through the air and into the the car throught the arches and floor. If I knew which set of tyres to change to I would try a tyre change. I've keep reading and reading, but cant find anything conclusive.

Well, at least I'm pleased to say the flappy paddles are the correct way round for me, change up on the right and down on the left. That's the same as every diving simulator I've ever played. So there's only a problem if I'm feeling lazy and want to keep one hand on the gear shift. I had a good hour and a half long blast and play with the paddles the day before yesterday, drove over Woodhead pass, and back to Manchester over Saddleworth moor. Perfect gear change every time, never did anything unexpected. The car does feel a little skittish over uneven roads at very high speed though, but has good feel through the steering wheel. I took a 2.5L Deisel Alpha Brera over the same road a couple of months ago and with 20mph more speed and felt more in control. Shame about the low roof in the Brera, can't fit in it properly.

Dunlop SportMaxx. The only review I've seen on the effect of different tyres on noise, showed a 3db difference from worse to best. Well, the note of the noise I get, is simmilar to the sound you get if you put a sea shell to your ear. I don't hear much low note rumble. As for the wheel size, that's always an option. A friend of mine put some big alloys and low profile tyres on his focus, and the car was alot more noisey after the change. It would be nice to try some different wheels and tyres, to see if there was much difference in noise. I wonder if the local Lexus dealer would lend a set of 16" wheels and tyres off a standard IS250? I doubt it.

I found them on a web search earlier and have already sent them and email, they're only a couple of miles from where I work, which would be convenient. It's interesting to know they've been around for 6 years at least. I'll see what they can offer on prices. I dont like the idea of doing the job myself, but if the price is too high I may have to. As for the noise levels in the IS250, the engine is almost silent when warmed up, and there is very little wind noise. However I'm having a little problem with the road/tyre noise. Probably the tyre noise is more noticable than in other cars, because of the lack of engine and wind noise, and I think I'm proabably more sensitive to noise than most people aswell. The PC I'm using to type this is barely audible, with slow, low noise fans and a sound insulated case. A standard PC drives me nuts, like a vacuum cleaner running constantly. The coustom job that I linked to had oustanding results, an 8db drop. What's that? 70 to 80% less noise. That's a huge reduction. Considering the price of a new IS250, I'm very surprised that this isn't done from new. Would proabably add only a couple of hundred pounds the the list price. It would have made sense putting in a less exensive sound system and doing the sound proofing instead.

I've been looking at some of the sound deadening products that adhear to the floor of the car, under the carpets. Have any of you tried doing this or had it done for you? Or have tried any other kind of sollution? Are the carpets easy to get in and out? I noticed this review of the process, but it looks like a big job. http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volume_10_2...ing-6-2003.html Thx.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Ok, I left the car and keys at work for the mobile fitter to come and fit the new tyre. I get back to work at the end of the day the tyre is fitted, great, good service no time wasted. So, on the way home I stop at the supermarket, and have a quick look at the tyre fitted. Dunlop SP Sport 9000. What the ****? Phone conversation with the fitter had gone like this. Him: What tyre do you want? Me :Dunop Sport Max. Him: Does it have to be the Sport Max? Me : Yes. So he fits a SP Sport 9000. 245/45 ZR17 Muppet! :/ Thankfully I paid with credit card. So what happens next? Do I keep the tyre and ask for a partial refund? Ask him to take the tyre back off and give a full refund? Is the tyre safe to use? Max load is listed on the tyre is 685KG, I think. Is that enough for this car with 5 people and luggage?

I've had a play with the manual sequential change on the auto box for the first time today. It seems to work perfectly. However I kept changing up when I wanted to change down, and changing down when I wanted to change up. The lower gears are obtained by moving the lever towards you, whereas on most uk manual cars it's the other way arround. Is there an option in the car settup to reverse the direction of use of the manual shift? I'm assuming that the lever opperates a microswitch and that the software in the car is doing the gear change, so maybe a software change would fix this problem.

No I didnt try Costco despite driving past one of their stores every day. I've been given a quote for a single Dunlop sportmaxx for £110 fitted and ballanced. I'm going to go with that. In light of that quote The National tyres "best price" of £185 seems like daylight robbery. I will never consider them again. Especialy now that I know a tyre can be ordeded online and fitted locally, or fitted by a guy in a van at any location for only £4 more. If I had shares in any of the highstreet tyre fitting companies I'd be selling them today. I hope that the small difference in tread depth between the two rear tyres won't cause any problems.

The tyre has a screw embedded into it 5cm away from the wall, and 3cm away from the where the curve at the edge of the tyre begins. The guy at National tyres says it can't be repaired, and quoted £185 to replace it. LOL. I've found these prices. Kumho KU31 245/45 R17 W (95) £104 mobile fitted Toyo Proxes T1-R 245/45 R17 Y (99) £125 mobile fitted What is the significance of the "W" on the Kumho? EDIT: I found the information, its only rated to 168mph. I guess it's suitable then, since that is more than the max speed of the car. Also found this on another site DUNLOP SPORTMAXX MFS 245/45R17 95Y £151 fitted. and wondered if the "MFS" means this is a different tyre to the ones I have fitted, which dont have the "MFS" after the Sportmax on the tyre wall. EDIT: MFS = (Maximum Flange Sheild) system protects expensive alloy wheels from kerbing. Any help would be appreciated, I don't want to run on the space saver for too long. I'm tempted to put a pair of the Kumho tyres on since they scored the best for noise in the auto express tyre review. Thanks

Well, I've gotten a rear punture already. I'll go and see if it can be fixed tomorrow. A few questions, The car currently has Dunlop Sport Max all round, can they be mixed with other makes of tyre, such as the Toyo? Am I stuck with replacing with the exact same tyre or having to change both rear tyre to be able to go to a different make? Would the Toyo be any quieter than the Sportmax? Thanks

The car has the best auto box and engine of any car I've driven, they are super smooth, and I've driven alot of auto's. Nearest to it I guess is the Merc E280 CDI, but still not as good. Engine noise, or lack of it. Bonnet release catch under the bonnet is perfect, took me about 2 seconds to find and release. May not sound like a big point, but to me speaks volumes about Lexus attention to detail. You try finding it on many other makes, you end up having to look in the manual, or bending down to look into the gap between the grill and bonnet.

Do you have a specific problem with Lexus Stockport? I was thinking of using them for my next service and to fix any problems with my car, I'd be interested to read any comments you have about them.

I have that same creak. It happens as the car warms up. The only other creak, is from the lense of the light on the underside of the interior of the drivers door. It can be heard on almost every bump and pothole. Are interior noises covered under the warranty? Have any of you had this creak and been able to fix it?

I've had my IS250 SE-L auto for 2 weeks now and I love the car. Fuel ecconomy is a little lower than expected, but I have a large right foot :) I've been wondering about the type of fuel that best suits the car. The manual just states 95+ ron fuel. Is there anything to be gained by using the premium 97 ron fuel, any more mpg, or any more power? I'd be pleased to hear from anyone that has tried it. Thx.

Oh, where does it say that? I must have missed it. All I saw was this, "To achieve the fairest result, we’ve looked at what you’d experience in day-to-day driving. Our assessment should not to be confused with those tests required by law; the latter are carried out from the roadside with specially sealed cars to prevent the engine or transmission affecting the outcome." and this,"A microphone was positioned by the driver’s ear, close to the door, in order to provide a real world assessment." Im not sure "day-to-day driving" is done with the window open.

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/products/tota...3162/noise.html Have a look at this tyre review, they didnt find much noise difference between the tyres.

Would there be any difference in noise using the 16" wheels on the is250, instead of the 17" on the is250se/se-l?

I'm looking to get a used IS250 SE or SE-L, took a 55 plate SE-L for a short test drive and was quite impressed by the car. However I was quite disappointed with the high level of tyre/road noise, it reminded me of a Toyota Yaris. I noticed simmilar tyre noise with the new shaped Ford Focus when initially released, but after about 6 months they became quieter after the introduction of wheel arch liners and what looked like a rubber strip allong the underside of the sill. Has anything been done to address the tyre noise on the more recently produced Is250s? Would I better to wait until I can afford a 06 or 56 plate car? Thanks for any advice.