How do I max mileage for a hybrid?
 

Hi, I just found your site and was happy to see that there are lots of people out there trying to get the most mpgs! I have a lexus hybrid 400h and was a little disappointed with my mpg. I know hybrids require a little different driving and I am probably not taking advantange of some ways to improve my mileage. I love that I can go through a drive-thru and not have the engine kick on, and I can drive through my subdivision on my way home and not use the engine, but I feel that I should get better than 27-28 mpg. I try not to use the a/c as that drains the battery faster although now that it is summer, that is becoming more difficult. I would love to know what other hybrid owners are getting for mpg and how to get better mileage. Any suggestions from other hybrid owners? Thanks!

What is the EPA on it? I wouldn't expect it to do too well, what kind of driving do you do? The main thing is to slow down and pick your routes well! Welcome aboard.

The 400h is a greenwashing car. It doesn't get very good mileage and was designed to use the term hybrid as a statement rather than as an action.

EPA 31/27 for an SUV is good plus it's a Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV). As SVOboy states what kind of driving are you doing if it's highway it will be tough to improve besides slowing down. Make sure your tires are at correct pressures or even up to max side wall pressure. There are several threads here on max tire pressure you can do a search with the "search the forums tab" for more info on that.

I've never driven the Lexus and do not know about the hybrid system in it so take this with a grain of salt. I do have a Prius. In the city just pluse and glide as much as possible and carefully plan your routes. The slower the better that's not a very aero car so speed kills. The gas pedal is very senitive to imput that will either keep your engine going or let it shut down and glide with engine off. Work on being able to work the pedal so that you can glide engine off and not use the battery to propell the car.

Good luck. Keep us posted

niiiiice to see anouter hybrid. i think that that is one of the cooler hybrids because i couldent tell when i first saw it. it is not the best for fe but it is great for a suv. btw welcome to the site!!!

Oh, oops, I was thinking of the new hybrid thing that Lexus is making that is supposed to cost something like $100k. For an SUV, 28 is pretty damn good, but I still think that the luxury hybrids are just greenwashing vehicles. They can make them much more efficient, but choose not to.

You can say that about any car made including the Prius.

I know that many people here (hybrid owners AND gas vehicles) are using the pulse and glide method to help maximize their FE (fuel efficiency). This method works especially well for hybrid owners as the 'glide' portion of the ride uses NO gas since the engine is in an off state. This requires a small modification to your driving habits and mighttake some getting used to but I heard that it works well. Im new here so I have no stats on that yet, but Im sure there are a million people here that can offer some help.
The mere fact that you're getting 28 means that you arent going superfast on the highway. Ive heard that quite a few people were disappointed with their Lexus 400h's FE as it was usually nowhere near the stated EPA estimates. By the way is 27/31 based on the new or old method. 28 is not that bad but Im sure that "Pulse and Glide" should help
Also consider getting a scanguage (assuming the 400h doesnt come with one, Let me know). It will tell you your current mpg. With that said doesn anyone here know where I can get a scanguage for the best price? Im doing some research and it seems taht this can be had for about $170ish. Im looking for one and any $ saved is worth it, especially since Im kinda broke right now.
Lastly any NY metro area users on gassavers.org? Would love 2 meet to see your cars and share ideas one day.

One thing I do when I drive my parents 06 civic hybrid is drive like it has no brakes. In other words, gather your momentum at opportune times, and then use your speed to do a long coast. If you do have to use the brakes, touch lightly on the brake pedal to charge the battery, instead of pushing hard and using the brake pads. That may require planning ahead.

Look at your owners manual and become familiar with the fuel economy reading on the dashboard. I am sure it will give you an instant fuel econ. readout, and a resetable trip fuel economy readout. Watch your instant fe while you drive, you will soon realize what situations use the most gas and you can avoid some of them. Mostly this means avoiding accelerating the vehicle from a stop up to speed more than necessary. Time your lights so you can roll thru at 20MPH instead of stopping.

Also try combining several trips into one. Notice how your instant fe is really low when you first start driving with a cold engine? If you combine your trips, your engine spends much less time cold, increasing FE. On the highway, avoid high speeds.
Good luck, have fun.

Also I don't know about the Lexus but on the Prius every time you power down the car and restart it has to go through the warmup cycle and the engine will start monentarily even though it hot. I see that your a realtor so if you have to make frequent stops, for a minute or so, and are not going to be far from the car( in site of it) just turn the AC off so you don't run down the battery and leave it power up so it doesn't have to go through the restart cycle.