dbs600

Is it true or false that our cars become quicker / accelerate faster after a certain mileage?

If so, why is this the case, how many miles does it take and any way of speeding it up?

CobraGSF

iTrader: (2)

I have been hearing the AWD models acceleration response gets better as more miles are put on it. reason for that? I have no idea. Although I do notice now, I do not have to give my AWD much gas to get it moving after a red light as compared to when I originally got the car and I was confused as to why the cars throttle response was so bad.

Obscene14

My is250 feels the same way. Up till 1500 miles the engine felt like something was binding. The car didn't feel eager to rev and the car felt uber slow. At the 1500 mile mark if felt like it was starting to loosen up. Now at 3000 miles the car feels like it has decent power. Well almost but it's still and under powered car for it's 3700 lb weight. It's much more drivable now than when I first drove it off the lot. Next car will be a is350, but at least I can live with my 250 till that happens.

dbs600

Awful it takes months to reap the reward of our purchase (or, more significantly, lease)!

AdvanSLF

i think what you guys are referring to is the break-in period.. i don't care what the manual or lexus says.. every BRAND NEW car has some sort of break-in period.

think about it this way, when you wake up first thing in the morning, you don't just dive right into everything. you have to slowly move your way to the bathroom, get dress, coffee maybe food, then after an hour or two, you feel like you're operating at a normal level.

well thats the same idea as a brand new car, it needs to break in. lexus recommends a break-in period of i believe around 600-800 miles (no hard acceleration, no violent stops, do not stay at a constant speed, etc.) after that, let your needle fly to your heart's content. i've always given my cars at least 1000-1500 miles before i start pushing.

dbs600

Not talking about how we handle (or should handle) our cars during break in, talking about what our cars' limits actually are; if it's true they're programmed to not open up until a certain mileage?

dojoman

iTrader: (5)

Could it be that the car gas pedal learns the input in the beginning and starts to adjust to driver's behavior? I know that 2IS does it maybe it's the same thing. You can test this out by disconnecting the negative terminal of the battery for about 30 min.

smardav

I kind of feel that too. Yes, my car becomes more energetic once I pass the 2000 miles mark. Now my doubt is, is the car really getting faster which I cant prove because I never personally measure its performance data before/after the break in period. It's also possible that maybe I just get used to the way it drives and that makes me feel its getting faster. Just my $0.02

Obscene14

No doubt, every car has a break in period. This is the first car that I've felt that i was limited to maybe 80% throttle for the first 50 hours of operation. I wouldn't put it past Lexus to program the ecu this way in the name of extended reliability. Since know one has cracked the ecu software we'll never know.

nabbun

Break in period. Car does become quicker.

dbs600

Again, I'm not referring to 'break-in', which is done at the factory these days, but something else that limits full performance until a certain mileage is reached.

CJW

iTrader: (1)

I don't buy any huge improvements, but many long term magazine tests have a before/after review. The cars at 30-40k miles might be a tenth faster to 60 or so.

JDR76

I'm with you. We're usually talking just a tenth or two to 60, if anything. And that is, at least in my opinion, most likely the benefit of tires which are worn in and no longer new, thereby offering better grip. There will be some benefit to the break in, but it isn't much.

dbs600

Agreed, which makes me think our cars specifically limit performance out of the box.