AJT123

Just moved here about a month ago. Absolutely LOVE living/driving here, but my god, I'm barely breaking 12MPG, according to my trip computer. I know there are several fellow LS drivers out here, so I'm wondering what kind of mileage you all get as well.

I'm not too terribly surprised, as I live right in the middle of Hollywood, where it's literally 100% stop and go traffic. I haven't even driven on the freeway since I moved out here, so I know obviously it's going to be lower than usual...but my god, 12MPG? And the thing is, our cars have relatively fuel efficient engines, especially for a V8 (averaged 28MPG on the drive cross country out here). I know that 100% stop and go driving will bog down any V8's mileage, but if I'm getting such bad mileage, what, does that mean an S550 or 750 gets like 7-8? God only knows what the V12s out here get...

Granted, I've only put gas in once, and I only filled it half way up...but my MPG tank average says 11.9 since then. I'm wondering if I fill it up next time and drive the whole tank if it will get closer to its city rating. I honestly don't think there's anything wrong; car is well maintained and I just changed the spark plugs before I moved out here. I did search for the cheapest (premium) gas I could find out here, but I doubt that makes a big difference either. Unless you fellow Cali drivers know something I don't. (On another note, the price gouging on gas out here is ridiculous....you'll see gas one place and LITERALLY within your line of sight you'll see it for 75 cents more, a block away.)

Like I said, I've only put gas in my car once since I've been here, and it was only a half a tank, so maybe I'm jumping the gun here. It really doesn't matter though anyway, bc even though I'm getting terrible gas mileage, I spend WAYYYY less on fuel, bc I don't really drive that much, and when I do it's within 5 miles. Like I said, I've been here exactly a month and have put a grand total of 8 gallons and $40 into my tank, lol. Back home in TN I'd fill up about every 10 days or so (and average 19-20 city/hwy mix). So I guess it's not a huge deal, but I'm wondering if any other LA drivers are experiencing the same thing.

BTW I'm very gentle driving as well. I barely go above 2k RPM driving around here.

Ha, and I love driving a flagship Lexus around car-crazy LA! I get appreciative nods all the time!

I love this city!

bmore430

I'm on the opposite coast but feel what you are going through. I average 12-13mpg per tank on 93. I drive mostly around town and short trips so all is stop and go. Some others here have the same experience. I don't mind because a full tank lasts me about 2 weeks.

tcr101

iTrader: (2)

11.9 seems low, but its all dependent on how bad traffic is. The few times I head to Hollywood traffic is insane. I average around 16-18mpg (highway/city) on my 01 and hop on a bike when I know I'm going to a traffic congested area. When I did commute in my ls from torrance to irvine, I would get between 9-14mpg in stop and go traffic. To get 14, I ended up rarely touching the gas and letting the car idle as others accelerated hard just to smash on the brakes 20-30 feet down the road.

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest using Waze, GasBuddy, or any other "gas app" to find the cheapest gas in your area without having to drive around.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

im not getting good mileage also , its frustrating

AJT123

Yeah, I know what's making it so terrible is the fact that I literally, NEVER drive on the freeways and never have the chance to let the car cruise and stretch her legs. I live right in the heart of Hollywood, right off Hollywood Blvd and La Brea, and I'm sure you know the traffic is insane there virtually 24/7.

Not too worried about it, bc like I said I'm only using (as of right now) a half a tank every two weeks, so no biggie. If I drove as much as I did back in Knoxville I'd be a little more concerned. Just wanted to verify with some of you to make sure this was normal.

And yeah, lol I have all of those apps. I found a gas station on the corner of Fairfax near the Farmer's Market for $4.19. Lol that's like .80 more than where I'm from but I feel like it's a steal for out here! Waze I'm still learning, I feel it's sorta confusing at first.

I'm sorta envious of the Prius' I see everywhere, lol must be nice getting 50MPG city! But hey, I will never get rid of my LS. If I didn't drive one of the best cars ever made/engineered I would probably think of getting something a little more fuel efficient. A V8 in 100% city driving is overkill, but the torque is nice. I can drive every bit as like a maniac as everyone else, with the cutting and thrusting LA city driving requires! Lol....

Jabberwock

I just drove to Big Bend and back this week. 900 miles round trip. Averaged 24.5 going West and 25.7 going East. That was 90% highway and running at 75-83 mph....some sections of I20 in West Texas have 80mph speed limit.

Advice for best mpg is make sure you run with clean air filter, clean MAF, clean TB and put in a large bottle of Techron concentrate (not the cleap stuff) in gas tank twice a year.

jayclapp

You can't determine the real gas mileage until you start with a full tank and then do a complete refill. Otherwise you are just guessing.

Regarding low mileage in the city. It depends on how much time you spend at a stop witbout moving. If you spend a lot of time at a full stop you will get bad to horrible mileage. City driving will vary and really depends on how bad the traffic is that you are driving in.

For instance, I average 19 mpg without getting out of the city. But, I spend quite a bit of that on rather uncongested freeway.

BMW7_LS430

I get 12 mpg on weekdays and sometimes even less. I am lucky to be driving less miles so no complains here.
On long trips I do get 22-25 mpg.

Zodiac

iTrader: (1)

I live in LA and I am also getting 12-13 mpg with 90% city driving. One full tank will get me around 250-275 miles. Luckily I work very close. On long trips on the freeway I'm getting 25-27 mpg.

tcr101

iTrader: (2)

Could do what I did, pick up a prius for the "daily commute", LS for a weekend cruiser, and a bike for whenever im bored

bmore430

I wouldn't be caught dead in a prius but I did go the bike route and she runs 9s and still gets 30mpg lol

fensterlip

In Ventura County and driving the 101 I average in the high teens. The Conejo Grade pulls it down, as does bumper to bumper but I've never seen numbers that low. Sounds like you've checked these things but, the MAF, tires ( and some - even with the right pressure have high rolling resistance) spark plugs and clean injectors. Take it off the Sport setting if it's there. I don't know where I'd go after that. Sounds like you're a gentle driver