Safe Performance Mods for ES 300h Without Affecting Hybrid System
 

Hey everyone,

I recently joined the Lexus family with a 2025 ES 300h (facelifted 7th gen), and I’m loving the smooth ride and fuel economy. That said, I’m curious about performance-oriented upgrades.

I’d love to know from other ES 300h owners:

• What performance mods have you added that are safe for the hybrid system?
  
• Have you done anything to improve throttle response, handling, or acceleration?
  
• Any experience with intakes, lightweight wheels, suspension upgrades, or ECU tuning (without voiding warranty or harming the hybrid components)?
  

I’m looking for proven mods that won’t interfere with the electric motor or battery system. Appreciate any tips, setups, or even photos if you have them!

Thanks in advance!

— ES300h Owner from Riyadh 🇸🇦

Just use Normal or Sport Mode for regular city driving; and Eco only for highway cruising.

Intakes, light wheels will help; but probably the performance difference will not be noticed IMHO. The ES300h is not meant for performance.

Any ECU Tuning (don't think any exists) that boosts voltage to the electric motors will definitely increase performance but at the expense of the electric motor and battery longevity thus voiding warranty.

If you're seeking performance upgrades then you've bought the wrong car. Most you could do that would be safe to the car is lighter wheels and performance tires if you wanna drive it in that manner.

You need to trade for IS500 that has the V8 all the power would would want, or NX450h 0-60 5.5 seconds.

Engine mods = Voided Warranty if they can show what you did caused the repair.

I've had a few vehicles that I did extensive modding on. Lots of fun. I've never even considered it with the ESh because of the nature of the hybrid system. And because I bought the car for comfort and efficiency.

However, I think the #1 mod would be weight reduction. That made a HUGE impact on my other vehicles. Perhaps more, or at least equal to, any power mod I did such as intake, exhaust, tuning or even internals. The problem is, weight reduction usually results in compromises. Whether it's removal of items that help provide a comfortable and quiet ride (e.g. plastic panels or insulation) items that exist for aesthetics (mud flaps or engine trim) or function (spare tire or lightweight battery).

The low hanging fruit would be lightweight wheels, removal of the spare tire and putting in a lighter weight battery. Those are all very heavy. But the wheels are expensive and a lightweight battery is potentially a dodgy route to go because the hybrid system can be finnicky. I have Enkei PF01 wheels on my ESh but it was only because I had them available and wanted a separate set for winter tires (I used the stock wheels for the winter's). The difference with lightweight wheels was more significant with my old Acura but that's likely in part to me rarely pushing the ESh so I haven't paid much attention to the difference between the Enkei's and stock wheels. The difference, if any, is more pronounced on bumps. Less unsprung weight results in less weight being thrown around when hitting potholes and imperfections in the road. But with the ESh's suspension being as good as it is, it's also not as pronounced as with the Acura's sportier suspension. I also experimented with a lighweight Antigravity lithium-ion battery. It was good in the Acura because the stock battery was in the front corner where less weight results in better handling as well as overall weight loss. It didn't work so well in the ESh. It may have been the fault of the battery. Again, it was from two vehicles ago and wasn't holding a charge so well. But it worked great when it was new and only weighed about 4lbs (compared to the 30lbs or so for the stock lead-acid battery). I took it out and replaced it with a Duralast Gold from Autozone because I accidentally killed the stock battery by completely draining it a few times due to incorrect wiring of my amp.

Lightweight wheels - minus up to 12 lbs. per corner (~48lbs total)
Removal of spare tire and jack - minus around 40 lbs. Carry a bottle of fix-a-flat or a pump but you'll be out of luck if it's a large puncture.
Lightweight battery - minus 25lbs.

That's a total of around 120lbs. However, I still don't think you'd notice a big difference and you'd spend upwards of $1200 - $1600. Big price for a very small acceleration and handling increase. That's only a decrease of about 3% of the total weight of the vehicle when considering a curb weight of about 3700lbs on the ESh.

For comparison, I literally removed nearly 20% of the weight on my 2006 Acura TL. I don't even want to go down that road again but if you want some interesting reading, here's the thread I followed. I did nearly everything this guy did and more. It was crazy.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...st-1-a-610974/