Re: Tuning my 98 GS for the Desert

Hi All. I now live in Las Vegas where the the temperature runs over

100 degrees regularly. I used to live in Chicago.

Should I switch to 10w30 ? I currently use synthetic 5w30.

Should I change the radiator coolant to a different mix?

What else do you recommend I do to the car to help it perform in the

110 degree weather.

Also, the car is burning almost twice as much gas as it did in chicago. I attribute this to the AC running all the time. Is there somethingI can do to keep the car from burning so much gas?

Thanks very much. No need to switch to 10w30 oil what your currently using is very good to start with. as far as the coollant is concerned if its been more than 2 years since you last flushed the coolling system do it now! using a 50/50 mix. living in that kind of hot enviroment for an automatic transmission is a killer for it hard on the tranny oil pretty

much cooks it in no time heat kills automatic trannys! highly recommend a transmission cooller for your lexes thats a wise investment. your fuel mileage may indicate a problem remember your A/C is constantly on dont no your driving habits but check your tire pressures should be generally around 30psi or it could be that "Las Vegas heat wave drying up your gas!" =D haha

Reply to
johnin
Loading thread data ...

Hi. I see some of these Tranny coolers on eBay. How would I install one? Are there any downsides to using a transmission oil cooler?

Thanks.

john> Hi All. I now live in Las Vegas where the the temperature runs over

oil pretty

transmission cooller for your lexes thats a wise investment. your fuel mileage may

Reply to
handogg

I am pretty sure that the GS is already equipped with a transmission fluid cooler. You will see metal lines entering the bottom of the radiator from the transmission.

An additional transmission fluid cooler would not hurt, especially if you routinely tow a trailer, but unless you routinely pull a trailer, I doubt if you will get a return on your investment.

The the biggest downside to using a supplemental transmission fluid cooler is a slightly increase risk of fluid leaks, especially if you use a cheap cooler.

Reply to
Ray O

Go with the oil weight the factory recommends. One thing I would do is to check that the radiator is not dirty. There are no disadvantages using a trans cooler as long as it's properly installed.

Reply to
Bill in Yakima

i'd recommend a tranny cooler if your commute entails more of a city driving where you do change gears (or in your case, the car changes gears often). But if your commute is on the highways you really don't need the tranny cooler. I live in houston..my collant mix is 10-90 (10% coolant and 90 water). Coolant is usually to prevent freezing and to prevent internal corosion. in LV you don't have to worry about either so more water than coolant is good (as water is what cools). As far as oil's go, i'd use

10w-30. If your car is using more gas get a tuneup done too!
Reply to
jhbhatia

johnin wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@no-mx.carstalk.net:

I am also in Vegas. My LS430 drives just fine with no additional tranny coolers. Leave it alone and it will be as happy as it was in Chicago. Check the increased fuel consumption. This is not normal and can not be attributed to air conditioning running all the time. One thing: Lexus of Las Vegas is not a very good dealer. They tend to be expensive and their technicians are not very well trained. I switched to a Toyota deler near me and am quite happy.

Reply to
Colin

Try Japanese Car Service in Las Vegas

Reply to
sqdancerLynn

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.