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2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

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Comments

  • weavercityweavercity Member Posts: 11
    As it turns out, I opted not to buy an extended warrantee when I took delivery of my 05 Avalon XLS some 35 months ago. With one month to go I must confess I'm concerned. Since I've owned the car it has been in the shop for transmission work twice, a steering shaft once and most recently it has been in the shop awaiting a PVC hose that has taken 13 days to procure. This is to fix an oil leak.

    I have been surprised by the problems I've had with this car compared to past Buicks and GM cars I've owned. Most of them never needed any work till they were approaching or passed the 100K mark.

    So what to do. Does Toyota offer an extended warrantee at a reasonable price for a car that is 3 yr. old and has such a history? Guess I'll check with them in a few days. Perhaps someone has some experience with such situations. :cry:
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    With you this is a moot point but again NEVER but the first year of ANY car. Sorry for your problems, I personally would have used the lemon Law or sued. Warranty's usually cost about $1000.
  • retired7retired7 Member Posts: 133
    Amen! My Ltd just turned 3 yrs old and I opted to get the 7/100,000 platinum warrentee when I purchesed the car new based on the first year of a new model + lots of expensive electronics..

    NW Blizzard
  • felixc1976felixc1976 Member Posts: 31
    Since my used 2006 Limited came with only one smart key, I decided to order a spare key. I knew that I couldn't go to Home Depot and have another one made for $5, but what happened to me was a total Toyota rip-off! Toyota dealer charged me $315 for the key....then when I came to pick it up the next day (it took them a day to order one and program it), I was charged ...$115 to program it! $430 for a freaking key? I know it's electronic, but I could buy a basic computer nowadays for that amount of money (I bought a very good Toshiba laptop on X-mas for $550). Charging this obcene price because Toyota dealer is the only place I can get it done doesn't help Toyota long-term reputation. A friend of mine got his BMW's key for $200 - still expensive, but much cheaper than Toyota.
    If any Toyota mgmt is reading this - you'd better stop ripping us off like this
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    And well you should be, was there any reason given for selling you the vehicle with ONLY one key. Me, I would contact first, the carstores owner, since I've been there & done that, it usually works out. Also I would check out other carstores prices, this ONE may have ripped you off. If you get no satisfaction, well, I write letters, tons & tons of letters, send one to your local paper, one to the area rep, one to Toyota corporate, you should have received TWO keys from Toyota, at least as a courtesy. name your carstore on this blog to alert others.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Based on the year of your Avalon I'm assuming it was a Pre-owned Toyota certified and you bought it from a Toyota dealer. If this is the case I would contact the GM of the store and request a refund. They must provide 2 keys on a certified vehicle. The keys are expensive but there's a place online you can get them for around $200.00 bucks. You still have to take it to the dealer to get programmed and they are charging you what the flat rate manual recommends. Still saves you about $100 bucks. Or like I said talk to the GM.
    Mack
  • felixc1976felixc1976 Member Posts: 31
    Thanks guys! It wasn't a certified car, and I just bought it from a regular used car dealer who got it at auction, and swears it came with one key. I have 2 dealerships in my area, and both are charging exactly the same prices for everything, so no luck there. At the end of the day, I had no choice but to buy it, I had to have a 2nd key. But even if I saved $100 buying it online (I had searched for it on the web, couldn't find much), it would have been too expensive anyway. I think a reasonable cost would be $100 delivered. I love the car, and it's my first Toyota after owning 2 Fords. Ford dealers weren't as greedy in my opinion. Toyota may be #1 in sales and quality, but my first experience with their service is very negative. I complained bitterly on the service feedback form. I'm yet to hear from the dealer or Toyota rep - I hope Toyota reviews negative feedbacks received by their dealers service dept.

    On a side note, I get 19.5mpg on regular 87 gas 90% city/10% hwy. My 97 Taurus got 18mpg in the same conditions, but had 120 fewer ponnies under the hood. Unbeilevable, how do they do it? Navigation system is a pain - I'm getting tired of "Accepting" every time - anyway of bypassing it? And the lady in the dashboard doesn't understand my voice half of the time - I hope she'll get used to me soon.
  • rpfingstenrpfingsten Member Posts: 154
    FelixC... congrats on getting your avy.. I have an 07 xls - it's my first toyota as well and so far I love the car. I only have one minor complaint with the vehicle but I wont get into that here, and like I said, its a minor point anyway. I noticed in your post that you said you were getting around 19.5 FE. That surprises me.. most avy owners get appreicably more than that. In my own case in back and forth to work around town driving, I never avg. less than 24 mpg, and almost always avg. somewhere between 24 and 26 mpg. Can't tell you what I get on strictly hiway driving as I have yet to put it in a roadtrip...Also you mentioned some issues with the nav. system. I have a friend who bought an avy about 6 months before I bought mine and he told me he had issues with the nav system as well. So when it came time for me to choose my avy, I bypassed the nav, and instead bought a garmin. Cheaper, plus I like the portability of being able to use it in my wifes car or in a rental when I have to fly out of town. anyway, hope you continue to enjoy your avy.. I'm 53 and have owned nothing but gm and ford products my entire life, and I have to say that so far, my toyota has been the best car I"ve ever owned, at least so far... ...

    Roland
  • retired7retired7 Member Posts: 133
    To protect the smart key and replacement ripoff, I went to "Michaels" (craft store) and bought a bunch of 2" by 3" zip lock plastic bags (cheap) and placed each smart key inside a zip lock bag. It helps to protect them from moisture, dirt/lint in my pocket and wife's purse + it renders the smart key less sensitive to accidentally touching the buttons on key pad.

    NWBLizzard
  • tormejazztormejazz Member Posts: 3
    We are experiencing sporadic difficulty with starting car, and it appears to be electrical. Every so often, after running the engine for a few miles/minutes, and then shutting down, the starter will not crank, and there is no sound/click. Nothing. After letting the engine cool down, it generally will start with no problem. By the way, there is no indication of overheating. Any suggestions?
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Probably a bad starter or alternator. How many miles on the car? If not one of those two it could be the distributor. Although with a bad distributor it will still crank the starter.
    Mack :shades:
  • tormejazztormejazz Member Posts: 3
    Just over 185K. I encountered a similar problem with an 89 Camry. A backyard mechanic installed a by-pass wire with a clip, which could be connected (grounded) to the starter when the problem occurred. It worked, but with the additional comp. electronics on this one, I'm afraid to try it.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    No "click" will generally mean that the starter solenoid isn't even engaging and that would indicate an open circuit at that level. Next time try "jiggling" the shifter back and forth a bit or even moving it to neutral where the starter circuit should also engage.
  • tormejazztormejazz Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for the comment and advice. If it works, it's definitely better than $350.+/- for NEW starter.
  • rewoprewop Member Posts: 35
    At 46,000 miles my OEM Michelins need to be replaced. I live in Florida but we travel up north, sometimes in the winter, so I prefer an all season tire and low road noise. Any thoughts or suggestions on a good replacement tire?
    Thanks in advance,
    Rewop
  • oldnalloldnall Member Posts: 13
    Hello,
    I don't know if these are the same tires as yours, but I live in Canada and I have
    Michelin Energy MXV 4 tires on my 2006 Avalon XLS. We don't see a lot
    of snow on the west coast, But I have found them to be a very good tire in all weather. Good luck. :)
  • retired7retired7 Member Posts: 133
    On our 05 LTD, when we use our Voice Activated Nav System and verbally call out "Italian Resturants", ICONS appear on the screen identifying where they are located. I have been trying to figure out how to delete these ICONS on the screen before calling up other resturants (screen gets cluttered with all these ICONS). Anyone have any ideas?

    Thanks in advance for your help,
    NWBLIZZARD
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    Check out Consumer Reports web site, looks like I will sell my 06 before the tires wear out if they get that much mileage, I only do about 5000 a year, two cars.
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    I agree, in Canada what is not much snow, so as to compare the tires performance to mine, usstate NY.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    if you want quiet-
    Toyo Versado - available 215/55/17, and also 235/50 which is what I used on the stock rims (05 Touring). Wet weather been very very good, dry the same, but night and day in terms of road noise etc. Also got almost 50k on my Michelins, and think that between the low rolling resistance as well as a little less rubber on the road that the Michelins would be tough to beat FE wise. You wouldn't think that tire selection could effect FE but the Versados seem to be 'costing' me about 1/2-1 mpg. Toyo promotes the Versado as a 'luxury car tire' and after about 25k miles I'd have to agree.
  • foreman5150foreman5150 Member Posts: 6
    Does anyone know how to remove the Toyota emblem from the trunk of a 2006 Avalon
  • rpfingstenrpfingsten Member Posts: 154
    For years, the only tire I would put on a car were Michelins.. I always got between 60 and 70K on a set of tires, but then again, I always keep my air pressure up to spec and rotate my tires regularly. Anyway a couple of years back I went to my local Gateway tire store to get another set of Michelins when the store owner ( and my next door neighbor ) urged me to try a set of Toyo's.. Reluctantly I agreed since he told me if I didn't like them I could I could bring them back and exchange them for my Michelins. Never had to go back.. Sweet riding tires, good traction on wet surfaces and saved about 150 bucks to boot. I still like Michelins, but I can't knock the toyo. Goodyear on the other hand, forgetaboutit... Never had a set of Goodyears that ever gave me the durability of a Michelin or Toyo tire. JMO

    Roland
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    had always avoided Toyos simply because I thought that what they made (aka Proxes etc) were lower mileage summer and more 'performance oriented' tires- not something I needed to put on an Avalon. What actually got me to look at them was an ad and had a very hard time finding them - in a really big city just after they came out about a year ago. Finally got a hold of the local distributor (the big chains NTB/Discount etc had never heard of them) and he set me up thru a smaller retailer - paid $400.00 for the set (all inclusive) for the Versados in 235/50 as I mentioned. Like them quite a bit even compared to those noisier Michelins 'Energys' that came on the car.-
    That said those Michelins were probably the best set of OEM tires I've had in years after some bad experiences with some OEM Bridgestone Turanzas on a Nissan. The Altima got a set of Michelin Hydroedges which are wearing like iron, but are noisy. The Michelins on the Avalon probably would have passed inspection for another year, they are good tires. They had 48k on them but I have found over the years that tires will generally need to be replaced well before they wear down to the tread depth indicators.Today, after 25k (and 3 rotations/balances) the Versados still look new and good on the car - I try to keep them at 32 psi.
    The Versados I would recommend - but they will cost almost a full MPG in FE vs. those OEM Michelins, given they are wider tires with a bit more rubber on the road. Small price to pay for the smooth quiet ride they deliver along with sone really good 'wet' behavior as well. Can't say much about the frozen stuff, don't have that down here in Texas. You didn't say whether your Toyo were the Versados or a different one.
  • rewoprewop Member Posts: 35
    Thanks to all who have made suggestions and comments. So far there are 4 tires currently in the running; Toyo Versado (suggested on this board), Yokohama AVID recommended by Tirerack.com (they do not sell Toyo tires), and the Falken Ziex and Nitto Neo Gen (both recommended by Consumer Reports). Based upon CR info, the Nitto seems to be the best value at $92.00 and lots of half-red dots in the rating categories. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be available in the Avalon tire size.

    The Falken Ziex is rated number 1 by CR, costs 123.00, but only has a "good" rating for noise and ride, with a "fair" rating for tread life, but scores high in braking on wet and dry pavement. Versado ranks high with captain2, costs about $130.00, but I'm a little concerned about the drop in fuel economy reported by captain2. I think gas prices are only going up.

    So, at the moment, I'm leaning towards the Yokohama AVID (about $130.00) based on its high rating with Tirerack and the hope that it is as good as the Versado but without the fuel economy penalty. I will still churn through the internet for a few days to see if there are any other highly rated all season tires that would worth considering.

    If there are any other thoughts or suggestions on tires, please let me know.

    rewop
  • finfin Member Posts: 594
    My tire experience is mostly Michelin MXV's and all good. Multiple cars over the last 14 years. They get a little slippery as they wear but are still among the best tires on the road, all things considered. If Michelin has a problem, it's price.

    Have used Toyos twice. Better handling by far as others have mentioned. I posted once before that car feels like it's on rails compared to Michelin. Firmer in the corners and you can really notice it. Downside, you give up the a little ride comfort. Gas/tire mileage was the same but these were Proxes, not the latest Toyos.

    Have a friend with two Acuras, he uses Yoko's and is very happy. Sporty ride compared to Avalons. Falken is not a tire to put on any Avalon for the long term (from my tire guy) and the Nitto is not available apparently. Good luck! :)
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Use some thin fishing line and run it through the back of the emblem. Kind of like flossing. The emblems are glued on.
    Mack
  • rpfingstenrpfingsten Member Posts: 154
    Captain2.. thanks for the reply.. my toyo's were not Versados.. To be honest with you now, I can't recall the actual model of toyo tires I had. That was about 5 years ago and no longer have that car. My son actually went to work for a tire company in sales after he graduated from college, and he told me that the Toyo's were just as good as the Michelins I used to buy, but that the Michelins gave you a softer ride because the side walls on those tires were not as strong as the sidewalls on the toyos. I don't know about all that, I tend to think it h as alot to do with the compound used... the harder the compound, the higher the tread life, but the harder the ride.. I believe my toyo's were rated at 100K for tread life..Like I said, good tire, good blend of tread life and comfort, but I still think the Michelins give the "best" ride. By the way, see that we're "nearly" neighbors. We're from Shreveport, La, just about 40 minutes from the texas line.

    Roland
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,900
    I've had in years after some bad experiences with some OEM Bridgestone Turanzas on a Nissan

    Hey Cap, what kind of mileage did you get out of those Turanzas? I only have a little over 20K on my Av with these tires and I am wondering if they are going to make it to the end of my lease with around 32K. I rotate every 5K and keep them inflated. They are noisy, not that great of traction and are wearing like crap. I will make sure my next car does not have them. My 2000 Solara had the Potenza line on it, and while grippy went back off lease with 27K down to the wear indicators.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    Both my wifes Mazdas came with Bridgestone and barely lasted 20,000 miles. They are suppossed to be performance tires and almost everything you buy for these 17 & 18 inch wheels cost a lot have small sidewalls and do not run as well in my opinion as a 70 series on a 14 inch. What sense does it make to have a larger rim with a smaller tire, it seems to me the radius might just turn out to be the same without the soft ride. She hit a small pothole, destroyed the rim and wait till you have to buy one and you will understand my reasoning, a $125 tire versus a $400 rim.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    to further comment on the FE 'issue' - if you reference the CR tire tests you'll note that one of the things that they rate is 'rolling resistance' and some tire at better than others. The Michelin 'Energys' that come on Avalons do rate well in that regard which only makes sense because Toyota is trying to maximize FE and Michelin designed that tire to maximize FE. The 235/50/17 Versados I used I'm guessing have a nominally higher 'rolling resistance' and are also wider than the 215/55/17s the came off of it.
    The point of this being - that if a mpg or so of FE is that important to you, you might want to check on any tire's rolling resistance as well as stick with the same size -so you don't increase road friction with a wider tire -- you may find that whatever you buy Yokos/Falkens whatever, may do the same thing. BTW the 3/4 of a mpg that I think (I do keep track of it that closely) I'm losing translates into about 3 gallons of gas more/month driving about 2000 miles/month. That $10/mo. IMO well worth it in the ride and noise depts.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    Bridgestones IMO are no better than the Firestone tires they once were. They do supply a lot of OEM sets to various mfgrs., and in my last 4 cars that came with them not a one made it past about 30k
    got right at 30k with those tires on an 03 Altima (also 215/55/17) but they started having problems (leaks etc} 10k before that, and were also not wearing well, despite alignments/balancing etc.
    IMO any decent OEM tire that is not a 'performance summer' tire (the type of tire you wouldn't put on an Avalon anyway) should provide 50k of service reasonably well maintained. The Michelin 'Energys' although I did replace them at 48k could have made it safely probably thru 60k safely - but as they get 'old' I notice losses in wet weather tration etc. so I tend to replace them faster than really necessary. All in all, I think the Michelins are good tires even if they are a bit hard and noisy and I love my new Versados - don't know anything specific on the Avalon Bridgestones only that set that was on my wife's Altima and a coupla other cars I owned previously.
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    I followed the Captain and installed 235/50/17 Toyo Versado all-weather last December.

    I now have comparable FE data for winter months of 3 consecutive years, the first 2 with the original Michelins and the latest with the Versados.

    Dec 05 - Mar 06 4838 km 634 liters 13.1 liters/100km = 17.9 mpg

    Dec 06 - Mar 07 3986 km 541 liters 13.6 liters/100km = 17.3 mpg

    Dec 07 - Mar 08 3856 km 497 liters 12.9 liters/100km = 18.2 mpg

    So winter driving FE with the Versado was no worse, and possibly a little better than with the Michelins. My driving in Vancouver includes 50% city streets, 30% hills and only 20% highways, most of the time in rain and for 1-3 weeks in snow/ice (this winter was the worst one).

    The Versado are certainly quiet, grip well in wet pavement and did fine on snow and ice. I really like the wider tread.
  • rewoprewop Member Posts: 35
    Thanks for the hard data, havalongavalon. For the first time I noticed that you and the captain installed a tire with different dimensions than OEM, i.e., 235/50 vs. 215/55. What's the difference in the 235/50 tire? Smaller than OEM, larger? Why change and what's the benefit? Does it change the speedo reading or other factors?

    Thanks for your help,

    Rewop
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    rewop,

    235/50/17 was the Captain's idea, see his original post #13673 and fin's #13674.

    The 235/50 tire fits the OEM rims fine, also has the same outside circumference as 215/55, but is a bit wider. It has more rubber in contact with the road, and I also think it looks better.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    havalongavalon - maybe I'm just imagining the FE because even though I'm 'anal' about the wonderful FE we get on our Avs, I don't do the record keeping that you apparently do. I get a lot of highway in my normal driving and was regularly seeing about 27mpg, lately its been just barely over 26, or maybe I'm just 'enjoying' the car a little more since putting on the 'snazzy' tires ;) You must not get out of town much to be seeing those kinda numbers? Down here in Texas we have no hills and lots of straight flat highways (that all move at 75-80 mph until you get to the populated areas). Either way I'm pleased that you are apparently as happy as I am with the Versados.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    this is easy enough to figure out yourself - the first number 235 is the tire width (in millimeters) at the sidewalls (close to what the tread width is), the second number 'aspect ratio' is the percentage the tire height is of the width, the last of corse, the wheel diameter (in inches). So to figure out your wheel diameter (in millimeters) - ((235*.5)*2) +(17*25.4) = 666.8 mm tire/wheel diameter for 235/50/17 compared to ((215*.55)*2)+(17*25.4) = 668.3 mm for 215/55/17 The difference 1.5 millimeter is obviously inconsequential and would have no real effect on speedometers etc, it is when that numbers changes a bunch (maybe 10-20%) that you have to more careful of because not only can spedometers etc. be remdered inaccurate but it also is possible to adversely effect the vehicles ride and even worse braking. The change from 215/55 to 235/50 does put about 20mm (3/4") more tread on the road - and it does have a more 'aggressive' look than the OEMs, IMO, and I suppose it certainly can't hurt to have the extra 'rubber on the road'. .
    This size change, 215/55 to 235/50, is referred to as 'plus 0' sizing and is generally a good idea with any car as long as there is enough wheel well clearance for the wider tire. Note that this can be done with anybody's tire, it just so happened that the Versado was available in the 235/50/17 that I wanted.

    PS - I believe you'll find that your Avys speedometer is right on the number, but also that your odometers read about 3% low - meaning that if you are using odometer readings as a basis for your FE calculations, your FE will also come out about 3% lower than it actually is. Doesn't sound like much but over the last 70k miles I have found that 3% difference to be right about the same difference there is between the displayed trip computer average FE and my calculated FE - meaning I figure 26.2 MPG using the odometer readings but 27 mpg shows on the trip computer - the trip computer turns out to be right - adjusting the the extra miles driven in my calculations.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,900
    and in my last 4 cars that came with them not a one made it past about 30k

    That's what I thought, hopefully I can squeeze 32 - 33K out of them and let whoever gets the car after me deal with it!

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    I tend to believe all the OEM tires that are on new cars last 30k or less miles if it's a performance tire. All my new cars tires lasted around 30k.
    Mack
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    captain,

    I do record km and liters at fillups. I had forgotten about the 3% odometer correction, so then my winter FE averaged closer to 18.7 mpg. I consider this really good, because sadly, most of my driving is stop/go city/suburban, with only a few stretches where traffic moves as fast as 50-65 mph (but this gives better FE than 75-80). When on a level highway my FE has been as good as 5.5 liters/100 km (43 mpg) but as soon as I start driving up a steep hill the FE plummets, of course.

    And traffic here is slower than ever, with multiple construction sites in preparation for the 2010 Olympics and steady population growth. Highways such as the 99 to Whistler or the TransCanada are usually clogged or interrupted by construction by-passes. There is not much opportunity to get on a reasonably long stretch of open road unless you drive out of town for a good hour or more -- and then it will probably be a mountain road with steep hills and curves! Most of British Columbia is just not meant for high FE.

    My next car will probably by a hybrid to take advantage of this terrain and my usual routes. I imagine that a hybrid Avalon will be available by the time I'm ready to trade my 05. But in the meantime, for the conditions here, I am happy with the FE I'm getting.
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    I had 50,000 on my Camry with probably another 5000 before they really needed changing, these were OEM Dunlops, great in almost all weather. So I bought another set and my daughter is still on them at near 90,000 miles of course these were 70 series on 14 inch wheels, in my opinion a much better setup for comfort and tire longevity.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    yep-
    one beautiful drive -up 99 to Whistler - there several years ago, would not want think about that road 'under construction' - I mean the road is kinda carved out of those hills on the coast as it is - how or where would they widen or improve the road when there's no room?
    always thought hybrids would do better on the 'flats' where the electric motors could handle more of the load. A hybrid Avalon is only logical given the 35 mpg CAFE coming up, but wonder whether it would save enough for your type of driving - especially to justify the cost premium.
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    Exactly. The Sea to Sky Highway - Highway 99 - is being rebuilt, realigned and widened to at least 3 lanes in most places, have a look link title

    My thinking is that a hybrid car harvests electricity on downhills and during braking, both of which I do a lot here, and when on level roads my speed is frequently low enough for the electric motor to handle it. On uphills and at highway speed limits, the hybrid will have no advantage (or a slight weight disadvantage). So on average, the improvement in FE with a hybrid Avalon will be greater under my driving conditions than yours, assuming that you drive mostly on level highways at or over the speed limit.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    Must be some tough construction work, hope they don't ruin any of the 'fiordish' (is that a word?) character of the scenery. Don't know for sure that hilly terrain either would help or hurt a hybrid but I think my Avalon on my Texas flat roads is going to do better on a gallon of gas, than you in the BC hills/mountains at the same speed - why wouldn't the same thing apply to hybrids - meaning that it costs more gas to go up the hill than you save going down it. FE contest competitors love slightly hilly terrain because they can slow significantly 'coasting' up a hill, and then coast again going down. Not a real practical or safe way to drive, however.
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    The hope is that the views will remain about the same (!) but widening the 99 will improve the access time to Whistler, and also road safety on this scenic but dangerous highway.

    Yes, surely you are getting much better mileage in Texas than I do in BC, because you drive on level highways at uniform speeds. And this is also the reason why a hybrid should improve my FE more than yours. Most of the improvement with Toyota hybrids is in city FE, not highway FE; with some hybrids the city FE can be even higher than hwy FE. This is because in city stop/go driving there is much more energy to harvest during deceleration and re-use while driving at slow-medium speeds, than in highway driving (where our Avalons are already impressively efficient). I'm just looking forward to improving my city driving FE.
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    Look, if you're out to save the planet then a hybrid makes sense but as a gas saver aka money saver I would rather place the extra you pay in a MM fund, interest bearing checking , savings or such drawing interest and use that to cover the extra costs. I'm quite sure the mileage could be substantially increased if the government had the gonads to require it and was not in bed with the oil companies. Think of the windfall state & federal is collecting on $3.50 a gallon.
  • captain2captain2 Member Posts: 3,971
    This is because in city stop/go driving there is much more energy to harvest during deceleration and re-use
    not so sure about this one: I think the reason might be that low speed City driving, and trafficky stop 'n go conditions will allow the hybrid to operate on electricity only, hence the difference between City and Highway ratings. We can be relatively confident though, that because Toyota 'invented' the true hybrids and because they already have combination drivetrains in the Camry and/or the LS that could conceivablely work in an Avalon, that it won't be long. The hybrids have had surprisingly (they are after all high tech and new) good reliability ratings but some serious overestimations on the old EPA FE ratings - but will definitely become more and more 'viable'.
  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    not so sure about this one: I think the reason might be that low speed City driving, and trafficky stop 'n go conditions will allow the hybrid to operate on electricity only

    Yes, this is ONE reason; hybrids don't need gas at low speeds. But this cannot be the only reason, because they would quickly run out of battery power UNLESS they also harvest electric power during decelerations and use it to recharge the battery. This is how the hybrid car uses 2x-3x less gas in city driving than the same car with conventional engine. And hybrids should love hilly terrain, generally speaking, for similar reasons.
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,900
    Don't forget too that Hybrids shut the motor off completely at stop lights.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • havalongavalonhavalongavalon Member Posts: 460
    Yes, of course, that also helps maximize FE! Thanks, tj.

    And the more you have to stop in your daily driving, the more you benefit from this hybrid feature.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    Dunlop is a good tire. I've used them before on my Camry. Another good tire is Yokohama, Kuhmo, etc.besides the Michelins. Good Year I never liked much with the exception of Aquatreds which were really good in the rain but they wore out too fast.
    Mack
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