O.C. Gas Milage HELP!

cpautler · 08-19-2004, 10:43 AM

I'm still breaking in my car as I only have around 1600 miles on it. Right now I'm getting between 40-45 mpg and I'm really trying to get the best mpg.
I keep reading posts where people get 50-60 mpg. I may drive a little fast at times which could contribute to that, but is there anything else I could be doing. I've heard something about "pulse" driving, but I couldn't find anything specific about it.
I'd love to hear any ideas that could make my driving more efficient. I'm a very competitive person, and if people are getting 50-60mpg I want to do it too!!!

Chris (silver #9 (with tinted windows!))

mikepaul · 08-19-2004, 11:05 AM

Here's a test.

Find a flat stretch of highway where 70MPH is legal (or will be ignored), and set the cruise control for that speed. Let it go for 10-15 miles, and see what MPG you get.

After my car was 'broken in', I started getting 50MPG doing that kind of driving. If you get near that on this test, liberal use of cruise when driving on all roads (like I do) might be an answer...

finman · 08-19-2004, 11:13 AM

Pulse driving is when u accelerate pretty briskly to get up to speed, then let up and let the electric motor ease the work of the gas engine. If u can keep the inefficient slow speeds to a minimum, then gas mileage WILL increase. I've found that chugging along from 0-30 MPH (like the rest of the world) does NOT do the Prius any good. Put the low MPG speeds behind you, get to the higher MPG speeds faster. 10 seconds at 15 MPG gets you 10 minutes of 50 plus MPG. Slow down, when possible, too, of course. Practice making the car go into and out of stealth mode, using different foot work. Learning how your car responds to your right foot is key. I actually love out-accelerating a sports car, then easing up, watching the MPG go way up and still keep up with traffic, knowing that other cars don't have this kind of technology. Love my Prius!

HTMLSpinnr · 08-19-2004, 11:18 AM

Chris - I too live in Lake Forest - my average is 45mpg as well for my daily drives between Lake Forest and Tustin. My car has approx. 14500 miles. My Classic gets slightly less mpg for the same drive. The biggest problem is our hills combined with the 45-55mph speed limits combined with poorly timed lights (or bad luck with well timed lights). You could expect your averages to go up a bit, however, after about 6-7000 miles - that's when mine made a noticeable increase after "break in".

Highway trips I can do much better - 48-51mpg.

Warm up mileage for me isn't as bad - sometimes I'll use my EV button until I get to LAke Forest Dr - then I warm up the engine going down hill. If I'm lucky, I'll catch the timing when most lights are green, and I'll get 50-60+mpg the whole way to work (in Tustin). If I hit reds, my first 5-10 min will be lower.

*However* - coming home, my mileage suffers because it's an uphill trip. That 55-60mpg average will be tossed down to 43mpg or so. What kills is coming up hill, hitting every red, and then keeping up with traffic when they turn green, accelerating to near speed limit before stopping again at the next light (.25-.5 mile up the road).

Honestly, I've even modified my route slightly. I live near Trabuco and Lake Forest. I used to cross Trabuco and go to work down Bake Pkwy to get to the I-5. I now go straight down Lake Forest, because I can then spend my first 5 minutes (least efficient time) going down hill rather than up/down Trabuco. That helped my going to work average. I haven't found anything that really helps my going home average though, except that on some parts driving up Bake Pkwy, I can be a bit lighter on the accelerator between lights which does help averages. Perhaps coming up Lake Forest which has a lower speed limit could help, but that is somewhat offset by more stoplights. El Toro is off limits though due to traffic at the offramp :-/

What really kills me is when I'm driving to other areas within South OC - going up and down all the hills just seems to kill it. What I lose going uphill w/ these fast roads is rarely recovered going back downhill. Hence our disappointing averages.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

inventor00 · 08-19-2004, 12:13 PM

And the air conditioning does cause some loss in MPG.

mikepaul · 08-19-2004, 01:16 PM

Quote:

And the air conditioning does cause some loss in MPG.

I have *never* turned the A/C off to save gas, just adjusted the temperature to 78 degrees, and have seen as high as 58MPG over 80 mile drives.

If I'm losing MPGs somewhere, I won't cry... :wink:

HTMLSpinnr · 08-19-2004, 02:51 PM

I do the same - keeping the air high keeps me comfortable and saves MPG on longer trips.

However if ambient temp is less (i.e. low to mid 70's), that tends to kick on the heater if the climate is set to 78. At that point, I'll turn off the A/C portion and drop the temps low enough (72-75) to keep the heater from adding heat. Only thing I lose there here in the coastal climate is dehumidification, but I can usually tolerate that.

cpautler · 08-19-2004, 11:39 PM

Thanks for all the help
I try to keep the A/C to a minimum and the newly tinted windows help with that.
And it's true that there are a lot of hills to deal with here. I have quite a climb to work, but that means more coasting back home.

I did have another question about this "stealth" mode. My understanding is it is when your energy readout has nothing going to or from either the ICE or the battery. I can get this to happen easily under about 45 MPH by letting up on the gas and pressing it down very slightly. I have a very difficult time about that speed though. I can get it so the ICE is going to the wheels and charging the battery which seems close to stealth. Am I at all on the right track or am I just sounding like a clueless Prius Rookie?

DaveinOlyWA · 08-20-2004, 12:41 AM

i guess it must be the lights that kill you. i recently made a trip to the North Cascades where i went over a 8000 ft pass and my mileage was about 53 as usual. but there was no lights, speeds were frequently low (you would slow down on hairpin curves especially when the ditch over the enbankment is 3000 feet deep!!)but it was hot!! so i have my air at 72º. it cools off a lot around waterfalls and the passes but everywhere else it was boiling.!!

we did have some good shade areas though. here is a pic on SR 20 just above Diablo Dam.

http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=781

if you ever get the chance to drive through the area. The Diablo Dam overlook is one of the most breathtaking vistas known to man.

http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=782

here is a pic that gives you a sense of how high up you are (about 1500 feet over the water)here is a tour boat cruising the lake.

http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=783

HTMLSpinnr · 08-20-2004, 03:43 AM

The ICE must spin at speeds above 42mph to prevent overspinning MG1. That was the limit on the '02 as that was when MG1 reached 6500 RPM. In theory, our MG1 on the '04 can spin up to 10000RPM in either direction, so we should be able to push closer to the low 50'smph before ICE kicks on, however programming still has it at 42mph. Perhaps the sudden change from -10,000 to + 2-3000 RPM when starting the ICE is too great, hence the lower limit?

With the EV button if you ever do it, the mode "disables" after 34mph. Light foot up to 42mph isn't so bad.

08-19-2004, 10:43 AM	#1
cpautler Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lake Forest Posts: 13 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	O.C. Gas Milage HELP! I'm still breaking in my car as I only have around 1600 miles on it. Right now I'm getting between 40-45 mpg and I'm really trying to get the best mpg. I keep reading posts where people get 50-60 mpg. I may drive a little fast at times which could contribute to that, but is there anything else I could be doing. I've heard something about "pulse" driving, but I couldn't find anything specific about it. I'd love to hear any ideas that could make my driving more efficient. I'm a very competitive person, and if people are getting 50-60mpg I want to do it too!!! Chris (silver #9 (with tinted windows!))

08-19-2004, 11:13 AM	#3
finman Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rapid City, SD Posts: 992 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 14 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Pulse driving is when u accelerate pretty briskly to get up to speed, then let up and let the electric motor ease the work of the gas engine. If u can keep the inefficient slow speeds to a minimum, then gas mileage WILL increase. I've found that chugging along from 0-30 MPH (like the rest of the world) does NOT do the Prius any good. Put the low MPG speeds behind you, get to the higher MPG speeds faster. 10 seconds at 15 MPG gets you 10 minutes of 50 plus MPG. Slow down, when possible, too, of course. Practice making the car go into and out of stealth mode, using different foot work. Learning how your car responds to your right foot is key. I actually love out-accelerating a sports car, then easing up, watching the MPG go way up and still keep up with traffic, knowing that other cars don't have this kind of technology. Love my Prius! __________________ 04' Seaside Pearl #7. Fumoto oil drain, add-on mudflaps, rear bumper scuff protector & rear sensor warn, compass mirror, EV mode, synthetic oil, 8" custom sub in right rear cubby, 6" subs under front seats, power lumbar and seat heaters in front seats, Coastaletech hitch with Aspen bike/snowboard rack, iPod2car, DVD video, 2 amps, Alpine component speakers, solid 47 MPG @81000 miles, best tank 56 MPG.

08-19-2004, 11:18 AM	#4
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,074 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	Chris - I too live in Lake Forest - my average is 45mpg as well for my daily drives between Lake Forest and Tustin. My car has approx. 14500 miles. My Classic gets slightly less mpg for the same drive. The biggest problem is our hills combined with the 45-55mph speed limits combined with poorly timed lights (or bad luck with well timed lights). You could expect your averages to go up a bit, however, after about 6-7000 miles - that's when mine made a noticeable increase after "break in". Highway trips I can do much better - 48-51mpg. Warm up mileage for me isn't as bad - sometimes I'll use my EV button until I get to LAke Forest Dr - then I warm up the engine going down hill. If I'm lucky, I'll catch the timing when most lights are green, and I'll get 50-60+mpg the whole way to work (in Tustin). If I hit reds, my first 5-10 min will be lower. However - coming home, my mileage suffers because it's an uphill trip. That 55-60mpg average will be tossed down to 43mpg or so. What kills is coming up hill, hitting every red, and then keeping up with traffic when they turn green, accelerating to near speed limit before stopping again at the next light (.25-.5 mile up the road). Honestly, I've even modified my route slightly. I live near Trabuco and Lake Forest. I used to cross Trabuco and go to work down Bake Pkwy to get to the I-5. I now go straight down Lake Forest, because I can then spend my first 5 minutes (least efficient time) going down hill rather than up/down Trabuco. That helped my going to work average. I haven't found anything that really helps my going home average though, except that on some parts driving up Bake Pkwy, I can be a bit lighter on the accelerator between lights which does help averages. Perhaps coming up Lake Forest which has a lower speed limit could help, but that is somewhat offset by more stoplights. El Toro is off limits though due to traffic at the offramp :-/ What really kills me is when I'm driving to other areas within South OC - going up and down all the hills just seems to kill it. What I lose going uphill w/ these fast roads is rarely recovered going back downhill. Hence our disappointing averages. Hope this helps, -Rick __________________ Rick Johnson - Prius Expert/Gen III Forums Moderator His: Gen III 2010 Prius - Blizzard Pearl Prius IV w/ Solar - 6.3k miles - (First in SW Region!) - 2010 Photos - Mods: Curt Hitch, Toyota Premium Horn, Illuminated Door Sills Hers: Gen II 2004 - Tideland Green Pearl #9 - 117.6K miles - Mods: Bridgestone Ecopia Tires, Homemade mesh foglamp grills Past: Gen I 2002 - Blue Moon Pearl - Mods: Costal hitch Facebook - Ask an Expert I am not employed by Toyota, and the opinions expressed by me as a Prius Expert are not those of Toyota.

08-19-2004, 11:39 PM	#8
cpautler Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lake Forest Posts: 13 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Good info Thanks for all the help I try to keep the A/C to a minimum and the newly tinted windows help with that. And it's true that there are a lot of hills to deal with here. I have quite a climb to work, but that means more coasting back home. I did have another question about this "stealth" mode. My understanding is it is when your energy readout has nothing going to or from either the ICE or the battery. I can get this to happen easily under about 45 MPH by letting up on the gas and pressing it down very slightly. I have a very difficult time about that speed though. I can get it so the ICE is going to the wheels and charging the battery which seems close to stealth. Am I at all on the right track or am I just sounding like a clueless Prius Rookie?

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08-19-2004, 11:05 AM	#2
mikepaul Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 1,742 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: #9 Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts Friends: 0	Here's a test. Find a flat stretch of highway where 70MPH is legal (or will be ignored), and set the cruise control for that speed. Let it go for 10-15 miles, and see what MPG you get. After my car was 'broken in', I started getting 50MPG doing that kind of driving. If you get near that on this test, liberal use of cruise when driving on all roads (like I do) might be an answer...

08-19-2004, 12:13 PM	#5
inventor00 Orange County Prius Club Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Newport Beach,CA Posts: 849 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: Package: #6 Thanks: 7 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 4	And the air conditioning does cause some loss in MPG.

08-19-2004, 02:51 PM	#7
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,074 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	I do the same - keeping the air high keeps me comfortable and saves MPG on longer trips. However if ambient temp is less (i.e. low to mid 70's), that tends to kick on the heater if the climate is set to 78. At that point, I'll turn off the A/C portion and drop the temps low enough (72-75) to keep the heater from adding heat. Only thing I lose there here in the coastal climate is dehumidification, but I can usually tolerate that.

08-20-2004, 12:41 AM	#9
DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: South Puget Sound, WA Posts: 12,381 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 24 Thanked 121 Times in 103 Posts Friends: 10	i guess it must be the lights that kill you. i recently made a trip to the North Cascades where i went over a 8000 ft pass and my mileage was about 53 as usual. but there was no lights, speeds were frequently low (you would slow down on hairpin curves especially when the ditch over the enbankment is 3000 feet deep!!)but it was hot!! so i have my air at 72º. it cools off a lot around waterfalls and the passes but everywhere else it was boiling.!! we did have some good shade areas though. here is a pic on SR 20 just above Diablo Dam. http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=781 if you ever get the chance to drive through the area. The Diablo Dam overlook is one of the most breathtaking vistas known to man. http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=782 here is a pic that gives you a sense of how high up you are (about 1500 feet over the water)here is a tour boat cruising the lake. http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=783 __________________ My Blue 2010 : Last tank 541.9 @ 49.48 pump (56.7 MFD) 5.54 CPM, 21 MPH, Lifetime:5442.2 miles 56.5 MPG pump. (62.22 MFD) 4.72 CPM. Summer MPG 57.4 Winter: 49.5 My 2006 SPM: Last tank 376.6 miles @38.21 pump (40.8 MFD) 7.17 cpm winter mpg 49.64 summer mpg 53.41 lifetime: 42,563.5 miles 51.5 mpg pump (52.7 mpg MFD) 5.51 cpm My 2007 Zenn total "fuel cost" $166.58 on "about" 9599.7 miles. 1.74 cents per mile (granted i plug in for free at work!!) My Plate: DUALPWR (Dual Power)

08-20-2004, 03:43 AM	#10
HTMLSpinnr Gen III Forums Moderator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Surprise, AZ (Phoenix) Posts: 4,074 My Car: 2010 Prius Model: IV Package: Solar Roof Thanks: 216 Thanked 437 Times in 196 Posts Friends: 18	The ICE must spin at speeds above 42mph to prevent overspinning MG1. That was the limit on the '02 as that was when MG1 reached 6500 RPM. In theory, our MG1 on the '04 can spin up to 10000RPM in either direction, so we should be able to push closer to the low 50'smph before ICE kicks on, however programming still has it at 42mph. Perhaps the sudden change from -10,000 to + 2-3000 RPM when starting the ICE is too great, hence the lower limit? With the EV button if you ever do it, the mode "disables" after 34mph. Light foot up to 42mph isn't so bad.