Break-in period mileage

yvesklein · 09-02-2006, 05:38 PM

I've been reading quite a bit about people being disappointed with the mpg numbers when they first get their Priuses and even went through the lengthy article that explains weather conditions and tank expansion, etc. So I'm definitely slightly relieved.

I'm wondering though if my situation falls under that normal jurisdiction of low MPG break-in period because it seems REALLY low to me. I am now at half a tank and I've only driven 175 miles in the city (L.A.). My Prius dealer said that they probably filled the tank up in the morning so it was smaller and didn't hold the full 11.9 gallons. Could this and the fact that the parts aren't loosened up yet contribute to what I consider a REALLY ASTONISHINGLY low fuel efficiency? Has anyone ever heard of a "beginner" tank only getting 350 miles?

Best, Yves

Firefighter · 09-02-2006, 05:53 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YvesKlein @ Sep 2 2006, 05:38 PM) [snapback]313184[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

I've been reading quite a bit about people being disappointed with the mpg numbers when they first get their Priuses and even went through the lengthy article that explains weather conditions and tank expansion, etc. So I'm definitely slightly relieved.

I'm wondering though if my situation falls under that normal jurisdiction of low MPG break-in period because it seems REALLY low to me. I am now at half a tank and I've only driven 175 miles in the city (L.A.). My Prius dealer said that they probably filled the tank up in the morning so it was smaller and didn't hold the full 11.9 gallons. Could this and the fact that the parts aren't loosened up yet contribute to what I consider a REALLY ASTONISHINGLY low fuel efficiency? Has anyone ever heard of a "beginner" tank only getting 350 miles?

Best, Yves
[/b]

I just hit 5,000 miles and changed the oil. My mileage for the last 2,000 miles is consistnetly between 50 and 50.5 MPG. I drive 120 miles round trip, to and from work, 80% highway, 20% local with speed varying between 0-40 and up to 80 on the Long Island Expressway.
I did increase the tire air pressure, front 40, back 38, and drive conservatively when off the highways.

tmgrl3 · 09-02-2006, 06:13 PM

Hi YvesKlein!

I, too, am a new Priuse owner...got my car 7/18/06...I have the worst kind of driving conditons..lots of short daily trips up and down loads of hills...my first tank was 30 mpg.

I have to say, though, that I do see the effects on my mileage when I apply the suggestions I gained here....

I bunch my errands, so that the ICE warms up and stays that way.

I upped my tire pressure to 40/38..could go higher still.

I am finding the best way to drive my local area...since I NEVER drive on the parkway...ever....

Second tank was 41-42 mpg...and now, on my third tank, I am around 42 mpg.

I find that if I don't struggle to get into Pulse & Glide, since many of my streets the speed limit drops below 30 mph, the car works with me...or it seems that way....

So...on several stretches where there are some easy inclines and some declines, I find that the car goes into all-electric mode (all yellow arrows) as I drive these stretches...and then, it even goes into "glide" (no arrows) in the 20+ mph range, although the range for glide is usually 30-40 mph...

State of Charge (SOC) is a factor (AC, weather, also)....so I don't worry about these stretches of all electric, since somewhere along the way I have some long downhill coasts that regenerate the battery...

So...enjoy the car! Read a lot here...there is much to learn from others' experiences.

I happen to love the fun of trying to up my mpg....but, bottom line,

safe driving....

enjoy the car....

Welcome to Prius from another Newbie!

terri

berylrb · 09-02-2006, 11:41 PM

Yves,

Welcome to the chat! I was really laughing at first when I read your post thinking you were goading us "REALLY ASTONISHINGLY LOW FUEL EFFICIENCY". I just assumed that you had probably read Efusco's article and a few threads and knew that there are folks happy to do 40's. Then I felt bad because you might not know this.

Any who, let's use Efusco as an example at 90F (that's kind of LA right?) he puts in about 9 gallons (you can click on his spreadsheet):
175 miles @ 4.5 gallons = 39 MPG ... Not too bad!

The guage isn't very accurate, however, so maybe 5 gallons have been consumed, eh? 35 MPG for a 90F fill up.

Now let's just say when the tank was filled it was 57F like my temperature, then you would only put in about 6-7 gallons:
175 miles @ 3.5 gallons = 50 MPG! Good Golly Miss Molly!

OK, OK, ... Adjusting for the guage 43.8 MPG
Hey I'll trade you any day! Enjoy the joy of your first tank, blessings!

**Tideland Prius** · 09-03-2006, 01:05 AM

Yeah that seems normal, looking back on my first few tanks nearly two years ago. I almost broke 600kms 4 months later (and almost 7000kms) and broke 700kms in the middle of March just before my 8,000km service.

yvesklein · 09-03-2006, 01:18 AM

Hi,

Thanks for the info. I am a newbie an I'm still just a bit confused so bear with me. At 90F, wouldn't that be optimal tank fill-up--i.e. the full 11.9 gallons? Why would it be 9 gallons?

Look forward to hearing your reply and thanks for referring me to the article, I will check it out.

Cheers, Yves

[quote=berylrb @ Sep 2 2006, 10:41 PM) [snapback]313338[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

Yves,

Welcome to the chat! I was really laughing at first when I read your post thinking you were goading us "REALLY ASTONISHINGLY LOW FUEL EFFICIENCY". I just assumed that you had probably read Efusco's article and a few threads and knew that there are folks happy to do 40's. Then I felt bad because you might not know this.

Any who, let's use Efusco as an example at 90F (that's kind of LA right?) he puts in about 9 gallons (you can click on his spreadsheet):
175 miles] 4.5 gallons = 39 MPG ... Not too bad!

The guage isn't very accurate, however, so maybe 5 gallons have been consumed, eh? 35 MPG for a 90F fill up.

Now let's just say when the tank was filled it was 57F like my temperature, then you would only put in about 6-7 gallons:
175 miles @ 3.5 gallons = 50 MPG! Good Golly Miss Molly!

OK, OK, ... Adjusting for the guage 43.8 MPG
Hey I'll trade you any day! Enjoy the joy of your first tank, blessings!
[/b]

barbaram · 09-03-2006, 04:31 AM

noticed improvements at 5000 and 8000 miles to keep the faith!

yvesklein · 09-03-2006, 02:40 PM

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(barbaram @ Sep 3 2006, 03:31 AM) [snapback]313433[/snapback]</div>

Quote:

noticed improvements at 5000 and 8000 miles to keep the faith!
[/b]

Thanks, that's good to know!

tumbleweed · 09-03-2006, 03:47 PM

I'm surprised no one mentioned it but "miles per tank full" is really not a very good way to measure mileage. Due to the bladder the old way of computing mileage, miles driven divided by gallons to fill the tank, doesn't work very well either unless you compute it over quite a few tanks. Best to use the MFD mileage.

Then what you should get depends on where and how you drive, the temperature, etc. If you post that kind of information we might be able to tell you if you have a problem with your car, your driving, etc.

Quite a few people who are apparently objective observers have posted here that their mileage improved as they put more miles on the car. I believe them but in my case I noticed absolutely no improvement due to "break in". It took me 2 or 3 tanks to learn how to drive the car efficiently, after that mileage seems to depend on where I drive, winter or summer gas, and things of that nature. No big jumps in mileage.

paprius4030 · 09-03-2006, 04:45 PM

When I traded in my 04 for an 05 I was surprised to see no difference in mpg's. I got 48-50 with the 04 and from day one got 48-50 with the 05

09-02-2006, 06:13 PM	#3
tmgrl3 Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 295 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hi YvesKlein! I, too, am a new Priuse owner...got my car 7/18/06...I have the worst kind of driving conditons..lots of short daily trips up and down loads of hills...my first tank was 30 mpg. I have to say, though, that I do see the effects on my mileage when I apply the suggestions I gained here.... I bunch my errands, so that the ICE warms up and stays that way. I upped my tire pressure to 40/38..could go higher still. I am finding the best way to drive my local area...since I NEVER drive on the parkway...ever.... Second tank was 41-42 mpg...and now, on my third tank, I am around 42 mpg. I find that if I don't struggle to get into Pulse & Glide, since many of my streets the speed limit drops below 30 mph, the car works with me...or it seems that way.... So...on several stretches where there are some easy inclines and some declines, I find that the car goes into all-electric mode (all yellow arrows) as I drive these stretches...and then, it even goes into "glide" (no arrows) in the 20+ mph range, although the range for glide is usually 30-40 mph... State of Charge (SOC) is a factor (AC, weather, also)....so I don't worry about these stretches of all electric, since somewhere along the way I have some long downhill coasts that regenerate the battery... So...enjoy the car! Read a lot here...there is much to learn from others' experiences. I happen to love the fun of trying to up my mpg....but, bottom line, safe driving.... enjoy the car.... Welcome to Prius from another Newbie! terri __________________ <span style="font-familyapyrus"> ...The day will come when, after mastering the wind, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, humanity will have discovered fire.... .....Pierre Teilhard de Chardin </span>

09-02-2006, 11:41 PM	#4
berylrb Join Date: May 2006 Location: san francisco? Posts: 273 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Yves, Welcome to the chat! I was really laughing at first when I read your post thinking you were goading us "REALLY ASTONISHINGLY LOW FUEL EFFICIENCY". I just assumed that you had probably read Efusco's article and a few threads and knew that there are folks happy to do 40's. Then I felt bad because you might not know this. Any who, let's use Efusco as an example at 90F (that's kind of LA right?) he puts in about 9 gallons (you can click on his spreadsheet): 175 miles @ 4.5 gallons = 39 MPG ... Not too bad! The guage isn't very accurate, however, so maybe 5 gallons have been consumed, eh? 35 MPG for a 90F fill up. Now let's just say when the tank was filled it was 57F like my temperature, then you would only put in about 6-7 gallons: 175 miles @ 3.5 gallons = 50 MPG! Good Golly Miss Molly! OK, OK, ... Adjusting for the guage 43.8 MPG Hey I'll trade you any day! Enjoy the joy of your first tank, blessings! __________________ 2004 package #9, tideland pearl, purchased 1/12/04 typical commute 2.5 miles, avg. temp 57 F, range 45 - 70 F. highest mpg on a fill up 67.01 lowest mpg on a fill up 29.60 average fill up 5.97 gallons avg 2006 38.01 for 10479.90 miles driven avg 2007 40.26 for 13923.20 miles driven

09-03-2006, 03:47 PM	#9
tumbleweed Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Eastern Oregon Posts: 1,006 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I'm surprised no one mentioned it but "miles per tank full" is really not a very good way to measure mileage. Due to the bladder the old way of computing mileage, miles driven divided by gallons to fill the tank, doesn't work very well either unless you compute it over quite a few tanks. Best to use the MFD mileage. Then what you should get depends on where and how you drive, the temperature, etc. If you post that kind of information we might be able to tell you if you have a problem with your car, your driving, etc. Quite a few people who are apparently objective observers have posted here that their mileage improved as they put more miles on the car. I believe them but in my case I noticed absolutely no improvement due to "break in". It took me 2 or 3 tanks to learn how to drive the car efficiently, after that mileage seems to depend on where I drive, winter or summer gas, and things of that nature. No big jumps in mileage. __________________ former Prius owner, waiting for a G III present car BMW 3 series

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09-02-2006, 05:38 PM	#1
yvesklein Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 4 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I've been reading quite a bit about people being disappointed with the mpg numbers when they first get their Priuses and even went through the lengthy article that explains weather conditions and tank expansion, etc. So I'm definitely slightly relieved. I'm wondering though if my situation falls under that normal jurisdiction of low MPG break-in period because it seems REALLY low to me. I am now at half a tank and I've only driven 175 miles in the city (L.A.). My Prius dealer said that they probably filled the tank up in the morning so it was smaller and didn't hold the full 11.9 gallons. Could this and the fact that the parts aren't loosened up yet contribute to what I consider a REALLY ASTONISHINGLY low fuel efficiency? Has anyone ever heard of a "beginner" tank only getting 350 miles? Best, Yves

09-03-2006, 01:05 AM	#5
Tideland Prius Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 14,192 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: B Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 12	Yeah that seems normal, looking back on my first few tanks nearly two years ago. I almost broke 600kms 4 months later (and almost 7000kms) and broke 700kms in the middle of March just before my 8,000km service.

09-03-2006, 04:31 AM	#7
barbaram Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Trenton, NJ Posts: 721 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	noticed improvements at 5000 and 8000 miles to keep the faith!

09-03-2006, 04:45 PM	#10
paprius4030 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Pocono's, Pa. Posts: 1,079 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 1	When I traded in my 04 for an 05 I was surprised to see no difference in mpg's. I got 48-50 with the 04 and from day one got 48-50 with the 05