MPG in Los Angeles

[icharry]

It seams to me that MPG in Los Angeles CA might be worse than a midsized town or city. Anyone have thoughts on this?

1st: The HUGE traffic jams, initially seem GREAT for a Prius.. but it is not a long slow treck at 15 MPH, its more like 0 MPH then up to 40 FAST, then slam the bakes down to 0 again. If you take too long to get up to speed, you could literally get shot! Trying to leave a buffer is impossible... people will fill it faster than the red sea oh pharaoh's head.... I would almost end up going backwards.

2nd: There are hills is L.A. I often have to go over the hill into the valley and back... either by a long cury canyon pass or by the 405... which always is jammed.

3rd: Hard to time lights / guage the flow of traffic, because there are a million cars on the road and someone is always pulling out of a corner-mart, or suddenly making a left turn from the RIGHT hand lane.. its like Mr. Toads Wild ride.... and dont even start on LA drivers, there is no such thing. Most people here are from else where, so they really are NY, Detroit, Salem, anywhere but LA drivers...

Anyway... it just seems like anytime I get a good pulse and glide going there is something ready to mess it up... I am only on my 2nd fill up, getting 46.8 MGP, I know I'll learn more, and get better, but I sorta thought I would be an instant hypermiler.... I mean I read every site before I bought, did the Pulse & Glide by instinct with my old stick shift car for years....

oh well... anyone have ideas on how to master the city of angels...

[berylrb]

NO ideas icharry, but i enjoyed your reality check! How long is your commute?

I've had a chance to live, work and vacation in a similar environment with the Prius, Sacramento, and it is possible to find those 40 mph roads and see 50 mpg's, that's a start, but not necessarily practical, eh?

[IsrAmeriPrius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(icharry @ Jan 7 2007, 06:21 PM) [snapback]372294[/snapback]</div>

2nd: There are hills is L.A. I often have to go over the hill into the valley and back... either by a long cury canyon pass or by the 405... which always is jammed.[/b]

I get my best mileage going from the West Valley to the west side on the 101 and 405 over the Sepulveda Pass. Generally in the high sixties. On the way to the valley it is in the high fifties. I try to coast on the downhill slope as much as possible. That often means keeping to the right.

...I am only on my 2nd fill up, getting 46.8 MGP, I know I'll learn more, and get better, but I sorta thought I would be an instant hypermiler.... I mean I read every site before I bought, did the Pulse & Glide by instinct with my old stick shift car for years....[/b]

Not bad for your second tank. That is close to what I was getting when the car was new. I now rarely average lower than 50 MPG per tank, most commonly I get 51-53 MPG.

[scrivener]

Until August, I commuted from Silver Lake to Calabasas for work. 26 miles (an hour on ave.) each way, mostly fwy, and my average MPG was about 51. Key was leaving enough space between me and the car in front to avoid quick starts and stops and learning to accept that people would inevitably pull in front of me.

Most of my driving now is in town on surface streets. Mostly short trips, and on longer ones, when traffic is heavy it kills the battery regen and reduces 'glide' opportunities so my MPG is now around 40. On the bright side, I only have to fill the tank every 3-4 weeks.

Really the only way to reduce dealing with traffic is to find your best routes on the "B" streets and time your travel to avoid the crush hours of 7A-10A and 3P-8P. Better mileage will follow. I know this isn't much help - why we need better mass transit (and bike routes).

[subarutoo]

In one year of commuting, 25,000 miles I'm right on 49.6. I do 45 miles each way from west San Fernando Valley to Azusa, on the 118 and 210 through the hills in Pasadena. I see about 10% stop and go, and the other time between 70 and 80 mph. I had a couple weeks over the 50 mpg, but its been 48.6 all winter, and just under 50 in the summer. I do almost NO city driving. I run the heat and A/C at a comfortable level, usually around 70. A gallon a day, each way to work, works for me.

[H2OSkier]

I'm at the end of my first year driving from Simi Valley to El Segundo, ~ 23k miles. My average is 48.6. Going to work is much better than coming on. Gotta love the long run downhill on the 405.

Ken

[seeh2o]

I drive from the hilly part of Echo Park to the 101, 170 to North Hollywood, about 28 round trip. In the winter I get about 42 - 43mpg, in the summer 46 - 48. I fill up about once every two weeks.

[fshagan]

I drive from Oxnard to Simi Valley, on the 101/23/118 in to work, and then on the 118/23/Santa Rosa Road/101 on the way home (can't take the shorter Santa Rosa Road route in the mornings, as the school busses stop every 50 feet!)

I don't pulse and glide, wax and wane or anything like that. I drive like I normally drive, and average 47.5 MPG. The only "special" thing I do is have my tires at 40/42 and make sure I don't get run over by SUVs.

[JimN]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Jan 20 2007, 02:06 PM) [snapback]378323[/snapback]</div>

I don't pulse and glide, wax and wane or anything like that. I drive like I normally drive, and average 47.5 MPG. The only "special" thing I do is have my tires at 40/42 and make sure I don't get run over by SUVs.
[/b]

TP should be 42 front/40 rear.

[fshagan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Jan 20 2007, 08:57 PM) [snapback]378536[/snapback]</div>

TP should be 42 front/40 rear.
[/b]

Yeah, that's what I meant. Higher pressure where more of the weight is.