Need MPG Help - Can't seem to crack 40MPG

[bigmahma]

Hi There...

If you know me at all from Fred's House of Pancakes - know that this is a serious question


I have a 2007 Touring - 515 Miles ATM - and I cannot seem to crack over 40 MPG.

Most of my driving is not highway - I make alot of 10-15 minute trips - and during the day - 5-10 minute trips - I P&G as much as I can.

My tires are inflated to 40 in the back - 42 in the front. I have no extra cargo in the car... I weigh 250 Pounds.


What am I missing - is it break in? When will I see the 50's and 60's


<---- jealous


Love

BigMahma

[FireEngineer]

Your short trips are whats killing you. The Prius is having a hard time warming up. If you can, take some time and take a hour or better highway trip anywhere and see the MPG on the consumption screen. It should be in the 50's. If you have access to an outlet, an engine block heater would also help a lot.

Wayne

[tochatihu]

Have Toyota check the suspension alignment, specifically that the front wheels are toed in equally, and not too much. Check also that the rear brakes are not dragging.

If the engine oil is sufficiently overfilled, that could decrease mpg. It would be rare to find a dirty or defective engine air filter in a new vehicle, but it is a very easy thing to check.

[mpgFanatic]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigmahma @ May 20 2007, 08:34 AM) [snapback]446062[/snapback]</div>

What am I missing - is it break in? When will I see the 50's and 60's
[/b]

I think you have a car problem. I have a 2007 with less than 1000 miles and have NEVER got less than 51 mpg. My current average is 55.6. I also do a lot of short trips and often have my wife along which is a combined weight of over 300 pounds.

In my experience, you should be able to get at least 45 mpg without even trying.

[bulek]

On such short trips I usually get 40MPG as you do. Sometimes when starting early morning with temp 50F I get 35MPG on such trips. My overall milleage is higher because outside of the city on longer distances I am able to do 50MPG. I try to drive as efficient as I can but maybe not exactly P&G all the time. 3000 miles on my odometer.

- Piotr

[larkinmj]

If you only have 500 miles on your car, it might need a break-in. I only got 35mpg on my first two tanks of gas. I bought my car in Jan. 2006 and I live in New England, so that was also in cold weather. If you drive mostly short trips, unfortunately you aren't likely to hit the 50s or 60s. The first five minutes are the least economical. I also do a lot of short trips and my daily commute is 7.5 miles each way. I generally average around 42-44 mpg. My best average on a tank of gas, when I was on a long trip, was 51.3 mpg. So even with mostly short trips you should get into the mid-40s, but I would wait until you've gone through a few tanks of gas before being too concerned.
I've been keeping my tires at the factory pressures up until now, but I think I'm going to try 42/40, or maybe 40/38, and see if that improves my mileage. Also, FireEngineer recommended an engine block heater, and he is the expert on that, but I'm not sure how much of a difference that would make if you live in Florida. I'm going to install one before next fall.

[priusmaybe]

I have my car since April 29 with about 500 miles. I got an average of 42lon dealer tnak of gas.


I have 41 miles on the new tank of gas, with an average of 43.1 mpg so far.


I too have been mostly doing short neighborhood trips, with a lot of stops along the way. Errands and such.


I am not going to freak out yet. I also usually have the ac and stereo on.

[chuck kershner]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bulek @ May 20 2007, 11:35 AM) [snapback]446123[/snapback]</div>

On such short trips I usually get 40MPG as you do. Sometimes when starting early morning with temp 50F I get 35MPG on such trips. My overall milleage is higher because outside of the city on longer distances I am able to do 50MPG. I try to drive as efficient as I can but maybe not exactly P&G all the time. 3000 miles on my odometer.

- Piotr
[/b]

I now get 43-44 mpg after 6,400 miles. Mileage was in the low to mid-30s during the coldest times of winter, even dropping into the mid-20s mpg range. No garage, no heater, sits out in sub-zero all night. But now that it is warming, the mileage is rising. I'm glad to see there are more 40-50 milers commenting because it gets pretty dull reading about 60-70 mpg and P&G, stealthwarp, tire pressures that exceed sidewall ratings (or whatever) instead of just getting in the Prius, turning it on, and going - knowing that nearly anything consistently in the 30 mpg range is better than just about any other vehicle on the road. Besides, these are truly fun cars to drive without agonizing over a .5 mile increase here, a 2 mile increase there. Just some thoughts.

[bigmahma]

Well

I just drove 160 miles and got average 41.8 MPG while driving (mostly) 72 miles per hour.


Not sure if that's where I should be - or what the story is..

Could it also be I have a "touring" edition? 16 inch tires/rims?


I just cracked the 600 mile mark - guess I'll give it a couple of thousand miles before I freak out..



And the car was brought in from Japan - I picked it up right off the frieght truck.... it was still wrapped up like a christmas tree.

I will check the airfilter tommorrow night.... would the oil come overfilled from the factory?


I'll check that too.


Thanks Prius Community!

[morpheusx]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bigmahma @ May 20 2007, 08:17 PM) [snapback]446338[/snapback]</div>

Well

I just drove 160 miles and got average 41.8 MPG while driving (mostly) 72 miles per hour.
Not sure if that's where I should be - or what the story is..

Could it also be I have a "touring" edition? 16 inch tires/rims?
I just cracked the 600 mile mark - guess I'll give it a couple of thousand miles before I freak out..
And the car was brought in from Japan - I picked it up right off the frieght truck.... it was still wrapped up like a christmas tree.

I will check the airfilter tommorrow night.... would the oil come overfilled from the factory?
I'll check that too.
Thanks Prius Community!
[/b]

If I were you I wouldn't worry about pulse and glide yet, drive it like a normal car then as you learn exactly how it works move on to the advanced techniques. Plus it is hard to p&g on a cold engine.