172 miles on the first pip

[Prius driver]

I have a 2008 with almost 7000 miles. I average 53 to 55 MPG per tank. I have consistently logged about 100 miles on the first pip. I thought my guess gauge was malfunctioning when I looked this morning and notice 172 miles driven with all 10 pips remaining.

I know it is a guess gauge. But should I be concerned about the guess gauge not guessing correctly any longer?

[JimboK]

No worries, perfectly normal. I've gotten as little as 50 miles in the winter and as many as 250 in the summer.

There are lots of threads on the subject and how the flexible fuel bladder affects the (non-linear) gauge. You might consider searching if you want to learn more.

[mingoglia]

Yep, when it's hot I'll typically get up to 160 or 170 on the first pip...and in the winter I'll get 50 miles or so. It's just how stretched out the bladder is. If I fill up the Prius in the middle of the afternoon on a 110 degree day it will take more fuel in the stretched out and pliable bladder than it does if I fill it up in the evening.

[Gumby]

Hummmm.... what am I doing wrong? I am a brand new owner and have 175 miles on my first tank full and I am down 5 of those little lines... Hummmm Very scary. It shows I am getting 41 mpg.... how can this be?

[Kcissem]

Originally Posted by Prius driver

I have a 2008 with almost 7000 miles. I average 53 to 55 MPG per tank. I have consistently logged about 100 miles on the first pip. I thought my guess gauge was malfunctioning when I looked this morning and notice 172 miles driven with all 10 pips remaining.

I know it is a guess gauge. But should I be concerned about the guess gauge not guessing correctly any longer?

on my current tank i got to 270+ miles on the first pip, but it started to go down pretty quick from there, currently at 520 miles on tank and have only 3 pips left.

[JimboK]

Originally Posted by Gumby

Hummmm.... what am I doing wrong? I am a brand new owner and have 175 miles on my first tank full and I am down 5 of those little lines... Hummmm Very scary. It shows I am getting 41 mpg.... how can this be?

I'm sure you're doing nothing wrong. Did you fill it or did the dealer? If the latter, odds are it wasn't completely full even if the gauge suggested it was. The other pips typically disappear sooner than the first. Its non-linearity is similar to a conventional gas gauge.

Give it some time -- and a few tanks -- and don't panic. Meanwhile, as I suggested to the OP, the search button is a wonderful tool.

[JanTheMan]

That's about right, we get an average of 194 on the first pip, and now seeing how many miles per pip is. We're down to the last four pips, so I am sure it won't be long to give the numbers. But when you fill up, when the pump stops, just don't stop there, it can take quite a bit more than you realize. At 210 miles on the first pip, the pump stopped at 1.67 gallons, and we were able to keep pumping till we got over 5 gallons, then we divided the mileage to the gallons of gas we put in and all we are averaging is 40 to 42mpg city.

[a priori]

Originally Posted by JanTheMan

. . . the pump stopped at 1.67 gallons, and we were able to keep pumping till we got over 5 gallons, then we divided the mileage to the gallons of gas we put in and all we are averaging is 40 to 42mpg city.

CAUTION!! Do not overfill! You can cause damage to the car this way.

See the following thread showing how damage made a believer out of another PC member.

[N3FOL]

I also get a whole lot more miles before I use up a pip after a full tank. It is perfectly normal.