Long drive after buying Prius

[jafca09]

Hello. I am planning on purchasing a Prius in Southern California and then driving it up to Northern California a few days after buying it. I've heard that new cars shouldn't go above 55mph, which would make the 400+ mile trip very long! Is this the case with the Prius? Any other reason why making this trip wouldn't be advisable on a new Prius?

[JRitt]

Originally Posted by jafca09

Hello. I am planning on purchasing a Prius in Southern California and then driving it up to Northern California a few days after buying it. I've heard that new cars shouldn't go above 55mph, which would make the 400+ mile trip very long! Is this the case with the Prius? Any other reason why making this trip wouldn't be advisable on a new Prius?

On a new engine it is recomended that you do not run the engine at high speeds and you do not lug the engine. Due to the design of the CVT you cannot lug the engine and as long as you drive normally you will not run the engine at high speed. Go ahead and drive it home.

[jafca09]

Originally Posted by JRitt

On a new engine it is recomended that you do not run the engine at high speeds and you do not lug the engine. Due to the design of the CVT you cannot lug the engine and as long as you drive normally you will not run the engine at high speed. Go ahead and drive it home.

Thanks for the feedback! What is considered "high speed?" There are long stretches that have 70mph speed limits, and the traffic usually averages that or higher.

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by jafca09

Thanks for the feedback! What is considered "high speed?" There are long stretches that have 70mph speed limits, and the traffic usually averages that or higher.

That should be OK, although in a completely new car I would rather go no more than 65MPH. Don't worry, just accelerate gently and don't floor it. The eCVT will take care of the rest .

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by jafca09

Thanks for the feedback! What is considered "high speed?" There are long stretches that have 70mph speed limits, and the traffic usually averages that or higher.

BTW I think that by "high speeds" JRitt meant high engine RPM, not the speed of the car.

[zippo]

Well, I had to jump in. I bought my Prius in LA and live in Silicon Valley. So, I did not bother to wait a few days for such a trip - flew down, did a bit of paperwork and headed north about noon. I had some concern about the 'break-in' period and, in order to err on the side of caution, simply took 101 north rather than I-5. And, for additional 'variation' of the speeds, took Hwy 1 from Morro Bay north. Yeah, I got home at 10 pm instead of 6 or 8 pm, but the drive was gorgeous and I felt really good about optimizing the break in period.

The manual did not say 'don't drive above 55mph' but, rather, don't go the same speed for long durations during the first 600 miles. This was natural on the more scenic route. So, I did not push to 70 in the few 'open' times on 101, but I also did not work to keep it below 55, just consciously taking every oppportunity to stop, take an exit, not stress over the traffic slowing me to 45 - letting the natural route vary the speed for me as much as possible.

Of course, I will never know if I did 'damage' to the car - that is a long term effect that is quite intangible. My gut says that much of what you do after that has a much bigger effect - the break in period makes sense and the recommendations clearly should not be ignored, but I would not worry about it (beyond avoiding 4 hours going 70 on I-5). Take the 'slow' route and enjoy it. Not that much more time and it makes sense.

Originally Posted by jafca09

Hello. I am planning on purchasing a Prius in Southern California and then driving it up to Northern California a few days after buying it. I've heard that new cars shouldn't go above 55mph, which would make the 400+ mile trip very long! Is this the case with the Prius? Any other reason why making this trip wouldn't be advisable on a new Prius?

[spinkao]

Originally Posted by zippo

Well, I had to jump in. I bought my Prius in LA and live in Silicon Valley. So, I did not bother to wait a few days for such a trip - flew down, did a bit of paperwork and headed north about noon. I had some concern about the 'break-in' period and, in order to err on the side of caution, simply took 101 north rather than I-5. And, for additional 'variation' of the speeds, took Hwy 1 from Morro Bay north. Yeah, I got home at 10 pm instead of 6 or 8 pm, but the drive was gorgeous and I felt really good about optimizing the break in period.

The manual did not say 'don't drive above 55mph' but, rather, don't go the same speed for long durations during the first 600 miles. This was natural on the more scenic route. So, I did not push to 70 in the few 'open' times on 101, but I also did not work to keep it below 55, just consciously taking every oppportunity to stop, take an exit, not stress over the traffic slowing me to 45 - letting the natural route vary the speed for me as much as possible.

Of course, I will never know if I did 'damage' to the car - that is a long term effect that is quite intangible. My gut says that much of what you do after that has a much bigger effect - the break in period makes sense and the recommendations clearly should not be ignored, but I would not worry about it (beyond avoiding 4 hours going 70 on I-5). Take the 'slow' route and enjoy it. Not that much more time and it makes sense.

Totally agree - speed variations are good during the break-in period. So I would too reccomend a varying route rather than a highway. Otherwise, I would not be afraid to take a long route with a new car. No need to worry. Just drive gently and avoid aggresive accelerations, that's all.

[royrose]

I bought my car in Portland, Oregon and immediately drove it 1300 miles over 2 days back to Colorado.

I decided to get a Scangauge to monitor RPM and coolant temp to make sure break-in went OK. The feedback that you have gotten in good. The hybrid system varies RPM a lot as demand changes. On an uphill at highway speeds, RPM may briefly go to 5000 but then quickly drop to 1000 on even a slight downhill. Bottom line, there is plenty of variation, even at consistent highway speeds. Try to vary it some just to be sure but don't worry about it. Coolant temp was steady throughout.

There hasn't been even the slightest problem with my car either during and since that trip.

I would recommend the scangauge highly, great learning tool for a new hybrid driver like me. It is available through the PriusChat shop.