Lousy mileage

[Bulcher]

To all who responded, thanks for the tips and advice.

[richard schumacher]

To be clear, for better fuel economy you should *not* use "B". It's only there to avoid riding the brakes on long down grades.

[autoxic]

I hope Bulcher, the OP, give us an update after a few more tanks of gas.

I usually get 47-50 MPG. Last month, during some brutally hot days, I got an MFD indicated 38MPG for about 200 miles of driving. Did I do something wrong? No. My wife and I used A/C on high for most of the trips, we took some short trips, and we were in NJ traffic on NJ roads (gas-brake-gas unavoidable).

Long-term, most people will see 40-50 MPG.

[9G-man]

Originally Posted by Bulcher

Just bought a 2008 and so far am disappointed in the mileage. First tank...44mpg, second tank went down to 38. Basically same terrain and driving. Have 700 miles on the car. Can't figure out what is going on. Dealer tells me "most people are getting 50 mpg". I have adjusted the tire pressure to 39/37.

I have 4 questions, that will answer your low gas mileage questions.

1.How many different people drive your Prius
2. How far are your routine travel distances?
3. Your car can travel on no gas at all. Are you aware of the methods of consciously putting your Prius into these modes with your right foot?
4.What screen do you keep your MFD on?

[Spectra]

Originally Posted by Kcissem

Now at the end of my first non dealer tank i am averaging 55.5mpg with 652 miles for the tank and still have not had the last pip start flashing. Although i am going to fill up on the way home from work as i don't want to stretch it too far since it is a guess gauge.

Yikes, you're living quite dangerously for a new Prius owner!
If accurate, this would indicate that you've used 11.75 gallons out of your 11.9 gallon tank!

This summer, I've been getting 63-65 MPG, but I get nervous at 1 pip & haven't gone beyond 515 mi. on a tank. Even so, it only fills with 8-ish gal.

[Spectra]

Originally Posted by autoxic

... and we were in NJ traffic on NJ roads (gas-brake-gas unavoidable)..

Hey don't give us a bad rap, or rep --

If, in traffic, you manage the Pulse & Glide right, find the right secondary rds, and drive at a sane velocity on highways, one can still max-out the mpg's here !

[toddbrat]

I live in the PHX area( Elev. 1200ft) and made my first roadtrip to Flagstaff AZ (Elev 7000 ft). Had myself and 3 other passengers and luggage, and averaged almost 38 mpg uphill. After coming back down the computer stated that I had an average mpg of 42.3. Not too bad for the load and the rise in elevation. Still on first tank of gas (480 miles) and have one bar on gas gauge.
That is with the AC on all the time except for the long steep hills going up.

[isisdave]

We got only about 38 mph on the first tank, but these factors were involved:

Short trips, mostly under 10 miles
Moderately hilly terrain
Roads often require speeds in the 40-45 range, but yet frequent traffic lights
Temperatures in the 90s requiring constant A/C
.....and most importantly
teenage son sitting in the car in the driveway but with A/C running, pushing all the buttons

We're only a little into the second tank and up to 42 already; all factors except the last are about the same.

[robbyr2]

I'm pretty much a newbie, and admit to not having checked my tire pressure yet, but aren't those figures lower than the high mileage guys have in theirs?

I've now put on 2030 miles on the Prius. The lifetime average is running at 53.2 right now. I use the A/C a lot, and most trips are around 15 miles in length, with a fair amount of 40-50 mph. That's where the mileage seems best, although on the level, at 65 mph I've seen a 5 minute increment at about 70 mpg. My secret... probably that I learned to drive with a guy who hated to spend money. Starting back in the early 1970s I started doing things like never braking if I could coast (my mechanic says at the current rate, my 01 Blazer's brakes should last until I hit about 160K- like I could afford to put that other 67K on it!), stopping far enough from the guy in front of me that I can let the brake off just before the green light so I'm rolling when I put on the gas, keep the speed steady but let it creep down uphill. On my 90 Cadillac DeVille too, it had a instant and trip gas mileage display. That gave me a leg up with the Prius, having driven the Caddy for about 6 years and routinely getting 18 mpg in town, 25 hwy.

The biggest thing that helps me is to stick with the consumption screen. I spend more time watching the MFD than I do the speedometer (not surprisingly watching your consumption keeps you at or under the speed limit pretty well!). It's kind of like an addiction. Yes, I do watch the road, but in keeping with the above, I'm not a tailgater anyway.

[Prius 07]

Bulcher,

I just read this post from Courtney that you may find inspiring and useful:
Baby Steps: How I changed my driving habits
Good luck and have patience,