I Hope not too many Prius Drivers do this.....

[New Revelation]

And that's to try to achive a high MPG while going slow on an expressway. Earlier today I was driving out of Grand Rapids to Battle Creek to deliver a load to Kelloggs and I came behind a Prius driver that on the back of his bumper I saw '63 MPG' which I think the owner may have painted on to display what he was getting.

Now thing is, I drive semi everyday as a local driver, and the speed limit on the highway (which was US-131) was 70 for cars and 55 for trucks (though the state is supposed to raise the truck limit to 60 around October) and this Pruis driver was going slower than I was and I was going 55. Naturally I had to go around because its alot harder to stop a loaded semi compared to a car. I was guessing that the driver was trying to experiment with PG which im not sure what that means.

I commend the driver for working on the MPG, but when you are on a highway with other cars flying past at 70-75 mph, it's usually not a good idea to be going that slow, and it also presents a hazard.

I am sure alot of Prius drivers I have seen out there are trying to get the ultimate MPG goal, but please, be mindful of the speed limits, especially on high-speed highways because it's not really worth it to get into an accident trying to save gas. Personally, as long as I was getting 40-50 MPG, it's more than enough for me and can go quite far on that too.

[V8Cobrakid]

I say this way too often about prius drivers myself. I pass them in a prius though.

the PG you refered to is Pulse and Glide. It's accelerating while not using too much gas or electric power ( pulse ) and then cruising in a somewhat of a Neutral state. You use electric power to balance out the generator.. but it's only 3kw.. and you can glide for a good couple blocks, if not miles on a downhill stretch.

If you do this properly, you can achieve well over 75mpg.. if not more around 110 like the multi done world records hold

[Lil Mo]

I understand your comments. Yet, a speed "limit" implies that is the maximum speed, not the speed at which traffic is supposed to drive. Most freeways have a minimum speed as well.

[TonyPSchaefer]

You are correct, HFPO. There are all kinds.
I think you'll find that there are many here who work really hard to get high mileage numbers. Another group throws it all out the window and simply has fun driving what we feel is an awesome car. Then there are those who experiment with PnG on open stretches of barren highway and maintain a respectable speed when in heavy traffic. Personally, I like to put myself in that catagory (even though I ONLY drive 51 in a 45 on my daily commute and ONLY 28 in a 20mph school zone with a soccer mom half-way up my bum).

Anyway, I tend to agree with you. 63 is an extremely high number to maintain for a full tank in a Prius. To do it multiple times repeatedly is rare indeed. But to impede traffic and cause an accident while doing it is simply wrong. Besides, we're hated at the gas stations, mocked by Ricers, and misrepresented in the press. We really don't need more bad publicity.

[Autosmiler]

My brother, who works for a computer company, once said that 99% of computer problems lie between the keyboard and chair. I think that's true for automobiles too, only replace "keyboard" with "steering wheel" hehe. I only practice my PnG when I'm sure there's no one even in view behind me.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Aug 22 2006, 11:23 PM) [snapback]308065[/snapback]</div>

Besides, we're hated at the gas stations, mocked by Ricers, and misrepresented in the press. We really don't need more bad publicity.
[/b]

Great summary!

[flareak]

safest speed is average speed of the people driving around you

[Godiva]

I can usually find a big slow truck driving 65 or less in the right lane. I get behind him. No one can complain I'm not going faster since he's in front of me. If they want to go faster, they can get in a faster lane and pass me.

When I'm in the faster lanes, I keep up with traffic. If I don't want to go 75+ mph I move over to the far right.

What's so hard about this?

BTW I think more people are going to start driving 55-65 as gas prices go up. It's one proven way to get better mileage in the average guzzler.

[tomdeimos]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(flareak @ Aug 23 2006, 02:14 AM) [snapback]308093[/snapback]</div>

safest speed is average speed of the people driving around you
[/b]

This is about the craziest statement I've ever seen. This is how those 30 to 40 car pile ups happen every year.

[TonyPSchaefer]

This is about the craziest statement I've ever seen. This is how those 30 to 40 car pile ups happen every year.[/b]

I'm sure Flare is assuming that the mature adults who frequent Priuschat are fully aware of their surroundings, maintaining a safe following distance, not eating, talking on the phone, or swapping out the DVD for the kids in the back seat.

Sure, he made a blanket statement. I for one don't want to see an aguement of semantics, nuances, and details. Basically, try to stay with the flow, neither too fast nor too slow and be aware of your surroundings and the actions (and reactions) of others.

[Ichabod]

Those pileups happen not because of speed (they can and do sometimes happen at lower speeds), but because of improper following distance. People don't seem to think to themselves "I'm taking my life and the lives of those around me in my hands by riding the ass of the car in front of me."

PnG when you're alone, not in traffic! If you want to do it right, get yourself the Navi, and program it to always block freeways and you'll stay on roads that can support that behavior.

And "PBKS" was a code we used in tech support at one of my jobs years ago to indicate "problem between keyboard and seat" without letting on that we thought all our customers were jackasses.