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how's your winter mpg this year

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Aaron Vitolins, Feb 20, 2015.

  1. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Man, that's pretty much the worst possible recipe for low mpg. Actually surprised it is getting in the upper 30's.
    As you probably know, there have been people on here with very short commutes that average less then that. I do believe there was one member who was only getting like 28-29 because the engine couldn't even warm up and would never shut off in that amount of time. Keep up the good work!
     
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  2. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    I am doing a little better than you "about 2 mpg" the other side of the country. Out in the sticks our temperatures are around 2C lower than London, but although I no longer commute my average journeys are about the same as you.
    Although I am using AA rated Goodyear tyres (205/55/16) I do not think they are going "over there lifetime" to give as many mpg's as the Hankooks they replaced. They certainly are not going to last as long millage wise rather disappointed in that respect. I will be lucky to get 20,000 miles on them, about half that of the Hankooks.

    John (Britprius)
     
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  3. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    I am pretty much consistently getting in the 39's calculated at the pump these last few fill ups (Avg. of 40.5'ish calculated since bought new a few months ago). Displayed mpg for the lifetime on trip b is sitting around 43.5...

    Take into account that I have a persona with the stock 17's as a handicap, and it has been the coldest month in the past quarter century round these here parts.

    I drive slow, normally 55 on cc, tires pumped to 44/42, 18.5 mile each way commute, lower grill blocked..
     
  4. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    Wow! You're getting very good mpg indeed for this kind of weather.

    To be fair john, I've been pushing my Prius like never before as an experiment, this winter. That includes using the A/C to demist windows on those extra damp mornings, or really miserable rainy days. I live on a rather high hill in Wembley, which I have often joked has its own unique micro-climate which tends to be colder than other surrounding areas. I've come out to the car at 5.30am in the morning, to find the Prius covered in frost. I get to the bottom of the hill, and the cars down there have no frost!

    I've also been shaving 9 minutes off Google's estimate for my time to work, often burning more fuel than I'd normally like, in an attempt to quickly warm up both the engine and the interior of the vehicle. Basically, I've been not just keeping up with the traffic in the mornings, but sacrificing probably 2 or 3 mpg to eke rather swift response out of "The Spaceship", which I have to say, I'm very, very impressed with.
    The experiment has not only proved that the Prius is no slouch, it's shown that even for the person looking for a bit more performance, the vehicle will deliver admirably, yet save on fuel costs. Trips home in the afternoon are at normal speeds.
    Rapid progress is entirely possible IF need be, and can be achieved while STILL utilising pulse and glide techniques. Its largely always been a matter of changing one's driving style to exploit the Prius fuel sipping capabilities, compared to bog standard "normal cars".

    I'm done with my experiment now, so it's back to flying to work at my normally sensible velocities :)
     
  5. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    Data- what mpg did you achieve while driving like mad during your experiment?
     
  6. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The Prius has very good acceleration up to around 30mph due to the very high torque of the electric motors (or should I say magnetic propulsion drive);) from zero. Normally powered cars have to rev the engine and drop the clutch to get the same effect.
    I also live near the top of a hill with the proverbial derelict castle at the top Google maps hr6 9ub. The heaviest traffic I have to deal with is farm tractors.

    John (Britprius)
     
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  7. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

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    Hi Blizzard,

    By US mpg conversion readings, that would be 45.7 mpg and 44.1 mpg taken from two tank fill ups. Traffic lights and throttling down for speed camera's obviously had an effect on those figures, as did days when the temperatures dropped below zero celsius. Also, the route has a few significant hills and gradients - I did exploit those the same way a glider might exploit updrafts on a warm summers day ;)
     
  8. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    Those are still some pretty impressive numbers for in essence doing it all wrong, except the gliding... Lol. :). That's what's awesome about the prius. Drive it "normal" and still get rewarded.

    I presume you have 15" wheels and LRR tires. I have 17's and they deduct about 5 mpg from what the 15's provide mpg wise.
     
  9. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    All UK gen2 Prius come with 16 inch wheels the same as the touring version in the US with 195/55/16 tyres. Many including myself change these to 205/55/16.

    John (Britprius)
     
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  10. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    Silly me. forgot this was a Gen2 thread. Lol.
     
  11. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...hmm...got our Prius inspected today, and there was a problem with the rear brakes dragging. "Over-adjusted" my inspection guy tells me. He struggled to get the brake drums off, and the wheels did not spin freely. Only thing I can think is a few months back we had a rear fender bender, maybe the body shop fiddled with the brake adjustment.

    Meanwhile the pads were fine and we are 140000 miles with no brake service other than the "apparent" over-adjustment.
     
  12. Daves09prius

    Daves09prius Active Member

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    Current temps have been in the 20 - 30°F
    I've been getting 42 - 46 MPG with mainly highway driving (either stop-and-go, or 75 mph) I've blocked all my grilles to keep the warmth in the engine bay, and run the heat about 75 - 77°F
     
  13. DenToyPri05

    DenToyPri05 Junior Member

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    I take my fuel calculations by dividing miles driven by number of gallons, from fill-up to fill-up. Getting similar mpg data in Denver, CO, with similar driving patterns of either stop-and-go or 65-75 mph. I haven't blocked grills, but I have raised temps to 75°F-ish.

    I don't get great clearance, so certain roads around work are extremely challenging to navigate, plus I haven't replaced my tires yet. :oops:

    My 'recharged' hv battery is going strong, but i worry about the 12v, especially on days when I take the grey road beast instead of the blue egg.
     
  14. 2015.Prius.Model4.Owner

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    My three week old (purchased brand new) 2015 Prius IV has been averaging a little over 43MPG. I hope this is due to the Winter weather here in Southern California???? I walk around in shorts every day. I can't imagine a mild Winter such as the one's we experience down here in SoCal having such a dramatic impact on fuel efficiency of a state-of-the-art late-model Prius.
     
  15. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Don't worry! Your new Prius is still in the "break-in" period. After a couple thousand miles you'll be getting 50 mpg if you keep your interstate/highway speeds down. try to avoid high speed driving in the prius such as 75-85 mph. Even then you'll still get great mpg compared to other vehicles, it's just you definitely won't get 50 mpg! congratulations on the new car