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Cruising Range - yes I already did a forum search

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by GeoZoo, Jan 16, 2014.

  1. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    Yes, I already did a forum search but not quite found what I'm looking for.
    I understand cruising range is related to how much fuel is in the tank and there is a buffer of whatever that manufacturers put in there, etc, etc.
    My wee Prius C has just under 5000km on it. My '11 Highlander Hybrid would - over say a few fill ups - adjust the cruising range - so over time it went up and it went down. On my Prius C it is getting low and lower. Like now I fill up and it only ever shows that I will get 567KM (353-ish miles).

    Right now averaging 4.7L/100km (50MPG) - 36L tank size (for sake of toyota "buffer let's say 33L) - should be around 700km (435miles).

    I had two trips where fuel economy was awful. Coquihalla Highway in winter (google it). Hills + snow + ice + slush + hills + 90+ kph as much as possible because it was a long drive. so that may have messed up the average when I got the car in November but pretty consistently I'm now around 4.7-4.9L/100km.

    Why is it that the cruising range does not seem to factor in this? I mean I drove my highlander on "0 km" a few times and still had a good 2L left in the tank so I understand it being off but it is over 100km out for sure.

    Can I "reset" it?
     
  2. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    It will get closer the more thanks you drive. It is still learning.
     
  3. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    Bah! but I desire instant gratification!

    :)

    I hope so.... better if I could just let go of the numbers, ya know? not make myself crazy over it.
     
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  4. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

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    For long life of fuel pump, avoid running the tank very low on fuel.

    From AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - What Causes Fuel Pumps to Fail is a good explanation:

    "
    To cool and lubricate the internal components, fuel must flow continuously through the fuel pump. Insufficient flow limits cooling and lubrication of the pump. A leading cause of fuel pump failure is running the fuel tank low. This is particularly critical on late model vehicles without a fuel pressure return system. Running such a vehicle out of fuel once can permanently damage the fuel pump.
    When the fuel level is low, the pump has to work much harder to produce the same pressure. This is because the reduced fuel weight no longer pushes fuel into the pump. Instead the pump must draw the fuel in. A low fuel level also means less fuel to dissipate heat and lubricate the pump. The combination of an overworked pump, reduced cooling and lubrication will likely damage the fuel pump.
    "

    The site later recommends refilling at a quarter tank. I tend to think lower levels are ok, but I do think the 'buffer' has other purposes besides letting you drive longer.

    Focus on mpg or L/100km, not on how far you can go by cramming gas into the spout and running the tank out.
     
  5. Raidin

    Raidin Active Member

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    Hate to break it to you, but with over 80k miles on my car, I have never seen the Cruising Range readout to show any accuracy. It always drops to 0 range when I have around 150 miles left in the tank.
     
  6. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    The car is designed to drop to 0 with ~1.5 gallons left. At 50 mpgs that would be right at 150 miles... but that's pushing it.

    Maths were pointed out to be incorrect... should be 75 miles.
     
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  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    1.5 gallons x 50mpg = 75miles no?
     
  8. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Yes... sorry, brain not awake yet. Not sure what is wrong with Raidins car then. I've driven over 80 miles after 0, but when I did I had to put in ~9.5 gallons of gas, which is what the car is rated at. There is more in the tank, but not much.
     
  9. Raidin

    Raidin Active Member

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    I've seen it go 0 where I was able to go 200 miles. I do drive slow and get over 60 MPG regularly.
     
  10. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Still, that's a lot...I've seen it the other way around, where my car will beep and flash the last bar and I still have like 50 miles left... but not this way. Weird.
     
  11. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    Thanks folks. I guess I was used to my highlander being around 50km within. I'm averaging around 160 MILES more than cruising range. The most I've calculated was around 185miles. So I just felt it was extreme and would adjust a little
    Yesn I know my post is mixing miles and kms. I'm canadian but to answer the posts I converted the mileage left to miles
     
  12. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    My husband's 11 sienna SE is within 50km. Like I guess 30 miles.

    So my prius still seems very extreme at 240km (150miles) less than actual.
     
  13. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    So you are able to drive 150 miles after it blinks 0? Or you are driving farther than the "initial" prediction? Initial prediction will get closer in accuracy as the car gets a lifetime mpg of your driving. But extreme weather or driving can offset this as well.
     
  14. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    I'm too scared to push it. I've once driven 120miles after it hit zero (it was at 1bar when I filled up) but otherwise I refill and have been doing the math. Generally 2 other times I dro ve an additional (approx 50 miles after cruising said zero -I still had 2 bars)
     
  15. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    There is only 1 bar. The C doesn't get to 0 bars. This behavior that you are mentioning doesn't sound right. The car is supposed to be at 0 miles when the car starts flashing the final bar. I've seen the final bar with a few miles left on the remaining, but not the other way around. As a general rule(not set in stone by any means), when it says 0 you have ~1.5 gallons left.
     
  16. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    Ok guys

    This morning. Drove >2km stretch in EV... Cruising range down 2km. Drove another 3km in a stretch and cruising range down 3km.

    So this drive I did this morning? 9.7km. EV 47% and economy 3.9L/100km and sure enough cruising range dropped 10km.

    Can I reset CR so it can figure itself out?
     
  17. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Keep filling it up, it'll adjust. Give it time... it's like novocaine or the modified veer.
     
  18. GeoZoo

    GeoZoo Junior Member

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    K. What I've noticed is that it doe adjust itself as I drive but only if I turn the car off otherwise it just keeps dropping even if in EV.
    Just hit half at 391km and it says the last "half" is 248km.
     
  19. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Only the half bar is reasonably accurate. But you have to catch it at the exact moment it hits the half bar.
     
  20. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    With the vagaries of this meter, I strongly doubt that you will get even delayed gratification.

    This meter tries to guesstimate something that it cannot accurately predicted, due to unknown but highly variable future conditions. My household's other new car makes this more obvious by rounding the range estimate to the nearest 10 miles. It also uses a much shorter history base, so that estimate rises and falls sharply in mountain driving.

    You are overthinking this 'feature'. Give it up.