45 mpg

Odd, unless a lot of short trips or drove differently. I would say, may have gotten bad gas. I actually will buy shell if within a few cents of other stations. I have gotten bad gas before... Since youre from colorado, the whole trip wasn't up hill by chance.... was it?

 

it's colorado.

 

Are you on the frontrange or out in the plains? If you can see hills, then why are you using 87? Use Shell 85, the altitude makes it equivalent to 87 at sea level.

Also, stop trying. Drive the car like normal until you learn it. Then try. Usually those that try too hard get worse mileage then those that dont.

 

Is there any chance that your Ethanol % has gone up in Colorado ?

 

45mpg with a 6mile drive is not bad.

Yes 85 is fine. NOT E85. Just normal 'ol 85 petrol. If you are worried about your additives, then put a tank of VPower in every now and then. But really, it's no big deal.

You are lower then I am in elevation being in Denver, but you are still high enough up that your 85 works like the 87 on the coasts. That's why our "premium" is 91 and not 93, 94, or even 97.

 

What mileage are you expecting and why?

 

Our first tank was 48.1, and succeeding tanks were even less. We hit our valley at 43.1 after a long drive through rainy weather having to run the defroster. Then, it started going back up. Now, after 9000 miles we consistently get 50 mpg or better per tank. Don't know if warming weather, gasoline differences, or smarter driving is the reason, but I like where we are now.

BTW, 45 mpg isn't that bad. Compare it to your last vehicle.

 

Recommended octane is 87.

 

bingo! Has that decreased?

 

Yes, but that is at lower elevations. He is 5000ft+ above sea level, I am 7000ft-10000ft above. They sell 85, 87, and 91 here for the 3 ranges. Not 87, 91, 93 like at lower elevations. It is known here to use 91 for cars that need 93 or above premium and 85 for cars that need 87 regular.

 

I also gived up on the ECO mode do to the low MPGs swiched to the PWR mode, not only the car drives like a car but my MPGs have bean in 50s

 

I also switched from ECO but to Normal mode. My MPG increased from ~48mpg to 53-54mpg. I have only had my Priuis since March so the weather may have contributed and my driving habits have improved. I guess the next step is switch to Power Mode and see what happens.

 

It sounds like you're reporting some sort of mileage drop, despite warmer weather. Is that right?

Is there a reason why you mention 50 mpg?

I noticed you said your daily commute is 6 miles, each way. That's a pretty short trip and not likely to yield great mileage.

 

Please read http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html and Your Mileage Will Still Vary. Then, compare their test procedures to your driving

Hints: They don't drive on a real road, they don't measure actual fuel consumption, their highest average speed for any of their test cycles is a mere 48.4 mph and their cold (engine) start tests are 31.2 minutes long.

Here are results on a totally different set of tests: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...ce/most-fuelefficient-cars/overview/index.htm.