the first pipe must kidding me !

If so then you will have gone 250 miles on 5ga of gas. Sounds pretty good to me!

Seriously. Stop worrying and drive the car. When the low fuel light comes on get gas.

 

Just go back to the station and fill it up so u can't put another drop in it. Then drive it and I bet it will be over 100 miles before you loose one pip.

 

Abdullah,

For the benefit of all of us, please take the time to fill out the questionnaire found here. It might help all of us to further understand what you are trying to convey.

Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat

 

Thank you for filling out the survey. The information is very helpful in these cases. I have no doubt other's will add more information than I will contribute.

A few things stood out to me that could help you if you can make adjustments.

Your length of trips: You said "18 miles per day". FWIW, the Prius does not deliver optimum mileage on short trips. Unless you are going one place and then not returning until the following day, that would mean you are actually driving 9 miles each segment or 18 miles round trip. The Prius really does not get warmed up until it has been driven a good ten to fifteen minutes.

The terrain where you drive: You said "gentle and steep hills". The Prius gives it's best mileage on flat terrain. When it is driven in hilly areas, the ICE has to work harder to pull the car over the hills. It is expected that the Prius will use more fuel in those conditions.

Oil level of ICE: You said "Barely above the full mark". The general consensus is that the oil level is best if it is kept in between the two marks on the dipstick. Some will say as long as it is not over a 1/4" above the mark, you are Ok. Other's will say anything over the top mark is overfilled. FWIW, 3.5 quarts with a filter change will show on the dipstick as just below the top mark.

Climate Control Methods: You mentioned A/C MAX cold setting. Using the A/C on max cold will make the compressor run at full speed all of the time. That will use a lot of electricity that is ultimately generated by the ICE and some from regen braking. Try setting the temperature higher. You will use a lot less energy if you make that adjustment, and in doing so cause the ICE to run less (better MPG).

The other things I saw were minor, what I mentioned is what stood out for me.

One comment I will make. If you are getting 48 MPG, you are not doing bad. The Gen II Prius is rated at 48 City 45 Highway. Those are EPA estimates. YMMV

As F8L has said in this string, drive it man and stop worrying about it.

 

My buddy Ron covered it well.

For more info on A/C use, especially short trips, see this thread.
How to Reduce MPG loss Because of A/C Use | PriusChat

For what it's worth, using the A/C on a short 9 mile trip is a huge waste of energy. The A/C system is pulling 1,500-1,800 watts for the first 5min or more.

 

I am not going to discount anything that you said. However what concerns me is if you are basing your 48 MPG on the MFD (computer) or actual averages by calculation at the pump. Would you be so kind as to clarify exactly your method of how you arrived at the figure? Is it based on the MFD or actual fuel burned over a specific distance?

The reason why I am bringing this up is due to your original post. You seem to be concerned about the pips disappearing quickly.

Quote: First pip at 35, Second at 60.

So with all that said, I have to ask you to clarify your calculation method.

 

Ok, now we are getting to the nitty gritty.

Yes, the guess gage on the Prius in well known to NOT be very accurate. Furthermore, the MFD is NOT perfect either. The ONLY way you will get ACCURATE gas mileage is to calculate it manually over several tanks of fuel.

I suggest you use fuelly.com to record all of your fillups. Once you have done that over several tank fulls, you will have a baseline to work with.

Click on my fuelly in my signature. That will show you what the site looks like and give you an accurate average of the Prius I drive.

I strongly urge you to use the guess gage as a tool to simply know when to refuel. Most Prius drivers will refuel at 2 pips. Some will go down to one pip, or even further to the flashing pip. Word of warning, the guess gage is NOT accurate. Until you have driven the Prius for a long time, I would suggest you refill when the gage shows two pips.

Keep driving the Prius, and don't worry about it. And remember YMMV. What I get may not be what you will get. There are a lot of variables that effect the MPG on all vehicles, not just the Prius.

Good luck to you!

 

When I said the fuel tank gauge may need to be reset I was referring to this procedure. Not the MFD Trip A/B reset.

Fuel Gauge Calibration Instructions | PriusChat

 

I will second that one. Disconnecting the battery cable will NOT reset or recalibrate the guess gage. That can only be done if you follow the procedure above to reset the inclinometer.

Thank you F8L for posting that link!

 

Hi Abdullah,

I am posting an article that was originally authored by Evan Fusco. I suggest you read the article entirely. I believe it will help you with your quest to understand MPG.

Regards,
Ron