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1st fill up only 380miles?

Discussion in 'Prius c Fuel Economy' started by Rob D, Nov 7, 2013.

  1. Rob D

    Rob D Junior Member

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    Hi everyone. I purchased my C4 on Friday. It had 5mi on it when I left the dealer with a full tank.

    Today is Thursday and I had to fill up because the last fuel line was blinking. I only had a total of 380 miles on the car?
    It's been in ECO mode since I left the dealer and I drive a mix of highway and city every day. I have been VERY good about not flooring it, but I live in Philadelphia. You can't merge onto I95 without going into the red zone.

    Should I be worried? I traded in my 05 Matrix because I wanted better gas mileage. Is this normal?


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  2. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    How much gas did you put in? Mileage? Are you sure the tank was full, or just full enough to show full? Have you read anything about maximizing mileage in a Prius?
    You should be able to get 45-50MPG driving it like a normal car, even better with the right technique. There are some things that seem like they would help, but they can actually hurt mileage.
     
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  3. Rob D

    Rob D Junior Member

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    I have been averaging 40-50 mpg on my trips. That's why I was so confused I only got 380 miles out of my 1st tank.

    On Monday I realized that my tires only had 25psi I'm them. I added air and they are now at 40psi. I am hoping that was the issue.

    Other than that I have really been trying to "break" the car in correctly. Gliding, etc.


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  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    The first tank doesn't count. It is too early to be concerned about this, wait at least until the second fill and until you are more familiar with the car.

    How much gas did you actually put in, and what was the MPG display claiming for the first tank? If you don't keep track of these, you will not be in any position to figure out whether or not you are getting reasonable results.

    Remember that there is significant safety margin built into the flashing warning on the fuel gauge, typically a couple gallons. Between inattentive drivers and highly variable fuel consumption with differing conditions, this large margin is a necessity. You cannot estimate tank range by multiplying your average MPG by the claimed tank size, unless getting stranded without fuel half the time is an acceptable driving mode.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many gallons does the c hold an when does the light come on? how much gas did you add? you probably got 40-50 mpg.
     
  6. Jacob Wilson

    Jacob Wilson Junior Member

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    I filled up 7.018 gallons on my first fill up and totaled about 334 miles. My MPG was around 47. I got the car at 6 miles.

    The first tank usually contains a lot of trial and error driving, figuring our how to drive in the different scenarios at optimum levels. I'm burning through my second tank at much better MPGs due to various techniques. The first time I commuted to school (on my first tank) I averaged 55mpgs for 37miles. Today I commuted at 68mpgs--EV mode fer days!

    Continue to practice your techniques and monitor your mpgs and miles over a few more fill-ups for a better idea of your driving habits.
     
  7. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    The C holds ~9.5 gallons of gas. When the car says you have 0 miles remaining (note: not when the car beeps at you) you have ~1.5 gallons of gas left. I wouldn't push it more than ~1 gallon of gas equivalent though.

    You can never trust the dealer to "fill" it up. My car will show the full bar gauge for 100 miles after filling up.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you z, so 8 gallons x 40 - 50 mpg sounds about right.
     
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  9. ShirLit

    ShirLit Junior Member

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    I just had my first fill up today. I too, was a little disappointed. I still had 2 bars left and had 360.1 on the trip/tank. It took 7.4 gallons. I have yet to check the tires - that's on my to-do list. I feel better after reading Jacob Wilson's post. There's hope! :)
     
  10. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    First tank is too soon to be concerned. Even after a few more it will not be right.

    Mpgs will improve with time. This is the case for a lot of engines, nt just hybrids
     
  11. Fauxknight

    Fauxknight Active Member

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    Took me 3 or 4 tanks before my C was broken in, got noticeably better MPG numbers after that.
     
  12. ShirLit

    ShirLit Junior Member

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    Thanks Guys. I Won't Worry About It Then!
     
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  13. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    That would have been a 457.42 mile tank had you driven it to 9.4 gallons. ;) that's not bad. you had 48.7 mpgs.
     
  14. ShirLit

    ShirLit Junior Member

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    True. Husband also added air to tires today. Tires were at 35psi....should help.
     
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  15. Fauxknight

    Fauxknight Active Member

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    I wish I was using Fuelly for those first few fill ups so you could see it, I don't think my first two tanks broke 50. My MPGs rose steadily after that and has been very consistent since then with variations being primarily weather based (rain, AC use). We're getting into winter though, so I expect to see a noticeable drop as the weather turns.
     
  16. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    Mine shows the same correlation as your mentioning. The cold weather effect can be seen with mine as well. I fill up once every 8 days, so it shows pretty well.
     
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  17. carolD

    carolD Junior Member

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    Should I use the Eco button on. I live on Florids so I use air all the time. Do you feel Eco button is mandontory for good mpg.
     
  18. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    No, it is not mandatory. It is mostly a matter of user preference. While many users will get slightly better mpg in ECO mode, some users will do better in other modes, and a few will find no difference at all. In any case, the differences should not be large.
     
  19. InPriusLove

    InPriusLove Member

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    The cruising range is based on past performance. It computes how much gas you are likely to consume based on your average usage.

    If you took in 7.6 when you filled up then you eyeballed the gauge. And different people here have different model years. Let me share with you that with the 2015, you will never see a blinking bar on your gas gauge. And in fact 0 cruising miles is exactly when the gas pump icon will come on (on the dash) and it will beep once. One beep. That is all. The reminder is the gas pump icon. See that icon, that means you have at most one gallon. As you continue to drive the last bar will go away. If that goes away you may have about three quarters of a gallon. Do not run out of gas. It is not an easy recover.

    Your driving habits on the gas and brake will influence your performance. Use the display called Eco Score. When you remain in the EV zone you are using high fuel efficiency. The closer you stay in it the better your mpg will be. As you are breaking in the car I suggest avoiding the red zone as much as possible.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    did they change the safety amount in the '15? i have 2 gallons.