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How can I get the highest fuel economy from my 2008 prius with these gas prices?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by reyada4766, Mar 7, 2022.

  1. reyada4766

    reyada4766 New Member

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    My Prius has been resurrected. I went from 15w40 oil back to 5w30 with an additive (engine restore). Burns 1qt every 600 miles. Summer temps hit 115F in my area. Car has no thermostat now becuase I used Blue Devil head gasket sealer and it helped, No more overheating now. 289,000 miles on the car. I changed the spark plugs water pump and coil packs and radiator. Currently my best mpg was today, I hit 37mpg. Temp outside 50F. I try not to go over 55MPH and take city streets rather then the freeway to my house because MPG increases. Any tips? Here are my current engine codes, P2A00 P1116
     
    #1 reyada4766, Mar 7, 2022
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2022
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  2. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Use cruise control whenever possible.
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    pump the tires to 42f/40r

    consolidate trips, starting at the furthest and working your way back

    learn pulse and glide

    don't drive unnecessarily

    look at your other expenses, they probably far out weigh gas expenditure, and there may be many places to save
     
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  4. batcat420

    batcat420 New Member

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    I second this. Makes for a less comfortable ride, but should help.
     
  5. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Watch tire pressure in Victorville when summer temperature reach 115° and pavement even higher If your filling tires to 42 psi at cooler temperature
     
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  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Flush out the Blue Devil, put in a salvage engine, with thermostat.
     
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Do a google search on "pulse & glide driving" and boosting tire pressure as mentioned above. In summer I do 47psi in front and 45psi in rear and then I dial that back in winter for better traction because we get lots of rain where I live.
     
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  8. reyada4766

    reyada4766 New Member

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    I will save up for an engine meanwhile use this one. I think the head gasket may have blown because it was running lean. I believe it ran lean due to a pre-ignition condition (pining noise) on acceleration. Is this common on the second gen? If so, how can I avoid this? A higher octane will make the noise go away. Today I used GDI cleaner and throttle body clean
     
  9. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    The engine adjusts quite well to prevent pinging... Pretty rare to have this problem...
     
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  10. dolj

    dolj Senior Member

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    Only if you don't use below 87 US AKI (at sea level). 90 -91 US AKI is better for economy and performance, but going above that is a waste of money i. e. it costs more for absolutely no benefit.

    If higher octane gas solves your problem then use it. Pining damages your engine. Note that the owner's manual states that mild pinging under acceleration or under load for a short time is acceptable, but I still would not allow pinging myself.
     
  11. Another

    Another Senior Member

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    Victorville temps much different than Pacific Northwest
    Caution on over pressure in tires.
     
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  12. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    That and a new traction battery will net 50’s and maybe even 60’s mpg’s..... again. Basically a new drivetrain for about $5k depending on how much labor is DIY. That’s pretty much untouchable nowadays.
     
  13. Isaac Zachary

    Isaac Zachary Senior Member

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    My experience with pinging is that if the engine is pinging and high octane helps, the high octane is a bandaid for a much bigger problem. Better fuel mileage with higher octane is also a bandaid for a much bigger problem. IMO 40 weight oil is also a bandaid for a problem. These engines should work fine with not only 30 weight oil, but even 20 weight (e.g. 5W-20) and regular octane fuel (87 R+M/2).

    Oil in the combustion chamber lowers the effective octane, which is why higher octane is bandaiding the problem. Check the cylinders for grooving with a borescope in the sparkplug holes. If the cylinders are ok, you may just need to get the crud out of the piston rings. New pistons and rings would fix that, although you can try some engine cleaner of some sort. If the cylinders are grooved then yes, you need a new engine block.
     
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  14. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy Active Member

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    for real on the tire pressure?
     
  15. reyada4766

    reyada4766 New Member

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    Ok after increasing tire pressure and cleaning the intake I went up to 42mpg. way better than before. Some people recommended a K&N filter or a high flow filter. Today I did an experiment. I added e85 fuel. It is $3.00 cheaper a gallon than 87octane in my city. I know it is not recommended and not a good idea for a stock Prius but the mpg went down to 38mpg. Not too bad but I am sure they offer conversion kits to help it work better. I think most of the Priuses use e85 in Brazil from factory. Gas might go up to $7.00 A gallon in my area, so I have no problem using e85 if it stays low. I know e85 gets 30% less fuel economy than regular so I always do the math before i use it I in any of my cars. I have used e85 in the past and the only problem I had was hard starting. I am open to only using 87 again if it is very dangerous to the car. I have no problem buying an engine in the futre as I plan to keep my Prius. I want to thank everyone for any comments as I am new to the form. I appreciate the knowledge of people here.
     
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  16. reyada4766

    reyada4766 New Member

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    I can do a lot of work myself to safe thousands. If I do use a mechanic I can find a cheap one. The dealers prices bascily total any car sadly
     
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  17. reyada4766

    reyada4766 New Member

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    It sure gets bumpy
     
  18. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    After a decade above 45psi it may still be a bit hard for me, but tires seem to last longer and mpg savings pay off after that much time... When tires are in first 1/2 of life savings are amazing, 2nd half not so much. Also if you're really serious, converting to lithium via this link is only other thing other than LRR tires w/maxxed out psi it will make a majorly noticeable difference: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw
     
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  19. Classic Car Guy

    Classic Car Guy Active Member

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    aren't you guys worried of getting a possible ply separation on your tires that may get an unexpected blow-up on the freeway?
     
  20. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    My ecopias were rate for 60K miles and over the course of a decade I've over 70K miles on both sets of these tires with perfectly even wear on tread. The balloon theory of overinflated tires wearing in the center more than edges is BS.

    And I suspect ply separation is also a myth, but if you'd like to provide valid references I'd be happy to consider them!