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Gliding Over 50 MPH Question

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Aaron, Jul 11, 2008.

  1. Aaron

    Aaron Member

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    Question:

    Since my foot isn't very well trained yet, I've been putting the Prius in "N" on the glide portion and I have been doing pretty well (avg. 62+ MPG). Does constantly going between "N" and "D" damage or put extra wear on the Prius? Also, is there a speed in which you don't want to put the car in "N" that could damage it? On some of the downside of really big hills I'm gliding going over 55 MPH in the "N" position. Good / Bad?

    -Aaron
     
    #1 Aaron, Jul 11, 2008
  2. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    I would say bad if your in N and reaching 62mph. Here is why you should not really do that.

    1. If you shift to N while your above 40mph the engine will be on and burning gas and the battery wont charge. Basically just a waste of energy in my opinion.
    2. If your in N and reach 62mph you might damage the car because MG1 would be reaching its redline.

    If you do want to use N at high speed you really need to shift to N while below 40mph and the engine must be off. Shift to N and you can glide up to 62mph. I usually do this but limit my speed to 55mph to be on the safe side.
     
    #2 TheForce, Jul 11, 2008
  3. Aaron

    Aaron Member

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    Does shifting to "N" in general...frequently...put wear on the Prius?

    Also, I noticed that when I shift to "N" a LOT of rolling resistance goes away.

    So, it's worse to shift into "N" above 40 MPH even though there is less rolling resistance than to stay in "D" and let off the gas (charge the battery)?

    Above 40 MPH when in "N" with no arrows at all, the ICE is still using fuel?
     
    #3 Aaron, Jul 11, 2008
  4. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Lets say you traveling at 50mph and you shift to N. The engine will still be turning and you will still be burning gas. Since your in N there will not be any energy flow to or from the battery so I think this is just wasted gas. I find the best thing to do when above 40mph is to try a warp stealth instead of shifting to N. Warp stealth requires a very light touch.

    Now lets say your cresting a small hill at 35mph and just as you crest you get your engine to shut off. If you shift to N now the engine will stay off and you wont be burning any gas even when your speed reaches over 40mph.
     
    #4 TheForce, Jul 11, 2008
  5. Aaron

    Aaron Member

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    To recap and make sure I fully understand (sorry):

    1. When I crest the top of a hill and I go into "N" I better make darn sure that I'm doing it below 42 MPH to ensure that the ICE is off and I get no fuel consumption.

    2. If I do go into "N" and I'm above 42 MPH I better make darn sure I don't go past 62 MPH which could damage the Prius.

    Question:

    I just gt back from a drive and I was able to "no arrows" without going into "N" by "training my foot" to lightly feather the peddle. I noticed that at about 40 to 42 MPH that this didn't work and there were arrows all over the place no matter what. Is there a certain MPH that "no arrows" by using the peddle (rather than "N") won't work?

    At higher speeds (42 to 50 MPH) I was able to get all yellow arrows by VERY lightly pressing the peddle as if I were ONLY using the battery...the screen looked exactly as if I were in a parking lot going 3 MPH with battery only....did I just experience WARP STEALTH?
     
    #5 Aaron, Jul 11, 2008
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