What every newb should know

Yes I think it is a personality trait. I know someone, when on a long trip, would not fill up until the tank was almost empty. Because we live in a large country fuel stations were not very close together, so he would then repeat over and over, I think I should have filled up back there. (back there was hundreds of Kilometers away).

 

Not a stupid question...yes it will get better ( a little) purely by break in of tires etc. but most improvements will come from "learning" how to use the car...read the neat stuff here on PC and you're on your way. :welcome:

 

Can you give us a link that best describes how to maximize your mileage? I see lots of threads and it's often difficult to weed through for the best ones.

 

There are indeed lots of them. This is probably a good starting point. From there, do a good search on "pulse and glide." Then check out this article on CleanMPG.

If those (and the links embedded within) don't give you what you need, consider starting a new thread in the Fuel Economy forum describing in as much detail as possible your driving conditions. We'll try to give you situation-specific advice.

 

Hi all, new 2009 Prius I've had it for two weeks and I love it! Also bought the Platinum plan, hoping I did the right thing?

 

Thanks for being available to us newbies. I am awaiting a 2010 Prius when they become available. I've placed the required $500.00 deposit to put my name on the "waiting list". So I'm sure I'll be visiting this thread for advice and help in the next several months.

 

Thank you for joining us. We'll all be anxious to hear first hand reports from a 2010 driver...please keep us up to date on your delivery experience.
:welcome:

 

Sorry for not searching to be sure it's not here, but...

How 'bout a tidbit of useful info for newbs...

The headlights only turn off when you open the DRIVER'S door. I like leaving my lights switch on, so that my lights are always on while driving. Yesterday, I got where I was going, went around to the passenger side to gather my things, and realized I'd forgotten to write down my mileage. I put my key back in & turned it to "ON", wrote down my mileage, turned off the key & went about my business...

(you see this coming, don't you??) A few hours later, when I was done & ready to go home, I came back out to my car, pushed the 'unlock' button, and the door didn't unlock. I tried closer to the car, at different angles around the car (it matters to our stupid Chevy Venture), gave up & used the key on the passenger door. I dumped my stuff, went around & got in my door (it had sluggishly unlocked) and put the key in & turn it to "ON"... No dash display, weak door-open chime, no MFD... Aww CRAP!!!

Yeah, and I'm a computer tech... who killed the battery in his hybrid car...
<hangs head in shame>

I get out my Owner's Manual, start reading, then go ask for a jump. Thankfully I *did* know that it's NOT the 12V battery that cranks the engine over. As soon as the helper vehicle was connected, I was good-to-go. Lotsa wise-cracks from the truck-driving hard-working folks I'd asked for help... That's fine, I owe 'em a couple boxes of donuts for helping me out.

 

Not talking about someone I know are you Bev?

For People wondering, please welcome my sister in law, bevspark to the forum. Although not a Prius owner yet (I'm working on it) she is a really smart and nice person, you'll like her.

 

Wow I am really starting to find my way around this forum. Yes I am talking about someone you know, and the worst thing about that particular situation, was we were towing a caravan.
Yes I am smart and nice, but not really sure if this is the right Forum for me as I do not own a Prius, not very smart hey!

 

It's funny you should ask that. I bought my magnetic grey '09 right before Thanksgiving and of course made a short holiday trip. My salesman told me to not use the CC until I had driven a 1000 miles.
So we obeyed, all the time thinking, "drat", wish we could use cruise, so when I got a little closer to 1000, I called my salesman back on this subject. He said he just made it a policy to say that to enable the new owner to become more familier with the driving techniques of the Prii. That was his reason, I then talked with the dealer Prii service manager and he said the same thing----to become more accustomed to the driving was the logic.
That is a good reason, but.
Talk to your service manager and get his imput.

 

That is one function that a lot of regular gasoline cars do, that would be nice if applied to the Prius, but would be very difficult.
Just watch your pips.

 

Have Toyota given an explication for the use of that blader inside the gas tank ? . For me it sound verry weird .

In Eu the majority of cars with trip computer (in french speaking countries/countryes with french derivate language we are calling them Computer de bord {in english aboard computer , this computer manages the car and all functions}) , have the presumed autonomy based on available gas in the tank .

I saw here at PC , that many persons are fueling at low cost fueling stations , usualy in Eu gasoline is slighty different from one Gas station to another (from brand to brand), some cars react better with one , other worse .

Personaly i'm looking for buying a Prius this Summer , a second hand one for start , because it dosen't worth 25.500 Euro (All taxes included/ without discount , wich could get up to 2000 Euro) .

The running out of gas precautions in the user manual , are common sense here in EU , all manufacturers oblige you to not the car run on empty , usualy only women who drives other's car run in situations like this .

If i want to buy a DICE kit from PChat Shop to fit inside a Euro spec Prius , will it work ??

 

It is used to control evaporative emissions on the North American model Prius. It allows the Prius to be considered as a AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology - Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) in California. The Prius and the Honda Civic CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) are the cleanest (liquid fueled) cars sold in the US.

 

Divide your Trip odometer by the amount of gallons tanked and then you get you MPG. What matters is resetting Trip on every fueling. Basic math.

 

OK I've owned my Prius for a bit over a week now, 250mi/54+ MPG, and done a bunch of reading but still have questions, maybe other newbies have the same ones so this seems like a good thread for them...

- Will the MFD always show if the ICE is running? I've been trying P&G but it takes a lot of attention to maintain "stealth" - so far I prefer coasting for long distances in N but some have said the ICE runs in N? I see no indication of such on the MFD. So far I've gotten the best MPG by accelerating fairly aggressively, then shift into N and glide for as long as possible. But the car is so noisy and the engine so quiet I can't really tell if the ICE is running in N glide...

- B mode really does not charge the battery any more than D? The only time I have seen a full charge so far was using B mode. And so far I like having the more aggressive braking option when the road/traffic merits it.

- Will the SKS lock the car when I get far enough away from it or do I have to use the lock buttons on the exterior or keyfob? BTW, on mine the exterior lock buttons also function to unlock

- In P&G is are better results gotten through brisk acceleration (short P, long G) or smooth (long P, long G)


Thanks!

 

No, its not always possible to tell if the ICE is on or off from the MFD display. That is one reason that many add a ScanGauge to report RPM. There are other subtle clues like engine sound and vibration, but it takes awhile to recognize these.

In N, the ICE will continue to run if it is running when N is selected; it will stay off if it was off when N was selected. If you are using N to coast, you should avoid coasting as speeds faster than 42 mph with the ICE off - there is a risk of overspeed of MG1 - it is somewhat of a controversy whether the car programming will protect against this.

Personally, I don't use N coasting, instead I have learned to feather the "go" pedal to minimize regen drag instead.

B mode actually will throw away energy that might otherwise be used to charge the battery. A very good explanation is here:

http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/b-mode.html

No, it will not lock on its own, you must lock the car using the exterior button(s) for SKS or the keyfob.

I think there is a consensus that accelerating without using the battery (either charging or discharging) and then gliding as much as possible will give the best FE results. You may not find this is practical with other traffic. I seem to get better results with shorter, more aggressive pulse, but the difference between that and more gradual acceleration is not huge. The car is fairly efficient at accelerating - using the brakes is where the energy is lost. So avoid using the brakes as much as possible. But don't hit anything.