Newbie - Not complaining! Just looking for tips from the pros :-)

Are you sure your tire size is 185 x 65 x 15? I have a 2010 Prius II and the tire size is 195 x 65 x15.

Also do not rely on your computer read out for MPG. This method has been documented by real world owners that it will be consistently off by about 3 MPG.

So if your MPG guage read out is say, 50 MPG your real MPG should be about 47 MPG.

alfon

 

That first tank from the dealer is not optimal for figuring mpg.

Wait until you've filled the tank yourself a couple of times, do the math manually, and then decide what your MPG is on average.

Yes, the car does need to "break in", as do the tires. You will see a couple of marked MPG improvements, at about 800 miles and again at about, what, 1200? yeah, about that.

Don't try to crawl in ECO/EV mode. that really isn't efficient, and will bring the MPG down. Accelerate from stop lights/signs briskly, then ease off. Trying to minimize brake usage will do you more good than minimizing acceleration. In other words, anticipate traffic and signals, and use inertia to your advantage.

Welcome!

 

More importantly, you can't determine much of anything about your mpg on the first tank. You have no idea how full it was or how hard anybody drove it before you...and the car is still breaking in. Not fret mileage for the first couple of tanks, and then start paying more attention.

 

I am going to tell you to wait for yet another reason. You should be learning the controls, finding your blind spots and testing your braking and handling. I like you (I like everyone until they prove otherwise) and want you safe. Three tanks in you will be familier with where everything is and can risk paying more attention to the mileage graphs and strategies.

Have fun, and I bet it improves as you become used to the car and what it is 'saying' to you.

 

Here's a couple answers for comparison.

My ride has about 4,000 miles on it. Average MPG 42-43 actual. Tire pressure @ 36 F&R. Drive it like any other car(in D)--moderate acceleration in normal mode, moderate braking making use of regen. No warm-up. When it says Ready, I'm ready. Most driving is in town, flat, average stop and go @ 40MPH. Best mileage to date just shy of 50, all highway, 60-70 MPH. A/C on most of the time set @ 75 degrees(90-100 Outside). I drive Kansas roads on OEM--IV tires and wheels sans the ugly wheel covers.
Congrats on the new car. Enjoy it for another few thousand miles before making any meaningful calculations.
Anymore questions just ask. Somebody here always has an answer.

 

Welcome to Prius Chat!

1. Thank you VERY MUCH for filling out the questionnaire, it really does help with answering questions.

2. I echo what all the others say here, just "drive" the car for the first few tanks and get used to it. Believe it or not, your heavy commute may be able to yield phenomenal MPG's, especially if you learn some pulse and glide techniques (for the slow and go traffic).

3. There is another, similar thread that was up recently. If you haven't already read it try this link

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...42-gas-mileage-help-38-3-mpg-whats-wrong.html

Lonewolf69 had similar observations. Although your situations aren't identical, they are similar and many of the suggestions given to him will work for you as well.

Enjoy!

 

Agree with the patience advice. Not too early to read though. Begin to learn pulse & glide by reading Hobbit's write-up: HSI

Get those tires aired up to as high as max sidewall (-2 in back), a little less for rough roads.

Learn to conserve your momentum. Regen braking is great, but not nearly as efficient as not braking in the first place.

You should be in the 50's after a few tanks of learning.

 

Avoid using the brakes, that's the #1 thing you can do. It might help to find an alternate route to work (or go earlier or later) to avoid traffic. Using the climate control less (and when you do use it, keeping the temperature far from any extreme) will help some too; when you use heat, remember that the heat came from burning gasoline, and now the engine has to burn more to keep warm. At highway speeds, there's probably an excess of heat, and the engine has to be spinning all the time anyway, so it's less of a worry then. When using air conditioning, turn the temperature up as high as you can while still feeling comfortable. You might also consider using just the fan (A/C off), or cracking a couple windows if you're moving slowly. But keep in mind that the battery likes to be at room temperature too, so A/C on a 100-degree day is a good thing - but 75 is better than 69.

 

Just to clarify the "no brakes" advice....

In order to achieve this state a few things need to be done.

1) You must not tailgate. You need some distance between you and the car in front of you.

2) You need to try to look way ahead of you.

3) You need to anticipate stops.

You are looking for what traffic is doing so you can react appropriately. If you see brake lights ahead (because of a merge or something) you want to let off the accelerator pedal and coast (with or without engine braking) and bleed off speed that way. Ditto that if a light is turning to red or is already red.

You will still need to brake and you shouldn't wait to brake hard at the last second. The game is to see how long you can avoid braking (through coasting) and to see if you can keep some momentum for when traffic starts moving again.

 

May I add to all the points provided here by other esteemed members: You don't have to baby the gas paddle in ECO mode (or any other mode) and accelerate like a crawling snail. Crisp acceleration (thus the term "Pulse" in P&G) is actually more fuel efficient and the faster you attain the speed of traffic flow the longer distance you can "Glide" the Prius before next stoppage.

 

This is great advice from Codyroo. The increased following distance gets you good mpg, and don't overlook that it makes you a safer driver.

Here is one more: learn to anticipate the terrain as well as the traffic. Out on the road when traffic is light, I look for downhills to accelerate while still keeping the mpg at or near 100, and try to keep an even speed or even let it drop a bit going up hills. On gently rolling hills, I can sometimes keep the instantaneous mpg at 100 for miles using this method.

Think of your Prius as a gasoline-electric-gravity hybrid and use gravity to your advantage whenever possible.

And by the way, my gas mileage has gone from high 40s to nearly 60 in the first four months of ownership, due to break-in and learning how to drive it.