Dragged, kicking and screaming, and now own a Pruis

Hi mgrant8163,

Somewhere on here is a sticky regarding the Gen III mileage techniques. The link below explains how to use the HSI to operate the engine at the peak BFSC region. This car does that somewhat automatically already, but follow the techniques in this link, and you should be up in the high 50 s in no time:

HSI

There are several things to do:

Route - initial portion of route should be as constant and around 25 to 45 mph as possible, and any stops be as short as possible. Avoid higway speeds for the first ten minutes of a trip.

Light Timing - do not drive the speed limit, drive the speed where experience tells you will get to the next light while its green.

Pedal is close to a true accelerator - traditional cars the accelerator is not really an accellerator, but a speed pedal. Push further, the car goes faster. In the Prius the pedal is closer to a true accelerator pedal - push and the car accellerates more. So, once your up to speed, you need to pull much further back off it, to run along at a constant speed. The further you can pull back, without decelerating, the higher the effective transmission ratio will be, and the less pumping losses the engine will have. Conversly, the further down you push it, while holding the same speed, the lower the transmission ratio will be, and the also the much more quicker the car will respond to a quick jab of the pedal.

Braking should be 200 to 300 yards from about 45 mph down to zero. This gives the best charging efficiency. So, drive with a large gap ahead, which allows you to recover the energy of the moving vehicle more efficiently.

Do not brake hard over bumps. This will switch the brakes into friction mode, and loss the regeneration till after you come to a stop, and start again. Lift the brake pedal over pot holes, or ofther rough pavement.

Super highway mode - somewhat controversial. With proper pedal level while on the highway 70 mpg in 70 F weather without wind is possible. The speed is around 53 mph.

Tire Pressure - 42/40 is the starting point for most hypermilers. Many run much more. 44/42 is what is recommended by Wayne Gerdes of Cleanmpg.com

Grill blocking in cold weather - This not only avoids lost heat, that can be used to keep passengers and batteries warm, but also avoids the parasitic aero drag of the air flowing through the engine compartment.

Run the AC at 85 F in hot weather. The Prius will dehumdify, and so 85 F is not that hot in the Prius, unless your getting direct sunlight in the windows. Drive on the shaded side of the road - or just stay of the interstate on the drive home..


Anyway,,,there are others I am sure. That is a start...

 

You don't need mods, just an intelligent right foot when driving. I am driving my second Gen2 and have increased my lifetime Fuel Economy (FE) from 20.4 to 21.6 km/litre from over 30000km in both cars. I can easily get FE figures of 4.2 l/100km (that's US 56mpg) around town with methods described in this thread, but the challenging technique to be found is for highway driving.

I've found that 106 kph speedo indicated is the maximum I can maintain if I want to get better than 5 l/100km (US47 mpg) on the highway. I have a Scanguage II that has enabled me to come up with that figure. I also use Cruise Control whenever I can on reasonably level ground (set at 106 kph).

Hope this helps

 

If your goal is to achieve better gas mileage, using EV mode more often will work against you. Yes, I'm serious - the more you use the battery, the lower your gas mileage. Much better to use the gas motor to propel the car directly instead of suffering the 2x chemical conversion losses into and back out of the battery. The whole reason pulse and glide works so well to save gas is because the battery is all but completely bypassed (though it is really handy to have the battery there to keep everything in the car running while the ICE is off during glide).

So my advice: Either have the ICE on and operating at max efficiency (medium/light load) or completely off with no power going into or out of the battery. Do NOT try to use the battery as much as possible - in fact use it as little as possible.

Note that the PHEV version will use the battery for significant gas savings... because the battery is charged off-board (meaning not by the gasoline engine).

 

I know the feeling , my last car was a dodge magnum srt8. I put on ported heads new cam, exhaust, cold air, and some computer dyne tuning. Ended up with 535 hp. So on my prius,like you I wanted to modify also. so I added a enginer plug in conversion $2495. In the city I can keep her pegged on 99.9mpg and on the hwy I get upper 70s, mixed mid 80s. I always got 50 - 52 on almost every tank before mod.I think you have some good tax incentives in your neck of the woods also

 

Has this ever been shown/demonstrated/verified/tested? Certainly isn't the case in my world. On or off - no detectable difference in my mileage. And I am REALLY sensitive about efficiency! I've heard numbers from 1-5mpg... but have seen nobody who's really gotten any verifiable numbers... at least nothing above zero.

 

As some one who regards his Prius as among the most powerful cars he has owned in the last 35 years, I struggle to relate.

 

Huh? Are you talking about Goodyear Integrity tires? AFAIK, these were never OEM tires on the 2010 Prius. They came on US non-touring 2nd gens.

No, it's not. Try putting your car in eco mode to feel the difference between normal and eco.

Others are correct in that you shouldn't overuse EV mode if you want to achieve better mileage due to conversion losses. They're also correct in that you should try use the battery as little as possible.

 

When I was at the dealer the other day, the 15"s either had Yokohama, Bridgestones or GoodYears. Not sure which Good Year though.

 

If one goes to Tire Search Results, it seems that model II (and I believe III and IV) OEM tires are:
Bridgestone Ecopia EP20
Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max
Yokohama AVID S33D

I'd be interesting to know if anyone w/an unmodified 2010 Prius model II thru IV came equipped w/tires other than the above 3.

 

Also drive down hill and with the wind.

 

Eh...I probably deserved that...and I've been called worse...

 

Put the tyre pressures up to 50PSI front and 48 rear.
Hub caps on the GenII make no difference to MPG, take em off if you prefer. Keep an eye on Hubcaps Plus After Market Parts and Accessories For Cars, Trucks and SUVs for chrome wheel covers. They don't make em yet but ...
I have the wheel covers on my Gen II 2005-2009 Toyota Prius 15" Chrome Wheelskins Hubcaps: Hubcaps Plus After Market Parts and Accessories For Cars, Trucks and SUVs

 

Hi mgrant8163,

Most people run their tire pressures at 42/40 psi (Front/Rear). There is a 2 PSI difference to account for the weight distribution in the Prius. The 42/40 PSI is a compromise between comfort, and tire life. A little higher will maximise tire life. Typically, the outer edges of the tires wear faster when the tire pressure is too low. At the door panel pressures, the tires will only last about 20 thousand miles before the outer edges will be bald.

Additionally, at the higher tire pressure, there is much better hydroplaning resistance.

 

Never said I was sorry, and I still think your attitude sucked. Your initial presentation (unedited) was basicly, This is my wifes car...forced on me, I've always driven Poweful Gas Guzzlers, and even though I feel it's an Ugly Car best driven by my wife...I'm going to have fun saving gas....

IMO not the best attitude to apply to Prius ownership. The original vibe I got from your first post was almost like you feel Prius Ownership is just a game, and that owning one and being seen driving one is almost beneath you..."as a car guy"...

Well, I'll tell you. I consider myself a "car guy" as well. But the definition of what that means is changing and expanding.

Glad to see it seems you are getting into Prius ownership and that your attitude is changing.

Hope you can reach a place where you like The Prius for all that it is, instead of dislike it for all that it is not....