Guess what I found about the Prius !

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by Chris2128, Apr 13, 2011.

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  1. stream

    stream Senior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    That's the first I've heard of that--do you have a link? I've been using ECO 99% of the time. I tried switching to "normal" mode for a tankful, and the MPG dropped by ~2.
     
    #21 stream, Apr 14, 2011
  2. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    OK guys, let's carpool to work. I'll buy gas for the downhill leg to work and you buy gas for the trip home. :cheer2:
     
    #22 mad-dog-one, Apr 14, 2011
  3. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    The downhill leg is the trip home. : p
     
    #23 F8L, Apr 14, 2011
  4. xlricklx

    xlricklx Junior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    I have found that in pwr mode VS Eco mode in highway miles I do alot better.

    Recent trip pwr mode 267 miles car marked 60 mpg realistically it did 56.4 :eek: mostly highway miles. btw this is the best I have gotten since oct when I bought the car.

    I have tried 5 mile trips on the highway nor eco and pwr. Always pwr does the best mpg.

    City driving I have found eco is best.

    I avg 48.5 in Miami traffic :rockon:
     
    #24 xlricklx, Apr 14, 2011
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Wind at that speed plays a factor. Consider this:

    I did two trips to another city 3 hours south, once this year and once around the same time last year. It's 110km/h (69mph) all the way down. There's a slight elevation change over those 3 hours (~220 miles), increasing southward.

    Last year there was slight south wind

    Going there: 5.6L/100km (42mpg)
    Final tally: 4.7L/100km (50mpg)

    This year, no wind in the morning but NW20km/h gusting to 40km/h in the afteroon (12 gusting 25mph):

    Going there: 5.2L/100km (46mpg)
    Final tally when I reached home: 5.6L/100km (42mpg).


    I gained mpg last year but lost it this year. Temps were a bit warmer this year too.
     
    #25 Tideland Prius, Apr 14, 2011
  6. stereos

    stereos Junior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    i'll do that next trip.ty
     
    #26 stereos, Apr 15, 2011
  7. Mark57

    Mark57 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Wind, um yeah. Yesterday I was driving home straight into a W-NW headwind that was gusting to 67 mph! I was driving at ~70 mph on I-40 and getting about 28 mpg. The trip was about 60 miles and it really sucked. My average on the start of this tank went from 78.3 mpg down to ~49 mpg from that one drive. This spring has been extremely windy in OK. When I got home the wind had moved our heavy patio furniture about 3 feet. It's well vented and no cushions or anything to catch the wind.
     
    #27 Mark57, Apr 16, 2011
  8. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    I vote wind.

    Prevailing winds on my drives home recently have shifted from north westerly to westerly. When going home on the San Mateo Bridge (eastbound), my instant MPG has gone from 60 - 65 mpg to 75 - 80 mpg (sometimes higher). Usually have a 15 - 20 mph wind that is a partial crosswind, but when it is westerly, it is a tailwind.

    What's also a nice bonus is on my drive into work in the morning, the winds haven't kicked up too much, so I don't face as much of a headwind as I would later in the day.
     
    #28 Codyroo, Apr 17, 2011
  9. J5A

    J5A Active Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    THANK YOU for posting this, OP!

    I acheived 50mpg's for the very first time this morning switching from eco mode to normal mode.
    Based on same 10 mile trips around town, averages as follows:
    Ohio winter, eco mode: 37mpgs :eek:
    Early Spring, up until last week @70 degrees, eco mode: 44mpgs :rolleyes:
    This morning @61 degrees, normal mode: 50+mpgs!! :D

    I'm very happy.
     
    #29 J5A, Apr 27, 2011
  10. k9frog

    k9frog New Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    hey guys forgive me im kinda new at this prius stuff, i just got a 2011 prius 2 , what are you referring to when you say normal mode, would this mean power mode by any chance,itll take a little time for me to learn the prius words that are used here, but ill get it,
    by the way on the way home with the car my wife clocked 50.3 mpg over 24 miles, not bad for the first drive
     
    #30 k9frog, Apr 27, 2011
  11. Paradox

    Paradox Prius Enthusiast / Moderator
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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Normal mode is when you do not have PWR or ECO mode selected. There's no button for it, it's when eco or pwr is not lit on the dash. Congrats on the new Prius, keep enjoying it and asking questions :)
     
    #31 Paradox, Apr 27, 2011
  12. Rocco42

    Rocco42 Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    I think the reason that many of us bought a Prius was to SAVE money on gas, but hey, what the heck do I know?
     
    #32 Rocco42, Apr 27, 2011
  13. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Actually, a lots if us bought to reduce our dependency on foreign oil and to reduce pollution. Saving money on fuel was a fantastic bonus. :)
     
    #33 F8L, Apr 28, 2011
  14. Rocco42

    Rocco42 Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    As far as reducing dependency on foreign oil, you should be made aware that the oil that is extracted from the US, does not, necessarily go to US markets, but is traded on the World market, with the rest of the crude. The myth that if we drill more places in the US will increase the US supply of petroleum is one big myth, as the corporations who actually own it, will sell it where ever they can. Don't think that Exxon/Mobil has any patriotic duty to sell just to the US (after all, they don't even pay taxes!).

    Perhaps you might think about conservation of the planet's limited petroleum resources?

    Reducing pollution is a good thing to do, as a long time environmentalist, it increases my bona fides among my peers, as well, though buying a recycled vehicle would do as well. The resources needed to build new vehicles, in some ways, cancels some of the reduction in pollution.
     
    #34 Rocco42, Apr 28, 2011
  15. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Agreed but it depends highly on what that used vehicle is. An old inefficient vehicle with poor emissions control will put out way more pollution during use than the new vehicle did during complete production.

    Don't worry, I'm not a part of the "drill baby drill" party. :)
     
    #35 F8L, Apr 28, 2011
  16. Dweezil

    Dweezil Cat Juggler

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Originally Posted by StgIIIS4 [​IMG]
    Is the extra mpg really worth being concerned about driving style constantly? The Prius is not a cheap car to begin with. I wouldn't think drivers would be too concerned about spending an extra $15 dollars a week on gas.


    $15 multiplied by 52 weeks comes out to $780 a year. That's a LOT of groceries. I can certainly modify my driving habits to attain that savings...it's not that difficult to do.
     
    #36 Dweezil, Apr 29, 2011
    2 people like this.
  17. Mark57

    Mark57 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Hi Chris2128. I'm in OKC. As you know our wind this Spring has been extremely strong and seems to have hung around a lot longer that previous years. I ran across a post that had a link to a site that shows how crosswinds can effect tour MPG. I'd not seen this before and found it very interesting and surprising. Here's the link. Crosswinds

    Is the majority of your commute N/S or E/W? I was surprised to see that a crosswind is worse on mpg than a headwind.
     
    #37 Mark57, Apr 30, 2011
  18. Maine Pilot

    Maine Pilot Senior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    I wonder if these mileages have been recorded using cruise control? If CC is selected, will your car still operate in Eco mode?
     
    #38 Maine Pilot, Apr 30, 2011
  19. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    ECO mode will still affect the A/C-Heater. But as far as CC-triggered acceleration goes, it has no effect.

    In some other threads I have read that the mode you are in can affect the way the CC tries to keep up speed, but I have tested it a couple of times and I haven't noticed any difference between acceleration triggered by the CC when, e.g., I was in ECO or PWR mode.
     
    #39 pakitt, Apr 30, 2011
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk MMX GEN III

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    Re: Guess what I found about he Prius !

    Yes.

    Some have speculated that ECO mode might change cruise behaviour, ie: maybe make it less quick to react to slight upgrades.

    I've always been skeptical about CC and it's effect on mileage, thinking I can do better. But I've been experimenting with our Prius' cruise, just seeing what it can do. On relatively level terrain it seems to get consumption down quite effectively, as evidence by the HSI and instant mileage displays.

    It's interesting too: when I first set a cruise speed, and then lift my foot off the gas, the pedal seems to come right up to it's stop, even though speed does not fall-off. It's a weird feeling: on any previous car with cruise activated, the gas pedal would stay depressed. Meaning, I guess, that there was a mechanical connection between gas pedal location and throttle opening.
     
    #40 Mendel Leisk, Apr 30, 2011
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