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Question About Warm Up Time for Best Efficiency

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by Lickmeister, Jul 14, 2012.

  1. Lickmeister

    Lickmeister New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2012
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    II
    My wife has a relatively short commute with either our Prius c or our 2009 Gen II, less than 10 miles. If/when the weather ever cools down (it's blazing hot in KC lately) is it more efficient for her to let the car warm up in the drive for a few minutes before heading out or just start and go? I'll experiment with it when it does cool down, but just looking for any opinions on the matter.
     
    #1 Lickmeister, Jul 14, 2012
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
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    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Personally, I would just go. You're getting 0 mpg sitting there w/the ICE warming up.
     
    #2 cwerdna, Jul 14, 2012
  3. Erikon

    Erikon Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Vehicle:
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    III
    Depends on if you have to go from a driveway to 45-50 mph immediately. In any case, an engine block heater would be good for those 10 mile trips in winter.
     
    #3 Erikon, Jul 15, 2012
  4. Mr Incredible

    Mr Incredible Chance favors the prepared mind.

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Four
    The engine runs for a few moments and shuts off, so there really isn't any "warming up" in the usual sense. The best bet is to simply start your trip right away.
     
    #4 Mr Incredible, Jul 15, 2012
  5. jgestar

    jgestar Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2012
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    Location:
    Apex, NC
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I turn the key, put it in gear and go. I find the ICE shuts off before I leave my neighborhood - about 1/4 mile of slow driving. I did the same with my Corolla for 23 years. I traded that car because the rest of the vehicle was deteriorating around a perfectly sound engine.

    It has been nasty hot this summer, hasn't it. When I run the A/C the Prius C shows a noticeable mileage drop. Not drastic, I keep the thermostat set to 79, but the difference is there.


    Tom
     
    #5 jgestar, Jul 15, 2012
  6. ftl

    ftl Explicator

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2009
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    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I've been doing mostly highway driving since I got my C and was reasonably pleased with 52.1 mpg average after three fuel-ups. I happened to fill the tank just before and also just after the recent spell of a couple of weeks of very hot weather around New York when I had the A/C on most of the time (max temps were at least high 80s and well into the 90s on quite a few days). I wasn't too surprised to see that my mileage on that tank dropped to just over 48, bringing my cumulative down to 50.8. All numbers calculated from actual usage.

    I also keep the temperature control set to 78/79.
     
    #6 ftl, Jul 15, 2012
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