How do you guys manage to drive in normal mode without getting shot

That is not correct and one of the reasons your mpg is lower than it could be.

 

Well, it doesn't effect mine, I pick it back up again going down the next hill.

My conditions here in rural Northern New England are different then what you flatlanders see. I'm very happy with my average MPG given my conditions and how I choose to drive.

 

Why you calling a flatlander? Here is my commute.

 

So you have no problem with the police starting every murder investigation with the hypothesis that DumbMike did it? Even though they have no evidence, nothing that links you with the crime? Wow. Every time someone is murder they come to your place of work, and question you about your whereabouts. They talk with you friends and relations as well. You would endure that, without thinking anything is wrong with it?

In my world, I want the police to work from evidence, motives, probable cause, to develop a hypothesis from that evidence, before they start compiling a list of suspects.

 

Sporin, sorry if my post came across as negative as if I was calling you a liar. I cut my response short because the girl called my name as I was next in line for a haircut.

In hypermiling, there are many techniques which appear to save very little fuel but when used frequently over the course of a whole tank they can contribute significantly to your overall savings. I am not arguing what is prudent and what is safe. I am only trying to keep the facts straight so readers can choose what is best for them and their commute strategy.

 

Gentle starts, not crawling, not slamming your foot to the floor; Gentle Stops, not breaking hard; keeping a steady smooth speed, not too fast, will all add up to a much better gas mileage. It has worked well for me, bringing my average MPG up to about 57. Notice that this average is without Pulse and Glide, as my traffic normally doesn’t allow its use. I haven’t been shot…not yet anyway. Oh by the way I have fairly steep grades, both up and down on any trip I make.

 

I did not read through the entire thread but I have an easy solution for the OP.

Put a NRA sticker on the car.

 

F8L, no worries! I got your meaning on the second read through.

Reed, and others,
Obviously, if you choose to do so, there is a lot of little things that can add up to mean much better numbers. I think the thing that often gets lost on PriusChat—where hypermiler one-upsmanship seems to generally be the order of the day—is that not everyone chooses to do these things.

I think the beauty of the Prius is that you can drive it pretty much like a normal car and still get astounding MPG. Not everyone is obsessed with getting every last MPG out of the car.

 

Of course no one is forcing anyone to hypermile; I don’t consider myself to be a hypermiler. I was responding to a feeling I was getting from the poster, that because of their terrain and location, they couldn’t get any better than MPGs in the mid-40s. It is very rare that this is the case, and I was simply trying to show that it is possible to improve your mileage without hypermiling. How you drive is your choice, and I agree with this; however most people buy a Prius for the great gas mileage, which is why there is so much time devoted to getting the most mileage out of the car.

One last thing; gas prices are soaring again and people are hurting at the pump, especially those who need to drive large trucks and SUVs for their livelihood, such as farmers, ranchers, and construction workers. These folks are getting hammered and my heart goes out to them, because I was once in that same position. The laws of supply and demand are in full effect, and there are only two ways to lower the price at the pump. One way is to increase supply, thus the cry “drill baby drill”; however that will only help a little without crying “refine baby refine”, it takes both to really increase the supply of gas. The other way is to reduce demand; I contend that if everyone in the country just slowed down to the speed limits and drove less aggressively we could reduce demand by somewhere between 25 and 33 percent; no hybrid required. I achieved this type of efficiency increase in my previous car, (not a hybrid), just by slowing down to the limits and getting my foot out of the fuel injectors, plus I got the added bonus of reduced stress and aggravation. If it wasn’t for folks who are reducing their use of fuel, the price at the pump would be a lot higher than it is. It is a free country, and we can all drive as we wish, and I chose to slow down and try to reduce the pain at the pump for myself and everyone else.

 

Good points Reed, and I agree. Remember during now-President Obama's campaign when he suggested one way to alleviate some pain at the pump was to properly inflate your tires? The "opposition" (and I'm trying not to get political here) outright MOCKED him for this, but the FACT is that under-inflated tires account for a HUGE waste of fuel.

Little changes DO make a big difference when we all do it, and I do appreciate your suggestions.

From the Fact Check Desk: Are Obama’s Claims About Inflating Car Tires Accurate? - ABC News

 

Very interesting article...thanks for posting.

 

Good for you. I agree. I have no apologies for driving the speed limit, but I stay in the right lane and let others do what they will. I find the right lane is exceedingly more relaxing than weaving in and out of traffic.

 

Yes, especially when using cruise control down a long stretch of interstate.

 

In addressing the theme of this link, in most everyday driving with stops/traffic lights etc., the drivers I refer to as "JERKY JERKS" go flying by, then traffic slows them down so that those smooth skilled drivers arrive to a slow down or stop at the same time. Now these loser Jerks really are furious with blood in their eyes when this happens and they realize that with all their reckless antics did'nt get there any sooner.

 

I don't think they realize anything. If they did they wouldn't drive like that anymore. The vast majority of people are fairly self unaware.

 

If people in Los Angeles shot drivers that were slow, unaware, texting, women putting makeup on and holding up traffic they're would be thousands of shootings a day...driving a Prius won't get you shot, road rage will, no matter what you drive.

 

I get the sense that acceleration is linear. There's no surges or gaps as there might be with a transmission or gearbox. It might be my wishful thinking but I find that the acceleration seems to pick up... because it doesn't seem to reduce.

 

That's your commute? Now I see why you get such great mileage. My commute is uphill, both ways, not like yours where you get to drop 1200 feet each way.

 

Linear with respect to what? Given that Eco, and Power buttons change the response of speed to gas pedal, that isn't linear (it might be in normal).