Brand new owner (hi!)/question about freeway driving

Are you driving in B mode?

Where are you located? Can you update your location info?

As for "slight resistance", well, from looking at ScanGauge II bta (amps going into/out of the HV battery), if you're not pressing on the accelerator, there's always a bit of regen going on , which would cause a bit of slowing beyond what's caused by aerodynamic drag and rolling friction.

 

Assuming your friend has the same generation (model year 04 to 09) of Prius, perhaps try swapping cars briefly to see if you each feel/don't feel the same phenomena?

 

yes, i have never felt this. there is some regen going on when you let off the pedal but any car will slow down. there is no regen if you have a steady pressure on the pedal. can you better describe the conditions when this happens?

 

not necessarily, that is when you might feel some regen. how's your mileage?

 

I recently bought a 2007 too... I live an hour or so north of Oregon...

Send me a direct message if you want to compare cars next time I'm heading down the I-5. For now at least I suggest you put the car in neutral while driving and see if that feels different to you compared to when your car is gliding (foot depressed slightly after accelerating and no arrows on your screen indicating electric or gas engine providing power or regenerating power).

Have you read about how to get highest MPG with pulse and glide around town, as well as how to pulse and stealth mode while on the freeway? That might clear up some of your concerns.

Also, you could try jacking up each wheel and making sure it spins without much friction?

PS: Taking it to Toyota should always be a last resort... I read the craziest stories about Toyota dealers on here. They're som bad apples you'll want to avoid out there. You're better off using PriusChat and DIY as much as possible to keep repair costs down.

 

Yea... Single digit pulses do happen on occasion but mostly low double digits on a heavy pulse... If you're driving 4 miles to work on a completely cold engine 35mpg is typical... For me, unless it's hot out, I need about 10 minutes of engine warmup in city driving to get get out of the 35mpg range. Because of this very issue I'm thinking of getting off my nice person and walking an biking more and only using my car for trips that take greater than 10 minutes.

And even if the engine is warmed up I know a pro snowboarder women who drives her 2009 like a race car and she always gets 35mpg in the city.

Point is, getting good gas mileage is a DIY thing, it's not something the dealer can help you with until you car throws a code...

Fortunately there are loads of things you can do to improve MPG if you spend a couple hours reading as much as possible on here. Pumping up your tires till you find out how much is too much is #1, driving habits is #2.

And doing all the additional things you read about on here combined is what will get you better MPG. It will also get you doing your own preventative maintenance and in general make your car last alot longer.

PS: What part of Oregon do you live in? If you live along the I-5 we could meet up and try each other's cars next time I head south, I'm averaging about 49mpg city and 53mpg hwy. When I first got the car 6 months ago I was getting MPG in the low 40's.

 

you might need a new 12v.

 

The arrows changing in #1 is totally normal. I put together

to demonstrate power flow back/forth at highway speeds for another board. I had the cruise control set the whole time. I believe there was a net elevation loss on that stretch (I can try to confirm w/Google Earth), which would explain the high iMPG values at that speed.

As for #2, it can be normal, esp. if SoC of the HV battery is low. If you want FE help, answer the questions at Fuel economy complaints/queries? Please copy, paste & answer these questions, esp. if you're new | PriusChat. Your short drives are killing your mileage. 35 for a drive that short, esp. if it's just city w/lots of stopping, isn't necessarily abnormal.

See ConsumerReports.org - Most fuel-efficient cars. Last page of http://www.consumersunion.org/Oct_CR_Fuel_Economy.pdf describes their tests. Best & worst fuel economy can give you context of how other vehicles do in CR's short city test.

What if you get your car warmed up (very important), take on the highway, set the cruise control at somewhere between 50-65 mph, reset the trip computer and drive for at least 5 minutes? Then, turn around and go the other direction (to cancel out effects of elevation change and wind) at the same speed. Tell us what mpg you get from that.

 

Yep. OP should run the test at Weird stuff happening? MPGs dropping? Test The Battery | PriusChat after the car has sat overnight or MANY hours. Tell us the voltages at each step.

If it's an 07, on the original 12 volt, then it's due for replacement soon, if not already.

 

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Your Hybrid battery may be consistently low. Tell us the charge on the Hybrid battery. Its the other screen from consumption. The one that shows the charge level of the Hybrid battery. Should always be in the blue at least 3 bars.
And more importantly should not show any wide swings from blue to purple. But if always one bar blue or orange the car will run very poorly with no power and will feel like a load is on it holding you back.

OR...you are coming from a more powerful and heavier car and not used to the feel of a Prius. I have a cop car I bounce back and forth from and due to the inertia of a heavier and more powerful car it rolls much better and you hardly have to keep the gas pedal engaged to maintain say a 65 mph speed. The Prius is a little different in that you must keep the gas pedal engaged a little more to maintain speed comparatively. But if I drive just the Prius consistently that feeling goes away. You may just not be used to it.

What car are you coming from?

A 4 mile commute everyday is not what an 07 Prius is designed for. That will not charge the Hybrid battery or the 12 volt battery very well and your mileage will suffer.I also get 35 mpg's bouncing around town short commute.

But not sure where you bought the car and if it has a warranty but if it really bugs you and you suspect the Hybrid battery is having an issue go to a Toyota dealer and ask them to diagnose the Hybrid battery. They will hook there laptop to it with proprietary Toyota Techstream software and take it for a spin. They can check all levels of Hybrid battery health and can tell you immed. if they see anything wrong. They usually charge a $125 diag fee.

Also be aware you really should change the little 12 volt auxiliary battery in the trunk. Comparatively mine lasted exactly 5 years to the month and I took very good care of it with monthly maintenance charges and never jumped it once. I thought that was spectacular performance of the tiny little battery. You do not want to get caught out with that little 12 volt battery dead and the car won't start. The proper connections to jump start a Prius are not well known and alot of people have seen even experienced people damage there car extensively buy reverse jumping. Hundreds of posts concerning that nightmare here also.

Search here as there are literally thousands of posts concerning that battery replacement. I bought a higher performance Optima Yellowtop just 2 weeks ago.

Go online to Advance Auto parts and there a 15% off 199.00 deal going on. Buy it online and pick it up at there store. Great deal with a $50 coupon included.
I highly recommend it.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks ED, Just did a search for Advanced Auto Parts in Washington & Oregon and we don't have any of those out here.

Anyone out there know of a good place for us Pacific Northwest folk to get a great price on a Yellow top?

 

Maybe installing a block heater (to electrically heat the engine) would be an option for you. The car won't burn all the gas heating up, just in time to get to work, it will be warm when you start off. There is a bit of an installation procedure though, which is on one or more of the modding forums. Maybe you've read these by now...

 

BatteriesPlus stores carry them also. If have to ship in use eLearnaid.com