Newbie Q - What MPG should a HEAVY foot in heavy city traffic expect?

my guess is 38

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ucla95 @ Jul 7 2006, 02:39 PM) [snapback]282638[/snapback]</div>

If you insist in beating everyone off the line and staying ahead of everyone and only drive in congested traffic, I predict in the 20’s. If you split that with freeway driving, then I predict high 30’s or low 40’s. I think I remember a post stating that at 100 mph the Prius gets about 26 mpg. I get 46 mpg at 80 mph. I suppose that if you try hard enough, you could get it into the teens. But I suspect that that would be very very difficult. But hey, I have faith in you, go get em. :lol: B)

 

How heavy can one get if it's all that crowded? If the tires even think about spinning, they get shut down.

I wouldn't expect EPA averages if you are doing 0 to <city speed limit> in 4 seconds, but a small amount of restraint sould still keep you in the 40's somewhere...

 

Hmm, if you are trying very, very hard you could get the car below 30. You would have to drive extremely hard, so hard that the brakes would be in ABS mode for every stop. Also, only drive about 1 mile at a time, then shut off the car and get out for 30 minutes. Then, when you go to startup again, put the heat/ A/C on max hot or cold (depending on the weather) and let the car sit for 10 minutes before taking off. Floor it at every opportunity. That should get the car below 30 MPG. I'm not promising, but it seems likely.

Nate

 

With my Prius I have observed heavy-footed driving to achieve around 44 mpg in warm/hot weather for trips of 5-20 minutes at a time (my wife). I usually get about 54 mpg in the same conditions with a lighter foot.

I have to say, that sure beats the 16 mpg she would get driving the minivan for the same trips, so I am willing to sacrifice the overall mpg on the car and let her drive my Prius when I am telecommuting.

 

High 30's, low 40's depending on how heavy the lead foot is.

 

The "worst" I could do in a brand new malibu was 18... I suspect you will still be over 30 in a Prius. However "heavy foot" and "Prius", in my opinion, do not belong in the same sentence. The car is designed for efficiency and great economy, and the performance benefit of a heavy foot simply isn't there. I have to turn the wheels and do a brake stand to get the front wheels to spin and even then it is only a baby chirp.

 

Well my experience with 3k under the belt is this. I live in northern ca jus north of san francisco and commute in about 14 miles a day and then drive around the city from job to job and on errands, I am a GC and this is my light duty "truck". I started off with about 43 mpg but now after the novelty of the mfd has abated somewhat i have averaged 38 mpg with my normal driving. Now this is in San Francisco where there are many steep hills and yu have to stop almost every block in the neighborhoods . I never really kept track what the mpg of my tundra was but I am sure i would be close o 33percent of what I am getting with the prius. Just think what you get with a lead foot in a normal car!

 

The easy way to get poor milage in a Prius is to drive it only one or two miles each time. I can get into the low 30's pretty easily that way. On longer trips, even if you drive it like you stole it, you'll do decent if not exceptional milage. The little 1.5 liter engine just isn't going to let you get into too much trouble.

 

I never get below 40.

 

Well a lot also depends on terrain.

Flat or dowhill and your heavy foot will be minimized. Uphill and it will be a killer.

Heavy foot also means that you will get up to speed faster and hopefully be coasting more...a technique which has been suggested by many of the more seasoned Prius masters.

So with a good route and some good coasting (and with some good weather), you can probably obtain the low to mid 40's...maybe even better. Just make sure to get your tire pressure up to speed (42/40 if you can take the extra bumps).

 

I'll bet the flatbed that the crumpled remains of your Prius ends up
on after you've launched it into some solid object will not get
particularly good mileage at all. Well, if you survive, maybe you
can drop some MPG hints to the tow driver...
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Jul 7 2006, 11:30 PM) [snapback]282916[/snapback]</div>

LOL! Great one H*!

 

“HEAVY foot in heavy city traffic . . . Just trying to be realistic...â€

I thought to myself when I read that, “I wonder where the poster lives.â€

Hmmmm. The Midwest. Curious thing . . . that sounds more like LA driving to me.

Then I saw your Member Name . . . UCLA95 ~ Ah! That explains it! :lol:

Heavy foot in a Prius is about as logical a whipping a Shetland Pony in an attempt to race a Thoroughbred. <_<

 

Why don't you come out to Danny's Prius Pick-up Party and show us your heavy foot and we'll show you how to max your MPG.

Wayne

 

Under certain situations, a heavy foot will achieve better mileage than a light one. When you start the car on a cold morning you shouldn't drive with too light a foot because it prolongs the warming up time of the ICE. If you gingerly creep away from stops not allowing the ICE to start, you'll be cutting your mileage because running the ICE is a more efficient way to accelerate.

I'm from Chicago, and I've lived in SoCal, so I know of the traffic you're talking about, and I'm sure I could get mpg in the 40s without p'ing off any of the other drivers in those areas.

The change in temps from summer to winter will have a far greater effect on your mpg than your driving technique.