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MPG driving in Los Angeles streets?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by sherlockcrypto, Feb 13, 2020.

  1. sherlockcrypto

    sherlockcrypto Junior Member

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    Does anyone know what a good mpg is for driving in LA streets? There are just so many stop signs that my 4 mile commute is taking 20 minutes and I have to drive through about 15 lights/stop signs.

    I am getting about 35 mpg and am hoping to get more in the 45 mpg range. So not sure if its my driving style or something I need to tune up in my car.
     
    #1 sherlockcrypto, Feb 13, 2020
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  2. mikey_t

    mikey_t Active Member

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    I think you have to just do your best to cruise on battery power between the lights and stop signs. Short trips aren't good at all for mpg. I think a little extra air in the tires helps as well.
     
    #2 mikey_t, Feb 16, 2020
  3. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    LA traffic is ROUGH for efficiency for all cars. 35 isn’t terrible for the conditions. Focus on coasting and braking as smooth as possible for best results. And like said above, pump up those tires. I do 40 psi all around.
     
    #3 Aaron Vitolins, Feb 16, 2020
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  4. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

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    Driving on local roads in LA have been my most challenging situation for mpg. Drivers tend to jack rabbit start and then brake hard, followed by jack rabbit acceleration, followed by stopping at a light. Rinse and repeat. You can get 50 mpg on that commute but it would entail pissing off every other driver on the road and giving Prius drivers an even worse reputation.

    35 seems bad, but for a 4 mile drive on a cold engine, it's not terrible.
     
    #4 MelonPrius, Feb 19, 2020
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  5. elementnomore

    elementnomore Member

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    A mix of highways and local streets and I’m around 39 for the tank. West La to Pasadena on the 10 at 60 mph I’ll see 60 mpg.
     
    #5 elementnomore, Feb 22, 2020
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  6. sherlockcrypto

    sherlockcrypto Junior Member

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    So I have been practicing my gas saving driving skills and have been able to get my mpg thankfully.
    Daily commute is 3.8 miles with an avg speed of 12 mph (LOL). best MPG i have been able to get has been 46 MPG using focused driving techniques. My commute is from East LA into DTLA and once I get into downtown, i have stop signs, homeless people and trucks that i have to avoid. This is after I have removed a lot of junk from my car to keep it lightweight.
     
    #6 sherlockcrypto, Feb 29, 2020
  7. Too Old to Clean EGR

    Too Old to Clean EGR Junior Member

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    Much of the problem is likely the 4 mile distance. The car will not fully warm up and reach peak efficiency over that short a distance. Accelerating away from a stop a little slower will probably help. I normally get around 48 overall in Los Angeles city driving, maybe around 42 in streets with heavy traffic and lots of signals and stop signs but this is over a distance of more than 4 miles.
     
    #7 Too Old to Clean EGR, Mar 10, 2020
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  8. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    How much of a difference did it make?
     
    #8 Grit, Mar 10, 2020
  9. StarCaller

    StarCaller Senior Member

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    this ^
    what did you remove?
    how much of a difference?
     
    #9 StarCaller, Mar 10, 2020
  10. Jorge Rodriguez

    Jorge Rodriguez New Member

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    Hi everyone new Prius owner here , I have the same problem here in Miami Florida glad to see it's normal . BTW so far love this car
     
    #10 Jorge Rodriguez, Mar 14, 2020
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  11. sherlockcrypto

    sherlockcrypto Junior Member

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    I removed just the junk i had lying around inside the car - not too much weight, maybe about 100lbs of random stuff i had lying around in the trunk and glove compartment. I am also considering removing the rear seats / spare tire but decided to leave it in there since i have actually had to use my spare twice this year after driving over glass shards in LA. I think the biggest difference has been really focusing on your driving style and keeping a sharp eye on the mileage.

    I also bumped up my tire pressure to 38 PSI on all tires which i saw a 2-3 MPG improvement with not much of a discernible difference in driving quality.
     
    #11 sherlockcrypto, Mar 18, 2020
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  12. Triparadox

    Triparadox Active Member

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    100 lbs of junk. That's a lot! Also, I wouldn't recommend removing the seat. It's not worth it imo. The seat doesn't weigh so much (maybe around 15 to 20 lbs). Taking it off and back in when you need is is too much of a hassle.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #12 Triparadox, Mar 29, 2020
  13. dram91801

    dram91801 Junior Member

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    I'm in Glendale near 2/134 FWYs and 42MPGs seems to be my highest. I generally stay around the vicinity and also have the 17" wheels that came withe the model 4
     
    #13 dram91801, Jul 16, 2020
  14. Tekken

    Tekken Member

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    I was getting 56.2 in San Fernando Valley with cheap LionHeart tires in the front. With set of new tires on Kumho (They claimed it's LRR tires), its dropped to 49 MPG.
     
    #14 Tekken, Jul 20, 2020
  15. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Hey great job on the improvement! I agree...trying to stay on battery power in a Gen3 in the city is tough..and could be how the Prius got it's 'slow Prius bad reputation' image by the impatient types. (y)

    One thing to consider in the future is a plug in Prius or a Prius Prime. The larger battery, etc...will let you drive around the city in a much more 'normal' manner. Seems like it would be a perfect fit for you at some point.
     
    #15 farmecologist, Jul 21, 2020
  16. dram91801

    dram91801 Junior Member

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    I temporarily broke quarantine today and drove from Glendale to Downey. 210 E to 710 through So Pas/Alhambra to 710 S to 5 S. Took the same route in reverse back and clocked 58MPG with Eco enabled.

    Last week my 12V Optima drained completely because the dome light was left on somehow. I think my kids climbed may have done it pretending to get out of the house. I tried charging it with AGM smart charger but no dice. I decided to replace it with a new one over trying to recover it. Not sure that it made that much of a difference compared to my last post. Went from ~42MPG in Glendale environs to almost 60 MPG
     
    #16 dram91801, Jul 26, 2020
  17. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    You tested positive and didn’t mask up while driving? Your car needs to be tested now!!!
     
    #17 Grit, Jul 27, 2020
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  18. dram91801

    dram91801 Junior Member

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    Maybe... I did drive barefoot for sometime. You get that micro control of the gas pedal that way :sneaky:
     
    #18 dram91801, Jul 28, 2020
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