Adventures of a Prius Across the USA

I love these picture travel logs. Please do update it with your pictures and insights. Have a safe trip. Hopefully you got a clear bra on the front of the car. Also, are you missing a center cap on the driver rear wheel?

 

Hey, what's your destination in VA? If it's anywhere near the Richmond area, I'll make sure to leave the light on for you.

 

We leave for our 7000+ mile trip in 2.5 weeks.
I can hardly wait!

:target:

 

My jealousy has reached a new high. With two small kids and a business I miss road trips. When I retire I'll be one of those that travels around in the motorhome year round... hopefully by then we'll have a cleaner fuel source for when I'm getting 8mpg.

BTW, noticed your veteran sticker. Thank you very much for your service to this country!!!

 

don't leave Denver without stopping at any Mexican dive for chile rellenos (or whatever you like) smothered in green chile!

 

Makes me jealous. Keep the info and photos coming and have a safe trip.

 

I too am so jealous. Our family of four did a 7,500 mile camping trip last summer and it was wonderful. Have a great time! Our log, mostly mpg-related can be seen at--

http://www.priusownersgroup.com/?page_id=2840

PA P

 

delete double posting

 

Appreciate the great write up. I missed it in the past when I've looked for write-ups. One comment about the water boiling point. The cooling system is under pressure which increases the boiling point. In fact the pressure of the cooling system should remain more or less constant regardless of the altitude you have your Prius.

With regards to your maintaining 35mph going uphill. Was this with the accelerator to the floor or was this trying to keep the temps/RPM within a "reasonable" range? It sounds like this is what you were trying to do. I'm curious as I've only taken my '08 on one road trip but 1 of the hills was approximately 12 miles at 7% grade. With 2 adults and 2 kids I was easily able to maintain (and exceed) the 75mph speed limit. I was even able to slow down behind slow moving trucks then accelerate back up to speed. I of course had it to the floor with no regard for mpg and fluid temps. That trip I avered 47mpg (MFD indicated) so overall a pretty good MPG considering.

Mike

 

Right about the cooling system being under pressure. Someone else informed me of that in the meantime.

No, we did not have the accelerator to the floor going up the mountains, but were trying to keep the rpm's down as you said, and the mpg up!

PA P

 

Wow, sounds like a great time. Put me on the list of jealous folks. My wife and I are planning a trip from Florida to Michigan (about 1600 miles) in August. Going to be a lazy trip, stopping to visit friends and family. Hope to return to Florida via the east coast (I-95). I expect we will be around 4000 miles by the time we get back.

I am looking forward to a long road trip in the Prius and appreciate post of others experiences.

Did I mention that I'm jealous?

Bob

 

I really like the posting of your trip. Keep it up and keep posting the pictures. We are taking our new 08 Prius to Des Moines, Mount Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Cheyenne, Denver, the Royal Gorge, & Dodge City in a few weeks. Can't wait to try out the Prius on the trip.

We have had our 08 Prius (Barcelona Red with Option Package #3) for less than a week but I am really impressed. What a great car.

 

[FONT=&quot]Wife and I presently in [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Morganton[/FONT][FONT=&quot], [/FONT][FONT=&quot]N.C.[/FONT][FONT=&quot] (her hometown). Departed [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Roy[/FONT][FONT=&quot], [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Washington[/FONT][FONT=&quot] about a month ago. Bad passage through [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Wyoming[/FONT][FONT=&quot], one lane plowed, bad gravel on road tossed up by trucks, head wind of 20 mph. Stopped at [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Boulder[/FONT][FONT=&quot], [/FONT][FONT=&quot]CO[/FONT][FONT=&quot] visit granddaughter. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Kansas[/FONT][FONT=&quot] quartering headwind 30 to 50 mph reported all day. To St Louis (relatives) and earthquake experience, to West Virginia (nostalgia trip to where I was born), through Maryland -- worst two hours of the trip -- thunderstorms with lightning ahead of us often and heaviest rain ever encountered. Saw three spinout accidents and one roll over on highway, then to Cape May, NJ (relatives), to friends in the back country of Scottsville, VA and then to a family reunion at Virginia Beach, VA. Will depart here 8 May to return to [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Washington[/FONT][FONT=&quot]; route still to be determined. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Left[/FONT][FONT=&quot]WA[/FONT][FONT=&quot] with 50.3 mpg (with winter and short trips down from normal average of 52mpg) on gauge for 14000+ on ODO and now at 49.7 mpg. Most of it at speed limit using cruise control. Have put 4700 on the trip so far.
[/FONT]

 

I bought my seaside Blue fully loaded 2005 prius in Cali & drove it back to michigan thru Vegas & Denver. Does anybody else feel the prius is too underpowered to use in the rocky mountains on a regular basis? semis were blowing past me when my prius was struggling to get up mountains. Back in flat Michigan I can't think of a nicer car to own.

now if only car companies would start putting in air suspensions that can lower the car at highway speeds and raise it for the snow.

the prius 5.x inch ground clearance just doesn't cut it during a snow storm. I love the Audi Allroad air suspension. 7 inch ground clearance in the city, 5 inch ground clearance on the highway, 9 inch ground clearance during a snow storm. (those may not be the exact #'s but you get the idea) Someone get Toyota to throw a suspension like that into my Prius & i'd really be gellin.

 

....The complains department is closed; please come back later (much later)

 

Hi Cns...,

Its common for turbo-diesel trucks to be able to out grade normally asperated cars in the steep portions of the high passes in the Rocky's . If the grade is very high, and you ran at high speed before it , you might have run down the battery. In which case the car goes into a turtle mode. What it does in this mode is try to push the car AND charge the battery. If you can stay out of that mode, it will allow all the engine power to go to the wheels. Best to not climb a long grade at any speed that depletes the battery.

 

I regularly drive from the Spokane WA area to Dillon MT over three passes (up to 5700' for the Divide) and have not had any issues with my Prius. I do not try to run at 75 mph over the passes, but could if it was necessary. I can get around 50 MPG for a round trip if I work at it. Normally, it is cruise control all the way....

Pat