Tire pressure? And radio?

Look on the drivers door post for the "recommended pressure". You can then move up from there as you deem necessary for mileage. Usually the rears get 2 PSI less than the fronts.

If you press "Start" without having your foot on the brake you can turn on the radio. The engine will not start. Be warned, it's possible to have the headlamps on and that could leave you stranded, so I like to open and close the drivers door to ensure they go off.

 

I wouldn't worry about leaving the car on if you want to listen to the radio. Unless you have air conditioning or defrost on, the ICE is not going to be running. If it does start running, then you've just protected yourself from having too great of a drain on the battery, or you have found out that you left something on unintended.

The biggest worry is draining the battery. While it is an unlikely event, it doesn't hurt you to keep track of what is on and what is off in your car. I prefer to leave the car "on" in this scenario, but to each his own!

 

40/38 psi is good. See how you like the ride and handling at that tire pressure.

The Prius has four potential states controlled by the POWER button:

1. IG-OFF (car is powered down)
2. ACC-ON (MFD lights up but dashboard lights are off). You can turn on the radio in this mode.
3. IG-ON (MFD lights up, dashboard lights are on, car is not READY). This allows you to raise and lower the power windows. Do not leave the car in this state for more than a few minutes, as this will place severe drain on the 12V auxiliary battery.
4. READY (the car can be driven in this state). You should leave the car in this state if you are waiting and need the air conditioning on.

You can cycle between 1, 2, and 3 by repeatedly pressing the POWER button without pressing the brake pedal. You can switch between IG-OFF and READY by pressing the brake pedal before pressing the POWER button.

So if you just want to listen to the radio and do not need the air conditioning on, ACC-ON mode is fine. You should be able to remain in that mode for several hours without concern about the 12V battery.

 

You will see very good results at those levels (easy 50 MPG tanks)
Go up a bit more to about 45/43 and 55 MPG tanks are within easy reach with a little effort. (if the ride still doesn't bother you, try 50 fr 48 rear) You will start flirting with the 60 MPG tanks. Just word of warning as you increase the pressure your handling goes away, most noticeably in wet or snowy weather and your emergency stopping distances may increase a bit (at least it seems to me).

 

Is it possible to go from "READY" to "ACC-ON" directly without going to "IG-OFF" first? I would like to shut off the car without having to turn off the radio.

Thanks!

1. IG-OFF (car is powered down)
2. ACC-ON (MFD lights up but dashboard lights are off). You can turn on the radio in this mode.
3. IG-ON (MFD lights up, dashboard lights are on, car is not READY). This allows you to raise and lower the power windows. Do not leave the car in this state for more than a few minutes, as this will place severe drain on the 12V auxiliary battery.
4. READY (the car can be driven in this state). You should leave the car in this state if you are waiting and need the air conditioning on.

 

I don't think that's possible. You can go from "ACC-ON" to "READY" (press brake and press "Start") but not the other way.

Note that because you have a Touring with the 16" wheels and better tires, you may find higher pressures a little too rough. Do also note the max pressure on the tire sidewall. It's a good idea not to exceed that value (in spite of what some mileage extremists do).

 

Thanks for reply! That's too bad, it would be nice to turn off the car and park without interrupting the music.

 

Big crowd at the gas station last Sat. when I went to fill up. Had to get on line & wait for what turned out to be 8 minutes.

Dilemma was whether to power off completely, or to wait in the ICE-off but powered up mode. Didn't know how long the wait would be, so I waited in the latter condition, with no accesories running.

In the 8-minute wait, the MFD indicated that the battery had dropped 2 bars. Seemed a bit much, but I suppose it does drain rather quickly.

Note to self: If I'm anticipating more than a 5 minute wait in warm temps. (shorter in winter), I'll shut down completely.