After 5k mileage question

air at 42-40
oil 3/4's full measuring with the dipstick
clean in cabin air filter
k&n air filter
pulse spark plugs
getting 57+

ymmv

 

k&n is a company that makes air filters, you oil the element after cleaning it, lots of miles
pulstar be1 spark plugs
your cabin filter will be fine, I was suprised how dirty mine was, and how much smother the car ran after cleaning, much less drag on the electric system
dealers always overfill the oil

 

Tasker,

You've also got to take into account that it's 4 months later. Seasonal variables change that could affect your mileage. A short list includes:

1. Number of other cars on the road during your drive and traffic speed
2. Ambient air temperature/humidity and effects on use of A/C
3. Weather (not as much of an issue in a dry summer, but rain/snow can really tank your MPG)
4. Road surface conditions - big one here in Boston. more potholes=less MPG
5. Your own personal driving habits can change almost imperceptibly over time
6. Amount of cargo floating around with you in the car. Prius owners (myself included) seem from these forums to have more gadgets in their cars than anyone I've ever known. Must be all those hidden storage spots.

All of these and more can vary over time and might cause a reduction in any slight MPG improvement due to the engine "breaking in" beyond the usual suspects like tire pressure and oil levels.

Some of these you can do something about, some you can't. But you can be aware of them so that you don't feel so bad. For example, these past two weeks my mileage tanked down to my all-time low of 42 MPG. I don't feel bad about that because it does coincide with a mini heatwave that had me cranking the AC to save myself and my battery (first time I heard the battery fan kick in like it means it); a number of short scattered trips that couldn't be avoided or combined; and 4 days of monsoon-like weather that saw me driving through pouring rain and much standing water. All that taken into account I'm impressed that I've done as well as I have.

Here's to hoping the next tank (filling up sometime next week) will be better.

 

IMO don't purchase any new parts except regular maintenance items (filters etc.) I have not seen any quantifiable evidence that those spark plugs do anything beneficial to milage so I would wait until 60k+ before you even start to worry about that.

Look at some of the things Snakeman mentioned as well as that even in summer, if temps get really high, you will lose MPG due to the battery being hot.

 

this is the CEO of Enerpulse, the maker of Pulstar.

Tasker109, our application look up has BE1 listed for Prius and we regularly sell Pulstar for Priuses. It is one of our hottest selling applications. Generally we get between 5 and 8 % improvement in fuel economy. In a Prius that is 3 or 4 miles per gallon. Many people envy you. Let me know if you have any questions. Pulstar is new and not well understood. That's my job.

Cheers

 

Has any non-biased 3rd party testing been completed to quantify these claims?

 

why would you want a pulstar in your prius. your car comes stock with Iridium NKG spark plugs.. good for 120k miles. i just changed mine out at 97k miles. i should have left them in.

change your oil. pump up your tires, and continue to drive. you may have to wait another 3 to 7k miles before you see your jump. it took me till roughly 13k miles before i started to see jumps. K&N's have been known to deposit their oils into the engine. this is said to be bad. I would stick with stock filters.. honestly.. your prius isn't pulling in all that much air. If you're going to change out the filter, you might as well do a cold air intake.

btw.. parker sounds full of %&@*# no one logs in for 1 post to never be seen again.. especially if they never include details on why their item is better.. and no link.. very odd of an endorser.

btw.. they only last 50k miles. *Shrug*

 

Exactly my point. You can save more fuel by learning how to drive even more efficiently and utilizing some of the other "free" tricks to improve MPG. When your plugs need replacing then think about buying the Pulsars or stock replacements. If there were good studies on these plugs showing undeniable gains in MPG then you could try to do the cost to benefit analysis but since I have not seen such a study I don't think that you have that as an option. So like I said above, don't relpace anything that doesn't require replacing and just enjoy the car.

 

I do think your driving distance everyday and constant stop to go, may cause low mileage. Short distances seems to give me lower mileage performance.

 

+1 on everything you said
No mods here other then a tad bit of higher air pressure (something I have always done in all my cars since I was 17) I drive like a normal person without any "tricks" and as you can see from my lifetime mileage its quite good.

 

F8L - seems that we almost always agree! good call. got a question- what do you feel about the EV switch? is that worth it? i think maybe not because it will cause the ICE to kick in more.........................

 

I note that while my car made a jump to mid 50's with careful driving my wife gets 49 to 50 with no concern for careful driving at all! I use a scan gauge and she just punches it! I have 7K miles and she 3K.

dern wimminz anyway! :frusty:

 

There is nothing magical at the 5k mark. Parts get broken in, and that helps for sure. Fresh oil at your 5k change will also will help a bit.

You may want to check your oil for an overfill, and drain some if neccessary. Your Prius may get better mileage, but that exta oil is bringing it back down.

In terms of tire pressure - Toyota states 35/33. Many run 40/38 here. I've found 38/36 to be the perfect mix between ride and mpg. When I go to a 40/38 set-up, the car gets a bit drifty on the highway at speeds over 75 mph.

... Brad

 

I just passed 5500 and my miles have gone up a few mpg. I did have the oil changed a few weeks ago. I think that the increase is more me getting a better feel for the car and using a few my tricks to maximize my mileage.

I did install the DIY EV button a few ago as well, and think it is more of a gadget then anything. I can really see why it is not factory installed. On my first use, I drove around in EV mode until the engine was forced to come on. I parked the car for the night after. The next morning, the engine was running as stop lights and such just to recharge the battery. It is VERY rare for me to see the energy lines going from the ICE directly, and only to the Hybrid batteries. That is a sad waste of gas...

 

If you have money to spend and want to try and impress your friends then I say go for it. In the end, I don't feel it is worth anything more than a fun gadget. I almost never us it anymore and I never saw a benefit when I did. I realize I didn't know how to properly use it back then but I doubt I'd see much of a gain now and more likely I would use it at the wrong times and my mpg would suffer for it.