1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

This car doesn't like me - and the feeling is mutual!!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by browercreed, Oct 18, 2008.

  1. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Ok, I'm the one who insisted on buying this decked out car with as many bells and
    whistles as possible and provide her with a wonderful home and warm carport. Parked
    her right next to my beloved RX 300 which I refused to give up - thank goodness. This
    beautiful barcelona red hates me, and I must say the feeling is mutual. I try my best to
    drive her carefully, but she consistently refuses to get better than 48-49 mpg. for me
    while she consistently gets 50-54 for my husband!!!!! He has her all figured out, and
    I guess I just have to admit she and I are not on the same page. It's tough to admit
    defeat, and that he is just better at this than I am. He's crazy about her so I've decided
    to step back and just enjoy the excitement he expresses when she outdoes herself just
    for him!!
     
  2. donee

    donee New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2005
    2,956
    197
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Hi brower...,

    The first thing to learn in the Prius is that it has a wierd warmup cycle. Allot of the fuel economy accellerator manipulations do not become consistent till your ten minutes down the road. Are you driving that long?

    As such, it takes 20 or 30 minute trips to get good gas mileage.

    The first manipulation to learn is the glide. To glide you have to be below 40 mph. Get up to speed, pull all the way off the peddle, then ease it forward until all the arrows on the MFD go blank. Hold that for as long as your speed stays fast enough for conditions. If the car is all warmed up, what is happening is the engine is shutting off, and the car is rolling along unpowered. If you can syncronise with down-slope sections of the road, all the better.
     
  3. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    48 to 59 mpg, how does that compare to the RX300? Pretty good I bet!
     
  4. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2007
    891
    16
    0
    Location:
    Stewartstown, PA.
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Spend more time with her and she will give you above 50 per ride.
     
  5. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2006
    18,058
    3,073
    7
    Location:
    Northern Michigan
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Also look at your typical trip profile. Short trips will always net worse mileage than longer ones. If I drive around our little village, I can end up with a 42 mpg average. If I mostly drive the 25 miles to Traverse City, then I will average 57 mpg in the summer. Same driver, same techniques, but different distances.

    If you drive on the freeway at 70 mph and he drives on secondary roads at 55, that will also generate differing mileage. I suspect there is more than technique behind the discrepancy.

    Tom
     
  6. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Actually the only time I drive it is when I have to go out of town with my work and the shortest distance is 25 miles away. I've tried keeping the speed the same, or trying to keep the marker for fuel usage just at 50 or above but find myself slowing down too much when I do that. Just haven't gotten the hang of when to speed up or ease off the gas going up and down hills. There's a feel you have to get and I'm not there yet. Can't say I enjoy driving it because I feel I am in competition with my "darlin". He does try to make me feel better though and reminds me whatever I get is better than in any other vehicle.
     
  7. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Oh yes! My RX gets 22-23. The difference is I have loved that car since the first time I laid eyes on it. She's 8 yrs old with over 200,000 miles and I thoroughly enjoy every driving experience. Getting in and out is a breeze and the comfort is amazing. Can't say that about the prius because the seats are sooo uncomfortable for me. I'm still glad we bought this car. My husband travels 160 miles 3 times a week so he does enjoy the fuel savings.
     
  8. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    I'd love to give myself an out here, but the driving situations are pretty much the same. No freeways at all on my way to work. Rather rural around here. No freeways for him either on the way to his farm. I've actually taken over the wheel for him on a trip to a nearby town, and before we get there the mpg drops every time!! People automatically tell me I have a heavy foot, but I don't drive fast, race to a stop sign and slam on the brakes or start off fast so I just can't figure it out. I have decided however, to just drive the thing and get whatever I get.
     
  9. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2008
    8,245
    1,202
    0
    Location:
    NorCal
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I couldn't explain the discrepancy, but remember to check tire pressures often before driving. I carry a nice dial gauge in the glove box and get free air at a station less than a mile away.

    I think tire pressure will make an immediate difference in fuel economy for whoever is driving the car.
     
  10. Prius 07

    Prius 07 Member

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2007
    715
    20
    0
    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    As a trial use CC (cruise control) in town / rural roads at say ~40 MPH and 54 MPH on a HWY. When you drive it yourself don't think about it so much and baby it. Accelerate at a rate of ~1/2 iMPG to MPH and when you get just above your target speed ease off the pedal to induce a glide (on a warmed up engine).

    Good luck,
     
  11. abq sfr

    abq sfr New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2007
    690
    3
    0
    Location:
    Albuquerque, NM
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    It's simple. Every time you drive her, pump the tires up to 42 front/40 rear. When you get home, before your husband takes over, let 5 psi out of the 4 tires. :cheer2:
     
  12. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 4, 2008
    2,224
    139
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    browercreed,

    48-49 is pretty good, so there is nothing to be ashamed of. Our situation is similar to yours as I almost always get in the 50's while my wife gets about 4-5 mpg less. She does very well at times, but doesn't take the "fighter jock wannabe" approach to maximizing small advantages the way I do. (Ironically, despite the mpg difference I'm the leadfoot, she drives like a granny.) I set up the glides carefully, vary speed more, and change lanes as needed to preserve energy/momentum and thereby minimize braking and ICE-on time. I also use the heat/AC less and run the blower at lower settings when I do. I don't drive slowly, but I do attempt to maximize the energy efficiency at any given speed. Subtle differences add up.

    Although the conventional wisdom is that the warm up cycle kills you on short commutes, I've been able to get in the mid 50's or higher on some of these by using the warm up and terrain to advantage, hill climbing and accelerating more briskly until the car is warm. (Doesn't work well for me in cooler weather where the warmup is more substantial.)

    There are some "sweet spots" in the operating curve of this vehicle to be found (one in the low 60 mph range for example). You can get two vastly different fuel usage rates at about the same speed on the same open stretch of road depending on how you manage the throttle, just getting the engine into a high efficiency mode vs. low. I use the power flow display to keep track of what is happening and adjust, looking for sweet spots. On the other hand, my wife is annoyed or distracted by the display.
     
  13. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    hahhahaha! That's a great idea, but my sweetie is retired and when I get home he's always there. He would be real suspicious if he saw me doing anything to the tires.
     
  14. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    All this technical stuff is just out of my ability to fathom. Like you, he has all this figured out and I'm just
    frustrated trying to "get it"!! Therefore, I leave the prius driving to him most of the time. You know how
    we women are - just don't like to feel like we're being judged and coming up short. Now if I was the one who was getting the good mpg this entire story would be different.
     
  15. Codyroo

    Codyroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2007
    1,826
    514
    6
    Location:
    Pleasanton, Ca
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Ahhhh, it's not that the car doesn't like you, it just gives a slightly nicer reward to your husband.
     
  16. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Yep, but I have to admit he works hard at getting that reward and I think I've given up.
     
  17. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    7,663
    1,037
    0
    Location:
    United States
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Sit in the back seat and watch him drive it awhile. You'll decide whether doing what he does is worth saving an extra 10% on fuel.
     
  18. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Well, I do sit in the passenger side and have not learned a thing, so have decided to
    just drive when I have to. Not worth the extra mileage to me I don't guess. Just
    want to get where I'm going and not have to be uptight about it the whole time.
     
  19. wangjiahua

    wangjiahua New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2008
    7
    0
    0
    Location:
    china
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I found that connector you were looking for

    Cindy, is this the thing you were looking for?
    www.liangdianup.com/computeraccessories_1.htm
    It's on the list of computer accessories and parts. They have the DVI video thing to convert that jap monitor to work with your other computer. Just about any other kind of wire adaptor, usb connectors, monitor extension wires, ps2 extention wires, and all kinds of female and male swap connectors and things that I think would help your shop. If that above link don't work then goto www.lducompany.com and click on computer accessories. Let me know if that is what you need and give me your email address again.
    :cheer2:
     
  20. browercreed

    browercreed New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2008
    56
    0
    0
    Location:
    Arkansas
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Re: I found that connector you were looking for

    don't think "cindy" got this message wangjiahua