First 50 mpg tank!

You really need to make checking your tire pressure a regular thing, and that is regardless of what kind of car you drive, it is not limited to the prius. You should check it at least once a month, some do it more some less, but 9,000 miles is a long time to go without checking it.

You will be surprised how making sure the tires, on any car, if properly inflated can help with gas mileage.

Phil

 

Subaru - I, too, just had my first 50mpg tank. Congrats to you and here's to hoping that many more will follow in the future!

Phil - It is funny that you should say that because my 50mpg tank coincided with filling my tires to what people on this forum recommended.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(subarutoo @ Aug 16 2006, 03:32 PM) [snapback]304240[/snapback]</div>

50 is definitely something to be proud of with almost all highway and 2 mountain passes! Congrats!

 

You realize that most of us have to hate you now...

Congrats! We're hoping to see that someday...

 

Sounds like the tire pressure thing really matters! I was getting an average of 50, or at the least 48, but now I have been getting much less since my last tire rotation- I will have to check the tire pressure!

 

Congrats! I'm into my next to last gas blip and may do >50 mpg on this tank - which would be my first breaking the 50 mpg threshold, too.
Just curious, your calculated was 50.38, what did the MFD indicate?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZenCruiser @ Aug 16 2006, 05:26 PM) [snapback]304270[/snapback]</div>

PLEASE tell me what MFD means.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasidetraveler @ Aug 16 2006, 03:28 PM) [snapback]304272[/snapback]</div>

Multi-Function Display - the big TV-lookin thang at the top of the center console...

Gotta love TLAs (three-letter acronyms)!

 

Whoopeeee!!!

What fun!

I got 31 mpg on my first tank (picked car up July 17th, 06)...then I upped my tire pressure to 40/38...now I am between 41 and 45 mpg
on my second tank of gas....I plan to do reg tire pressure checks, buy my own tire inflator ...I did mine at our mechanic's shop.... 1/2 mile from our home.

terri

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(terri @ Aug 16 2006, 07:27 PM) [snapback]304361[/snapback]</div>

If you talk nice to TonyP he just might give you the secrets to his success as he did with me. He had me over 50MPGs by the third tank! Hi Terri July 17th was my birthday. See ya at the next meeting

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BobZ @ Aug 16 2006, 08:01 PM) [snapback]304372[/snapback]</div>

TonyP must have a thread here on his "secrets" to success????

Happy Birthday....Hope to make the next meeting!

t

 

Congrats!

I've only reached the 50+mpg tank twice and that was only because I was on regualr roads with 45, 55, and 65mph speed limits so I didn't have to worry about being run over on the freeway. My best ever was 54mpg. Normally I avg. 46-48mpg per tank.

 

Here is some EXCELLENT advice from TonyPSchaefer that I've saved. I've read it over and over and am trying my best to follow his technique. I am VERY pleased to say I'm doing either side of 53 MPGs now thanks to Tony. Proir to this I was only getting 42-44 mpgs


Personal Message
TonyPSchaefer Re:54.6 MPG?! Wth?!!, Jul 31 2006, 11:47 PM



Group: Moderators
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Bob,
First of all, I get good mileage because I never call people "Sir." Call me Tony or call me to dinner but you doesn't have to call me Ray Jay Johnson. Don't worry, I'll settle down here in a minute.

Okay, okay.
This is going to take a while. Seriously. This is going to take a while.
Here's the problem: you're not ready for it yet. Sorry, but it's true. You don't have to look hard on Priuschat to find many people in your very same situation. This means that it's not you. At least, not you specifically. Shoot, most of my first several tanks were in the forties myself. It wasn't until about 10 months after I got my Prius that I started seeing tanks in the high 50s.

Do youself a favor and for the rest of this summer, just enjoy the car. Then winter will come and then you'll start seeing some really low mileage. But when it starts warming up, you'll see yor mileage increase.

You know, I can't leave it like that. So here are some things to think about:
The Prius gas pedal is very sensitive. You can weigh heavy on it or go light on it without altering your speed. But of course, the heavier you weigh on it, the lower your mileage will be. You have to get accustomed to driving with a light foot.
Once you get good with the pedal, work until you find that "sweet spot" when all the arrows dissapear on the display. This is called "gliding" and creates a state in which the car doesn't really seem certain whether you want to accelerate or decellerate so it just "lets go" and coasts freely. The ability to sustain this state for long periods is key because it doesn't burn gas, doesn't burn battery, and doesn't have drag other than just rolling.
When you have to accelerate, try to accelerate only as much as to maintain arrows coming from the ICE to the wheels and the battery. If you press too hard you'll pass this. This ensures that the Internal Combuston Engine (ICE) is propelling the car and recharging your battery at the same time. After all, the higher your State of Charge (SoC), the more likely your car is to glide and go into . . .
Stealth. This is when you are moving purely on battery power. But you have to be smart about this. Like I just said, the higher your battery SoC, the better your changes are to glide and stealth. Therefore, if you stealth too much, you actually inhibit your ability to glide and stealth. Additionally, if you drain your battery too much, the ICE will kick in to recharge and that just takes gas. It's been my experience that if there's four or more bars on the battery you're good. Get down to three and you'll have problems gliding and staelthing.
Cruising at speeds above 40MPH. This is similar to the third bullet in that when you are at speeds greater than 40, the ICE will be running anyway. So as long as it's going to run, try to keep it in that zone in which it's also recharging the battery: do this and the battery SoC is higher leading to better gliding which saves your battery which provides for better stealthing which increases your mileage. See? This is fun! But you have to keep bullet number one in mind. When I'm cruising along at 44MPH, I have to work the pedal to make sure that I keep the MPG up above 60MPG and sometimes up in the 80s for short periods. If I weren't paying attention, I could easily maintain 44 with MPGs in the low 40s and sometimes in the 30s. My speed doesn't fluxuate but by not paying attention, my mileage drops.
Now, understand that there are acceptions. Starting from a dead-stop with a row of cars behind you; for the love of God, throw mileage to the wind and move your little Prius butt!

But as I said way up there, don't worry too much about it. It will come. Your Prius will break in and/or loosen up at around 5,000 - 7,500 miles and you'll get the hang of driving it and nursing that pedal. It's just time and practice. Remember that I got my car in August of 2004 and have been practicing for two years now. You'll gte yours; don't worry and don't get discouraged.

Keep me posted on your progress. If you want to keep a history of your tanks, I can give you my Excel spreadsheet. Have fun.

Drive Happy.
Drive Hybrid.

-Tony

 

Great info. Im going to work on it

 

YAY!!! Tony stopped by....I am going to take your advice and just enjoy driving more...

Some of it just won't happen for me anyhow....I never go 60 mph...since I never drive anywhere that allows me to...just around town these days...If we have a trip to the city, we hire a car....just don't have it in me to drive trips any more....maybe out east sometime, but not for a long time.

And...

Around town, speed limits are max at 40, mostly 30-35 and where the hills are really predominant, lots of 20 mph on the downside curves....

So...that being said... I am thrilled with my 40+ on the second tank!!

I do like the way you have summarized the SOC in relation to use of ICE and P&G...will reread to digest....Mostly, even working at this is simply fun for me....I love the MFD and watching it and seeing those little green cars when I go out for a bit longer!!

Thanks, again, Tony!!

terri

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BobZ @ Aug 17 2006, 12:53 PM) [snapback]304714[/snapback]</div>

Yeah...I do move my little Prius butt! when the light changes....I do coast though, when I see a line up ahead at a red light and can often accelerate from less than a dead stop.

I don't watch the MFD all trips....Sometimes, I just go for it! Not that much difference in my mpg when I do...I do know though that I can pull out some great coasting and some P&G already and I like that, but will also keep in mind the SOC when I P&G....make sure SOC's not too low. Good points!!

terri

 

I do coast though, when I see a line up ahead at a red light and can often accelerate from less than a dead stop.

My biggest pet peeve in driving is people who tailgate me when I'm coasting to a stop at a red light. I just want to get into their head and point out that "hey, do we really need to be going fast as we can to get to the back of this line of stopped traffic?" It's not like I'm going ridiculously slowly from ridiculously far away. Geez.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(abeagler @ Aug 17 2006, 09:08 PM) [snapback]304982[/snapback]</div>

That's when you go to www.cafepress.com and buy the bumper sticker that reads "The close you get the slower I pedal"