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First long trip coming up... tips?

Discussion in 'Prius v Fuel Economy' started by Capecodbeachfront, Mar 2, 2014.

  1. Capecodbeachfront

    Capecodbeachfront Junior Member

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    Model:
    Two
    In a few weeks I will be taking a road trip from NYS to Florida and back.
    I am unsure what to expect for gas mileage.
    Around town in the COLD weather I'm getting 39 mpg or so.
    First 3 or 4 minutes of sub zero weather are the mpg killer.
    Should I expect 40-44 at highway speed going south?
    Any particular tips that might help?
    ALSO
    I am expecting the Maintenance Needed light to come on mid trip (5k miles).
    Is there a way to reset this? Do not want it staring at me for 15oo miles.
    I do not feel like getting a service checkup while on a road trip. Suggestions?
     
  2. catgic

    catgic Mastr & Commandr Hybrid Guru

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    CapeCodBeachFront – Your Mega Mille Miglia trip to Florida and return should be an excellent “High HIGHWAY MPG” run for your new “Caddy In A Kimono.” You should be able to log 110% of Official EPA HIGHWAY.

    If I were making the run (I have made it numerous times before), I would Up-Pressure my tires to Max Sidewall PSI – Front/ Max Sidewall Minus One PSI - Rear.

    Travel in ECO on Electronic Cruise Control @ the Max Posted Interstate Speed Limit of 70 MPH or as locally adjusted downward by local jurisdictions, thereby, avoiding local County/State enhanced traffic violation revenue collection zones.

    Traveling in the ECO Mode at an ECC-controlled 70 MPH Interstate speed on I-95 or I-Whatever should deliver 44-46 MPG Tank-Fulls to you.

    The Maintenance Light Reset Procedure is attached.
    1. With POWER Button ON, set trip odometer to Trip Display “A.”
    2. Power Off Car.
    3. Press down and keep pressed MPH/KPH Button on dash.
    4. With MPH/KPH Button depressed, press car’s POWER Button until car starts. Keep MPH/KPH Button depressed.
    5. View the speedometer display, and continue holding MPH/KPH Button down until the Maintenance Reset progress symbols on the odometer completely go blank and disappear.
    6. You have successfully reset the Maintenance Indicator, and can now release the MPH/KPH Button.
    7. Turn OFF the car’s POWER Button.
    Have a great trip!
     
  3. jhinsc

    jhinsc Senior Member

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    I would just drive and enjoy the ride. You should average over 40 mpg for the trip, depending on headwinds and temps. Not sure I would up PSI to max sidewall - you will feel every imperfection in the road, but I would add at least 5 lbs psi over recommended psi. I have found ECO mode while using cruise won't make a difference other than resetting your HVAC to operate at a lower volume. I never use it, but then I don't break any mpg records either. When driving in a lot of traffic, I typically keep it in Pwr mode so if and when I need to pass someone quickly, the throttle will react quicker. You can mimick some of the ECO features with Normal or Pwr modes by manually setting your HVAC to lower fan setting or lower/higher temp, depending on the weather conditions. Enjoy the trip!
     
  4. ems2158

    ems2158 Active Member

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    I made that trip last month. Not from NY, near Allentown PA to Tampa. On the trip down the weather was above freezing most of the time. I averaged a little over 41 mpg. The trip home from Orlando, the weather was well below freezing on the entire trip. The mpg was between 38 and 39 but the speed was over 70 mph. I left Orlando at 7 am and was home at 11 pm the same day.

    You probably won't get 44 mpg unless you happen to get above freezing weather and keep the speed around 65 mph.
    I made the same trip a few times in a 4 cylinder Chevy Equinox and was only doing getting about 24 mpg.
    One offset to the lower mpg was the low fuel prices in the south. The regular gas was 20-30 cents cheaper than PA. Might be 50 cents lower than NY. Florida gas prices were about the same a PA. Fill up in Virginia and Georgia.

    BTW, let your credit card company know you will be traveling. I had 2 of my credit cards flagged and turned off because their computers saw something suspicious.
     
  5. Capecodbeachfront

    Capecodbeachfront Junior Member

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    Thanks for the reminder Re: credit cards and travel. Most of my current cards are Chase and they often ask for the zipcode. I think that is their 'security check' at least at many of the stations here in the north. Of course I'm not sure if that is gas station policy or card company policy?
    Re: Reset of Maintenance Light ?
    I assume it comes on at reading of 5000 miles?
    If I did a reset now at 3800 miles would it go to 8800 or still show at 5000 miles?
    Thanks.
     
  6. catgic

    catgic Mastr & Commandr Hybrid Guru

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    CapeCodBeachFront - It pushes out the next "Maintenance Alert" sequence... Plus 5,000-miles from where the odometer reading is at when you perform the reset procedure.

    Enjoy your trip down. The weather down here in Florida is currently "Snowbird Ideal."
     
  7. Capecodbeachfront

    Capecodbeachfront Junior Member

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    Great. A plus 5000 miles should work just fine...
    I'll try the reset tomorrow... with my fingers crossed.
     
  8. Emcguy

    Emcguy Member

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    Don't worry about fuel economy, just put it on cruise control and enjoy your holiday.
     
  9. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    We were in FL a few weeks ago and some of the toll roads down around Miami were confusing. They were auto pay from your license plate. We had a rental so I guess we were covered. Not sure what out-of-staters are supposed to do.
     
  10. vlady

    vlady Junior Member

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    I took my V on spring break trip from Seattle area to San Diego via San Francisco and back

    My average mpg was 40 mpg (2 adults+2 kids+luggage)

    Besides all mentioned factors, terrain and travelling speed play significant role in millage. My mpg was below 40 mpg until I passed mount ranges and arrived to Redding + plus Seattle are still is on winter gas.

    Took me 4 fillups (about 8.5 gallons each) to get to San Diego, drive around and get back to past Santa Barbara area. After that I filled car twice + small fillup(4 gallons) in Albany, OR while shopping at Costco. Arrived home with half tank.
    from Irvine to San Diego area I got 50 mpg driving 75 + mph
    the round trip average was 40 mpg

    Drove car on cruse control all the time and try to stay 5-10 miles above speed limit (read keep up with traffic flow).

    I'm pretty satisfied with millage and the car.
     
  11. Capecodbeachfront

    Capecodbeachfront Junior Member

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    Follow up to my long trip....
    Total mpg for the entire 3700 miles was 46.2.
    Trip back from Florida was 47.4 mpg!
    My route was NOT the standard Route 95 North & South.
    I instead went further west in PA to avoid Baltimore & DC.
    What surprised me the most was I did not feel under powered.
    I used the POWER button once when accelerating from dead stop along RT95.
    Never needed the power button for the entrance ramps.
    Huge improvement in gas mileage once I got to the warmer weather.
    I left 20's in Upstate NY to travel to 80's in Florida...
    MPG's went from low 40's to high 40's as the temps went up. 50+ around town.
    Also maybe there really is a difference in warm vs cold weather gas formulas?
    Comfort of the ride was decent... plus visibility was great.
    Not related to the mpg's but I was disappointed in my FM radio reception.
    I swear you had to see the radio tower to get best reception....
    I used my own music stored on USB thumb drive but radio should be better!
    Also I did notice a few tiny paint dings on the front bumper... after only one long trip.
    Luggage space was wonderful, way better than my wife's Equinox...