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Fluctuating MPG

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Zardoz, Dec 4, 2017.

  1. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    I assume you're using the dashboard readout then? I'm not convinced that it's all that accurate - it takes readings from a number of sensors and comes up with a "MPG" figure. The shorter the trip, the more inaccurate it is.

    My last 2 cars were the same - over a tank were within about 5% of actual fill calculation, but single trips seemed like they could be 20% out.
     
  2. Zardoz

    Zardoz Member

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    None taken.
     
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  3. Zardoz

    Zardoz Member

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    I THINK it uses fuel injection data. I know it is inaccurate but I would think that it was consistently in accurate. My 05 was...
     
  4. Fred_H

    Fred_H Misoversimplifier

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    Would you mind logging every trip for a while so we can look for a pattern?
    Helpful would be:
    date
    trip direction
    trip length
    trip average speed
    trip mpg​


    Since roughly half of the power required to drive 62 mph is used to overcome aerodynamic drag, your mpg variation of nearly 20% could be caused by a light breeze of just 5 mph. In my opinion, this is the simplest, most common, and most likely explanation.

    I think the next most likely cause would be a sporadically dragging brake. That can be checked by driving at least five miles at highway speeds and coming to a stop with minimal braking, and measuring the temperature of the brake rotors with an infrared thermometer.

    What is your mpg in the other direction?
     
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