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How do you track your MPG?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by dafut, Sep 10, 2006.

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  1. Yes, and I accumulated my MPG over my total mileage.

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  2. Yes, and I reset my MPG about every 1,000 miles.

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  3. Yes, and I reset my MPG about every 5,000 miles.

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  4. Yes, and I reset my MPG about every 10,000 miles.

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  5. Yes, and I reset my MPG stats based on a period of time.

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  6. No.

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  1. dafut

    dafut New Member

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    How do you track your MPG in your on-screen computer display?

    I reset all of my counters back to zero @ 5,000 miles. Now, with over 10,700 miles total, I'm averaging 46.8mpg over that 5,700 miles.

    I'm interested in how other Prius or Hybrid drivers track their MPG stats.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    I reset both trip A and B with each refill. Sometimes I'll reset B if I have a trip of some time on a tank t ohelp with Mapquest.

    The consumption resets on the 2005 automatically, but I hit it anyway.
     
  3. barbaram

    barbaram Active Member

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    I don't reset. did afew times when I first got the car but do not any more.

    keep track on a spreadsheet of miles, gal & MPG each fillup and averages for month and total.
     
  4. Jeannie

    Jeannie Proud Prius Granny

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    I reset with every tank, and like barbaram, I keep track of my mileage on a spreadsheet:
    by tank,
    by 2, 3, 4, and 5 tanks,
    cumulative tanks
    MPG vs MFD
    cumulative tank mpg vs cumulative MFD mpg

    And I was bored on Friday, so I added a column to track days between fillups and average days between fillups, cumulative miles per day and a projection of miles per year.

    9 fillups so far, a little over 4000 miles.
     
  5. Skwyre7

    Skwyre7 What's the catch?

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    I reset mine with every tank. I put my tank/mileage info on GreenHybrid.com (see my signature). I didn't start using GreenHybrid.com until a few months ago. Before that I kept all my tank info in a little notebook I kept in the car.

    Edit: I also reset both Odo A & B. I use these as my actual miles traveled. I also just like pushing buttons.
     
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

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    I reset at every refill.

    Then I reset my ODOA. I use the ODOA as back-up in case I or someone accidently hits the [RESET] button on the MFD.

    I enter it all into my spreadsheet which accumulates my lifetime-average; link in my signature.
     
  7. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

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    I based my spreadsheet on another PriusChatter's with some changes, and some extra automation of calculations. I reset the MFD every fillup, and I like Tony's use of one of the trip ODO's as a backup, so I'm gonna start doing that, and telling everyone that it was my idea! :)
     
  8. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    for the first 29,000 km's I didn't reset the fuel consumption readout and it was reading 5.1 Liter per hundred Km's lifetime 46.1 MPG US and the actual from the spread sheet was 5.4 Liter per hundred (43.5 US) this was over a period of 2 1/4 years. Since the reset for the last 6 tanks I've averaged 5.1 Liter per hundred Kms (46.1 US). The lifetime for the first year was 5.6 and the second year 5.4 calculated off the spread sheet. The fact that it's been summer for the last 8 tanks has brought the lifetime down to 5.4 I reset every fill up now but if I hadn't accidentally reset it I would still be doing a cummulative on the MFD. Doing a spread sheet is the only way to track your mileage I always include the indicated and the calculated mpg and the temp and the cost and the station EG.

    Aug.7 2k6 32832 665 33.635 4.8 5.05 $37.30 Van +25 (Esso)
     
  9. tomdeimos

    tomdeimos New Member

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    I reset the mfd for each trip or portion of a trip I want to measure. I track my per tank mpg via the green hybrid site, and also have a spreadsheet where I can compare mfd vs the tank averages.
    For this latter I have to keep mfd going for full tanks and I measure over at least 8 tanks.
    Now I trust the mfd readout and just skip the calibration measurements so I can use the mfd for trips only.
     
  10. dafut

    dafut New Member

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    Wow, this is pretty cool! Almost as many different tracking methods as there are answers...who'd a thunk it!

    Thanks all...I'm looking forward to see who else chimes in.
     
  11. daronspicher

    daronspicher Active Member

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    I write the current car mileage on the gas receipt.

    When I get home, I double click on my "Prius Miles" shortcut which is a computer program I wrote that has me input the date, car mileage I wrote on the gas receipt, cost of gas, cost of diesel (since I'm tracking against a diesel I traded in), and a comment field where I put the gas station usually.

    From that, it stores a record in the database, pulls all previous records out of the database to build new web pages, then uploads those pages to my website....

    It builds 2 pages. One is a cumulative summary, lifetime numbers as compared to having kept on driving the diesel. The other page is basically a grid with all the numbers for each fill up.

    I watch the mfd numbers as I drive, but don't track that for anything. It's off by about 2 or more mpg so it would only be good for better bragging built upon a big mfd manufactured lie. :)

    My link is in my sig too, but click on this to check it out...

    http://d.spicher.home.comcast.net/prius/LifetimeStats.html
     
  12. PA

    PA Member

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    I reset the mileage on the MFD after each fillup (except yesterday I accidentally reset it while wiping the screen --oops), and record each fillup & mileage (both MFD-computed and actual so I can compare accuracy) in a mileage book (which incidentally I had a hell of a time finding since the last time I bought one 6 years ago). I've only had my Prius for a little over a month, but I've been recording mileage & repairs on vehicles forever.
     
  13. skruse

    skruse Senior Member

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    Refill at the last flashing pip. Track fuel economy using a spreadsheet that includes
    1) Date 2) odometer 3) mpg 4) cost 5) cumulative mpg (life) 6) cumulative fuel consumption

    I try to refill such that I can add 10.0 gallons (does not work in winter due to contraction of the fuel bladder). I let the MFD do an automatic reset. My approach has worked well for 28k mi. Accuracy of spreadsheet and MFD are highly synchronized.

    I do a fresh printout at every fill-up and keep a current copy in the glove compartment.
     
  14. etkal

    etkal New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dafut @ Sep 10 2006, 01:07 AM) [snapback]317243[/snapback]</div>
    The most accurate long-term method is to track how many miles you've driven, and divide that by the total number of gallons you've used. Period. End of discussion. :-P Simply record your odometer reading at every fill-up along with the number of gallons. Your per-tank values from the MFD and from that tank will never be very accurate because of variance in the amount of fuel the tank will accept because of the bladder. However, the overall total values will average out to be very accurate over time.

    For example, my per-tank calculations vary from 41 to 60 MPG, but overall I get 51. w00t!
     
  15. LewLasher

    LewLasher Member

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    For the next poll: how many people calculate MPG in their head, how many people use a calculator or a computer ...
     
  16. Rancid13

    Rancid13 Cool Chick with a Black Prius

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    I used to reset at every refill, but I haven't reset the consumption for the last 2 or so tanks. I had a good tank (~50mpg) and wanted to see how high I could keep it, and for how long. Now it's down to 48.6 but oh well. Every time I fuel up, when I print out the receipt I jot down the miles travelled for the tank and the mpgs, then when I get to a computer I plug that info into my database on Greenhybrid.com where they give me my total average mpg readout over all tanks...
     
  17. Tadashi

    Tadashi Member

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    I calculate my MPG stats over total mialeage, yearly, monthly, as well as for each tank. I use a combination of speadsheets I got from John1701a and Michael Vaughn.
     
  18. dafut

    dafut New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(LewLasher @ Sep 12 2006, 12:50 PM) [snapback]318566[/snapback]</div>
    How about fingers and toes? Do love your idea for a poll...hoping that when I revisit the forum listings I'll see a new LewLasher poll...!
     
  19. McShemp

    McShemp New Member

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    Reset at each fill up. Keep track of MFD FE numbers and calculate actual FE based upon gallons pumped and miles per tank. I also keep track of where the gas was purchased.

    To date, after 21 fill ups, the cumulative MFD and calculated mpg numbers are 1.5 mpg different.