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

How to get really, really, really bad MPGs

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by nerfer, Feb 9, 2013.

  1. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2006
    2,505
    232
    28
    Location:
    Chicagoland, IL, USA, Earth
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    First, let me say that I am an experienced Prius driver. I have a ScanGauge and know the 4 warmup states, I have an EBH and my grill is blocked. My tires are at 40/38 psi. In mixed driving in the summer I have no problems getting 55 mpg averaged over 3 tanks. In the winter I rarely turn on the heat in the car unless the windows need defrosting. But look at this picture:

    [​IMG]

    So how do you do something like this?

    Step 1: Live someplace cold enough that it doesn't get above freezing for days on end (and sometimes gets to 0'F/-17'C).
    Step 2: Live 2.4 miles from work, so the engine never gets to operating temperature.
    Step 3: Go home or out for lunch every day, for more short trips on the odometer.
    Step 4: Get a job designing railroad GPS equipment that requires occasionally road tests, the tests consisting of driving 10-20 mph with frequent long stops.
    Step 5: Happen to do 2-3 hours of this testing in the worst snowstorm to hit our area for a year, so the tires were slipping and sliding, and the defroster needed to be running on high the whole time.

    Driving conditions:[​IMG]
     
    ydpplqbd and DadofHedgehog like this.
  2. acausedelle

    acausedelle Hypermiling Through Campus

    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2013
    14
    4
    0
    Location:
    Green Lake, Wisconsin
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Wow, that almost seems unreal to me. I live in Wisconsin, so I'm even colder than you are. My tanks are around 46-48 mpg currently, although I've only owned a prius for about a month. Guess you should take the prius on longer trips!
     
    nerfer likes this.
  3. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2006
    2,505
    232
    28
    Location:
    Chicagoland, IL, USA, Earth
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    My next tank was 48.6, similar weather (except no snowstorm), but radically different driving - pretty much all longer trips, and speeds were mostly 20-60 mph. And on the tank above, I did manage to pull it up to about 33 before I needed to refill.
     
  4. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2006
    1,049
    192
    0
    Location:
    NH
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Imagine driving a hummer?