How's your Winter mileage?

Mine has dropped also. I had been averaging approx. 49 mpg per tank here in the mountains in day to day driving to and from work, grocery store, etc., and I live about 15 miles from town. Now, I'm down to about 42 or 43 mpg. What I have been doing is going out and warming up the car in the morning for 10-15 minutes with the defroster on which keeps the ICE running. I have also purchased an engine block heater which Galaxee has offered to install for me at the Toyota Dealership in Durham as soon as I can get down there. I anticipate that will help my mileage as well. It will probably stay low as our morning temps are now regularly in the low 20's or teens every morning, and it will only get colder until march or april.

Oh well, I would have purchased the Pruis anyway!! so, the mileage drop doesn't affect my enjoyment, but slams my ego a bit and my wife can now achieve the same mileage as I am getting....... yeah, we have been having a competition of sorts, but I havn't turned her on the PriusChat yet either, so she's doing pretty well actually....

 

Yep. Cooler temperatures, more use of the heater, winter gas formulation, all contribute to lower mileage. In your case, the shorter trips add to the reduction. My trip lengths are similar winter and summer, except that in summer I have the occasional road trip. But yes, I'm getting lower mpg. It's all normal.

 

I honestly don't see a significant change. Of course I don't drive that much either...

Last tank (October) was 52 mpg, this one (from November) is 53. :shrug:

One thing I can say for sure is that I'm getting much better mileage now, 10 months after purchase that I did those first few months. Part is that the ICE is broken in, and part is how much I've learned how to drive it most efficiently.

 

My last few tanks have been around 50mpg. Now I'm down to about 48mpg. Not a big difference, but I've only had the one tank at 48, so my data set is rather small. I am planning on blocking my grill, so hopefully 48 will be at the low end.

 

With AM temps between 36-40F, I have been getting in the low 70's for mpg in the city at speeds between 30-40 mph. I had seen in the mid 80's for mpg when the temps were above 70F. My MFD currently shows 74.0 mpg after 166 miles. My tires are pumped up, I don't take the freeway, and my handheld gps (used to get average speed driven) showed only 23 mph this morning over 18.5 miles; hence my higher mpg numbers. I did take the freeway the other day and I had two 50 mpg segments on the mfd consumption screen.

Skwyre7,

We are planning to meet Hobbit as he passes through SE Virginia. Interested?

Jimbok,

Are you reading this?

 

Just a small drop so far from low 50s to near 50 mpg.Still waiting for winter weather!its been verrry warm here in ct last few months.Bummer! (snow lover).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VABeachPrius @ Dec 21 2006, 07:31 AM) [snapback]365003[/snapback]</div>

Let me know when and where and I'll see what I can do. My plans are open until the 24th. The Honey-Do list can be put off for more important things, such as Prius gatherings.

 

My mileage has plummeted. In one tank it went from about 55mpg(UK) to 35mpg(UK) - that's from 46 to 29 in silly US units. Brrrr.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KMO @ Dec 21 2006, 08:51 AM) [snapback]365010[/snapback]</div>

29 MPG (US)?!?!?! How on earth can you get the mileage down to 29 MPG??? I couldnt do that if I tried... the lowest I have ever averaged was 42MPG driving around at 80 MPH through the Allegheney Mountains from Northwest Ohio to Baltimore Maryland... For winter driving (with temps in the low 30's-mid 40's Im averaging about 44 MPG. And what about our "silly US units"??? Damn the metric system forever!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FishHawk @ Dec 20 2006, 10:41 PM) [snapback]364897[/snapback]</div>

This is my first winter with my car, and it has definitly gone down a little, from around 60 MPG in town to around 57. The winters are pretty mild in the panhandle, but we had a week in early December that had 32 degree temperatures on my morning commute. I can feel for you all in the north, I live my first 50 years in Wyoming, so I do know what real winter temperatures are really like. B)

 

Cold weather hurts, but snow causes the biggest hit for me. On two lane state highway with some city driving, I get 55-60 mpg in the summer. With the weather in the high thirties I'm seeing 50 mpg. Snow covered roads with below freezing temperatures drops the mileage down to 45 or 46 mpg. I also switched to new Micheline MXV4+ tires before the snow started, so I'm breaking in a new set of tires.

Tom

 

Megan's so far is pretty consistent: 43-44 mpg, driving a 17 mile commute clear in the morning and bumper to bumper on the way back. That's with our low Chicago temperatures.

 

In Chicago city traffic using a block heater, grill block and winter tires 52-55 MPG. If I put my Integrity's back on 60 MPG. Snow and slush drags it down to high 30's.

Wayne

 

In my normal commute, I was seeing 54-56 in warmer weather, now I see 50-52 with morning temps around 40. Yeah, I know if you are in Minnesota that's a walk in the park.

 

Mine has dropped about 8 to 10 MPG, from over 50 to the low 40s. I need to install a block heater and block off the air to the radiator. Subjectively, I believe it has dropped more this year than it did last year?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pcflorida @ Dec 21 2006, 09:52 AM) [snapback]365019[/snapback]</div>

Same here in So. Cal, mileage wise ... but it's my 3rd Winter with our 04

 

While my MPG has dropped only about 1 MPG, the distance traveled between tanks has dropped quite a bit. That's probably due to the fact I'm putting less in because of the bladder.