Love the mpg

Since I've been reading the boards for quite a
while, I knew to expect low mileage for my seven
mile commute to work. Also, I knew that I needed
to learn to drive my Prius for optimal mileage.
Well, I had to return some things on Sunday, so I
decided this would be a good time to get my Prius
driving education underway.
When I looked at the odometer, it showed about
thirty miles. The A/C temp was set about 78, level 1,
around 10 a.m., but by the time I finished at 11:45 a.m.
I shoved the temperature down to 77, level 2 (Texas
heat sucks). Outside air. Recirc turned off.
I only drove the city streets of Dallas--no highway.
The area I drove was primarily Garland Rd/NE Highway
Lower Greenville Whole Foods, then E Grand Ave. If
you know these areas, you'll know that most of these
roads have some hilliness.
My avg. mpg when I started was about 45/46. By
the time I finished, my average was up to 48.1
mpg and my odometer was reading sixty-
something miles.
In my old Camry, a noticeable portion of the tank
would've disappeared. In my Prius, the gas tank is
still full and I had a zen feeling after driving my
car.
Of course, after driving to work, the average is down to
47 point something mpg. Sigh. All that effort seems
to go down the drain so quickly.
Still, this just means I have to drive some decent
distances to get my car back up to a decent mpg.
It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.

Counting down the days to Prius enlightenment,
Esther

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanMan32\";p=\"92650)</div>

Dallas . . . clean environment?!
Texas was Bush-wacked. No clean
environment anywhere in Texas. :cussing:

Anyway, I was always under the impression
that recirculation puts a hit on the
mileage--considerably more so than
using the outside air.
While I may not ever reach hypermile
status (because of my work commute),
I want to put as few hits on my mileage
as possible.
However, if the Prius vets know that it's
less of a hit to do recirc, level 1 than
outside, level 2, I'll be more than happy
to make use of recirc.

Thanks,
Esther

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ray Moore\";p=\"92870)</div>

I'm actually one of those people who love
that new car smell. So in that case, I wouldn't
have a problem with recirc.
As far as air quality, Dallas seems to be
pretty bad during the summertime especially.
Still, when using outside air, I thought
that the filter would ensure that a good
deal of the pollution would not enter my
car. If that's not the case, I might end up
using recirc more.
Whenever I drive home from work, it's
about 7 a.m. and I'm parked in an underground
garage. I don't imagine it'd be too hot then.
From what I gather of your post, recirc is
recommended at this time--barring any inside
pollution.
However, if the air is hot inside my car, then
I should use outside air?
Hmmm . . . I don't think recirc/outside air
has ever been explained to me before, but
this makes sense.
If I didn't like where I lived and the short
commute (makes it easier to hit that snooze
a few times), I would seriously consider moving
elsewhere for the commute mileage.

Thanks,
Esther