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My first prius

Discussion in 'Generation 1 Prius Discussion' started by jasonneedshybrid, Jun 25, 2009.

  1. jasonneedshybrid

    jasonneedshybrid New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2008
    30
    0
    0
    Location:
    mechanicsville, md
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    yippie! i finally own a genI prius. we bought one on ebay, test drove it to be sure we liked it, and we're so happy. thanks for all the advice we've gotten while we were making our decision. i have so many questions and statements about my 7 hr road trip home i could create my own blog, but i think i'll drop them to you a few at at time :). maybe i'll just send bob wilson the longest pm in prius chat history. i guess i'll put a couple of my observations here and see if you guys share them.

    the car got incredible gas mileage on the first tank. hand doing the math i got 55.16mpg. that was averaging a good 75 mph. i wonder how much of this was the "bladder" effect. 218.8 miles on 3.965 gallons (going on memory)((lol, never mind just confirmed it)) we'll see how it continues as the tanks start to unfold. how do i get a link in my signature that shows my rolling average?

    the energy display on the way home was blowing my mind. i finally had to switch to radio display and let the car do its thing. whew! sometimes i would be climbing a hill and the car would be charging the battery. sometimes i'd ease off the gas and it would start using the battery. it just made almost do logic at all, except at obvious times. if i did a burst of half throttle or more, of course it drained on the battery, like it should. use that stored energy! and if i let off to coast, it choked the ice, and started regen. i thought it was soo cool that even at 70 or so, i could feather the throttle to go from regen, to neutral coasting, to electric only with engine choked (turning but getting no gas). but do you think there should be reason for concern that it almost always kept the battery full. it stayed all the way at the top just below the + and - signs. just once on the trip it wouldn't regen cause the battery was too full. my old hch did that when the battery was full so i knew it was normal though. shouldn't it keep the battery at 80% so there is plenty of power for reserve, yet room for more regen?

    that's all i have time for now. my wife wants to get it new wheels but i'll search that. i'm betting there are already a dozen posts on it. do they all corrode like ours is, and the dealer had a few others there that looked all chewed up, like chemicals were put on it or something?

    thanks again for your guidance along the way.
    jason
     
    #1 jasonneedshybrid, Jun 25, 2009
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,200
    6,472
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Hi Jason,

    Congratulations on your purchase. I suggest you update your profile which shows you own a 2008.

    The battery SOC gauge should normally show 50% or 75% on Classic. Very unusual for it to show 100% or any value below 50%. Unless you were on a long descent, I am concerned that the gauge is reading so high.

    The wheels are known for corroding in areas where salt is applied to winter roads. Another trouble area is the HCAC valve in the exhaust system which tends to bind after it gets corroded.

    Enjoy, and good luck with your newly acquired Prius!
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Jun 25, 2009
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,373
    15,513
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2018 Tesla Model 3
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Welcome to the CLUB!

    No need for a PM but some details would help:

    • initial mileage - when it became yours
    • year - so we can understand the likely and unlikely areas of interest
    • pictures, pictures - we want pictures <GRINS>
    As you get a little longer and used to car, this is a good place to ask but the archives at the Yahoo groups "Prius" and "Prius Technical Stuff" are awesome. No need to post, just join to look over the stuff folks have done in the past. <grins>

    That is outstanding mileage ... I bet the temperatures were in the mid-80s ...

    Also, I would recommend finding a web site to track your mileage. I'm partial to myHybridCar but there are others. You can even use "www.fueleconomy.gov". I like these because the make and model of cars are grouped. It makes it easy to see what other folks with similar rides are getting ... vehicle centered mileage.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #3 bwilson4web, Jun 25, 2009
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