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

New 2009 owner

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by AJWard549, Nov 23, 2008.

  1. AJWard549

    AJWard549 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2008
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Knoxville
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    new 2009 owner here! Package #3, super white and I love it! This is my first new car and it is living up to all my expectations. Just one concern so far, I've been reading the forums regarding the "pips" and my pips are disapearing much more quickly than I would have thought, but I am still averaging over 45 mpg. Is this just a result of the cold temps?
     
    #1 AJWard549, Nov 23, 2008
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,936
    16,159
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    hello and welcome! Congrats on your purchase!

    It could be, yes plus you'll be using winter blend fuel. It doesn't matter though cause you can hone your skills over the winter (and the poor mpg will be disguised by the colder temps and winter fuel) and by next summer you'll be ready to get 50mpg.. then 55mpg the next summer and so forth :D.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Nov 23, 2008
  3. AJWard549

    AJWard549 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2008
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Knoxville
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    so is it because it is new and the current fuel is different, or is it because the gas tank's bladder is still getting broken in? combination of both? the car is literally brand new, it had 4 miles on it when i picked it up!
     
    #3 AJWard549, Nov 24, 2008
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,936
    16,159
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Everything? lol.

    45mpg is pretty good cause I was below that when I started!

    You have the following working against you:

    - colder temperatures = longer warm up time
    - winter fuel = less fuel, more additives to keep fuel from freezing
    - new tyres = increased friction as it wears in
    - new parts = increased friction from machined parts. Will wear in and smoothen out
    - bladder = rubber bladder is sensitive to temperature. In the summer, I can easily pump 39 litres (never pumped > 40 litres before) but in the winter, I'll be lucky to get 30 litres in and we rarely drop below 0°C
    - lastly... YOU =). You'll eventually train yourself to maximise fuel mileage on your commuting route and find new routes in your commute to maximise fuel mileage. It took me 2 years to optimise my route.
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Nov 24, 2008
  5. AJWard549

    AJWard549 New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2008
    3
    0
    0
    Location:
    Knoxville
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    that all makes sense! i didn't realize the difference in bladder volume could be so much dependent on temp! it makes sense, but definately something to get used to after driving an old vw for the past 10 years! the warm up time makes sense too, and explains a lot. lately a lot of my trips have been short, that will all change in the next couple of weeks and then i will really see what the car is capable of. thanks so much for the encouragement!
     
    #5 AJWard549, Nov 25, 2008
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,936
    16,159
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The bladder is also a source of frustration for a number of people (because you don't know how much fuel is really left in the tank. If the computer says it's empty, it'll shut the car down even though there physically is fuel left in the tank). Rule-of-thumb. If it says "Add Fuel", add it now! Some people went 200km before they "ran out" of fuel, some as little as 7km so don't risk it. And yeah the bladder will expand as it wears in too. It's a little stiff to begin.


    Actually, there is a picture of the bladder on PC.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-technical-discussion/30593-gas-bladder-exposed.html
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Nov 25, 2008
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)