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New car questions

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by nhalber, May 12, 2005.

  1. nhalber

    nhalber Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2005
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    Location:
    Marblehead
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    My car had a full tank. After driving 130 mi, the computer registered 40.1 mpg. So I figured roughly 3 gallons. But no bars were blanked out. All 10 were solid. I filled up and tank only took 1/2 gallon and that was 2 clicks of the pump.
    Is something wrong with the computer? The manual says the tank holds 11.9 gallons.
    Incidentally, after 19 miles after the fillup, I am getting 53+ mpg.
     
    #1 nhalber, May 12, 2005
  2. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

    Joined:
    Mar 14, 2005
    9,810
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    Location:
    MD
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    The fuel bladder makes for a LOT of variability in what the tank can hold. And the gas gauge is also not a linear thing.

    It takes some getting used to. There are a ton of threads about the gas gauge, do a little searching and I'm sure you'll find them.
     
    #2 galaxee, May 12, 2005
  3. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
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    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    You really need to not worry about this at this point at all. Drive the car, when the last bar flashes or when you get to just one bar on the fuel guage fill up. Don't worry about any difference b/w the computer and calculated mileage. There fuel tank bladder shrinks and expands. The fill neck is kinda weird and can cause early shut offs one time and very full fills the next. Driving just a few miles tells you nothing about how you're doing drive wise...esp. if one trip was started with a cold engine and the next with a warm one.

    Read my article in the Knowledge Base for tips on fuel mileage.
     
    #3 efusco, May 13, 2005
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