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New Owner Question On Sudden Drop In MPG

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by chevron, Sep 28, 2010.

  1. chevron

    chevron New Member

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    Bought my new Prius 1 Month ago , am really loving it. Have been consistently getting over 50 mpg avg ,last wknd filled the tank with gas & its been lower by about 2 MPG ,the temps are not much lower here now , but was wondering if the gas has winter additives that gave me worse mileage
     
    #1 chevron, Sep 28, 2010
  2. Penny's Dad

    Penny's Dad New Member

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    Ethanol levels do vary....Is there a required 5 or 10% mix in your area?
     
    #2 Penny's Dad, Sep 28, 2010
  3. priuscritter

    priuscritter I am the Stig.

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    gas in the winter is not as efficient, at least that's been my experience. plus, cold weather means you're going to burn fuel at a richer mixture basically, so there's not a lot that you can do to avoid a drop in the winter. but, i don't think they've switched to a winter blend yet. i usually notice that around halloween time. check your tire pressure too just to be on the safe side.
     
    #3 priuscritter, Sep 28, 2010
  4. Craigmri

    Craigmri New Member

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    Checked tire pressure?

    Craig
     
    #4 Craigmri, Sep 28, 2010
  5. chevron

    chevron New Member

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    Yup bumped the tire pressure back up to 45 when I was gassing it up ,so its not that . My intuition is telling me its the gas , just not sure what is wrong with it, as it seems too early for the winter stuff to me also .Hopefully the next fill will be normal again.
     
    #5 chevron, Sep 28, 2010
  6. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Get ready for a 5-6 mpg hit when the temps drop to say below 40...
     
    #6 spiderman, Sep 28, 2010
  7. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    if your worried about 2mpg, have fun when winter comes.
     
    #7 adamace1, Sep 28, 2010
  8. priuscritter

    priuscritter I am the Stig.

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    yeah, tire pressure affects mpg, so if you see a drop, it's worth making sure you don't have low tires. just a checklist item.
     
    #8 priuscritter, Sep 28, 2010
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