Newbie w/queries

Love my new 2009 silver,silver. I'm getting 55-56 mpg- how can I push that?

For next to nothing, inflate the tires & block the grill. Spend a bit & install an EBH.

The "pips" finally moved- one at 165 and then again at 200. Is it really the 'guess' gauge?

Yes. Think about buying gas at 2 pips. Buy gas at 1 pip. Buy gas NOW at the flashing pip.

I live close to NH border in MA. It's a long road to winter but how will it do in the snow?

No opinion as we don't get heavy snow here. You probably got more in 1 storm than we got in 2 years.

 

Welcome!

I've been through one snow here in Denver since buying my 2006 Prius. Mine has Bridgestone all season (NOT low rolling resistance) tires. Tires make a big difference - for winter I plan on putting a set of "studless snow" tires. I like the Hankook Icebear - it works well on my wife's Impala. Others to consider are Bridgestone Blizak, and, the best for the most money, Hakapolita (SP). Also remember that your Prius doesn't have much ground clearance - it simply won't go through snow deeper than the bottom of the car since it will "sled" up and lose traction.

 

Here's some good reading to start with, though your results are quite respectable already and well above EPA. Do a good search on "pulse and glide" and study the results and the various other threads in the fuel economy forum. From there it's practice and patience. I'm still refining my driving after 3 years.