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O.C. Gas Milage HELP!

Discussion in 'Local Prius Club Main Forum' started by cpautler, Aug 19, 2004.

  1. cpautler

    cpautler New Member

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    I'm still breaking in my car as I only have around 1600 miles on it. Right now I'm getting between 40-45 mpg and I'm really trying to get the best mpg.
    I keep reading posts where people get 50-60 mpg. I may drive a little fast at times which could contribute to that, but is there anything else I could be doing. I've heard something about "pulse" driving, but I couldn't find anything specific about it.
    I'd love to hear any ideas that could make my driving more efficient. I'm a very competitive person, and if people are getting 50-60mpg I want to do it too!!!

    Chris (silver #9 (with tinted windows!))
     
    #1 cpautler, Aug 19, 2004
  2. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    Here's a test.

    Find a flat stretch of highway where 70MPH is legal (or will be ignored), and set the cruise control for that speed. Let it go for 10-15 miles, and see what MPG you get.

    After my car was 'broken in', I started getting 50MPG doing that kind of driving. If you get near that on this test, liberal use of cruise when driving on all roads (like I do) might be an answer...
     
    #2 mikepaul, Aug 19, 2004
  3. finman

    finman Senior Member

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    Pulse driving is when u accelerate pretty briskly to get up to speed, then let up and let the electric motor ease the work of the gas engine. If u can keep the inefficient slow speeds to a minimum, then gas mileage WILL increase. I've found that chugging along from 0-30 MPH (like the rest of the world) does NOT do the Prius any good. Put the low MPG speeds behind you, get to the higher MPG speeds faster. 10 seconds at 15 MPG gets you 10 minutes of 50 plus MPG. Slow down, when possible, too, of course. Practice making the car go into and out of stealth mode, using different foot work. Learning how your car responds to your right foot is key. I actually love out-accelerating a sports car, then easing up, watching the MPG go way up and still keep up with traffic, knowing that other cars don't have this kind of technology. Love my Prius!
     
    #3 finman, Aug 19, 2004
  4. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    Chris - I too live in Lake Forest - my average is 45mpg as well for my daily drives between Lake Forest and Tustin. My car has approx. 14500 miles. My Classic gets slightly less mpg for the same drive. The biggest problem is our hills combined with the 45-55mph speed limits combined with poorly timed lights (or bad luck with well timed lights). You could expect your averages to go up a bit, however, after about 6-7000 miles - that's when mine made a noticeable increase after "break in".

    Highway trips I can do much better - 48-51mpg.

    Warm up mileage for me isn't as bad - sometimes I'll use my EV button until I get to LAke Forest Dr - then I warm up the engine going down hill. If I'm lucky, I'll catch the timing when most lights are green, and I'll get 50-60+mpg the whole way to work (in Tustin). If I hit reds, my first 5-10 min will be lower.

    *However* - coming home, my mileage suffers because it's an uphill trip. That 55-60mpg average will be tossed down to 43mpg or so. What kills is coming up hill, hitting every red, and then keeping up with traffic when they turn green, accelerating to near speed limit before stopping again at the next light (.25-.5 mile up the road).

    Honestly, I've even modified my route slightly. I live near Trabuco and Lake Forest. I used to cross Trabuco and go to work down Bake Pkwy to get to the I-5. I now go straight down Lake Forest, because I can then spend my first 5 minutes (least efficient time) going down hill rather than up/down Trabuco. That helped my going to work average. I haven't found anything that really helps my going home average though, except that on some parts driving up Bake Pkwy, I can be a bit lighter on the accelerator between lights which does help averages. Perhaps coming up Lake Forest which has a lower speed limit could help, but that is somewhat offset by more stoplights. El Toro is off limits though due to traffic at the offramp :-/

    What really kills me is when I'm driving to other areas within South OC - going up and down all the hills just seems to kill it. What I lose going uphill w/ these fast roads is rarely recovered going back downhill. Hence our disappointing averages.

    Hope this helps,
    -Rick
     
    #4 HTMLSpinnr, Aug 19, 2004
  5. inventor00

    inventor00 Active Member

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    And the air conditioning does cause some loss in MPG.
     
    #5 inventor00, Aug 19, 2004
  6. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    I have *never* turned the A/C off to save gas, just adjusted the temperature to 78 degrees, and have seen as high as 58MPG over 80 mile drives.

    If I'm losing MPGs somewhere, I won't cry... :wink:
     
    #6 mikepaul, Aug 19, 2004
  7. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    I do the same - keeping the air high keeps me comfortable and saves MPG on longer trips.

    However if ambient temp is less (i.e. low to mid 70's), that tends to kick on the heater if the climate is set to 78. At that point, I'll turn off the A/C portion and drop the temps low enough (72-75) to keep the heater from adding heat. Only thing I lose there here in the coastal climate is dehumidification, but I can usually tolerate that.
     
    #7 HTMLSpinnr, Aug 19, 2004
  8. cpautler

    cpautler New Member

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    Good info

    Thanks for all the help
    I try to keep the A/C to a minimum and the newly tinted windows help with that.
    And it's true that there are a lot of hills to deal with here. I have quite a climb to work, but that means more coasting back home.

    I did have another question about this "stealth" mode. My understanding is it is when your energy readout has nothing going to or from either the ICE or the battery. I can get this to happen easily under about 45 MPH by letting up on the gas and pressing it down very slightly. I have a very difficult time about that speed though. I can get it so the ICE is going to the wheels and charging the battery which seems close to stealth. Am I at all on the right track or am I just sounding like a clueless Prius Rookie?
     
    #8 cpautler, Aug 19, 2004
  9. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i guess it must be the lights that kill you. i recently made a trip to the North Cascades where i went over a 8000 ft pass and my mileage was about 53 as usual. but there was no lights, speeds were frequently low (you would slow down on hairpin curves especially when the ditch over the enbankment is 3000 feet deep!!)but it was hot!! so i have my air at 72º. it cools off a lot around waterfalls and the passes but everywhere else it was boiling.!!

    we did have some good shade areas though. here is a pic on SR 20 just above Diablo Dam.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=781

    if you ever get the chance to drive through the area. The Diablo Dam overlook is one of the most breathtaking vistas known to man.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=782

    here is a pic that gives you a sense of how high up you are (about 1500 feet over the water)here is a tour boat cruising the lake.

    http://priuschat.com/forums/album_pic.php?pic_id=783
     
    #9 DaveinOlyWA, Aug 20, 2004
  10. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    The ICE must spin at speeds above 42mph to prevent overspinning MG1. That was the limit on the '02 as that was when MG1 reached 6500 RPM. In theory, our MG1 on the '04 can spin up to 10000RPM in either direction, so we should be able to push closer to the low 50'smph before ICE kicks on, however programming still has it at 42mph. Perhaps the sudden change from -10,000 to + 2-3000 RPM when starting the ICE is too great, hence the lower limit?

    With the EV button if you ever do it, the mode "disables" after 34mph. Light foot up to 42mph isn't so bad.
     
    #10 HTMLSpinnr, Aug 20, 2004
  11. finman

    finman Senior Member

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    The no-arrows is true coasting (I call it super-stealth). I beleive it means no charging, no regen, and no gas engine using fuel, just like a soapbox derby car with airbags and a stereo! Ideally this is great for MPG as long as you are not losing speed too much. There are always losses associated with regen (Kinetic energy of wheels turning to electrical energy storage in the battery), as well as the other way around (electrical energy from battery to motor to turn wheels). Nothing is free, but no-arrows is as close as one comes in this car. Enjoy! It's a marvel of technology that NO other car has today. Love my Prius!
     
    #11 finman, Aug 20, 2004
  12. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Rick,

    I travel the same areas (I'm on the lake between Bake and Lake Forest. Here's my rig! Our house is the one with the red roof.

    http://usera.imagecave.com/w4abj/IMG_0535a.JPG

    http://usera.imagecave.com/w4abj/IMG_0528a.JPG

    Speaking from experience, I know you can do better. I take Bake to just north of Tustin (Anaheim) each day. I also make the drive down to my in-laws ... Hillcrest area of San Diego. So I'm doing those hills. Below is my milage.

    http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...80&#entry230149

    It's just like slicing real thin roast Beef. You have to practice in order to get good, and no one does it great, right out of the box.
    gary
     
    #12 hill, Mar 26, 2006
  13. inventor00

    inventor00 Active Member

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    Actually Htmlspinner moved to Arizona...

    What I have found - if I watch the "Energy Monitor " screen (the reverse of the Consumption screen), I can see what works best for the car and keep it doing higher MPG.
     
    #13 inventor00, Apr 10, 2006
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