overacceleration

I don't understand what you are trying to say?

The prius is not a rocket ship so it's hard to accelerate uncontrolled. Do you mean that you tend to accelerate to a higher speed then you intended? I don't think that is due to the gas pedal but more to the fact that the car is quiet and the engine RPM doesn't directly correspond to acceleration so i tend to not realize how fast I'm going.

I've had the cars for a few days and I'm getting more used to it by looking at the speedo more. I think this is a great "feature"

 

Yeah, I'm having the same problem. I'm watching the meters to much and don't realize that I'm over the speed limit. For FE it's far more important (over all) to not exceed the speed limit so I'm learning to look at the speedo more. the car is so quiet compared to my last car and the RPM doesn't mean much so it's hard to tell how fast you are going. that and the fact that it's soo smooth doesn't "help" either.

I've found that I need to drive with the stereo off when i want to maximize the FE so that I can better hear what is going on.

This is a really nice problem and I'm sure I'll learn to feel this car as well or better then my last one. But it's being so qiet and smooth that it's hard to pick-up on!

What a sweet ride!

I also find that I go for rides I don't really need just because it's so fun to ride around in the Prius! While not neccesarily bad for FE it's gas I didn't need to use!

 

As someone in the forum had mentioned earlier.. its winter, and we are still learning (i also got my Black Beauty just 10 days back). So that might be contributing to low MPGs right now. I live in an area which is hilly, many uphill and downhill regions, and i have a short comute to work. So i am looking forward to better MPGs in spring and later.

 

A very good point, hybridTHEvibe. The biggest single "trick" the Prius plays on us is what you're talking about.

Because of a combination of how a CVT works, plus the HSD system, there is almost a random correlation between ICE noise/RPM and speed. I think in our past vehicles we get used to a certain level of engine "background noise" being related to a certain level of speed, and we glance at the speedometer less and less frequently.

My first few weeks with the Prius, it was mainly when I thought I was probably going somewhere around 55 MPH, then looked up to see I was going 72, that this dawned on me. Not so much a problem under 50.

Yet another factor in all this is the Prius's seat height, which I love. The higher your seating position, the slower the road seems to be "traveling beneath you".

 

actually the problem you describe is something that also affected me. without feeling a transmission shift to moderate your speed, its tough to judge. some people have issues with the harshness of the ride and so on, but this car rides like a dream compared to my other vehicle (ford f-150)

the day i drove my Prius home, i jumped onto hiway 101 then went to the I-5 interchange which has a broad sweeping curve to the right listed at a speed of 45 mph or something like that. well i came cruising through that turn and realized about half way throught that i was not comfortable going around that curve, so i glanced down and realized i was doing 72 mph. i thought i was doing about 55. scary...

this is the first car i have ever used CC extensively and this is the exact and really only reason why i do it.

 

well i've had a few cars with CC, hated using it. i use it ALL the time now, especially on surface streets where speeds are tougher to judge.

on our way to the SEAHAWK NFC Championship game, i had 3 impatient passengers telling me to hurry, i informed them that i was doing 72 mph and would not be going faster, and they were amazed.

and yes, the main reason for this post was to mention the SEAHAWKS


GO SEAHAWKS!@!

 

It if was for the Seahawks, I likely would have gone 73mph.

 

:lol: B)

Go Hasselbeck! Go Alexander! Go Holmgren!

 

ok.. so i didn't read the entire form.

1.. it's winter.. like everyone has said already.

2. You're not going to maximize on acceleration, unless you learn to brake very well... a very light brake for a long distance.. along with coasting to lights. A little trick i learned while driving the 400h ( which gives me a green battery in my prius all the time ) very light braking gives you a huge feedback from the elecric motors. Keep this.. don't brake more.. don't brake less. just hold it. Also.. it seems to work better when in B... shift to b... give it a sec (btw.. for longer hills) and then barely hold the brake.

This way, you get your green battery and the car is less dependent on gas while acceleration.

3. over "rev" or acceleration isn't too bad. if you have a green battery.. or if you don't.. just get up to speed.. feather.. and then work off momentum. After initial acceleration i have the policy to never feel acceleration or deacceleration untill you hit a stoplight.. traffic.. or a sign.

4.. highway is a lot different than city. highway is a simple buildup game. keep driving.. don't overaccelerate.. keep the momentum up on the car.. and try to keep a steady rpm... not always a steady spead. ( this works really well with diesels too) on long highway trips.. don't expect the best mpg unless you can draft other cars. drafting from colorado to california doing an average of 85 to 90mph, i was still able to achieve mid 40 mpg. as long as you keep that steady momentum the entire way.. you'll get plenty of built up energy in your battery to assist you the entire way.

5. there is a break in period... us older members use to chat about this a while back. when you get up to the 15k to 20k mile range on your car.. you'll notice your mpg will start to jump up. enough said because i know someone will argue this.

6... get in the car and drive.. sure.. saving the world is great.. but the ulsers you'll get from trying to keep your car in the 60mpg range just might kill you... so get in.. and drive. everything should be done by feeling anyways.. you don't need the screen. If you can hear the engine.. it's an overrev.. unless you are doing 80.. or 70 for that matter. ( keep in mind all overreving isn't too bad at high speeds. it just generates more battery power for you.... 80mph is a good example.)

my last little example.. my dads truck is an f350.. it's for his buisines but i still shun him for not using biodiesel.. moving on... i can get around 16mpg out of that thing.. while he can get 13mpg... this is because i feel the pedel and hear the engine.. you can tell when you are using unwanted energy.. you can feel it too.. in the pedel.. in the moving of the vehicle. in the speedometer too.. lol. even if it is a diesel and not a hybrid.. it all follows the same rules... just.. he doesn't generate electricity when coasting or braking... but the concept is still the same.. coast as long as you can (no arrows preferably) and long easy braking.. because it works those generators.

sorry for typos guys.. just woke up. lol

 

i agree- had a hard time knowing where i was speedwise with a CVT in the car.

you'll get used to it. just pay close attention until you do!