Pulse & Glide

Read up on warp stealth, and then compare that to the recent thread
over on CleanMPG about a different highway mode some people have
been playing with.
.
_H*

 

I have a 50 mile one-way commute to work. The trick to high MPG is to take secondary roads if possible. I am fortunate to take a secondary highway in which I can pulse and glide from 50 MPH to 40 MPH. Try to stay off the Interstates as much as possible.

 

You could also use an MPG vs MPH chart at select an optimum speed, say 65 mph, for cruising:


Another approach is to use 'route planning' to do the following:

1. 1-2 mile, low speed, warm-up
2. midway cruise at optimum speed
3. 1-2 mile, low speed, maximum electric mode cool-off

I've found that our Prius lets us take a slower speed, short cut, with no loss in elapsed time but a significant savings in fuel. This also gets you off the higher speeds and gets there at the same elapsed time with the fuel savings in the tank.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

HTTP 404 Not Found

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(esears1 @ Sep 4 2007, 10:02 PM) [snapback]507069[/snapback]</div>

When you say highway do you really mean Interstate?
I live just a smiggen south of you and I too have about a 48 mile trip -one way- 96 roundtrip. 95% Interstate. I routinely get 60-62 MPG for the whole tank. Now that you've got you tires pumped up, the trick for that kind of travel is keep the speed down, and use the cruise control. 60 MPH gives the best results and it's amazing how good the cruise control is at maintaining warp stealth and even glideing along my route on the downslopes.
I then pulse and glide on that other 5% to further re-enforce or increase those numbers.
Many members have given the same advice about cruise, and I disregarded it at first. I'm really good with my right foot manipulating the HSD. But on the Interstate, the cruise control is much better.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(esears1 @ Sep 4 2007, 10:02 PM) [snapback]507069[/snapback]</div>

I must be doing something wrong. I've had my 2007 for 4 weeks, and the best mpg I've gotten was 41.7. I drive 30 miles to work, 40% at 50 mph, 50% at 70 mph, the balance at 30. As I've read here, I try to keep the mpg above 15 when accelerating (though not always possible unless I want a huge SUV in my rear hatch). When I'm on the interstate, I use cruise control. Any other suggestions?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richlaz @ Sep 5 2007, 12:52 PM) [snapback]507398[/snapback]</div>

A quick checklist:

1. oil level, between F and E, 3/4th is perfect
2. tire pressure, up to sidewall maximum and the rear tires 2 psi under front
3. AC controls, avoid defrost, just use what is needed and avoid if possible
4. minimize speed on first 1-2 miles to let systems warm-up (25-30 mph)
5. minimize speed on last 1-2 miles to maximize electric vehicle (EV) operation (25-35 mph)
6. avoid heavy engine loads from fast acceleration or accelerating up a hill

Bob Wilson

 

Over the weekend I drove 90 miles north from my home to Bellingham, WA. I stopped at a gas station in Burlington on my way home. I reset the milage calculator on the MFD. When I got home, after driving 65-75mph all the way home with the cruise control set 90% of the trip, the MFD told me I got 57.4mpg.

In normal day to day city/highway driving I usually get in the high 40s.

So my confusion is high on why Toyota claims the milage is higher in the city?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richlaz @ Sep 5 2007, 11:52 AM) [snapback]507398[/snapback]</div>

Just give it time... you will get more efficient and so will your car. I think I got around 52 on my first tank and it only got a little better for first 5000 miles. This fillup, commuting on the same route, at around 5400 miles on the car, I went 600 miles on 9 gallons... 66.6 mpg! Make sure your tires are at least 40/38. The 70 mph is probably what's really killing your mpg. 60 is probably as fast as you want to go. I'd consider finding a slower route, but maybe that's not possible or your spare time is more valuable than mpg. Also, get an engine block heater, my first 5 minutes is up above 55 mpg now with the ebh, and that's with a 74 degree garage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hobbit @ Sep 4 2007, 10:10 PM) [snapback]507109[/snapback]</div>

I read that, then went over the to 4 (5+) stages of a Prius page. There you talk a bit about golf-cart mode, but you never mention, and in fact seem to confuse it with glide (no arrows, no battery or ICE power, different from coast, golf-cart and EV modes). I happen to know you're smarter than that, so I'm wondering if I missed something, or was this written before you understood glide mode?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wiiprii @ Sep 5 2007, 02:04 PM) [snapback]507442[/snapback]</div>

Toyota only claims what the EPA allows them to claim, based on what the EPA determined in their own tests.
As everyone knows, those tests don't reflect everybody's driving style and course, hence YMMV. The Prius is quite sensitive to different driving styles and conditions, but there's not so many different things you can do on the highway, that's easier to give a definite answer to (except if drafting or using extended P&G). It's the city or local commutes that vary considerably, so for some it is better than highway driving, others it isn't.
Does your city driving entail (in order of affecting fuel efficiency): small trips, hard stops and starts, or more likely to use A/C, etc?

 

New Prius owner here too! Today is my 5th day of ownership, and I tried out some of the techniques mentioned in this thread during my commute today.

My commute is 25 miles each way, mostly highway, and after reaching 65mph on a long level stretch of highway, I backed off on the gas pedal a bit and I think I'm seeing some of that "glide". The instantaneous MPG reading shot way up, and the 5-minute average MPG histograph (since it's showing you the average MPG of the past six 5-minute intervals, it's a histograph, right?) stayed up too, with very little regeneration (make sense I guess, since I'm not coasting).

This cannot be done with cruise control, right? If that's the case, maybe that's why the OP's MPG stayed low since he has cruise control on and set at 70MPH..

Anyway, with all the advice I've gotten from this forum, I'm enjoying every driving minute in my new Prius! B)

 

The five-stages document was NOT written by me, as you'll see by
looking at it more closely; I'm just hosting a backup copy since
the original was vandalized a while back. Its author is still
active here, if you want to begin a revision cycle.
.
_H*

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IndyDoug @ Sep 4 2007, 11:11 PM) [snapback]507110[/snapback]</div>

True glide happens below 41 MPH.