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who is averaging 50 MPG true?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by alfon, Dec 15, 2009.

  1. alfon

    alfon Senior Member

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    Well, I am not, the last tank was 42 MPG. It just seem to me to be nearly impossible up here in N/W Oregon with standing water on the roadway and 30-50 degree temp's to get a true, calculated, 50 miles per gallon.

    Maybe down in the southwest 50 MPG is possible but when winter hits you will just not get 50 miles per gallon, at least not where I live.

    alfon
     
  2. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

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    Standing water kills mpg of any car. Prius is more sensitive to cold temps than wasteful ICE-only cars.

    What tire pressure do you run?
    What speeds and distances do you drive?
    Is your grill blocked?

    You can improve your mileage in your conditions, but I would not expect EPA numbers in your conditions.
     
  3. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Tonight roads were dry, 35 - 39 F, 26 miles round trip starting from a cold engine, mostly driven at 55 mph. Cabin heated to 72F once the ICE water temp hit 170F

    Mod: grill block. Michelin Hydroedges nicely worn-in, set to sidewall max psi ratings.

    MPG: 53.9
     
  4. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i am not and not really disappointed. getting close to that 47-48 and considering the cold weather we have had, i think i am doing ok. was probably close to 50 mpg but then the last week of the tank, it was single digits and teens which forced me to sit and run defrost for 3-5 minutes every morning before i could go anywhere. that killed it.
     
  5. thbjr

    thbjr Member

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    Both the wife and I are. Her first tank was 54 calc and mine was 61. But we live in Phoenix, and that's probibly worth several MPG this time of year.
    Dry all but 1 day and temps from 40F to 70F.
     
  6. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    I get over 50 in the cold temps so far. Also my total is 52.9 for the last 12,000 miles.
     
  7. oxnardprof

    oxnardprof Member

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    My long-term average is 48.5 mpg in So Cal, with mild weather and a mixture of highway and suburban driving.

    My best recent trip home was 60 mpg for a trip of 50 miles. I usually get better mpg from Northridge to Oxnard, and better mpg on highway than suburban streets.
     
  8. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    In the summer I can get over 50 if I stay off the freeway. Since winter set in it's not so good. Last tank 42 and that's with the lower grill 100% blocked and 45 psi in the tires. :(

    Just started a new tank today though and the temperature is back above freezing, after the first 60 miles I'm at 47. :)
     
  9. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    My first thought is to wait out the winter. I got my car in August and it was almost a full year before I was above 50mpg. A lot has to do with the car getting to know you and you getting to know the car. Give it til next summer and reread this thread. You'll be laughing.
     
  10. avocadoman1

    avocadoman1 Member

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    i'm in SoCal as well.
    my display shows 49.2 over the last 16K miles.
    granted, the cold weather does kill mpg numbers.
    i'm currently running with the "grill-block mod" (1" pipe insulation in the upper grill...nothing in the lowers).
    that mod, in conjunction w/ 42 psi in the fronts / 40 psi rears seems to help maintain the good fall/spring mpg numbers.
     
  11. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    I got >60 mpg on a couple of tanks in the summer, but mostly about 57-58 mpg. Now I'm getting ~52 mpg. Not doing too much special other than 44/42psi tires and driving carefully. A month ago I did a partial grill block but it is hard to tell how much difference it makes.

    My daily commute is ~6.5 miles each way but a few days a week it varies. Lately the low temps have been ~50F, but we did have a week or so of 40F.

    3PriusMike
     
  12. Rhino

    Rhino New Member

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    It depends on your definition of true.

    I average 51 to 54 mpg driving to work and back per the trip-meter. So I can easily average over 50 mpg if I wanted to. But I like to take short hops to the video store, sometimes I like to sleep in the car and listen to the radio while my wife runs errands. I like to pull off the side of the road to talk on the phone, adjust my GPS, or adjust the iPod. Idling on the side of the road does not help mpgs. So I average 46 to 47 mpg. Life is about enjoying yourself and not having to turn off the car all the time to achieve a target mpg. 46-47 mpg is good enough for me.
     
  13. Indyking

    Indyking Happy Hyundai owner...

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    You know the drill... I'm not even getting 40 now (calculated)... I wonder if at some point in the winter during artic blasts my previous CR-V will have hwy readings comparable to it... will not be totally surprised.
     
  14. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I have a 52 mile daily commute with 40 miles being highway driving at 60 mph. In the summer with the average temps being in the 70's, I was getting about 51 mpg calculated. Now that the average temps have dropped in the 50's, with some 30 and 40 degree mornings, I have dropped to 48 mpg.

    No problems here. I was averaging 19 mpg in my 1996 Jeep GC !!
     
  15. egale

    egale New Member

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    If 34mpg is the same as 50, I am getting 50.

    Actually, I am on my third tank now and have seen the mpg go steadily downward. I do a lot of short trips and my area is hilly and the weather has been getting colder (in the 30s) too. Still I expected better.

    Looks like the short periods where I have to push the pedal to the metal to get up a hill don't get offset by the much longer periods where I can coast downhill.:noidea:
     
  16. sumguy

    sumguy Junior Member

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    Short commute of 4.2mi and I was averaging 48-49mpg. Temps (20-40F) are dropping and mpg has dropped 1-2mpg. I'm 1/2 way to work before the car is fully warmed up. Haven't checked tire pressure and plan to block the lower grill.
     
  17. Dozzer

    Dozzer Prius Noob

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    I drive around 110 miles per day back and forth to work.
    Average seems to be around 55.7mpg (UK gallons make a difference ?) at the moment.. down from 61mpg now that the weather is colder.. 4 degrees C
     
  18. tonyrenier

    tonyrenier I grew up, but it's still red!

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    I live in Wisconsin, we've been having single digit temps both above and below (Farenhiet). In the summer I was averaging between 58 and 62, calculated. Now I'm struggling to get 45, the heater keeps the ICE running almost all the time. At this point my highway mileage is better than city.
    Good Luck,
    Tony Renier
    Green Bay, WI
     
  19. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Do everything you can to avoid accelerating up a hill. Holding the speed constant when ascending a hill works a lot better than accelerating even the tiniest bit. The reason is acceleration pushes the engine into relatively inefficient power regions.

    Another approach is to use Google map to check your regular routes and alternatives. Find alternative routes looking for:

    • 5 minutes or 1-2 miles - low speed, say through a neighborhood, for warm-up
    • middle - look for shorter distance, lower speed short-cuts. Often a high speed road takes a longer path but our Prius is 'King of the Stop Light Patch.' Lower speeds on a shorter route are often better than higher but longer distances.
    • 1-2 miles 'cool down' - see if you can approach your regular destination in the 30-40 mph range so the battery charge is used. This can 'top off' mileage.
    Bob Wilson
     
  20. Mike Colwell

    Mike Colwell New Member

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    I use my 2007 Package 2 in my daily service use, averaging 50-100 miles per day, here in NW Oregon, Portland area. I am in and out of the car all day, usually my trips are 15-40 min, city, some highway. My overall since I last reset is 42.1, and every tank, calculated, lately since winter set in, is 38-42. Last week, an exceptionally cold one, here, I got 33. I run 40PSI all around on the Falken Ziex tires, no "grill block mod".
    Mike