Hi there,
I'm wondering how y'all drive to get such good gas mileage. I must say that mine a lot lower than most of you out there. Also do you run your AC? I live in Texas and AC is just now becoming an option (in 100+ temperatures, do you have a choice). But I'd love to any suggestions for increasing ... mine averages around 39 ....
Thanks in advance.

 

Most of us have tires inflated higher than factory specifications. Most have it at sidewall max or higher. Also, A/C is probably your bigest enemy. While we in the north are starting to drop in FE because of the cold, you should start to see an increase.

 

accelerate slower and feather the gas pedal so you can maintain the instantaneous FE gauge as to where you want it. i've just recently stopped using A/C and my first 600 mile tank is within reach

 

Don't use auto on city streets. It is ok for the highway. On city streets be sure econ is on and your fan is set to medium. So your engine will turn off at stoplights. The air will start getting warmer from the fans after a minute, so if you think you will autostop longer than that use auto anyway. But that's rare.

 

Where do you live in TX? I am in the Austin area and can vouch for the heat .

It takes practice and a lot of control to master the art if hybrid driving, I hated the car at first and we almost got rid of it due to the low mileage but once I got one high mile tank I was addicted and try harder every time I drive.
A/C is a killer but my wife got a 53mpg avg tank once running the A/C so it is possible but a lot harder. Main thing is be easy on the pedal these cars are WAY underpowered and flooring it doesn't get you anywhere faster than slowly accellerating.
Clif

 

Hey I'm in Austin too ... my best tank so far is 42 ... but I'm used to being a pretty aggressive driver and that's probably part of my problem. I'm trying to do what I can to learn how to drive more efficiently ... still open to whatever anybody suggests
-Maria

 

This is a key, accelerating gradually whenever possible, such as from red lights etc. There are a few situations in which the car's full throttle power is necessary though, such as short freeway onramps where you need to get from 0 to 55mph quick. For these such situations though, I find the car has satisfactory performance.

This is a useful suggestion. I found max sidewall (51psi) to create just too much road noise on the highway, so I run my tires at 44psi. I actually like that pressure a lot better than the stock 30psi, which always felt way too mushy for me.

Another thing limiting you may be your terrain, as well as the length of your trips. If you live in an area with steep hills (especially with stop signs on them) that can devastate your mileage. Same thing with short trips-- many of the mileage-saving features of the car don't kick in until it's fully warmed up.

I got my average up from 39mpg to 52mpg mainly by paying attention to my fuel consumption gauge, most of the technique I picked up just from that.

Probably the biggest thing for me is looking further ahead to anticipate stoplights and such. If a light a block ahead of me has been green for a while, I know it will probably turn red on me, so I can coast the rest of the way there instead of staying on the gas pedal and being forced to brake hard. Or, if a light has been red a while, I'll coast down to 10-15mph, then roll through right as it turns green and the rest of the cars are getting going. Avoiding getting to 0mph as much as possible can make a huge difference, and costs you no time whatsoever. If I do need to brake, I've gotten fairly good at braking with just the right amount of pressure where I get regen, with minimal pressure on the regular brake pads.

On highways, allowing yourself to lose a little bit of speed going uphill, then regain it going down saves gas too -- and on average takes the same amount of time as driving exactly even speed.

 

I live near the coast and my drive is 60 miles to work, I drive about 58mph on the back roads and on the freeway(right hand lane). I work shift work and on days I leave at 4 am, I usually don't use the a/c then. Evenings I still don't like to use the a/c as I mainly work outside anyway but my wife tells me "use the **** a/c". I see the milage killed when she drives!Kevin