In Denver this winter I have been averaging about 30-32 with the cold temps and the winter fuel they use here - in the fall I was upwards of 36-38..... All pretty much suburban driving.... On the real cold days - single digits - I only get in the high 20's for trips....

 

Hey Larry check this out. This might help explain why it took 17.7 gallons...


Quote:
TCH Fuel Tank Capacity Experiment --- RESULTS by hybridriver Jun 15, 2006 (7:46 pm)
Reply | E-mail Msg
As you may recall, after letting the needle touch E on my first tank of gas and noticing that the ensuing fill up only required about 14.2 gallons, I decided to put a gallon of gas in my trunk to allow me to run my TCH out of fuel, and hence get a true reading on the fuel tank capacity. I was also curious as to how accurate the "Tank Mileage" readout would prove to be.

Several days ago, the needle again touched E. Odo A (which I had reset when filling the tank) showed 515 miles traveled, and the Tank Mileage was 37.0 mpg. Doing a long division shows that roughly 14 gallons (13.92) were consumed before the needle centered on E, again consistent with what most people are reporting.

During the last several days, I've been doing only short hop city driving, and the Tank Mileage had dropped to 36.0 mpg. If the tank actually did hold 17.1 gallons, that would imply that I should run out of gas after 615.6 miles. As Odo A passed the 600 mile mark, I started paying very close attention to signs that the gas had run out. I did not want to drive the car at all when that happened, due to the dire warning about the Prius that was posted here recently.

Anyway, today the car ran out of gas at 613 miles. I tried to accelerate, and the engine did not kick in. Fortuitously, I was a few hundred feet from a gas station at that moment, and just glided in with the electric motor to the pump. As I was filling up, I mused at how accurately the gauges had worked in forecasting that moment. But, then the pump blew through the 17.1 gallon mark, and it ended up taking 17.82. Soooo, either the gas companies are even greedier than we thought (is that possible? ), or Toyota underspec'ed the tank capacity, or there was some fuel in the lines that isn't officially tank capacity.

I got back in the car, pumped the accelerator a couple times to prime the fuel pump (unsure if that actually does that on the TCH), hit start, pulled away, and voila, the engine started. Drove home, as normal, feeling happy that the whole thing had been relatively painless (to both me and the car), and secure in the knowledge that I had performed a huge service for [a very small percentage of] the human race...

Final note: 613 miles/17.82 gallons = 34.4 mpg. As stated, the Tank Average read out at 36.0 mpg.


Here's the link https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...ead.php?t=8510

 

I have been getting about 33 in town with highs here in the low 50's. Interstate driving going 75-80 with the same temps get me 33 also. Last summer I was getting 38-40 on trips and 35-37 in town.

 

Okay,

Based on the last few posts it appears that there is more capacity than Toyota lets on. Furthermore, it appears that the 30 - 32 MPG that I have been languishing in is not abnormal when the temp is at or below freezing.

If anyone reading this feels differently, please chime in!

Larry

 

Cold weather definitely seems to affect mileage. I bought my Camry Hybrid in May and got 38-39 mpg through the summer and into the fall. When the weather became cold enough to use the heater, I started getting around 36. Now that real January weather has arrived, I'm getting 33.

I live in the Chicago area. We're in subzero now and I'm expecting less mpg.

Pete

 

Bigsk8r — I think the correct answers have already been given. Beware of overfilling the tank, though. There's space left above the "full" level for evaporative fuel recovery and tank pressurization testing (to check for vapour leakage — it occurs overnight, and is mentioned in the Owner's Manual). There's a TSB I've seen somewhere about the problem of fuel getting into the evaporative recovery lines because of overfilling.

Stan

 

On my diesel truck, the tank is rated for 29 gallons, but I can routinely get 32 - 33 gallons in there. But that is using the head space for expansion, so you don't want to fill it that full on a cold morning and then park it in the sun for the day.

 

Further to my post #16 above, I have located the TSB in question. Its Canadian number is TSB2524 "FUEL IN EVAP SYSTEM." The US equivalent is ED036-06 with the same title. I don't have electronic versions of either of these. Anyway, the problem mentioned in these TSBs does not apply to the TCH. It applies only to North American Production 2007 Camrys made before the Kentucky plant started making TCHs. The problem is described as follows:

"Some ... 2007 model year Camry vehicles may display one of the following complaints as a result of fuel entering the EVAP system through a damaged vent hose inside the fuel tank:
- Intermittent stalling at idle when at operating temperature.
- Intermittent rough idle when at operating temperature.
- M.I.L. "ON" with at least one of the following DTCs stored ... .
Production changes have been implemented to prevent this condition from occurring."

It seems that some fuel tanks were incorrectly assembled in early Kentucky production. This is probably not relevant to the discussion on this thread, but it does indicate the possibility of fuel getting into the vapor control lines, and I think this is increased if the tank is excessively overfilled — just what constitutes "excessively" I can't say. But there is a void deliberately left above the fuel in the tank for emission control purposes.

Stan

 

The void at the top of the tank is a common thing in a lot of vehicles. The filler comes into the side of the tank leaving an area above it to act as a vapor zone.

I doubt that in cold weather that you could get enough turbulence during the fill process to get fuel to fill that zone. At least, not without rocking the vehicle and "burping" the tank of its extra air.

It is all interesting though. I don't plan on ever putting more than 16 gallons in again!

 

Depending on where the filler enters the tank, and where the vent is tied in, you "could" park on a severe side incline to alow more fuel into the tank. I do that quite often to encourage more full capacity in my truck all the time. You do have to find a station that has such an incline facing the correct direction though.