just went through my first tank of gas. Average MPG was 40. What's everyone else getting?

 

https://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/

I got, oh 46 on my first tank of gas, but that was in the summer. Cold temperatures will hurt your fuel mileage.

 

The first tank in our 03 Prius was 39 MPG:

1) under inflated tires, 32 psi
2) over-filled oil tank, ~ 1 extra quart
3) 75+ mph

Since then, we've gotten better. Here is our MPH vs. MPG chart.

Bob Wilson

 

my first tank was around 50 but it was about 80-90 F now that its winter and the temps are in the low 30s im getting about 40. a few weeks ago when it was 0 i was getting mid to high 30s. Dean... Congrats on the first tank!

 

wow bob your way of displaying fuel economy is brilliant! Don't mind if I steal your idea for my own usage, but how did you make that map?

 

I'm a newbie to my Prius. Only second tank of gas that I filled.

First tank mileage was 51 and change.

Today I filled up again, and mileage was 33.55!!

I guess when I figure in weather, it was really cold during this last tank of gas but not so cold for the first one. So, I realize that could have affected the mileage--also spent more time stopping and idling --I thought that could have made a difference, even tho I thought that once the motor stops, the gas useage stops. However, I do notice that while stopped and car not shut off, the motor will occasionally come on.

I just know that my hubby recently purchased a Pontiac Vibe (same as Toyota Matrix) and was bragging lately that my gas mileage displayed on my Prius was no better than his (cheaper) car.

Bippy

 

Capture a screen snapshot and paste it into PowerPoint, the "slide master" view. Then insert a 'blank' sheet and add the rest as an overlay without worry of messing up the 'master layer' image. Once everything is ready, make another screen snapshot and save it as a JPG for the web page. BTW, Microsoft renditions of a page GIF do not look as good as images using screen snapshots saved as JPG.

We did the same for the current project. pri_T_cold. In this case, we have both satellite and topographical graphics. (No results to publish, yet.)

The same technique works for analyzing X-rays.

Good luck!

Bob Wilson

 

Several of us are looking at ways to mitigate this problem but so far, no single solution stands out:

- use of a $75 block heater
- feed heated air to air intake
- engine and transmission lubricants
- shielding the front radiators in cold weather
- checking tire pressure
- route changes to optimize warm-up and running MPG

It may be that winterizing a Prius requires multiple solutions while making sure not to risk the vehicle from an inadvertant, warm spell.

Bob Wilson

 

Holy cow, my Prius lives in a nice, warm, dry garage! But I digress in that a couple nights a week I stay with the father of a friend with Alzheimer's Disease, and do remember that it was awfully cold some of those nights, and when I leave at 3 AM, it is about as cold as it is going to get during the night.

I do need to check tire pressure, but being that it is a new car, I guess I thought (or probably *assumed*, and one never wants to do that) the tire pressure would have been checked prior to delivery. I'm now at 641 miles, so I think perhaps it is fairly broken in.......trouble is, I had my best mileage during break in.

It is AMAZING to me how differently I drive with that mileage reader staring me in the face. Now, we need suggestions as to how to handle irate drivers who think that I accelerate too slowly and/or drive to slowly!!

Bippy

 

Sometimes the cold is unavoidable. Knowing the effect, one option is to try and take a slow-speed route for the first mile (say through a neighborhood) before going to the higher speed parts. This gives the engine and transaxle a chance to come closer to operating temperature before the heavier load is needed.

Although warming up the car is not recommended, try to minimize early, heavy power loads.


Sad to say but many leave the lot with too little air in the tires and too much oil in the pan. Some of us believe monthly air checks are a good thing and we like to run them in the 42/40 range. Let the dealer know this when you take the car in for service.

As for too much oil, it is a fair thing to ask the dealer to bring it equal to or below the top fill mark. (I prefer 2/3 to 3/4 of full although there is some difference of opinion about the best level.) You'll be going in for an oil change soon enough and that is the best time to make your opinions known . . . by showing them how you measure it and pointing to where it should be.

GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson