Don't want to make people behind me mad anymore

JUST DRIVE IT.

That's been the motto for many of us for years.

And if you watch the Eco-Meter, the point to keep the duration in the red zone short. Avoiding it entirely is not necessary. Avoiding the use of ECO mode isn't either.
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Congrats on the new Prius. On my first tank of gas, I took the same "maximize my MPG" approach to driving. On the second tank, I'm just driving in Normal or Power mode. MPGs are down 2-3mpg, but I'm not making anybody mad, and in Power mode, I'm having a lot more fun! Now get out of my way

The Prius is a car, drive it!

 

Be aware that you can (theoretically) get exactly the same results in any of the 3 modes, normal, power, or ECO. What changes is the response of the car to movement of the pedal in about the first half of it's travel. ECO gives you very fine control, PWR quite course, and normal in between. If you push the pedal clear to the floor, for example, in any of the 3 modes you get exactly the same amount of power.

Which you use most of the time is a matter of personal choice and probably depends on where you live, traffic conditions, etc. I have found I can use ECO with no problems while driving in the city (Portland or Seattle) but I have to push the pedal down a bit further and will put the HSI line over in the red to keep out of peoples way. Others on this forum have switched to normal or even PWR and claim no big difference in mileage. I have noticed when I get out of ECO my mileage suffers a bit.

 

Like John said, "just drive it". Because my mileage has dropped so much due to winter driving, I just "turn off" my HSI and just drive. It helps reduce stress. Keep up with traffic out of the lights but try to anticipate the stops and coast to them. People seem less sensitive about coast stopping.
Remember if you do happen to drop a few mpg doing this, your still getting much better than everyone else around.

Drive on!

 

In the real world you are always going to be going to slow for someone. If you are going so slow that everyone behind you needs to pass you then you might want to go a little faster. Try to find a balance in between that and pleasing everyone which is impossible.

 

The eco meter does have a mesmerizing effect and can keep you from driving properly to keep up with traffic. I keep it in eco and when I need to accelerate faster, I just push the pedal harder to keep people from getting mad at me.

has anyone else noticed?...that when you are over about 50 mph, that it no longer feels like the pedal is in eco mode?? (which makes sense).

 

you're thinking and worrying about this too much..... and when you do, you make it double!

drive the car. when you use the ECO mode too much, the ICE kicks in and charges the batt. so beware of this. so-cal people are hotheads....most of them drive like idiots. all of them seem to be in a constant rush. add a bit of rain and it's a cluster F!!! out there.

be patient, and every once in a while, drive it like you stole it.....helps clear out the carbon deposits..........

 

A few weeks ago my wife and I rode with one of this Forum's Moderators, who is a recognized Hypermiler, and he showed us some tips on extracting good mileage from a Prius.

My wife also drove in ECO mode, untile we saw how briskly he accelerated away from a stop. His lesson to us was to accelerate away from a stop BRISKLY, quickly reach your target speed, then coast as much, as far and as often as possible.

As was stated earlier, reach your target speed quickly, then keep it in the ECO area on the HSI as much as practicle, avoiding the Power area.

There have also been MANY threads on driving in the PWR mode versus the ECO mode, my wife and I are ardent supporters of using the PWR mode. It compliments quick starts from a stop, permitting one to reach the point where coasting can be done more efficiently and for longer periods of time, nullifying any losses incurred by the quick starts. PLUS it's a WHOLE LOT MORE FUN!!!

Enjoy your Prius!

David (aka Blind Guy)

P.S. You have EXCELLENT taste in a car's Make, Model and Color...it's the same as ours!

 

I guess Im with others in sayin to just drive it, but not because of those behind you.

Driving's purpose is to get from one point to another safely - not to please others behind you who have stretched their days so thin that they must make others miserable in order to get where they are going by a certain time.

Since buying my Prius, i accelerate much slower than before. It's not just a matter of saving money but also safety. There is no need to jump out of your skin when the light turns green. If the other fools act stupid and cause an accident by doing so I'll gladly allow their car insurance to buy me another Prius

 

Hi:

Aggressive driving seems to be on the increase. If one of these ignorant jerks flash their lights at you, or honk their horn, just ignore them - but be careful - don't react. The last thing you should do is allow these incidents to escalate into a violent and deadly road rage event.

I have the same thing happen to me every day, no matter what vehicle I am driving - and no matter what my speed. I just try to let them pass, or if they really get wild I look for an exit to get away from them.

Deadly road rage events are in the newspapers all the time. Don't allow yourself to become a statistic.

Jim

 

It's much more enjoyable driving in pwr mode. Good mpg and fun at the same time. What more can i ask for. Oh, maybe firmer suspension for the turns.

 

My advice is always to drive safely. Driving a lot more slowly than other folks is just as dangerous as driving a lot more quickly. When I'm in traffic, I try to be attentive to the way other drivers are behaving.

However, I see nothing wrong with driving +/- 5mph of the speed limit, which I do, even if other drivers disagree. Other people's rudeness is not my problem so long as I'm driving the way the road is intended to be driven.

On the other hand, when I have a large stretch of road to myself, I do sometimes accelerate slowly so as to avoid the "red zone" at all. If that means creeping uphill, that's ok with me so long as I am not endangering anyone else.

 

You are probably already aware of this:

But there may be some stuff available, haven't tried it yet. Here is one site: Toyota Prius 2010 ZVW30 Performance, Handling & Electronic Accessories :: Sigma Automotive

17" wheels and wider tires would help also.

 

I just came through the mountains around SD after seeing my daughter in Tucson. I could not believe how foolishly people were driving. Snow on the side of the road, rain, wind and temps just above freezing and I had people weaving in and out of lanes cause they needed to get ahead of everyone else on the road. I prefer arriving late over not at all, many of these people had families in their cars, I cannot understand why they would risk the lives of loved ones driving like that.

 

I also live in San Diego and had the Prius since June '09. I drive in ECO mode and my MPG is 50.7 after 4950 miles.

I have learned to live with the constant harassment from other drivers. On surface streets there is not much problem but on the I-5 freeway I sense the anger when I drive 60-62 mpg even though I am always on the right lane. I am not going to drive faster because other people want to speed.

You would think that with the CA foreclosure crisis and the very high unemployment rate, people would be driving slower to conserve gas and money.

 

No matter what you do, there will always be some idiot behind you that is impatient and will flash his lights, sound his horn, or pass you.

I have been driving in ECO mode since I got the car. After stopping at a red light, I am often way ahead of the people in the other lanes after starting up when the light turns green. I usually accelerate to around 30 MPH then let the cruise control get me back up to speed. (I have a Prius V and love to use the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control.)

I normally set the cruise control to 3-5 MPH over the speed limit and let the cruise control keep up with the car in front of me. When I am following a car who is doing below my set speed, the cruise control keeps me about 2 seconds behind him. Invariably, someone has to pass me and fill in the gap. It has nothing to do with my acceleration rate or speed - they just can't stand me leaving a safety zone (as recommended by every defensive driving class I have taken). I even had one guy drive around me on the shoulder to pass when the rush hour traffic was going too slowly for him.

Just drive the car as you would a normal gas engine car. Accelerate and keep the speed and distance you would if you weren't driving a Prius. As long as you aren't impeding traffic, ignore the idiots behind you who are so impatient they will risk their lives (and yours) to gain 5 minutes during an hour drive.

 

On the other hand it is very annoying to be stopped at a light and a big SUV or truck stops about 3 inches from my rear bumper.

 

I drive nice and economically, but not to the point where I impede traffic. That wastes gas, too. It is still appropriate to drive with manners and good sense. If cars are flying past you on both sides (excluding the shoulder), move over to the right - the slower lanes.

Just yesterday I was driving at the speed limit on a 2-laned commuter or HOV section of the freeway in LA. Another Prius was ahead in the slow lane and an airport shuttle bus was in the "fast" lane. The bus bumper was 3 feet ahead of the Prius bumper as they plowed through the air like an askew marching band. They remained paired like that for a couple of minutes - both doing about 5MPH below the speed limit. Naturally, I couldn't get around them.

I think it is rude to pair two vehicles alongside each other and block anyone else from passing. I flashed my lights (once) at the bus, but he didn't care. When I changed lanes to get behind the Prius, the driver had the courtesy to slightly accelerate so I could pass the bus on the right. THANKS to the Prius driver.

Either the bus driver was oblivious, didn't care, or was passive-aggressively enforcing his own agenda. Neither of which is appropriate for public road travel.