Drop in mileage in Mid-west winters

Heh, you should consider a Leaf when they become available in your area, you could drive for two months on one charge!

 

I was expecting closer to 48, but one of my biggest issues is that I only work 2 miles from home so I am probably not going to see much higher... but I didn't expect 40-41. I got most of my information on mileage from this forum, actually. However, it seems some people get really high and some people get really low.

 

Winter has a dramatic effect on MPG with the
Prius more than any other vehicle I have owned
since 1966.

In summer its easy to get a calculated 53-58 MPG,
but summer reality is mid 40's to low 40's when temps
dip below 40 degrees with wet and standing water
on the roadway.

Also here in Oregon Winter last 8-9 months, with rain and
temps in the 40's, even in May.

Oregon is one of the "Special States" that has 10%
Ethanol gas ALL YEAR LONG, isn't that nice.

al

 

Your short 2 mile drive is the culprit. All cars get poor mileage w/short drives.

If it's cold enough outside, grille blocking might help a bit.

If your expectation was at least based in part on EPA estimates, please read http://priuschat.com/forums/other-c...uth-about-epa-city-highway-mpg-estimates.html. The shortest segments starting w/a cold engine both have 11 simulated miles of distance and are each 31.2 minutes long. That's besides the fact that they drive on a dyno, not a real road nor do they measure actual fuel consumption.

 

My expectation was based mostly on what I read here before I purchased, sometimes seeing 50-55 MPG; such as some posts in this thread. That being said I figured it was my commute.

Where I live it is generally between 70-90 degrees, this winter is just particularly cold (Southern California, LA area). I am interested in Grill Blocking though, but I am afraid of damaging the engine. Any good threads or links I could have to read up on it?

 

Sounds about right to me. Beside reformulated gas, using the heater/defroster is a killer (cools ICE, runs more often). I try to use them as little as possible. Also, with my scangauge I can see that it takes "forever" for the engine to reach optimal operating temp even with lower grill blocked.

 

Yup. Don't use te heater/defroster too much. Dress warm.

 

Most (if not all) of those reporting 50 - 55 mpg don't have 2 mile commutes.

What was the make, model and year of your previous car and what mileage did you get w/the same conditions and commute?

 

I realized that before, that was probably my biggest factor. Still better than most cars.

My previous vehicle can't be considered because it was a motorcycle. I was getting 45 consistently.

 

I too have a very short commute, less than four miles each way and max posted speeds of 45mph. In summer I typically average between 55 and 60 mpg, running full lower block. When temps drop to 60's or less, full top block as well! Never came close to overheating! Winter drops that average by 10 mpg's! I just had an EBH installed, will see how that improves things and let ya know!

 

Going into first winter with Prius.. Also had some changes to my routine with some 1 mile commutes (hey it's tough walking to the train station in dark AND rain)...

this last tank was 1st to drop and just barely did 50MPG!

Should be interesting to see how low it goes!

 

55 to 60!? Holy crap! Do you mean you block the lower grill? Why does that make a difference?

 

Sheesh! You're getting 10 mpg better than I'm getting. I've had my 2010 Prius 11 weeks and have 8500 miles on it already. My last tank was 36 mpg! Granted, the commute on almost-closed Wyoming I-90 during a winter storm is about as bad as it gets anywhere in the US. If the weather is good I'll get 43-45 mpg (indicated) at 80 mph. Put studded snow tires on a Prius and it'll go anywhere. I'd put a lift kit on it if one was available.

 

Bought new 2010 Prius in September '10. Mileage was 48-50mpg for a few weeks. As weather got cooler in Northern Illinois, mileage began to drop. City driving, short trips, complete warmup; mileage now down to 33mpg, temperatures in 20'/30's. Haven't taken a longer road trip recently; but I am disappointed in these mileage stastics. Suggestions??
Appreciate any!!

 

Move to Alaska.

Is the car parked inside or outside? If outside get an EBH. You might also try grill blocking. What is your typical drive like (mileage, etc)?

 

I have seen some big drops lately, but not as bad as some of you. I went from around 54 mpg in the warmer months (calculated) to 49-50 thus far in the cold. My last road trip to Southern Ontario netted me about 46MPG over 800 miles.

I believe the drop seems more significant due to the high MPG the Prius gets. A 10% drop in a 18 MPG SUV is just a couple MPG. In the Prius it could be 5-6 MPG.

Plus, we expect great mileage so when it is below EPA estimates, it is harder to swallow.

 

That is to be expected. My last car/truck might have done less than 10mpg in the same conditions, so low/mid 30's is actually real good in short drive cold weather. My gas indicator is down 6 pips (of 10) and shows only 189 miles for the current tank. That's about as bad as it will get in Chicago winters. A longer trip every now and then to excercise those batteries is all it takes to reassure you that it can achieve much better mileage.

 

Searched for what an EBH is and couldn't locate. Can someone explain what it his and how it works?

Edit: Sorry, found it on Google. How handy do you need to install?

Thanks

 

My mpg has dropped from low to mid 50's to 45 mpg. I'm focusing all my anxiety and anger on that development. As long as I don't think about what a money pit this prius has turned out to be, I'm doing just fine ,thank you. [ Emoticon with one eye winking]