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2010 Prius MPG in cold weather?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by nmeurett, Dec 5, 2011.

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  1. ItsNotAboutTheMoney

    ItsNotAboutTheMoney EditProfOptInfoCustomUser Title

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    fyp.
     
    #21 ItsNotAboutTheMoney, Dec 27, 2011
  2. alfon

    alfon Senior Member

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    That may be the offical US Government calculations. But 3-5 mpg is the real world loss....

    al
     
    #22 alfon, Dec 27, 2011
  3. pederson80

    pederson80 New Member

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    #23 pederson80, Dec 27, 2011
  4. pederson80

    pederson80 New Member

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    I asked how much and they said $100 for labor not including the block heater. Most other body shops said between $70 and $100 for labor. Which is why I chose to do it myself but, it would be worth it for the short trips I think. I plugged in outside when it was just above freezing and my car switched to stealth mode in less than 5 minutes. Do you have any mechanically inclined friends? I could try to find the priuschat link with the all the info and pics on how to install it or you could do a search on the forums.
     
    #24 pederson80, Dec 27, 2011
  5. pederson80

    pederson80 New Member

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    #25 pederson80, Dec 27, 2011
  6. Joyce

    Joyce Junior Member

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    #26 Joyce, Dec 30, 2011
  7. deltanh

    deltanh Junior Member

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    I too had the same concerns. Got mine in August and enjoyed 61 mpg on the Cape. I noticed the mpg nosedive when the cold temps moved in. My commute is maybe 10 miles. I have since blocked off the lower grill as suggested on this forum and it does make a bit of a difference. I should add that I have steel wheels with Blizzak snow tires and use a remote start to defrost the windshield some mornings. My mpg is about 45. All things being equal, it is still at least twice as much as the 2009 Civic I traded in. Enjoy your new Prius.
     
    #27 deltanh, Dec 31, 2011
  8. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    3% is the completely unofficial galactic physics number. The nasty US gubmint is sucking up to forenners.
     
    #28 SageBrush, Dec 31, 2011
  9. Jon Hagen

    Jon Hagen Active Member

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    Thats normal to a bit low, but winter warm up time takes a real bite out of average mpg.
    My 2010 Prius in North Dakota makes low to mid 50's in warm weather and mid to high 40's in winter depending how much I allow the car to warm before driving off.

    I am surprised to hear some with a gen 3 Prius are seeing lower MPG with E10.
    In very careful tests using fuel from my local station's blender pump, I compared MPG using several tanks each of 87 octane gasoline, 90 octane E10, and 91 octane premium gasoline. E10 did the best by 2 MPG.
    The problem may be that some stations use a low quality gasoline stock and add Ethanol until it meets the minimum 87 octane.
    The company I buy from uses their good quality 87 octane gasoline and blend in 10% ethenol to make their 90 octane E10. I try to fuel up at that company whenever possible.

    In winter I notice it takes 10+ miles until the car warms up and rolls free enough so near 50 mpg comes back.
     
    #29 Jon Hagen, Jan 1, 2012
  10. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    #30 fuzzy1, Jan 4, 2012
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