I actually agree with you. But since it wasn't defined in the first post "rules" that F8L was quoting, I though a number need to be arrived at and defined up front for future participants. My MPG number at 522 miles was only about 1.5 mpg higher than my 805 mile number. The farther you go, the harder it is to maintain a high number.
By eliminating it from the equation make the results easier to validate and more credible. It is much harder to replicate a 1/2 fillup because fuel gauge isn't that precise. It is easier to replicate a first click simple fillup. Making the result easier to validate makes the result a more useful benchmark. I'm not trying to discourage its practice but the usefulness as a metric would be fuzzy at best and misleading at worst especially if such techniques were not disclosed. If you want to reduce the 3rd gen Prius overall weight the quick and dirty list is.. 1) reducing the amount of fuel in the tank (about 7 pounds per gallon) 2) removing the spare tire and jack ( about 30 pounds)
The reason to use a full tank instead of just a short is also to prevent the elimination of "cold start" penalty with every trip. A pre-warmed up Prius ( by resetting the trip odeometer after running the Prius for over 15 minutes so the coolant is atleast 160 F degrees or by using a engine block heater) has a 7 mpg to 20 mpg advantage over a Prius trip odometer MPG metric that includes the cold start penality.
For hypermiling experts - like Wayne Gerdes- the 2nd gen Prius is often preferred over the 3rd gen Prius.
I'd like to suggest we use 700 miles as the minimum. That way nobody in the current list is removed and it's a high number.
I agree, because with the mpg numbers that we are pulling its more than acceptable for the "top 20 list"
Is 700 miles too high for the Prius C drivers? I know that even when I'm showing 70 mpg on the display, I'm a little more than nervous about running out of fuel. I would vote for over 600 miles for the Prius C and 700 miles for the liftback. This would take into account the 1.4 gallons less the C has vs the liftback (70 mpg * 1.4 gallons = 98 miles).
still a 700 mile tank on a Prius c or a Prius v would take nerves of steel ... the Prius c handicap is its smaller gas tank the Prius v handicap is its extra weight.
I agree with Codyroo. We want this to be competitive but not just for crazy people who love to tempt fate.
Instead of trying to limit it, we should be figuring out ways to increase participation. This is a top 20 list and there aren't even 10 names on it... That is sad. Here is my mediocre 600 mile tank. I hope that it will encourage people to knock it off this list.
Thanks, Corwyn. You are right. I wish more people were interested. Maybe they see the 70mpg+ numbers and figure why bother. Let's at least fill the top 20 spots before giving up.
Doh! I thought you were Mark. At 50 fill ups your next tank would have to be remarkable to get you to 60.9mpg. I can't wait to see what you have cooking.
