new energy savers!!

Personally, I'd put the bike inside the car. Toyota did a lot of work to get the aerodynamics to what it is. I'm picking that the rack & bike aren't improving this.

 

Yes - it can take quite a few thousan miles before your mileage returns. When we dumped the crummy wearing OEM's for Michelin hydroedges - it was about 8,000 miles before we were back up doing 50mpg-60mpg and above. We run our tire pressure pretty high btw. Don't worry ... it'll g et better.
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No, that rack & bike has a much larger impact on mpg. Even on my old FSP (fuel sucking pig) Subaru wagon, two bikes on a rack would eat up 2-3 mpg. Due to the nonlinear nature of the MPG scale, that translates to 8-12 mpg on a Prius.

I have a hitch mounted rack for my Prius, and even it causes substantial mpg loss. For long trips, it is used only when there isn't enough cargo room inside for the bikes.

 

That is what packing blankets are for. If you don't have some old scrap blankets or mattress pads, then Harbor Freight has some cheap ones.

 

If you don't drive very far with the bike on top then it's pretty inconsequential to your overall fuel economy.

However, if the roof racks are permanently on there, then that will adversely effect your fuel efficiency.

 

You can get a dry lube for your chain too. No mess! Can't remember what it's called, but I used to use it so I didn't get oil drips on the carpet, as I kept my bike in the lounge - bachelor days... Always cleaned it after a dirty ride though.

 

The bike rack itself will greatly impact your MPGs. On Fuelly, I had a conversation with a fellow who had a bike rack on his Prius, he saw a big MPG gain without it on. However, since he was bringing his Mtn. bikes wherever he went, it was the price he paid for the convenience.

Your MPG hit with the rack and the bikes will be big (not 2 -3 mpg big, more like 6 - 10 mpg big).

When I put the Energy Saver A/S tires on my car, I saw no decline in fuel economy over the worn (2/32) Yokohama's. In fact, I saw a 0.5 mpg gain with the tires.

 

When I first put the Energy Savers on, it took a hit at first, then they "broke in" and winter is over, I am back to 47/48+

 

I did not want to start a new string since this string revolves around "New Michelin Energy Savers A/S".

Anyway, I did finally manage to locate a full set of them. I drove the car about a hundred miles or so after getting them mounted. I also had the alignment checked, the tech. tweaked the toe a little bit but said all was good.

I did not note any major drop in MPG according the MFD. I just filled the tank and will be monitoring the numbers to see how the next few tanks run, but I really do not expect to see any drop in the MPG. I went from the crappy Goodyear Integrities to the Michelin Energy Savers A/S. As other's have written, I too note that the Prius tends to glide easier and further. Right now the pressures are set about two pounds over the placard setting. I plan on raising them up in a few days. I also declined the nitrogen since I am on a limited budget.

Total price out the door $601.87






I also wanted to thank F8L | PriusChat for his research and recommendation concerning these tires. If it were not for him, I would not have known about this excellent product!

Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List | PriusChat

Ron

 

Just a quick update. I am still on the first full tank of fuel since mounting the Energy Saver's earlier this week. The MFD is reading 56.5 MPG at 309 Miles. I am also running the air pressure at 38F, 36R which is giving me a very nice ride with excellent MPG.

I never got those kind of number's with the old Integrities. Total miles so far on these new tires is 410, which means they are NOT broken in yet. I hope to continue to see the MPG go up from here.



Ron

 

Ok, this is the last of the updates for a while. The tank finished up with one Pip showing, but not flashing. We had very hot heat today (107F), very dry air (humidity 28%). It almost felt like I was in Las Vegas rather than Houston, Tx.

Anyway, I managed to get 56.3 on the MFD with 484 miles. I think I could have went to 500 miles on the tank but I did not want to chance it. I am not that familiar or trusting with the guess gage and I had the wife with me who was tired and was wanting to get home. I am very pleased with the new "Michelin Energy Saver A/S" tires that I recently purchased.

I tried to upload a pic of the MFD but I am having trouble with it today. I guess you are just gonna have to trust me on this one folks. Have a great day everyone!

Ron

 

I decided to share some more info on the new "Energy Savers". I just finished up the second full tank of fuel. The MPG still seems to be higher than what I saw with the Integrities. I did quite a bit of parking while running A/C on this tank, so the numbers did drop a little. It has been very hot in Houston the last few weeks, so the A/C is definitely in use. I still finished out the tank at the 2nd pip with 394.3 miles. The MFD read 52.1 and the MPG for this tank was 50.56 - I do understand the bladder so I do know that per tank doesn't mean much. But when looking at overall figures, I still believe that the MPG is going up. I am also running the tires at 40F, 38R which gives a comfortable ride that is not too harsh on the rough roads. The tires are very quiet for the most part. I hear a little rumble at 45, but after that it quiets down and is just a very low whine at 60 to 65. I don't do a lot of 70+ but I did run it up to 75 to see how it sounded. On concrete it was fairly quiet, asphalt was a little noisier.

FWIW, I tried 42F, 40R but I didn't appreciate the ride. It was a little harsher than the old tires in some places. The two pound drop to where I am now has made quite a difference in my opinion.

To make a long story short, I am still very pleased with the choice and I again thank F8L for his help, information he has shared with myself and the group, and above all his patience.

Ron

 

I just put Michelin Energy Savers A/S on my Prius, after my OEM Goodyear Assurance wore out at 35,000 miles. I tested the the noise difference between the two tires with an iPhone app called SPL Pro. The Michelins were 2-4 decibels quieter and seemed to ride smoother on the open highway. Now to see if the mileage and wear claims hold up. Thanks again to F8L for his advise.

 

Nice report I am going to consider changing over to those tires too. I get a rumble now in the rear with my GY ComforTreds (tires have about 80000 miles on them) I do not know if this rumble from the tires or I should be lubing up something as a maintenance issue

 

I can't compare the Energy Saver's to the ComforTreds. But as I have said numerous times now, I am very pleased with these tires. I got a chance to drive in some good rain today as we are getting some relief from the ongoing drought here in Texas. I even tried a quick stop. I lost no traction at any time, including braking while turning.

Like yourself, I too am not sure just where the noise (rumble) is coming from. I only notice it around 45 MPH. At 40, it is fairly quiet and at 50 and above I just don't hear it. As of today, I have the first 1000 miles on the tires. I still have yet to see any drop in MPG and I believe that the MPG is improving. This time last year conditions were very similar to this year and driving routes, trips, etc. According to Fuelly, my average for the month is 5 MPG higher than last year at the same time. I have to allow for the change in Mobil 1 also that took place during the last 12 months, but I still have yet to see any drop in MPG which many report when changing tires. That fact makes me very happy!

For reference purposes, I have 71,100 on the odometer as of this afternoon.

Ron

 

I have these Michelin Energy savers going on my car tomorrow too and will be watching how the mpg is effected. They are replacing the Good Year Integrity tires which I hate! Horrible traction in wet and snow.

I've been tracking my mpg since I first got my Prius 30,000 miles ago and the mpg avg for all those miles is currently at 48.39. I'm hoping the new Michelin tires help me get up to an average 50 mpg!