Mistakes of a Newbie Hybrid Owner

I've seen this technique advocated by some, but, have never tested it. Being an old city driver of tractor trailers I prefer to try and time lights so I stop less frequently. I therefore use momentum to obtain excellent mileage. The habit is a holdover from my truck driving days and was used to make better time and shift thru the 10 gears less frequently. Old habits die hard. Regardless of how you drive your C you'll get good MPG's. It's a car that you'll appreciate more and more as time goes by.

 

I found this technique to be true when I first started driving my 2010 Liftback and use it daily.

 

I really doubt that it is "much" better but there is a reason that happens.

If you accelerate REAL slowly, the first part is battery only; max. efficiency.
If you accelerate just enough to keep from being run over, the engine has to run and does most of the work.
If you accelerate harder, it uses both battery and gas and gets to the sweet spot sooner.

I suspect that long term the difference will be pretty small.
You can't always believe the displays over a short period.

 

I would recommend testing out your ECO start score, which is the display with the green arc and a little red PWR meter up and to the right. If you're (almost) flooring it, then you'll see a Start score in like the 20s. I find it's more efficient to stay out of the PWR zone. I've routinely gotten Start scores in the 90s this way.
Not to mention, you're putting a lot of stress on the engine early in the life of your car by almost flooring it with each go, which just seems like not a great thing to do.

 

It's true... but it depends on the distance you have to travel before you need to stop again. Obviously, the longer the distance you travel between stops the better your mileage will be (best example is a highway on-ramp). If it's stop and go traffic or between short blocks, you're better off with slow to moderate acceleration/pulse rather than gunning it.

 

This is a form of Pulse & Glide, and has been noted on non-hybrids as well. But it varies with the details of the car and the actual driver style. Short answer, the old advice of driving as if there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal, is overly simplistic. Brisk acceleration has its place even in hypermiling.

 

This style of driving on a daily basis will only shorten your life of the engine. So if you plan on keeping it for a long time better off driving it easy.

 

I have been doing this for close to five years now and plan to keep my car for years to come. I disagree that this will shorten the life of the engine. It is not like we are drag racing between lights LOL. We are only accelerating "briskly" as compared to slow acceleration.

 

There's a debate in Gen III forum regarding driving in PWR mode to save gas. Advocates say it does. The theory is much like the OP suggest. Regardless of PWR mode or not, getting up to speed quickly is the key. The Prius C doesn't have PWR mode so pressing hard on the accelerator pedal is the only way to do it. Gen III and the V have PWR mode which makes quick acceleration easier without pressing too hard on the pedal.

 

Yup. I ended up hitting the RPM up to 2800 earlier today because it was a merger and two drivers in these big 4x4s took a while to get up to speed, but one of them tried to pass me earlier, so I was just like... vroom... up da hill pwr

 

If you are shortening the life of your engine, you are also exceeding the power level where P&G saves fuel.

 

(1) Highly unlikely. The difference in engine strain and wear between......say 2K RPMs and 3500-4K is pretty much non-existent. Now.....IF you floored it and kept I there for a LONG time, going as fast as it would go, that would be a whole 'nuther matter.

(2) Probably true the way the OP stated it. Not necessary OR desirable to "floor it" to achieve brisk acceleration.

 

this is true on my Prius liftback 3rd gen, especially after done with the recall.
I would assume the same situation on Prius C for maximizing mpg.

 

I like your technique. That is what I try to do and it works well for me in my Prius.

 

yep, i picked up 20% on my mpg's by slamming it every time i accellerate.

 

Time for a vote.
Who thinks Bisco is trying to be funny.......and who thinks he really believes that ??

 

life is just a bit rough for him, he's got to make it to 17,000 posts soon

 

Noticed this too.

SCH-I535 ?

 

filling up with premium was my mistake as a newbie owner