142MPG? I need some help here.

I have found that it also determines on how you fill your tank.
After the pump stops (indicating full) I can still feed in about
another 1-1/2 gallons till the gas shows up at the neck which
will amount to about 150 miles and from then on each dot
on the fuel gage seems to amount to about a gallon. BUT
you have to be very careful filling the tank all the way
up and let it vent or the fuel bag will pressurize and
spew out gas when you pull out the filler nozzle.
Bud

 

You're living dangerously here mate. Could be a costly mistake in the future.

 

Well, I have been filling the tank that way since I bought the car in the fall
without any type of a problem. But, you may be right with the summer heat.

 

If you fill the fuel tank to the brim then park in the summer heat, the gasoline will expand and may force its way into the charcoal canister (which is bad enough) or into the air space between the bladder and the gas tank (which requires replacing the tank).

 

I've seen 145 miles in mine before the first pip dropped out. I've also seen 89 miles. What I've found out was it all balances out near the end.

 

I just read through all the posts in this thread and a couple of things bothered me. Or, maybe I just missed something. (2008, #2 package, standard Prius)

I did my FIRST fill up a few days ago. The dealer said, "...a full tank of gas." At the fill the odometer said 520 and I put in 10.12 gallons. Driving was about 50-50 highway(75mph) and city/rural streets. The odometer had 10 miles on it when I drove it off the lot.

Sounds like I did well. The last PIP was blinking when I stopped for gas.

Also, I thought I read in these forums that the newer Prius' did not have a bladder. Maybe I'm just getting old..... <sigh>

Bob

 

I would go by miles driven since last fill.

 

I have been keeping track of my gas stops and my lowest was 652mpg on my tank and highest was 692mpg .. it just takes a bit getting used to..

 

I just filled up for the first time on a new Prius at my local Shell station tonite. Or should I say topped off after the first 141.0 miles. My average mpg readout said 47.9 mpg.My calculated mpg based on gallons purchased (2.153) is 65.5! Note this is my first fillup of a brand new car with 141 miles. 65 vs 48 mpg is quite a discrepancy. About .8 gallons or so. The gas gauge reads full. I've filled up at this station many times with other cars. I tend to believe the 48 mpg number. What could be the problem? I do not top off beyond the auto shutoff. Seems as thought the tank didn't fill completely, though the gas gauge says so.

Maybe the Toyota dealer filled the tank more than the Shell auto shutoff did. That has to be the answer. The car came with a full tank.

 

I fill our 2002 Taurus at about 1/4 mark, a habit I developed while travelling with our 97 F250 Powerstroke. I usually get in 11-12 gallons with two extra clicks. But once in a while I really pound the fuel in there. Makes for lower MPG on the trip, and higher the next time I fill more normally. But I don't really worry about how mnay gallons go in, other than to calculate MPG. And as someone else has said, I know my car. I don't try to drive it dry; I just drive it and fill up (today was the first -- and last; new Prius is due in early June -- $50 fillup!!). ANd I'll do the same with the Prius. Trying to run out fo gas to prove a point is wonderful on a test track; not so great when you're on the open and unknown road.

 

Correct. This illustrates the inherent inaccuracy of judging MPGs from one fill: the amount you put in at the latest fill is usually not the same as the amount burned since the previous fill.