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My first 60MPG Tank!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Fuel Economy' started by taftjr, Jul 4, 2009.

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  1. taftjr

    taftjr New Member

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    I just returned from vacation from North Carolina but got my best tank ever (60.7MPG) on my way there driving mostly at highway speeds of between 50-75MPH. I drove from Marlborough, MA (near Boston) to Nags Head, NC (640 Miles) on one tank of gas with 18 miles to spare!(Last pip started blinking at 25 miles left):eek:

    BestTankEver.jpg
     
    #1 taftjr, Jul 4, 2009
  2. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    :cheer2::cheer2::peace::first::first:


    Well done! Keep it up.
    Of course, now a 59.9 mpg tank will just not be good enough.
     
    #2 TonyPSchaefer, Jul 4, 2009
  3. taftjr

    taftjr New Member

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    Yeah, I had that on my way back and was dissapointed. (59.1):(
     
    #3 taftjr, Jul 4, 2009
  4. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Every 60 tank feels good even if they aren't back to back. Now try for a 70.
     
    #4 JimN, Jul 4, 2009
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    wow congrats! You might be the first that got near 60mpg on a tank that's mostly highway.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Jul 4, 2009
  6. jrjrdinh

    jrjrdinh New Member

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    so far i've only got 50 mpg, maybe once I break in the car engine it'll get better
     
    #6 jrjrdinh, Jul 4, 2009
  7. dsviv

    dsviv Member

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    I am stumped. With my 1st fill-up I got 49.8mpg. How do I learn all the tricks to get that kind of mileage? Of course, with my trade-in getting around 17mpg, 49.8 thrills me!
     
    #7 dsviv, Jul 4, 2009
  8. jay_man2

    jay_man2 jay_man_also

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    At my first fillup I recorded a 54.8, a 58 on the 2nd, and for the first two days after that 65 mpg in my regular commute. It's since dropped back to 55 since there's been less commuting and more short trips.
     
    #8 jay_man2, Jul 5, 2009
  9. taftjr

    taftjr New Member

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    Trial and error is the best way to learn. Plus I owned a 2G Prius before this so I know some tricks already.
    My first tip is watching the energy bar and instant MPG meters. When at slower speeds try if you can (traffic permitting) accelerating/coasting while keeping the bar to the left of the center "ECO" line of the energy bar. Once you cross the center of the power bar the ICE activates.
    My second tip is the exception to the first rule. I am calling it EV Burst. If you accelerate from a stop after you hit the EV button you are allowed "double" the acceleration power up to 25MPH. This allows the bar to fill all the way (battery power and engine warmth permitting) without turning on the ICE! I use the EV button from stops when accelerating to higher speeds and there are cars behind me so that the engine comes on only once 26MPH is reached and the drivers behind get less angry with me slowly accelerating. This is still somewhat slower than ICE acceleration but twice as good as regular stealth acceleration but you still have to watch the bar so that you do not completely fill it on the PWR side thus starting the ICE before 26MPH.
    My third tip is for higher speeds and is the old tried and true Pulse and Glide technique. Try accelerating to a certain highway speed and take a little pressure off the pedal so that the instant MPG meter goes within the 60-75MPG range(best guess) but not too much as it will go above that and lose speed quickly. If done right your speed will slowly come down but you will have acheived 60-75MPG for a half mile or more. After it drifts down 5MPH or so accelerate up to the original speed and repeat many many times.

    These are the tricks I used to get this tank. That said, my return trip ONLY yielded 59.1 as it was hotter and I had to use the A/C.
    I am still trying to determine if having my sunroof and a couple windows open is better than A/C on low. I did not use A/C at all on my best tank but I did have my sunroof and windows open some of the way as it was raining for half the trip.
    I hope this helps!
     
    #9 taftjr, Jul 5, 2009
    2 people like this.
  10. Mybrid

    Mybrid New Member

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    :cheer2::cheer2:

    Not to bust your bubble but what was your real world MPG?
    You know how many gal. of fuel @ fill-up?


    Enjoy as Always!
    :eek::cool::D:rolleyes:
     
    #10 Mybrid, Jul 5, 2009
  11. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    So, where is the Jetta TDI now?

    That's great FE! Don't run the tank too low. Need to give the fuel pump something to drink.
     
    #11 cycledrum, Jul 5, 2009
  12. eak354

    eak354 Member

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    that's awesome! congrats! :cheer2:
     
    #12 eak354, Jul 5, 2009
  13. LoveMyPriusIII

    LoveMyPriusIII New Member

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    Awesome isn't it? My first tank was 56mpg and my second tank was 61.4 and I just filled up today. I really expect to maintain this because this is a mix of day to day driving and a small road trip. After the 250 mile road trip I was 62.4mpg and it dropped quite quickly to 61.4 after a day of short trip city driving. We were able to maintain that for the next 200 miles in mostly short trip city driving. This car is an absolute marvel in engineering. Once you learn it's programming and operational behaviours you can do 60+ without even having to drive like grandma. 10mpg more than the official estimates is absolutely incredible.
     
    #13 LoveMyPriusIII, Jul 5, 2009
  14. LoveMyPriusIII

    LoveMyPriusIII New Member

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    These are good tips and I utilize the ECO bar and the instant MPG to maximize mileage more than anything else. The EV Burst method as you call it is something I have used several times but I am hesitant to use it regularly because I am concerned it may have adverse effects on the battery or powertrain. I figure if it was healthy for the battery on a regular basis and if it contributed to higher gas mileage the engineers would have made more electric power available in the first half bar of ECO mode.

    I can get well over 30mph on electric only power by staying in the first half of the bar but it is painfully slow doing that. I have not tried the EV Burst method out full time so I don't know if there is any MPG benefit by using this consistently but I do know it has enough acceleration to the 26mph and in theory should give better MPG's. I'd love to here everyone's thoughts on this.
     
    #14 LoveMyPriusIII, Jul 5, 2009
  15. taftjr

    taftjr New Member

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    I was able to stick 10.4 gallons in before a little started to spill out after this tank (I also filled the tank completely full before this tank.) I am assuming there may have been 1.5 gallons left until completely empty but I did not want to run out of gas as I did once in my G2 Prius.
     
    #15 taftjr, Jul 5, 2009
  16. taftjr

    taftjr New Member

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    That is why I filled up when I did instead of pushing for 700 which may have been possible looking at the numbers. The miles to empty was at 18 with the last fuel bar blinking when I filled up.
     
    #16 taftjr, Jul 5, 2009
  17. Mybrid

    Mybrid New Member

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    :rockon::cheer2::rockon::bounce::dance::nod:

    So that puts your real world @ 61.6 mpg?!
    That's great!!! :rockon:



    Enjoy as Always!
    ;):cool::D
     
    #17 Mybrid, Jul 5, 2009
  18. CharlesJ

    CharlesJ Member

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    Yes, tail wind going and head wind coming home.:D Not to mention going down hill to SC and uphill to MA:D
     
    #18 CharlesJ, Jul 5, 2009
  19. a priori

    a priori Canonus Curiosus

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    That is fabulous driving! Congratulations! And to get that at a 51mph average (which means you were going considerably faster than that for the majority of the tank) -- Wow!

    Perhaps not. Others in this thread have noted some 60+ tanks. I have one trip odo at 60.6MPG (778.7 miles at 20 mph) in city driving, and one tank at 60.4MPG (420.4 miles at 40 mph) in mixed city/highway driving. My best high-speed measure was 58.8MPG for 441 miles at an average speed of 53. The OP's tank is really a great job!
     
    #19 a priori, Jul 5, 2009
  20. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    When gas dumps from the fill tube, is there a risk of charcole filter damage with the Gen III the way there is on the Gen II?


    .
     
    #20 hill, Jul 7, 2009
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