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a few newbie questions......

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by yogadoc, Jul 10, 2009.

  1. yogadoc

    yogadoc Junior Member

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    My Prius V hit 550 miles on the first tank(!) as I pulled in my driveway coming home from work today. It just went down to the last pip on the fuel gauge on the way home.

    1) How long before I need to get gas? I'd love to get 600 miles out of the first tank.

    2) My last few cars (STi, S4) were very picky with gas. The STi especially, it would knock/det like crazy unless I used Sunoco or Shell gas. I suspect the Prius won't be so picky. Does the brand of gas used matter for the Gen III Prius?

    3) I discovered today that the car can coast a long way in neutral on some flat/slightly downhill sections of my commute. Is there any danger in leaving the car in neutral, then dropping it into drive when needed?

    Thanks to everyone who contributes to this sight. I would have never considered a Prius before reading up about it on Priuschat.

    I'll post a full review of the car soon.

    michael (reformed speed enthusiast)
     
    #1 yogadoc, Jul 10, 2009
  2. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    1. They've found about 2.1 gallons after first flash in other threads. Be careful though!

    2. I haven't noticed much, but in the Gen II, I have heard some pinging from time to time that could be contributed to gas quality.

    3. While this works, using ECO and a light pedal pressure may be just as effective and more "legal" in some jurisdictions.
     
    #2 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 10, 2009
  3. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    1. yea i would fill it up then look at what it took, then maybe next time you can go farther.

    2. i haven't had any problems yet.

    3. I wonder if shifting in and out of gear would do any damage to the drive train?
     
    #3 adamace1, Jul 10, 2009
  4. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    The Prius has no gears to engage/disengage in the conventional sense. The engine/powertrain is permanently coupled to the wheels through a planetary gearset. Choosing reverse causes the electric motors to spin backward. Choosing Neutral simply removes power from the electric motors and engine. In neutral when above 46mph, the engine will only spin fast enough to keep one of the generators from overspinning. Otherwise, below that speed, the engine could essentially turn off and you'd be coasting (which is the goal of using N for some hypermilers).
     
    #4 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 10, 2009
  5. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    so your saying there would be no added wear to the car, say shifting it out and in of gear while moving an extra 1o,ooo times during the life of the car?
     
    #5 adamace1, Jul 11, 2009
  6. Blind Guy

    Blind Guy New Member

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    #6 Blind Guy, Jul 11, 2009
  7. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    Me, I'd put some gas in that Prius. There is really no advantage to getting a 600 mile tank. There is a danger of running out of gas.

    I personally only use Shell gas in Rudy. Don't put cheap gas that doesn't have injector cleaners in it. You don't want to have to pay for injector cleaning at the dealer. Also, I get better gas mileage with Shell. I do think it matters.

    Oh, and don't put higher octane in, either. 87 octane is what the engine is designed to run on. If you put "premium" gas in, you might screw up the carburetor settings (or whatever the computer online uses as the carburetor).
     
    #7 Rae Vynn, Jul 11, 2009
  8. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    There is no in and out of gear - the gears don't disengage, so there's no wear of things moving into or out of place. In a normal transmission, that may be the case, but not w/ the Prius.
     
    #8 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 11, 2009
  9. Halligan

    Halligan New Member

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    I'm new to the Prius too... And this anwer bring up a related question. If there is no true neutral, how hard is the Prius to push?
    If it dies in the middle of the street, am I stuck there?:eek:
     
    #9 Halligan, Jul 12, 2009
  10. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    You can't push it. You can drag it with locked wheels. To push a Prius requires one of the following approaches:

    1) Put it on dollies.

    2) Power it up and shift to N.

    3) Disengage the parking pawl. This can be done mechanically by removing the pawl, or electrically by supplying external power to the pawl actuator. Neither is easy to do.

    Tom
     
    #10 qbee42, Jul 12, 2009
  11. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    #2 - you could in theory put it in N and push it if needed. Just don't exceed 46mph.
     
    #11 HTMLSpinnr, Jul 12, 2009
  12. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    so the only wear is on the shifter knob itself, no other parts would wear. Interesting
     
    #12 adamace1, Jul 17, 2009
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