Colder weather has zapped my mileage to 44mpg

yep i'm getting the same results. My MPGs in the summer when I got the car were 50-52 or so, now i'm lucky to get about 46. Keep in mind I am driving this car "normal", not trying for super mpg's or anything.

 

There is a difference between stating a loss of mileage and whining about it like Indyking does by posting with attitude, with bold font and in multiple threads. A big difference IMO. Otherwise I am inclined to agree with you. More data is a good thing.

 

That is the reason you are not receiving flack. You posted an observation that could be helpful to others and you didn't do it in a confrontational way. I'm happy you made the post.

 

Put my Blizzaks on for the winter. Now struggling to get 40 MPG. I was getting 53 MPG with my Ecopia 100's in warm weather.... Still wondering about oil as well. MPG dropped about 5 MPG after the first oil change. I watched this last one and saw the bottled oil, so I think it was the good stuff.... Probably will not know for sure until next summer now. I guess that 50 MPG is just a loose guideline or only valid for those that live in warm, year round climates....

My 1999 VW New Beetle with the 1.9 L TDI ALWAYS got 45 MPG to 50 MPG no matter what....

 

Yeah I've never even noticed this phenomenon with my previous cars. I live in Texas and the winter temps are balmy compared to what a lot of folks have posted here, but we still have a seen pretty big drop with the 2010. There are numerous factors of course and I wonder most about the "winter blend" gas, particularly with the ridiculous and unwise addition of ethanol to all gasoline.

Our winters have warm dry days quite often (not lately) so it will be interesting to see if mileage bumps back up during those conditions.

 

Yep, I am seeing this too. I was kind of freaking out, wondering why I was suddenly getting such poor mileage as my vehicle only has 200 miles and is only about 6 weeks old. I am relieved to see that it is not a "problem" with just my car but kind of disappointed that this is just how it goes in the Prius! I went from averaging 44-48 MPG in a (warm) November to now around 40 MPG. Boo hoo.

 

The week before last I got almost 50 mpg (computer) in mid-30 to mid-40 temperatures. Last week was warmer and I only got about 43 mpg (mfd). I started off today with a new tank and got around 48 mpg round-trip on my commute (~35 miles at 36 degrees both ways). I definitely think the gas made the biggest difference, although I did concentrate less last week on FE. Also, some days my gliding momentum is just blocked worse than others by traffic and stop lights off the highway -- even on the same route. Also, I just had an oil change and tire-pressure check to 44/42 yesterday as well.

My grille isn't blocked and I have no ebh, but I do want to block the grille at some point. Still, I can't complain about the mpg at this point with my Gen II. Once it gets any colder I'm sure I won't be able to maintain it, though.

 

I complained to my son about 44_ mpg and Hs said " Great day dad ,'If you get ayy better you'll have to start selling Gas" Be happy

 

My 2010 III is getting 33 MPG on this tankfull (only 15 miles ) in 20 degree weather with 1 to 2 mile jaunts. I was getting 48 MPG City and 51 when long country runs were included. I did fight the slush on a 90 mile interstate juant getting 43 mpg. I am getting due for the 6 month check up-

 

My 2010 III is getting 33 MPG on this tankfull (only 15 miles ) in 20 degree weather with 1 to 2 mile jaunts. I was getting 48 MPG City and 51 when long country runs were included. I did fight the slush on a 90 mile interstate juant getting 43 mpg. I am getting due for the 6 month check up-

 

Did two 170 mile stints today. The first stint was driving fast the whole way - 75 to 85+. No tickets. 41.7 mpg on the display. That's what happens when you realize that you lost an hour due to a time zone change.

On the way back I drove reasonably and was generally about 4 miles over the speed limit. 45.6 mpg on the display. Most of the trip was in normal mode with the cruise on.

What the trip told me is that the Prius is still amazingly efficient at faster than posted speeds and that I get my best FE by leaving it in Eco-mode and watching my revs.

I'm typically doing close to 48 mpg on the display on my daily commute.

 

Okay, I've had my blue baby about three weeks now so I thought I should post my initial results. First let me say I do love this car! I traded in a 2004 Corolla (which I also loved) that got about 23 MPG on this same route. When I picked up the Prius the temps were in the 55F range, so I do not know if that qualifies as "warm" weather and had no hybrid experience. My typical work route is under 10 miles round trip.
After a short circuit around the condo complex I turn onto the main road and go about 200ft to the first light. Then it's another 300ft to the second light. From that light is a moderately steep hill for about a mile, but with traffic usually behind me I have to accelerate briskly to 45 MPH uphill. At least this seems to warm up the engine quickly! Once over the hill I can cruise for a stretch with the HSI and instant MPG displays showing in the 50 MPG range. I then pull onto a residential road with a 35 MPH limit. Some ups and downs but mostly on electric here. I then come to a steep downhill portion where I can regenerate most of the battery I've used so far. At the bottom of the hill I usually have to wait at a long light, then pull onto another 45MPH road, usually not heavy traffic so I can accelerate modestly, and with luck going stealth at some point till I get to work and meander through the parking lot on EV! Same route home, except that lovely steep hill is a monster to get back up! Long story short, with little experience and mild temps I got around 45 to 50 MPG. Now with more experience and temps around 20F I get around 40 MPG. When it got cold I also blocked the lower grill and pumped the tires to 42 front 40 rear (15" wheels, stock tires). Anyhoo, that's the story so far, I look forward to summer!

 

Who knows about his numbers? http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...s-zapped-my-mileage-44mpg-10.html#post1017667 claims 28 mpg actual in the winter and yet http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...s-zapped-my-mileage-44mpg-22.html#post1023164 claims "that both my previous CR-V and my current Prius are getting winter hwy MPG in the 30’s right now,"

I also suspect his Honda numbers were inflated by ~1 mpg due to Honda odometer error. (Comparing to GPS may not cut if the drive isn't perfectly level the entire way.)

 

Very true. Plus, my daily route is only 5 miles, is all city driving and is far from flat. I highly doubt that anybody's CR-V is going to get anything close to 25 in any weather conditions given that route. My Prius is getting 39 mpg (actual) and 42 FEG.

 

I wonder if the CR-V can tell you MPG of every trip. If not, the displayed MPG would be the average with the summer as well. This could explain the "only 10% drop" when in fact it is really 20% drop.

 

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I said I was done with this thread but I hate to leave a question unanswered. Quite frankly Spiderman, if I knew that the winter MPG hit in the Prius was that much, 20-30% in my case, I would stay the heck away from it. I did extensive research before I committed to buy it because I know very well that most problems in cars do not show up during test drives due to the limitations of such tests. Unfortunately, back on June, the info available in the 2010 Prius here (best source in the web BTW) was still scarce, the demand was high, few Prius were making it to the streets, so few people had anything useful to say. A few months after I got mine, there came the rattles and creaks, which is an issue for me even in the hwy (worst than a 1970’s beetle for that matter). Then I started noticing the poor interior quality, anything from the tire valve caps to the sunglass holder looks cheap, light, and fragile compared to my other cars. Actually, it was my wife who first noticed how toy-like everything in the car is. OK, at that point the MPG was still going good, but then the winter came and my MPG numbers plunged like the stock market recently... I don't care about the foolish talk of "well, the hit is huge but the absolute number in the winter is still better than any car". To me, that is just a ticket to accept being fooled by an auto company, since the high MPG is the Prius major selling point! For those folks that insist with the argument, I just want say that both my previous CR-V and my current Prius are getting winter hwy MPG in the 30’s right now, which is totally unacceptable. Because of the MPG plunge, I doubt I will ever be able to keep my lifetime running right at or above my expectations regardless of what EPA says. I don't care about EPA either. I just have expectations and most of my cars have met my expectations, except the Prius and a past Dodge Grand Caravan, just to give you an example of how poor the Prius is doing to meet my expectations. So, all of those issues above are not minor whatsoever IMHO and I will most likely stay away from the Prius brand in the future or wait at least one year after being in the market before thinking about buying the next generation.

Now, for everyone who keeps bugging me with this, please leave me alone, no need to respond to this… go out there and enjoy your holidays and Prius…

Oh, BTW, cwerdna, you do realize that the OP was not posted by me, don't you?

 

Nice formatting. I like all of the bold items. Perhaps a point would be even more valid IF POSTED IN ALL CAPS AND BOLDED.

Tom