Thanks so much! You inflated the tires that much? The car says to have them at 32 and 33 psi. I didn't think you were supposed to over inflate them that much? I also know nothing about tires, so please educate me if this helps! I know if they're too low it effects the mpg, but didn't know that having them at a higher psi made it better.
Way to burst my bubble, Keith. I know that I'm not actually in love with an inanimate object (though I did give her a name), it was just a figure of speech. I do know for sure that I am not lusting over my car. That's just weird. But I do love it. That much is true.
Congrats and welcome to PriusChat!! In the winter, it's a good idea to keep it at least half fuel in case you're stranded. This way, you have half a tank's worth of fuel to burn for heat. In the summer, I have no issues running down to the blinking bar but do fuel up asap. Note that the solar roof does cool the car automatically. It brings in cooler outside air and vents out the hot air from inside the car. What you're thinking of is Remote A/C which is activated manually and that's if you want to cool the car down further with cold air. In Canada, we're able to get the AT package (called Technology Package) with the solar roof. However, we don't have the LED headlights, nor the 17" alloys nor the foglights or even LKA with our loaded Technology Package.
Thanks for the info! I live in the south, so I don't think I'll have much problem getting stranded. We just had 3 days of snow and barely got an inch.
Hi Melissa - welcome to the Prius club! From a fuel economy perspective, you won't see a huge difference between the modes. I like ECO mode for stop-and-go driving since in this mode the Prius will help train you to limit your acceleration (and help maximize your fuel economy). For highway driving, I prefer PWR mode, since the car is more responsive for merging and passing. Also, some people claim to get better mileage in PWR mode while driving on the highway, particularly in hilly areas. Anyway, it's fun to play with all of the modes in all situations. The tire pressure situation is a fairly controversial one, with a lot of the members in here preferring to run their tires somwhat above Toyota's recommended rating. The advantage to running them higher is better fuel economy, a bit better handling, and usually less tire wear. The disadvantage is a rougher ride with maybe more wear on the car's suspension, and potentially slightly less braking power. People with 17 inch rims usually don't inflate their tires as much as people with 15 inch rims since the ride can be become extremely rough (because there's less air in a tire with a 17 inch rim, and it's the air that absorbs the bumps).
Thanks for explaining the tire thing to me! I usually try to put mine just a tiny bit above. Mainly because in my last car I had serious issues with my tires getting low (slow leaks, fast leaks, valve problems... You name it) and I was having to out air in at least one of my tires almost every day. My boyfriend actually gave me an air compressor thing to keep in my car for Christmas last year because at 75 cents a pop I was spending a lot of money on air! My tires have nitrogen in them (apparently... There's a sticker that says so on my windshield). Can anyone tell me anything different I need to do with them? Are all the 2010 Prius tires that way? I drove in normal and power modes earlier today. I think I'm gonna try normal for a while. I was trying to get to my speed and then glide or whatever and my mpg went up a little bit in the time I drove. When I put it in power mode and accelerated at a stoplight, I felt like it was too much for me. And it went so fast into that far right power part. I try to stay in the middle or lower as much as possible! But I can see how it would be good on the highway. I'll try them all out tomorrow when I go on my 3 hour trip. Can't wait! thanks again! Melissa
Normal air will leak out of a tire at a rate of about 1/2 pound per week; nitrogen considerably less (but not sure how much less). I believe you can mix air and nitrogen without issue.
Melissa, there are a bunch of tp threads here and tempers heat up. The tire is not overinflated if the pressure is at or below the max pressure stamped on the sidewall. I stopped at 45 to give my compressor a rest & because I'm not sure what's stamped on the sidewall as I have a tough time reading the stamped print. A stiffer tire improves handling (especially on wet roads) & wears longer. How fast can you corner without the tires squealing? If one needs to make an evasive maneuver a soft tire will more likely blow worsening the situation. Before using your compressor check the specs. If it needs more voltage or amps than the socket provides you'll blow a fuse. On the 2006 I used a MasterFlow compressor once & it blew the fuse for the port on the dash. Nitrogen filled tires should have green caps & nitrogen isn't standard. If the dealer threw it in, great. Otherwise you probably paid a good bit for it.
Wanna trade? I got my last month package III Blizzard Pearl WITH Solar roof, you can't get that on V. Oh did I mention it have 2200miles
My road trip went well! I used the DRCC some, but I didn't leave in time and had an appt to make, so I had to push it a little more than I would have liked. With the DRCC I was under the speed limit more than I had time to be, but I really liked it and will use it when I'm not in a hurry! I drove it in Eco mode, normal mode, and power mode while on the interstate. I like power mode much better for the interstate driving and Eco or normal for normal roads. The whole trip was 3 hours (just under 200 miles) and the mpg number on the screen with the bar (not the graph, but the bar that moves) stayed at 41 mpg the entire time. But I'm ok with that. I'm still learning how to drive it and it's still basically double what I would have gotten in my previous car! All in all it was a good trip and I still haven't had to get gas yet! I'm looking forward to using the DRCC more on the way home! Thanks everyone for all your advice! And hy-bird... I think I'll keep mine!
Maybe it's just me but I don't necessarily fill up less often in my Prius than in my previous car because the Prius' tank is smaller. I certainly spend less money when I fill up though. Also, I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this feature, but my Prius (IV) will display the number miles to go before I need a fill up. I've had a couple of occasions to use it now with mixed results. The first time it showed I had over 40 miles left on my tank, which would have been plenty to get me to the gas station nearest my home, but then at some point when I wasn't watching the display carefully, it changed from 40 to 12 miles within just a few miles, so I got pretty nervous about trusting it too much. The next time around it seemed to tick away the miles pretty accurately and, with only 3 miles still showing on the display, I made it to my preferred gas station. Of course, I was sitting on pins and needles for the last 10 miles but I made it and now I have a higher level of confidence I can trust the display.
I agree. I think I will continue to fill up about every week. Not that I like hanging around the gas stations I frequent (the cheapest I can find), but because I find that if I wait longer, the price has gone up more. I had one of the first Cadillac STS with the Northstar engines. What a machine! It was the only car I have ever owned that left me on the street out of gas and it was not once, but three times! I guess I am a slow learner, but that car went from 1/4 tank to blinking reserve to out of gas within what seemed like a few miles. Whilel I may be slow, I am not terminal and so now I tend to keep a full tank whenever possible.
I've had my Prius nearly 4 months and also like it a lot. When I got it on Sep 11th we had nice weather and now of course it is winter. I've found there is quite a drop in mileage as the temp goes down. Winter here also brings higher humidity and more use of the defroster which seems to pull the mileage down. I understand that how high you keep your inside temp will affect mileage while using the heat system and I'll bet the same is true in summer as to the A/C system. If we don't mind wearing a jacket inside in the winter and maybe a little sweat in the summer, the mileage will probably improve! But as others here have said, a Prius even at it's lower mileage levels is way above most other cars.
On the subject of LKA, one of the previous posters was incorrect in telling you it was not part of Cruise Control. In actuality, there are two parts to the system that warns you about lane deviation. 1. LKA - Lane Keep Assist works ONLY when the DRCC is activated. When LKA is ON, and DRCC is activated, the Lane Keep Assist will literally steeer and keep you between the lines on the road, provided it is able to see the road markings. The steering provided by the LKA when the Radar Cruise Control is active, is AUTOMATIC, and will attempt to keep the Prius centered between the lane markings. It will actually steer you around gentle curves, and will notify you with multiple beeps if the car begins to wander over one of those markings, as well as give you a nudge with the steering wheel to indicate which direction you need to correct the car. 2. The second component of the system is the LKW (I may have the ackronym wrong, it's been awhile since I read the manual), but this is a Lane Keep Warning. This is what's activated when the LKA button is pressed, and the DRCC is NOT activated. The Lane Keep Warning is there to alert you when your inatentive driving style is permitting you to drift over or near a lane markeing. This system also uses the Beeps and steering nudges, however, it DOES NOT automatically steer the car between the lane markings, it's just there to WARN you that you need to pay attention to your driving. Thus, the two modes have different names, one is an ASSIST and the other is simply a WARNING! David (aka Blind Guy)
Not true Keith, I want to care for and keep my car all safe and secure, if I was suffering lust I'd want to f*** my car and that is the last thing I want to do to it.
Hi Pat, I think I understand your perspective. Maybe not a "physical" love, but love from an emotional attachment perspective. (This last summer I had a brief affair with one of my brother's motorcycles. It is amazing how one's testosterone level increases with 1130 ccm displacement buzzing between your knees. That was lust... ) Keith
