Colder weather has zapped my mileage to 44mpg

All together now ...AMEN ! :cheer2:

 

I purchased my 2010 prius IV in July 2009 and was averaging 48 to 51 mpg. Weather has been in the 30's / 40's and I just had my first oil change the last week in 2009. Now my gas mileage is down to 42 - 43 mpg. Could be the cold weather but it make me wonder if it might have something to do with the oil change.

 

Make sure not over-filled, and attempt to verify they used 0W20...

 

Driving back and forth to work 45mph speed limit on most roads, with temps in the teens, I can get nearly 50mpg. It's all according to snow/ice on the front wind shield. That engine startup/defrost kills my mpg. If temps were in the 60's or 70's here I'd be getting 55+ mpg.

 

My wife drives the Prius 90% of the time
Look out the window this morning, car is running as she clears the snow off the car

Who wants to tell her that is bad for the mileage

 

Unlike most other cars, the Prius will shut off as soon as it's warm enough - but if she has the cabin temp set to 80, that may take a while... :rofl:

 

Thank you. I did check oil level and dealership didn't over fill. Hope they are honest because I checked my print out and it stated they used the synthetic oil.

 

We were getting 38 mpg this weekend. Can't wait for hot weather again. Didn't think I would ever say that after 69 days of +100° temps last year.

 

I have mentioned this in other threads recently, but it's worth repeating here:

Increase your tire pressure. I'm seeing an additional 2 1/2 mpg across the board, even at high speeds.

It won't fix really short trips (under 5 miles), but for everything else you should see a difference.

 

I am from LA and I too bought my car in mid-July last year.

Initially I used to get very good mileage but after that I am getting around 43!

I can understand that my work commute is 5 miles one way. Also, initially when the car was new I used to drive it a lot.

Let's see how it goes now summer is almost back!

Attached you see my MPG history.

Also, that sharp drop you see is because once I went to a very steep hilly area.

 

38 sounds really low...

 

What do you think of 35 then! Heh. Only four tanks so far.

 

It is low, however it is pretty normal on short trips and in cold weather.
We can not expect 50 mpg in such condition.
MPG is miles per gallons.
The warming-up and heater usage fuel do not increase miles part, but they do increase gallons part.
The result is low mpg.

Ken@Japan

 

Interesting, thanks.

 

For those worried about low MPG, I suggest taking a trip somewhere other than your daily commute. Preferably highway miles and over 50 miles and see how your MPG changes.

I say this because my normal commute keeps me in the 44mpg area but when I take trips in the other direct (away from the mountains and in flat terrain) my MPG pops back up to 50mpg without even really trying.

My point is, your car is likely fine. It is your commute that kills your mpg.

 

Excellent points. I would add that how fast and how aggressively you drive also make a big difference. The standard issues of tire inflation, car load, oil viscosity and level, as well as energy drain for AC use and cold air chilling down the ICE must be considered.
I frequently do 20% better than my wife on the same roads just by trying to drive economically.

 

(note the cross-post link)

So, after all that MPG complaining you ended up trading in for a car that only delivers 22/32 ?

.