can i get 60mpg without any mods?

Sure. Drive 50mph and glide as much as possible and you could do it.

 

Stay behind the truckers - not crazy close but enough to get some benefit. Get your tire pressure up as high as the max on the sidewalls indicate. Fold in your side mirrors on the highway. I doubt your final number will go over 60 but it'll be over 50 I'm sure. Depends on the weather too of course.

- D

 

For the most part the "pretty good" to "absolutely amazing" MPGs that
some members report are achieved on sparsely travelled country roads
at speeds below 40 MPH. I'll bet you can find a route to/from Laguna
Beach that has many miles of near perfect topography... but then you
probably have to get there before St. Valentine's Day.

60 MPG at 60 MPH at 60 degF is about as good as it gets for the Gen II.

In my experience, 35k miles, everything else has to be near perfect to
do it over any significant distance/time. Closest I've come is 59.7 over
400 miles, but then my target speed on the round trip was 57 MPH.

So here are some things to keep in mind:
* Lowering speed raises MPGs. At 60 MPH, 60 MPG is very difficult. At
55 MPH, 60 MPG is achievable but merely difficult.
* Best mileage requires a clean air filter and MAF sensor.
* Best outside air temps for high MPGs is 60-75 degF -- both cabin
heating and cooling reduce MPGs.
* Rain will result in a 2-5 MPG hit depending on how much
standing water there is on the road
* Cross winds seriously screw up MPGs. The only good winds are
within ~15 deg of centerline from both front and rear.
* Running with even one window even partially open reduces MPGs.
* New tires can give a 5-10 MPG hit. Tires take 3-5,000 miles to break-
in.
* Too much engine oil reduces MPG. 3.5 qts. vs. 4 meets the
lubrication needs and gives best MPGs.
* Tire pressures affect MPGs. The higher the better up to max sidewall
pressure -- remember; keep 2 psi lower pressure in the rears.
* After the driver and full gas tank, every extra pound carried in the
car reduces MPGs... keep it light.
* Weight carried in the hatch area changes the attitude of the car to
the oncoming air. This tends to screw up the aerodynamics somewhat.
It may not lift the front of the car to push more air under the car --
a bad thing -- but it does reduce clearance under the rear which
changes the air flow and reduces aerodynamic efficiency.
* "Winter gas" ethanol blends reduce mileage 5-10%.
* On flat or flattish land, cruise control does a very good job at getting
high MPGs. You can do slightly better, but it takes full time dedication
and tight focus. In hilly, mountainous country, you can do better
mostly by letting the speed fall on the up slopes.
* If you do this drive often, you should consider getting a ScanGauge --
the high FE/MPG driver's friend. There are many relatively easy ways to
get better MPGs using various engine readouts via the SG.

For all these reasons, while it is certainly possible to average 60 MPG
at speeds close to the posted speed limit over a longish period of time,
despite your best efforts it is not highly probable. Still, it is worth the try!

Hope this helps.

 

I am amazed how quiet it is behind a big truck! Almost want to throw out a hook.

 

I once managed 58.7 mpg on a trip from Lafayette, IN, to Dayton, OH, and back ... over 350 miles on less than 6.1 gallons per fill-up and hand calc upon our return.

No mods and nothing "fancy" about my driving ... I kept it a bit BELOW the posted speed limit most of the time on the comparatively level stretches of road -- 60 to 63 mph -- but allowed momentum and speed to build up on the downhills while allowing the car to get as low as 55 mph on the uphills before bothering to maintain speed ... TRAFFIC PERMITTING ....

There were three people in the car at the time -- about 550 pounds there -- and, if I recall, I had the tire pressure at 38 front / 36 rear at the time.

If you have a fairly light load, boost your tire pressure a bit, and follow many of the other, more specific ideas expressed above, I would think you'd be able to get 55-60 mpg for MUCH of the trip, if not for the entire trip. Hope you'll let us know how you / your car did upon your return!

 

From the point of view of a new GenII owner, I see this question breaking down into two parts - can I get 60 mpg around town and/or on the highway?

I commute to work 85 miles a day, about 82 of them on the highway. Since the first few trips, I've made it a point to stick it in cruise control and set it to 50mph and enjoy some IPod time. Sure, I've probably become a nicknamed menace to the truck drivers leaving from the port (seriously, truck drivers - you have 3 lanes of highway, why is my butt the place to drive?) but it works for me. Even in cooler weather and with lots of rain, I'm averaging about 53-57mpg so far. Heck, in the one good week of 50-60F weather we've had in the past few months, I managed my first 500 mile tank. So I'm quite hopeful that in the good weather, it can only get better. I should add that the only changes that I've made to the car since purchase is to inflate the tires to 38/36psi (first move - don't worry, I'm going higher!) and to switch promptly to a synthetic motor oil.

Now, around town, running errands... well, the wife and I practicing our pulse and glide and are getting better. We haven't had the full 30 minute stretch above 75mpg yet. Yet. But we've had some quite nice smaller stretches. But what I could have said a whole lot of writing ago is that if you own a Prius, you really should commit to the Prius and try to drive it in a way as to maximize it's potential. And with the, I wish you good luck.

 

I never got more the 50 for a few mile average was 47-48 MPG my smart getting 44.5 so I am happy

 

short answer: not on the highway if your planning on going the same speed as everyone else - even with hypermiling and mods.

 

If you drive the approximately 370 miles straight through (with only brief stops for gas, meals, etc.), my guess is that you will get between 50 and 55 mpg.

I base this on two similar distance trips I made across Pennsylvania in the first week of October. On these trips, I averaged 51+ mpg, going at an average speed of 68 mph, on tires that were wider and less fuel efficient than the OEM Integrities.

 

70's F is better, 80's if you can keep the AC off. Otherwise spot on for sea level.

 

Yes you can, here's how I did it with a little slower than normal driving:

1) Stay off the highway
2) Inflate your tires to 46 psi
3) Wait until it gets to 80F, but drive the car without A/C
4) Drive trips about or longer than 8 miles in moderately hilly roads at around 35 mph.
5) Learn how to use the "no-arrow condition"

I did this 16 months ago and got 61 mpg with 599 miles and the last "pip" left

Now that I live elsewhere I switched my route and drive on the highway a lot with cruise control at around 72 mph I get about 43 mpg from Nov 1st to April 30th and about 48 mpg from May 1st to October 31st.

This is on a 07#2 Prius with 34,000 miles and the original tires on.

It's impossible to do this on the highway without being a problem to other drivers.

 

mikeysaid,

I think you did an admirable job. Don't be too hard on yourself, wind is
one of the silent, invisible, random MPG killers. All you can do is do
your best and accept the outcome. And there's always the next trip to
set your personal record.

As to the miles-per-tank, this is one of the unexpected realities of he
Prius. It gets the best MPGs on the road -- did you consider what the
other cars were getting nder te same conditions -- but you still stop
for gas only a little less often than they do. Write it off to the small
gas tank. Carrying massive amounts of fuel, like full size SUVs means
you're hauling around a lot of extra weight.

So, make the fuel stops enjoyable, not a bother...
Get something fun to eat that you wouldn't normally buy at home.

 

I got to 50MPG only once when i first moved my Smart gets almost the same as my Prius, and it much quicker
Love to drive a 2010 for a while to see how that feels

 

My butt gets square well before 400 miles anyway, so I don't mind stopping for gas way before that so I can stretch.... plus I need to "return" the coffee I bought at the last fillup.

 

A bunjee works better ... helps absorbe the shock.



.

 

I have a Gen III and last summer I got close to 70 calculated, not dash display. We've been hovering around 0 F to 25 F for several months. At first I was getting 44/45 mpg. Then I remembered to check tire pressures; sure enough they were quite low mostly due to temp change. Same temps 0-25 I'm getting around 54-55 calculated. Can't wait to get warmer temps.
NO I don't hypermile, just drive sensibly.
Tony Renier
Green Bay Wi USA

 

Your comments helped me a lot. I just put new tires on my car and lost almost 5 mpg. It seems odd but if I add weight to my back hatch, I can almost make up the mileage. Which is different then anything else I've read. Thanks again!