Anyone else have advice before I trade this thing in?

I wish I could help somehow. I just had my prius for 5 days now and I filled the tank once. Since I filled it I drove 167miles averaging 56mpg. I do try to use the techniques that I read about here and I do try to "glide" it a lot. Maybe you are just not paying attention to your driving habits. I don't use cruise control, because it seems to me that I make better decisions than the computer does. Maybe there is something wrong with your Prius, I don't know. Maybe somebody else can help in here. I don't think that going slow with cruise control is the only thing you have to do to get a good milage. But I don't know. Maybe sombod else have some other idea.

 

Well, 39 mpg is still better than 99% of other cars out there. I understand you're frustrated since the EPA claims such unrealistic numbers and Toyota HAS to put them on the sticker... But heck- anything near 40 mpg is still great and you can still laugh at those SUV drivers filling up at $60 a tank every week!

I routinely got 42 MPG for the first 1000 or so miles. It does slowly get better. Your car is BRAND NEW, I mean 1500 miles is nothing! Give it some time to break in, more miles on that engine.

I don't think using cruise all the time will help either, because only driving it manually will allow you to anticipate traffic stops and hills and such. Maybe you're just trying too hard. Try turning off the MFD and just driving it for a week. See what happens. I think sometimes we can try TOO hard. Plenty of people adhere to the "just drive it" philosophy and do fine.

The bigger rims will take a percentage off your MPG, AC (especially in FL) will take a chunk off (here in NC it drops me 3-5 mpg per tank) and so will things like shorter trips like you mentioned and traffic. You didn't mention things like terrain where you are. Also, having to accelerate to 55 and stop a mile later will drop your mpg.

I suggest ignoring the whole MFD thing and just driving and see what happens. It never hurts to try it anyway.

Here's what I do, as an example.
My driving (if hubby doesn't touch the car during a tank) gets me about 48 mpg.
-hilly terrain
-short trips (3 miles one way)
-AC on medium
I accelerate briskly. Not jamming on the gas, but a nice quick accel as if someone was coming up behind you and you wanted to get up to speed. I try not to race the engine though. Accelerating, my MPG is around 15-30 MPG. Once I hit peak speed, I feather the accelerator to hit a cruising MPG around 70-90 mpg. The engine will not kick off at high speeds (55 or so is what I have to drive) but your MPg will still be high. I cruise this way barely touching the accelerator as long as possible and take my foot off the accelerator early to slow the car down a bit before touching the brake.
Before a hill, I give it gas (but not racing the engine, again) and let it coast on the built-up momentum.
In traffic, I keep a good following distance and anticipate things like highway exits where people tend to slow down. Or stoplights. Or whatever comes up.

Check your tire pressures, check your oil level.

Keep the AC on though. I'm sure you've seen the tons of posts regarding AC use and how it keeps the battery happy and not using it will only hurt your MPG more and make you miserably hot. And unfortunately the AC running drains the battery, which in turn causes the ICE to run more often. I imagine this issue will get better when fall rolls around.

Hope you're able to get some better numbers!

 

I think you are disappointed in your mileage primarily because you are taking such short trips. You mention 10-15 miles. You will notice on your information display that the graph of miles per gallon vs. time shows markedly improved mileage as the engine warms up.

I, too, have a short commute, and I get the sort of mileage you report. I'm firmly of the belief that there's nothing wrong with the car; I just don't use it in an optimum way. When I drive in city traffic for longer periods of time my mileage does approximate the numbers that others report for their Prii - 55-60 mpg.

I own a 2004 Prius (18,000 mi), and my wife has a 2005 (5,000 mi). For some reason the 2004 gets a couple of mpg better results than when I drive the 2005. I chalk it up to normal variability, but maybe there is some unknown difference between model years.

As to why you should see the sort of mileage you see on longer freeway trips, I can't venture a guess. But I think it would be a shame for you to conclude that there's "something wrong" with your Prius.

 

I don't like the idea of larger wheels. Even if you Plus Size so the tire OD stays the same, most low profile tires have higher rolling resistance. When I swapped from the nasty Goodyear Integrity to Michelin Harmony, there was no difference in fuel economy.

It takes a good 10,000-15,000km (About 6,000-10,000 miles) before you start seeing better fuel economy. Even worse I had to do my break-in cycle over winter.

At -40 I only averaged 10 litres per 100km, around 28 MPG Imperial gallon, or 24 MPG. That was mostly city driving too, lot of stop and inch.

Mind you, at that temp and similar driving cycle my 2000 GMC Sierra only got 4-6 MPG. So I wasn't complaining.

I doubt you'll find anything out there with close to the same fuel economy. A coworker with a 2004 VW Golf tdi usually gets the same fuel economy or a bit worse, and he has to put up with a diesel at -40. No thanks.

 

aclone- if you have the rare good fortune to have stumbled upon a black Pri it would be a shame to get rid of it! Yay for black Prii! :mrgreen:

I kinda gave up on being a high-miler a ways back. I got mine back in March and quickly realized that those insanely high tanks are not going to happen for me. So I instead cheer on those who are proving the EPA numbers can be achieved (or beaten!) and have settled into my own little 40something MPG cloud of smugness. People are still amazed when they look at my display and between that and the $20 every 3 weeks that my car requires in gas money... that's good enough for me.

The way I see it in 6 months I've saved enough money to make my first 2 or 3 car payments. (We got a 6 month deferment)

Can anyone else say that about THEIR car? [evil laugh]

 

I think your problem is:

1. 17 inch tires- several posters have reported a large mpg drop when switching to this size.
2. Tire pressure- is it below 35/33?
2. Short trips
3. Constant use of the air conditioner. I set mine at 74 degrees and this produces more mpgs than at 72 degrees,

 

Sorry you are dissapointed with your Prius...

I agree with galaxee, that even at 39 mpg you are getting better mileage than most cars... I have had my Prius since last August and have been averaging mostly in the mid 40's and had almost 3000 miles on it until last week when Sherry and I went to California and back... the trip that put us over 5000 miles and our average has seemed to jump above the 50mpg...

I think you should give it a little more time and more miles... just drive your car and enjoy it.

Bob Andersen

 

I'm sorry to hear Prius did not meet your expectation.
I suggest to swap wheel from 17" to 15" and then drive around town for few days to see any differents.
I notice dropping mpg when I was driving short distance as well but 30mpg is better than any other car. (BTW my Prius is equipped with 16" rim)
My mpg is following.
Driving in town 35mpg
Driving on Hwy 45mpg
I drive average 260miles a week and I fill up every other week.
Average bi-week mpg for summer 49mpg
Average bi-week mpg for winter 42mpg

 

i have to agree with most that 39 mpg aint great and i bet if you worked on it, it will improve.

but what you gonna drive that gets better? well the focus and the echo are rated that high, but most (well only know one person personally) i know dont get those numbers. they get more like 35-36 and they suffer pretty big hits on mileage with air conditioning.

also if you do a lot of in town driving, forget getting those figures with any other car. my nephew did ok with his car while driving to a job he had that was 40 miles one way... but then he got a job working in town with my sister and boom... down to 32-33 mpg from 40 mpg and he drives a sardine can.

also, i know of a few people who got those low profile tires and every one of them will tell you they lost 5 mpg MINIMUM by putting them on. one guy, Brad who used to come to this forum frequently drove on stock tires for several thousand before changing tires and he said he lost quite a bit.

 

I agree with the mob here... your 17" rims and tires are are killing your MPG.

40-45MPG for a brand new Prius is about normal - matches my 2005 anyways. Take off 10% penalty for those heavy rims and God only knows what tire you are running, and you have 35 MPG.

Hmmm imagine what all the homies around here are getting on the Escalades with those phat 22's???

The Prius LOVES long drives at a steady speed. 10 mile and less trips murder the mileage - especially if you are stopping and starting at lights.

MY first five minute bar seems to always be in the 25-30 MPG range.

Well... here's what happens over time:
http://www.w8kc.com/priusmileage.htm

 

unless your wheels are really light and extremely expensive, my guess is they are pretty much heavier than the current prius rims. heavier rims = more load on the engine, lose performance, and will cause your mpg to PLUUUMMEETTT.

 

One more vote for the wheels and tires causing your mileage reduction. Plus-sized wheels and tires concentrate more of the rotating mass near the outer edge of the wheel, where it takes more torque to rotate it.

Most 17" tires are also wider, which increases rolling resistance.

Remember, 1 pound of reduction in unsprung weight equates to 4 pounds of sprung weight.

I'll bet if you switched back to the stock wheels and tires, you'd get similar mileage to the rest of the people here.

 

Check your oil levels too. Make sure it's exactly half-way between the two dots on the dip stick. Any higher and it'll affect mileage.

From top dot to middle is at least 3mpg difference for me.

 

You guys are missing something I think. We were averaging 52 mpg and we filled up and went thru the carwash and bang, it dropped to 42 mpg. It has been a struggle to get it to 49 mpg ever since. The batteries don't seem to be as charged up as they used to be and electric motor doesn't seem to work as much anymore. I think this vehicle is just to complicated and is going to run into these problems. Don't get me wrong, we love our buggy but I think it's a great idea to blow $7,000 extra bucks and get 4 mpg more than a Echo. I just can't wait to bring it to a dealer and watch the mechanic stare at it....................

 

Definately, Definately, Definately check the tire pressures and oil level - those can put a big hit on mileage, minus all the other 'obvious' things you've already looked into like driving style, a/c use, etc.

I highly recommend setting the tire pressures at 42/40 or 40/38, unless it's too bumpy for you. At any rate, give it a few hundred miles on that setting, see if your mileage does any better.

Also, I do recommend as well turning off the screen for awhile, just focus more on the feathering technique (that is, when cruising, accel to your speed, let off accel., then lightly depress to maintain speed).

If your oil is overfilled, take it to the dealer, and point out in the manual to them how it is damaging to the car to overfill the oil, and have them drain some out so it's between the two notches.

If nothing helps, and you can't seem to get anywhere with it, don't drive a car you aren't comfortable with. If you feel it's not worth your time or money, you should have no problem finding it a good home at a good price - be thankful if you have to go that route, that this car barely loses any value!

And yes, black is the best color!

-m.

 

Ditch the 17" wheels and DON'T drive like a granny. I have a 12 mile commute to work, I keep the AC on and I get low to mid 40's and I am happy as a pig in !@#$%. I love my Prius!!! 31k trouble free miles!!!

 

Tinted glass and a sunshade while parked have helped mitigate the heat (over 100 degrees) here in Colorado. I too, am stuck at 42 MPG lifetime average, but I've determined it's my commute that's causing it. (stop and go, hills, etc).

Nate