Newbie...first tank readings.

Pump those tires up to 50 psi and you're at 55mpg...and it will only cost you a dollar at the air pump.

Have my 44 psi tires at 52 psi...which is low for the hypermiling crowd...and will be up to 56 psi once I get my tires over 1000 miles.

 

Dup post...using phone...sorry!

 

52 psi??? whoa... I haven't seen many people recommending quite that high of a setting. But I digress...

Welcome to the boards, Muttley. There's a ton of helpful information and helpful people around that will be more than willing to point you to some answers/info. I'm a relative newbie with a 90/10 highway-to-city driving split. There is a lot of good advice around for getting more mpg (tire air pressure increase, proper maintenance, low rolling resistance tires). Personally, I have had the best results using those methods and patience. Embrace that inner hyper miler and enjoy that slow lane on the highway. I use cruise control and go 55mph and take my time - I rather enjoy extra time to listen to music. Of course, you need to balance patience with safety and the requirements of life.

Oh, and one last thing - that calculated mpg on the touch screen - a bit unreliable. It's a great guide to driver performance, but if you really wanna know how you are doing, keep those receipts and do the math.

 

Philosophical question: If you raise the tire pressure above the recommended (up to 50, 52 or 56 as mentioned above), will you prematurely wear the center tread of the tires? If so, wouldn't the tire replacement (cost and environment) outweigh the fuel savings?

 

Probably not with any radial tire because the steel doesn't stretch. But it does increase the chances of a sidewall blowout. Inflation above the sidewall max pressure is not recommended.

 

I'm 140 miles into my first tank and have a displayed 40.6mpg. I'm somewhat disappointed, but optimistic. I'm really taking it easy. A/C is on auto, headlights on. Probably 80/20 city/highway. In Chicago it has been 80-85 since I picked the car up on Wednesday.

 

The 40.6 mpg reading may not be *your* mileage. Unless you reset the mileage on the MFD when you got the car, you may be reading someone else's average mileage.

Most Prius drivers will reset the MFD with each new tank fill.

 

Good thought Paul. However I did reset when I filled up 1 mile from the dealership.

 

Give yourself a little time to adjust to the new car and I'm sure your mpg's will improve. It's a completely different style of driving, especially the city portion.

 

Good for you, russ. I didn't want to overlook the obvious. It was five months after I bought my Prius before I discovered PriusChat. What an awakening!

 

No worries. I bought a set of Michelin 90,000-mile tires, and always kept them at 44 psi, the max allowed by Michelin. After 110,000 miles on my 2004 Prius, there was no tread left on the outsides of the tires but still 1/8-inch left in the center, so I bought another set for my 56 mpg ride.

 

I keep my tires at 52/50 with no wear issues. Only downfall is a harsher ride.
Great job!