Okay, I know this has been gone over ad nauseum here, but I'd like to make my case. I'm in Alaska, temps average maybe around 10-15F in the winter so mileage won't be great. Tires are up, grill is blocked. We're getting about 42-43 on the HSI which means about 40 mpg in reality (I've checked this many times and Toyota is off by 3 mpg on average in our car). But Mike in Maine shows up with a 60+ mpg in 15F temps, and I know my fellow Alaskan, Spiderman, is getting 50+ easily. My commute is more highway than stop and go. I don't use P&G but I'm very gentle with the go pedal. I feel that I should be getting closer to 50 here, even with the temps. Is this too much to ask? Maybe it is...Thoughts from the crowd? Any low hanging fruit I've missed?
Smooth roads will use less fuel than comparable rough roads, which may be the case in Alaska. Also short trips vs long trips. Short trips in cold weather are terrible for mpg's. Another factor; Alaska gasoline is refined for winter use and perhaps has considerably less BTU's than comparable summer refined gasoline. Just my thoughts..... alfon
Why would you feel that? My commute today was at 1°F with some stop & slow suburbs and some 70 MPH on the highway. The displayed result was 45.1 MPG. That was right on the mark for my expectations. .
Hold on there Wavey, I have only been getting 41-43 (actual) this winter. My overall (as noted in my sig) is still fairly high because of last summer's numbers. But you are doing average considering the circumstances. It hurts but summer will produce some better numbers.
I think that the guys that are getting high milage are on flat roads and low speeds. For most of us 45mpg is about right. I'm talking your average comute which involves some highway driving. FishHawk
At those temps, an engine block heater would help, do you have access to AC where you park at night/work?
Thanks for the replies, people. I guess I've been seeing the norm according to most of you. I park my car inside a heated garage each night so that helps with the warm up in the morning. Again, thanks for the responses.
Did you pick up a ScanGuage by any chance? If you want to borrow mine for a week or so to see what is going on inside the HSD you are welcome. You can also disable the reverse beep and seat belt chimes with it.
+1 on block heater: it will speed warm-up at at least one end of your commute, maybe both, depending on your work situation. We're using one daily, in our temperate climate, typically for 2 hours. In colder climes 3~4 hours might be warranted. Using it year 'round. A timer makes it convenient. Are you using the styrofoam pipe insulation for grill block? Try using short sections on the seams between fenders and hood: lift the hood, down the sides are seams of metal standing out: push short pieces of the pipe insulation onto them. They will hold in place when you drop the hood back, and seal the gap, without any need for ties. They will hold engine heat better, at least for short duration stops.
Also use insulation on the 2 sides of the hood, as shown in another thread and in the picture below. Helps keeping engine warm and increase air flow efficiency.
Ferls80, could you please link that thread (if you can find it). That's what I was thinking of, with some of my comment above.
Sure, here it is : http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...88151-more-mpg-less-ice-noise-very-cheap.html I actually took advantage by this kind of insulation not only for improving fuel economy, but also for making the car less noisy. From 60 to let's say 75 km/h and around 1300 rpm I heard a kind of turbulence noise coming from somewhere near the hood. At that condition looks like that the engine and the air flowing under the hood produce a vibration that seems a resonance, near the natural frequency of the system "car". It wasn't that annoying, but I noticed it since the first trip I made from the dealer to home. Now I almost don't hear that kind of noise. I wonder how such a simple thing wasn't considered by Toyota at the right time.
Do you have snow tires? Driving in head winds? Guy in ME must be behind a truck all the time and at Sea Level. At 800+ feet above sea level there is less O2 and we will get less O2 vs. ones at Sea level
