ECO Mode...mileage worse!

Sorry I have no "insight" but I did get better mpg driving in ECO mode.

 

Eco mode only does two things. It changes the pressure on your gas pedal and it helps regulate your heating and a/c.

 

ECO mode could be causing you to take longer to get to your cruising speed, which in turn is using more gas. Some people have claimed getting their best mileage in PWR mode. I personally do well in Normal. But if I am on the highway, I switch to ECO once I set my cruise control.

 

I haven't really noticed a difference between regular and ECO mode, but I don't really drive enough to do a true test. (I've also heard some people do best in PWR mode, but that isn't an option on the c).

 

This is what I believe the problem to be. It is just like the other thread were he wrote about getting worse mpg despite trying to take it easy an accelerate so slow he stays in the Eco area. In a lot of cases this is not efficient. It is better to accelerate briskly to your desired speed then lift off the throttle, reapply light throttle to maintain desired speed then glide to the next stop.

You c guys should spend more time combing through the GenII and GenIII forums. There is a wealth of information in there that applies to the c as well as the v.

 

I can't bring myself to take Eco mode off.

After my first fill up, I drove for exactly 7 miles and got my best recorded mileage so far, at 73.2mpg (I've gotten better, but I kept forgetting to reset the trip mileage, so that it would record it).

Anyways, I remembered after this short trip that I wanted to try normal mode for a full tank to see if I could get as good mpg as I got in Eco mode. However, driving the same route back, under nearly identical traffic conditions, I could only pull off 65.3mpg...no matter how I drove it, I couldn't get it to go above the mid 60s. I'm positive I would've gotten better had I stayed in Eco mode.

While I do like the more responsive pickup in normal mode, I couldn't live with the reduced mpg I felt I was getting. I've returned to Eco mode and am happy pulling of the consistent 60+mpg I seem to be getting (driving back roads and avoiding the highway whenever possible).

This could just be my imagination, but I think I've doomed myself to sticking with Eco mode...as much as I crave a more responsive gas pedal.

 

Was there any change in recent weather, when you tried ECO mode? Temps took a dip here in WI this last week, and my MPG's reflected it.

 

My highway mileage has improved significantly since turning off Eco mode. I find it much easier to modulate my throttle inputs.

 

Oh good I thought it was just me in eco mode I only get 44 to 48 mpg in normal mode I get 51 to 55 tank avg in a mix city and highway driving and yes this was all the route back and forth to work and temp were all in the 50

 

Different car, but i'll tell you my discovery, i actually get better mileage when i'm in the POWER mode in my CT200h, which shares the same engine as the regular prius.

In the economy or ECO mode, the car just LAGS and it takes a huge effort to move from a complete stop. In the power mode, the car zips up to the legal speed limit, I lift the throttle, then put the car in CC until i have to alter the speed.

This type of driving gets me better mileage than if i left it in economy/ECO mode.

Good luck, but what works for me might not work for you.

Lastly, are you using SHELL OIL? I notice that shell works best in my 08 Gen II, same with my CT.

 

If you look at some of the discussions on the v, many owners get better mileage in the Power mode.

 

When I had my c, I also got better mileage in the normal mode which i was actually happy about because of having quicker acceleration along with better mpg's. Double bonus!

 

Hate to say like what was mentioned earlier, the C has no PWR mode. Only Eco and normal.

 

If you drive in eco mode you have change yourself as well. If you want the same accelleration in eco mode as regular mode you'really going to be mashing the gas pedal more and longer. You give up any sort of zippy in eco. You can still get zippy if you need it to get out of trouble, but you have to mash hard.

Eco is there to enable you to drive as if you had self control.

 

Going to try only normal mode this tank and see the difference.

 

I didn't realized there was so much montering involved to get the best gas mileage with the Prius. Good insight.

 

Woah... Didn't even think to try normal mode till reading this thread...

Btw, haven't been following the gen2/3 threads... any quick pointers for optimal driving patterns?

 

in my experience, normal mode = for the street, and eco = for the highway. i like the extra responsiveness of normal mode to get up to speed after a red light. and i like the muted response of eco mode for pulse and glide. yes a trained right foot makes either mode unnecessary, but eco mode helps people with a lead foot like me