Depending on the level of wear on the old tires this could be the case although most of us change to another model of tire so the mpg change cannot always be blamed solely on new tread. I generally agree with the tirerack's assertion.
I'm in houston. A/C is always running. My 2012 Five is only on it's second tank and I'm averaging about 50.5 indicated and most of my hour long commutes are in the mid 50's. Same with the wife who has the exact same car. And recently we are running power mode full time.
My 2012 Prius III doesn't seem to have a CONS display. I only see Trip A or B along with the fuel cost to date. Do you have the switch something on to see the CONS mpg on my HSI Trip screen?
I am missing the CONS and AVG but think I figured it out. I had to change the settings from ECO SAVINGS to CONSUMP. Do you reset the CONS every time you fill up?
My 2011Prius II best mileage has hit 52mpg. Dash reading said 54.4. I really have to be focused and watch the ECO gauge and accelerate the throttle only up to the middle line of the ECO bar and when the battery charge indicator is at least 3 bars or so, I back off the throttle to get the engine to turnoff and use the battery power for a couple of miles. While driving so conservatively, other drivers are tickedoff and go around me. My wife does not drive this way. Way she drives (probably like the average driver) the mileage is about 44MPG
i am in az with 2011 package 2 with average around 47-48 in town and drove california almost 1000miles with 48 average...so i have trouble to get above 47-48 in my 2011.. it's appear with weather and fuel in az with ac running also thanks hp
I try not to PO people behind me. I will try and accelerate moderately on both the highway and local roads. I don't use the ECO Mode, I use Normal. It's the best of both worlds. Moderately to me is not going into the red zone when accelerating. If I'm on the highway, I will then back off to the "O" on the "ECO" icon. You will find that for various speeds you will vary where you settle in. For instance on a fairly level road I will accelerate to about 69 mph and then back off to the left side of the "O". You will see the instantaneous mpg gauge shoot up when you have it in the sweet spot. For other speeds it may be a little different. When you start slowing down, just rinse and repeat. For local roads I also accelerate moderately up to about 30-35 mph and then back off to the EV range (not Mode). I am really surprised how far I can go. Wayne Gerdes (Mr. Hypermiler) says to start off using EV (not Mode) to about 14 mph, then kick it up using the ICE. From there it's a P&G (Pulse and Glide). Either technique works well. I like to drive with the 1 Min Chart on the NAV. This let's me know how I am doing and how the various strategies are working. I call it my 1 Min Report Card. I know this is a sore subject here, but drafting is also good for increased MPGs. I'm not talking NASCAR here, I'm talking about 1-1.25 seconds behind a larger vehicle at 60-65 mph. Test these different techniques out. Good Luck!!!
I drove my 2011 last summer to California..500 miles there and 500 back and averaged a little less than you, around 46 mpg both way (dash reading was around 48)
We are now approaching 71,000 miles on our Prius. We live up here in the Northwest were summer is only measured in days and not months. Weather for at least 7- 9 months of the years is at least 50% rain with temps in the 40's, even in May. The worst mpg's we ever got calculated was 40. 6 mpg and that was when the car was new in terrible weather. Currently we are averaging in the high 40's to low 50's calculated mpg's of course. Our tires are set at max 44 psi pressure on all four and tires are Michelin Energy Saver tires 195x65x15. We change the oil and add only 4 quarts for the oil and oil filter change so not to over fill. Oil is Mobil one 0w20 synthetic. I know with warmer weather and dry roads mpg's can easily be in mid 50's to nearly 60 mpg calculated.
I'm still dying with the "around town" trips. Inner city stuff with lots of lights. I get anywhere from 25 to 40mpg's depending how far (farther seems to be better) and even on a warmed up engine. FWY is great though. Mid 50's easy.
