Today I finally bought my dream car!

Speaking of OceanEyes awesome MPG's, today I checked my tires - they were all down to 35psi

Sneaky little things.. trying to lose pressure on me every 10f degree drop in temperature!! The nerve...lol I hooked up the life support (aka air hose) and reminded them that 42/40psi is where they need to stay

 

OceanEyes: Can you explain pulse and glide to a newbie?

 

Oh God, I am a newbie myself!!!! If my description is wrong, please, any veteran PC folks or moderators can correct me. This stuff is all new to me but I like the "fit" of my Prius.

I accelerate to a point (the "pulse" point) maybe a few points above my target speed limit and take my foot off the gas pedal and let the electric part or the regenerative part take hold...(the glide part) and then pulse as needed until I can glide again. I naturally did it with my diesel truck anyway so it came naturally to me. I am also not a "stomp on the brakes" kind of driver - I like a slow and easy stop (unless some ******* decides to run a stop sign and then the car complains with the 'Wait, what?!' triangle on the dash)... don't know if that helps either. Not sure if it is my road terrain that helps with my mileage but I have to say, I really, really enjoy driving my Prius.

I don't do the hypermiling stuff with neutral - I never use cruise control either as I like to feel the car is in my control at all times... I also use the terrain I am driving on to the best of my ability; acceleration for me is necessary on the hills but letting the electric part take over on the decline and glancing at the "flux capacitor" as I nicknamed the energy exchange screen to see what part of the engine is doing what work.

I am used to 4 wheel drive vehicles in the winter so not sure about my confidence going back to something different... looking at the recommended snows and having to give my "baby" up for the time to put them on....

 

I had a good day traveling on relatively flat terrain from Westerly, RI to Point Judith, RI on the Post Road/Rt. 1 and got 67.9 mpg - my then bf at the time could not believe the readout. I am thinking I am pretty fortunate or maybe what I read on FB from the Prius experts is that one's Prius "learns" its driver's abilities... I do expect a decline in mileage if I go to snows and the temperature drops... I have a garage at home but don't know if that makes a difference.

I cannot explain it. I just know I found the right car for me. Now if she could just "talk" to the diesel truck about fuel consumption... although the 2000 turbo super duty Ford F-250 gets better mileage than an Explorer I owned for a number of years...and she got me through many an upstate NY winter and hauls horses and hay like a champ.

 

Oh cool!! We are soo meeting up! I come to RI every year (My Dad is from RI and has 14 siblings, yes thats right - 14) and 13 of them live in RI. So every April/May we spend a week in RI. Usually E. Greenwich or Cranston, although last year we stayed in Warwick. Im very familiar with Post Road and I LOVE Pt. Judith.

Ill letchya know when we visit this spring

 

Hope the pressure stays put... my late stepdad was a general contractor and was used to filling big dump truck tires with air... he was a wee bit generous filling our bicycle tires when we were kids and when the tires on three bikes all blew within seconds after being placed in the truck (I might have been 8 at the time and it was like 6 M-80s going off behind me in the cab), I am not fond of those "life support" systems but they are necessary. Speaking of which, I have a wheelbarrow that needs air in the tires, I know I need to get a compressor (a necessary tool for rural life but mine ended up staying with the ex) but that potential of explosion still creeps me out. I do have new tire gauges for my mental and physical health in the Prius and the truck and new power tools (like a compressor) are the trade off.

 

Awesome!!!

Visited Warwick yesterday - that story is in another post - and my friend in Portsmouth was taking me all over the place - MA to RI and back to MA and back to RI... a good day for driving for sure. My coworkers talk about shopping in Warwick so I have to learn more.

I am loving the area I moved to - I live with family in CT and I work in RI so I have the best of all worlds... purchased my Prius in RI and even had the pleasure of temporary RI plates for a few weeks!

 

I love RI. Born and raised in Michigan and if it wasnt for my job tying me down, I'd have moved to RI years ago.

My Aunt lives in downtown E. Greenwich and I could spend DAYS there. Its such a COOL sleepy east coast town. Of course, I do play the typical tourist and like visiting Newport.

A few years ago, we deviated a little from yearly RI plan and spent Halloween in Salem, Ma. THAT was cool.

Last year we drove our 2010 Escape and achieved 25mpg... this year Im totally stoked to drive the Prius and (hopefully) average 45mpg.

I also cant wait to get back for a coffee cabinet!! Maybe we can meet up in our Prius's and have one together! hehe

 

Salem for Halloween definitely sounds like fun!

Hope you get some stellar mileage driving out - route 90 is pretty flat which was our route from NY to RI.

Newport is always fun - been going there for years but I have to say, I am really enjoying the Westerly beaches without the tourists (although Sandy did a lot of damage and it will take time to recover). My brother in law said it did not take long for me to become "a local" with my description of "beach people." My eyes will never be the same....

 

Thanks OceanEyes, I think I get it.
Will try it out tomorrow.

 

Enjoy the ride!

 

Same thing happened to me, I lost my civic in accident and with the insurance money I bought Prius.