Do any of you old pro's think that a bargain basement set of tires could drag the mileage down 3 to 5 miles a gallon ?. I can't get 50 mpg even babying my 2012 at hwy speeds 60 to 65 and even running in the EV mode when I can. I do pulse and glide whenever I can. I just am trying to be sure something isn't wrong with my little jewel. Thanks for any comments. Average mpg 46 to 47 calculated. I have only had it for one month now. I bought it with 30,000 miles on it
1. The tire inflation pressure can make that much difference. Make sure you are fully inflated. 2. Avoid EV mode except when you need the engine not to run, such as repositioning the car in the driveway. Overuse of EV reduces the mpg, it does not increase it. That may seem backwards, but the car is optimized to send engine power straight to the wheels when possible. If you are using EV mode a lot during normal driving, then that will cause a big hit to mpg. 3. I see you are in Houston. The AC setting may account for less than optimum mpg if set to very low temps. 4. Before doing all kinds of involved things for max mpg, just drive the car normally for a tank or two.
Thanks FL_Prius_Driver. that makes a lot of sense. I try to drive it in the EV mode every chance I get but I will try driving normally for a tank or two and see what happens
go to fuelly.com and check out the mileage most 2012 Prius owners get, you may feel better about your mileage.
Yeah, running in EV mode drains the traction battery pretty quick. How first the traction battery get charged? The ICE starts and tops off the battery. So in ecsence, if you can't use the regenerative braking on down hill runs, it will effect the fuel mileage. Now as for tires: if you do not have Low Running Resistance tires on your car, you mileage can suffer significantly. LRR tires are only about 18 lbs apiece, where as normal tires can get up as high as 20-22 lbs apiece. That much difference in weight makes a huge difference.
