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Curious discovery about my 2005 prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by davyk, Feb 17, 2006.

  1. davyk

    davyk New Member

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    My wife and I own a 2004 and 2005 Prius respectively. She routinely gets 5 mpg more than I do (although I do more highway driving than she does).

    I have noticed when I drive her car (2004), I can accelerate without hearing the engine 'roar' unless I press the accelerator pretty significantly. When I drive my car, I hear the 'roar' if I try to accelerate any faster than lightly touching the accelerator.

    Has anyone ever heard of this? To prove the point, My wife and I drove together on the highway. We would accelerate until we started to hear the engine 'roar'. She literally left me in the dust.

    The other part of the issue is when we are riding on the highway at 65 mph, she routinely shows 7-10 MPG more than I do.

    Is it possible there is something wrong? If you think there is, any idea what it could be?

    Thanks for any input.

    Dave
     
    #1 davyk, Feb 17, 2006
  2. maggieddd

    maggieddd Senior Member

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    perhaps her car is broken in more than yours?
     
    #2 maggieddd, Feb 17, 2006
  3. davyk

    davyk New Member

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    Actually... no. I have 36k on my 2005 and she has 35k on her 2004. We both have the Prius maintained at the same dealer every 5k.
     
    #3 davyk, Feb 17, 2006
  4. maggieddd

    maggieddd Senior Member

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    hmmm, I do not know then :)
     
    #4 maggieddd, Feb 17, 2006
  5. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Spring to mind the following possibilities:
    1. Your cars have learned your unique driving habits and respond differently.
    2. You use different gasolines.
    3. Your tires are inflated differently.
    4. Hers was made better.

    Swap cars for a month and see what happens.
     
    #5 richard schumacher, Feb 17, 2006
  6. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    You may harder on the accelerator than she is. You may hear her car's engine more because you're used to your car. Switch cars for a tankful and see if she gets better mileage with your car than you do and you get worse mileage on hers than she does. My mileage is always better if I drive slower. That is, 65 in a 70 zone. 40 in a 45. Your wife's car may be used to a softer touch on the accelerator and that could cause it to roar a bit.
     
    #6 JackDodge, Feb 17, 2006
  7. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Compare where your main batteries are when you do this test..
    a lower SOC will steal more power from the engine to recharge,
    thus it must work harder/faster to produce the same acceleration.
    .
    _H*
     
    #7 hobbit, Feb 17, 2006
  8. davyk

    davyk New Member

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    Thank you both for your replies. I think that would be a great way to test this out.

    Dave
     
    #8 davyk, Feb 17, 2006
  9. Oxo

    Oxo New Member

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    Have you checked the MPG by calculating gallons bought/miles on odo, instead of relying on the car's own calculation?
    I know it's difficult to know exactly when your tank is full but your own calculation over about 3,000 miles or more should be fairly reliable if you note the figures carefully,
     
    #9 Oxo, Feb 17, 2006
  10. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    That's a great point. If wifey's car gets a spot in the garage and yours has to sit outside, your car already would have a disadvantage.
     
    #10 JackDodge, Feb 17, 2006
  11. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    That's a waste of time. The car knows to within a few percent how much gas it uses, so the MFD figure is similarly accurate. The manual method assumes that the amount of fuel put in = the amount of fuel used since the last fill, which is usually *not* true because of the variability of the capacity of the fuel bladder (not uncommonly +/- 15%).
     
    #11 richard schumacher, Feb 17, 2006
  12. MNPrius

    MNPrius New Member

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    I'll bet the answer is the accelerator/speed. we share a Prius and I typically get the better MPG. I do have a lighter touch on it and typically drive closer to the posted.
     
    #12 MNPrius, Feb 19, 2006
  13. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    tire pressure? driving habits?

    if something is wrong with the car, it will set off a check engine light.

    i agree with the person who suggested to swap cars and see what happens.

    good luck :)
     
    #13 galaxee, Feb 19, 2006
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