When I fuel up and log my information into Fuelly, I always say my driving is 10% city, 90% highway. The problem is that Fuelly really should have a 3rd category..."Interstate." By definition, a "highway" is a thoroughfare with few to no stops in the flow of traffic. City driving reflects a "stop and go" flow of traffic. In my case, I live in the sticks. Going to and from town involves speeds from 35 to 60 mph along roads with hardly any stops. Hence, I consider it "highway" driving. However, an interstate is high-speed driving, which is typically where the Prius gets worse mileage due to more use of the ICE. Other than placing notes in my Fuelly log for tanks where there was significant interstate travel, I'm wondering if it seems misleading to get the MPG I'm getting with mostly "highway" driving.
If you're really concerned about it being misleading, you could make note of it in your vehicle description and/or the notes for each fuel up. People only see your city vs highway when looking at your car's page, so they'll be able to see the explanation.
Good point. It is misleading, but then so is the mileage recorded with hyper-milers. Adding it to the notes is a good way to let interested folks know the facts.
I thought of doing that, but I really DON'T want to add notes on EVERY normal fuel up. I have been adding notes when there is significant interstate driving (more than up to the next exit or two).
I think the term you are looking for is 'benchmark' which is different from a cumulative mileage record: benchmark - where you hold as many variables constant as possible and change one, say speed or fuel or A/C e.t.c. A series of benchmarks provides facts and data about what the car does so modifications or changes can be quantified. So I have mph vs MPG, mph vs MPG up an 8% grade, engine power vs fuel brand, ethanol level vs MPG and engine codes. cumulative mileage record - provides insight to climate effects and actual, year-to-year, miles on the road. The time scales are so long, measured in years, whereas a benchmark is performed within a few minutes to hours. Bob Wilson
OTOH, the country roads tend to be less well maintained and higher rolling resistance. Things somewhat balance out.
Well, I just did my first tank with mostly interstate driving (new job mandates taking the interstate a lot more). I've noted accordingly on the log, but 55 mpg on the first tank.
