2010 Prius V never gotten above 50mpg in 2 years

I was at this seminar and was actually watching the start .This was the first student. He actually came in over 100 mpg on this run. This fellow won the event for Prius. The best run was with a two seater hondainsight. 130mpg. Hal

 

I have NEVER gotten under 53mpg (actual), except on very short trips, even in winter. That must be because I'm inexperienced with this car.

 

We are talking about a 2010 V (2011 and after Five) model. Not a two model that you're driving.

 

^ We found our Canadian Touring model (cousin to US V, minus the high-end electronics) buried at the back of a covered lot, all dusty. Again, lots of of the other levels to pick from, but I'm not a big fan of sun roofs, and hated the 15" wheel covers.

 

Thanks for the link! The video really was quite good, but having a live ride along with Wayne or other hyper milers would still be fun. Actually, compared to my flight instructor, Mr. Gerdes was quite laid back--I recall being hit with a rolled-up aeronautical chart among other things, and Mr. Gerdes does not seem to be the sort to use physical violence. Anybody offering ride alongs in Northern Virginia?

Those of us raised in certain conservative religious traditions know we are pretty much ALWAYS doing something wrong, it is merely the degree or seriousness of the violation that varies. With the Prius, at least, we have a concrete, objective measure of mpg to peg the level of guilt to!

 

I've tried to coach a low mpg owner, to no avail.
Examples;
Bump up tire psi ... (he didn't)
Sub 70° morninjgs-Grill block (he didn't)
EBH; I installed it (he never plugged it in)
Drive like you got no brakes (he never would)

btw - here's my best tank in the GEN II;


My best tank in the (epa30mpg) hybrid SUV was 49.8mpg
.

 

Tell me about it:

Me too:

Perhaps those who are so disappointed with their Prius MPG will get a Volt or Leaf.

Bob Wilson

 

Obviously that accounts for part of the difference, but not nearly all.

 

OP: You'll see that our state's hilly driving terrain and those winds that come sweeping down the plains can hamper mileage quite a bit.

 

Hmm, why do I immediately harken back to my first music teacher, the nun...

 

A few ideas:

1. Obey the speed limits.
2. Keep a decent following distance.
3. Accelerate gently.
4. Combine trips, as much as practical.
5. Consider block heater, use year 'round.
6. Grill block, when it's cooler.

We're rolling on 215/45R17 Michelin Pilots, 8 months of the year. In winter I put on Michelin X-Ice 195/65R15. Driving is split between me and my wife. And yesterday my lead-foot son took over, groan. Anyway, here's a snapshot of our log of late:

 

I missed this thread the first time around ...

Don't read too much into this. On the raw fuel consumption tests on the dyno, before all the weighting formulas and empirical fudge factors are applied, the Prius gets almost the same results on basic City and Highway tests. But the EPA has long adjusted the numbers to better reflect real people's real world experience, which never matched the lab dyno tests. The City number gets an automatic 10% derating, while Highway gets an automatic 28% derating.

Since 2008, even more factors and tests have been rolled in, so the final result is even more complicated. But because of those differing City and Highway derating factors, the 'fact' that Prius's City rating is higher than its Highway rating, doesn't actually mean much.

The original EPA tests started with already warmed-up engines, so the warm-up penalty is absent. In the real world, your daily city driving normally includes a significant warm-up penalty, spread out over relatively few miles. Your highway trip amortized that penalty over a very long distance, shrinking it to almost zero.

Some of this is reflected in the newer EPA formulas, but not all of it.

 

Keep watching those videos. More to learn and use.

I rarely drop below 50 mpg over a tank in our ~ 42 EPA rated Prius (v)agon.

 

Amusing video

I'm wondering though why neutral was used so much. Since the car was already warmed up I think it would glide anyway.

 

I seem to remember it as a training tool. Each student has a very limited time for the ride-along. This allows them to get the same effect as a proper glide, and put it to its various uses, before they have had time to get proficient with right-foot-only gliding in D. Students were still expected to practice the later after Uncle Wayne's ride-along, and use it instead of N.

Wayne also teaches his methods in non-hybrids. Neutral is very useful for hypermiling with manual transmissions.