World's Worst Mileage?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(picarsic @ Aug 24 2006, 05:52 PM) [snapback]309033[/snapback]</div>

Are you smoking something? During the first 5 minutes (which could be up to 5 miles or so), the ICE is running to warm up, and i usually an somewhere around 30, even lower on very cold days (i've had it below the 25 MPG line during warm up before)... Honestly, it's the short trips that are killing the mileage right now. I can practically gaurantee that, when the OP takes it out, presses reset, and drives for 30+ minutes in light traffic he'll be much higher. All we have here is an initial situation where the MPGs were screwy because of this that and the other, and a continuing situation where no significant[/1] data was ever collected. For crying out loud, take half an hour to drive the damn car and come back and tell us it's fine!

 

Hi LITH....I just started my third tank today....31 mpg on first, 42.8 (Calc) on second....I seem to have driving patterns similar to you...lots of short errands, lots of hills, lots of lights and stop signs....

That being said...and I know I'm breaking the car in still (500+ total miles)...but...

toward end of the second tank...instead of trying to pulse and glide as much...what with my short and long up and down hill runs and short trips....I decided to just drive nice and steadily...trying to stay near speed limit...climbing hills at rate to keep in nicely within speed limit....also

Braking slightly on my longest downhill coasts...instead of coasting to a higher speed only to come to a know stop at a main road...or red light.

What I noticed with this way of driving (NOT trying to get more P&G) is ....a lot more Stealth....or yellow-only time at 99.9mpg is just happening

I was trying to get out of the stealth mode and into P&G and the ICE kept coming on, then I was out of the area of being able to P&G

So, after a period of 1/2 mile (even with some slight up and down hill places) or more in Electric only mode.....THEN, it would kick into glide mode (no arrows) provided the stretch was long enough and no big climbs....I was trying to get out of the Electric only mode and go into glide.

Maybe, the car is working WITH me and the Electric mode is just fine for these stretches....my SOC is good ...at half or better....I found that toward the end of the second tank, I went up again on my mpg....picking up from the 40 mpg that I was running....so I'm going to drive my second tank...more in this "nice and steady" fashion, letting the Electric mode work and going into glide when I can...

It seemed that there was much less ICE time...(orange arrows)...and more combo of glide and electric-only.

This difference in combinations with bunching my errands at one time of the day...leaving car in park for few minutes when I run and out and it's safe to do so (hubby in car or in driveway)...tire pressure up, of course.

I am using Auto+AC since it has been way too humid...so I know this affects it, but don't plan to change this...I have the temp set high (78-80) or I have AUTO only with temp set to LO....and no AC.

Forget the lemon comment....I believe we all have our own unique driving areas...locale, temperature, AC needs, hills or not, short or long trips....we have to find a way of driving that works best for our own Prius and for our own personal driving needs.

I'm not "worried" about my mpg...I simply find all of this fun....I know that once I establish a good and automatic mode of driving for myself, I will watch all of this less (MAYBE NOT!! LOL).

The important things first are

Safety.

Comfort.

Lifestyle.

Keep us posted.....hope you find you are climbing higher, LITH!!

We have some wonderful people here who are so willing to jump in with great suggestions from their background knowledge and experience.
terri

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Aug 25 2006, 01:52 PM) [snapback]309414[/snapback]</div>

I agree. I don't think there's anything wrong with the car. These are all trips so short the car never warms up.

Reset, drive on the freeway for 30 min. You'll see the screen registering the current and it will be in the 40's or better, depending on your speed and the terrain. And you'll find your mileage in the 40s or better as well when you check the consumption screen.

 

My mileage has gone up without any freeway driving......I don't do freeways anymore....My Prius will be the one owned by the little old lady schoolteacher (only retired now....so worse).

Don't know what LITH's situation is....but not everyone can or will do freeway driving......I do agree with Godiva though...if you are really worried, hit longer stretches or have someone take it out on a freeway or longer drive just so you know it isn't the car....but I think things will improve....

Again...I am thrilled with 40-45 mpg for the kind of driving I will be doing. My Camry gave me 20 mpg...no more around my area....

terri

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(terri @ Aug 25 2006, 03:53 PM) [snapback]309545[/snapback]</div>

It is not the lack of freeway driving that is killing LITH's mileage. I get my best mileage on surface streets. The problem is the driving pattern. Nineteen trips segments over a sixteen days period totaling 42 miles. That car never gets a chance to warm up to operating temperatures. The steep mountain terrain where LITH lives does not help (I am quite familiar with that part of Hollywood).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveSheremata @ Aug 21 2006, 02:40 AM) [snapback]306593[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Proco @ Aug 24 2006, 04:35 PM) [snapback]308990[/snapback]</div>

I have not found a Calendar screen on my 2006 Prius. I have Package 3.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusRos @ Aug 25 2006, 06:02 PM) [snapback]309615[/snapback]</div>

The calendar is a part of the navigation system.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Aug 25 2006, 09:06 PM) [snapback]309618[/snapback]</div>

Okay, that explains it. I don't have nav.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Aug 25 2006, 08:46 PM) [snapback]309604[/snapback]</div>

Totally agree IsrAmeriPrisu!

On my third tank now...and I am a short trip with hills person...I went a total of 10 miles...so what I did was make the longest trip first...five miles, then I had five stops on the way home....my mileage is staying above 45 mpg now...I'm at 46.2.

Also, there are a couple of stretches that have very minimal up and down, not completely flat and speed limit is very low...under 30 mph...Instead of trying to P&G, which doesn't work, I coast a bit, but then I notice that all-electric takes over for this stretch (near home, too, which is good)....and I get the 99.9 mpg from the all-electric mode...there are several other stretches similar to this...I basically make the same runs to same places...so I've gone from 30 mpg on Tank #1 to 46.2 right now on my 3rd tank....I'll see if I can hold that.

I understand freeway isn't killing LITH's mileage, but with bunching of errands and letting the car work the hills and doing P&G where I can, I believe it is helping. The car is still breaking in. I have a little over 600 miles on the car.

Again...my point was about each person trying to maximize their own driving patterns to suit the mileage....it was a little tongue-in-cheek to comment on the freeway driving...sorry, my print humor isn't coming across....

terri

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Aug 12 2006, 07:31 PM) [snapback]302340[/snapback]</div>

Hey Lost, I think Donee and others nailed it! Considering your prior acknowledgement that you've only reset the screen once intentionally, maybe twice while cleaning, this ommission creates a major change in the scenario as we've been discussing. And considering the fact that you live in Hollywood Hills, I can personally vouch for the fact that your Prius is fine! You barely get anything to shout about going home 2 miles from Target and you only get about 25-30 mpg getting to target.

I've created a little spreadsheet to show the effect of only one reset and the story as I follow re your miles and gallons and the wreck using your info from this post (sorry about the lack of formatting for columns):

miles mpg gallons event
400 29 13.79 pre wreck
50 23 2.17 post-wreck pre-reset
50 35 1.43 post reset

lifetime
miles mpg gallons
500 28.74 17.40

The real story is that any shop should have picked this up from a basic interview and they didn't! Why, Go figure?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lost In The Hills @ Aug 26 2006, 06:00 PM) [snapback]309899[/snapback]</div>

OK, after that post, I am with Rancid and Godiva. They may be the Black Prius Chicks but now they have been joined by a silver.

Lola'05

 

A couple of short thoughts on a long thread

check cold tire pressure,
use 87 oct. gas and change the gas station you are now using,
use as much as possible the cruize control,
check your oil level (about an 1/8th inch UNDER the full mark).

I'm on a steady 48 MPG (with my 2003 prius) driving 70-74 MPH on the 10 & 60 fwy
Got a 3 MPG increase after I changed gas station and brand
Depending on where you are, might want to visit Wondries Toyota service in Alhambra and ask for Alex
I'm going there for the last two years, great service.

P.S next week I'm getting my 2006 #8

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Aug 25 2006, 11:22 AM) [snapback]309400[/snapback]</div>

LOL! When traffic isn't jammed, you'd be virtually nuts to be going only the speed limit in the LA area except in the slow lane. I remember driving on the 5 between Los Angeles and Anaheim in a 55 at over 70 in one of the slower lanes. I was still being passed all over the place by faster drivers.

The the OP, my handle cwerdna is andrewc spelled backwards.

 

You can calculate your avg mpg for any segment by noting mpg and trip mileage then drive 20 miles or so and note mpg and trip mileage (so you can get a reading in tenths of a mile). You use the numbers at the start of your trip to find the number of gallons consumed since last reset (miles/mpg=gallons)before the trip then find gallons consumed at the end of the trip, take the difference to get gallons used during the trip, mpg is miles driven/gallons used, or you can just hit reset before driving. Rather than spending time reading and responding to messages on this forum, take that time to drive for 30 minutes at a low traffic time of day and you will know whether there is anything wrong with your Prius. I hope not. Eventually you will finish your project, when is the deadline?

 

Skunk in a wood pile.

That is my grand daddy's term. Here we are 19 days later with no real answer. Many Prius chatters have made good suggestions. Are we TOO NICE? Where has Lost in the Hills gone?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lola'05 @ Aug 26 2006, 06:45 PM) [snapback]309912[/snapback]</div>

Agreed. I came back to this thread after a couple of weeks' vacation, to see the resolution of the issue. Instead, I saw this nonsense. I regret having taken the time earlier to offer a thoughtful reply. This thread is either bogus or ignorant, and either way it's not worth following.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(chogan @ Sep 4 2006, 07:50 AM) [snapback]313917[/snapback]</div>

LITH is either a troll or an idiot. "I can't find the time to do a 30 minute drive because of my work."

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(McShemp @ Sep 4 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]314016[/snapback]</div>

You're a Grinch... a lazy Grinch

JK

Dave

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lola'05 @ Aug 29 2006, 06:34 PM) [snapback]311396[/snapback]</div>

And do we even care anymore?? I mean, even people who work 18-20 hour days 7 days a week find time to get out of the house/office every great once in a while for longer than 30-minute stretches I'll bet. No one can honestly be THAT busy for THAT long and holed up inside the entire time. It's been almost a month now since the initial post...there has GOT to be a 30-minute window of prime driving opportunity within a 30-day period, there's just got to be! Unless he's a real prisoner and not allowed out of doors except during parole which may not be for awhile? h34r: