How can I get the highest fuel economy from my 2008 prius with these gas prices?

Use cruise control whenever possible.

 

pump the tires to 42f/40r

consolidate trips, starting at the furthest and working your way back

learn pulse and glide

don't drive unnecessarily

look at your other expenses, they probably far out weigh gas expenditure, and there may be many places to save

 

I second this. Makes for a less comfortable ride, but should help.

 

Watch tire pressure in Victorville when summer temperature reach 115° and pavement even higher If your filling tires to 42 psi at cooler temperature

 

Flush out the Blue Devil, put in a salvage engine, with thermostat.

 

Do a google search on "pulse & glide driving" and boosting tire pressure as mentioned above. In summer I do 47psi in front and 45psi in rear and then I dial that back in winter for better traction because we get lots of rain where I live.

 

The engine adjusts quite well to prevent pinging... Pretty rare to have this problem...

 

Only if you don't use below 87 US AKI (at sea level). 90 -91 US AKI is better for economy and performance, but going above that is a waste of money i. e. it costs more for absolutely no benefit.

If higher octane gas solves your problem then use it. Pining damages your engine. Note that the owner's manual states that mild pinging under acceleration or under load for a short time is acceptable, but I still would not allow pinging myself.

 

Victorville temps much different than Pacific Northwest
Caution on over pressure in tires.

 

That and a new traction battery will net 50’s and maybe even 60’s mpg’s..... again. Basically a new drivetrain for about $5k depending on how much labor is DIY. That’s pretty much untouchable nowadays.

 

My experience with pinging is that if the engine is pinging and high octane helps, the high octane is a bandaid for a much bigger problem. Better fuel mileage with higher octane is also a bandaid for a much bigger problem. IMO 40 weight oil is also a bandaid for a problem. These engines should work fine with not only 30 weight oil, but even 20 weight (e.g. 5W-20) and regular octane fuel (87 R+M/2).

Oil in the combustion chamber lowers the effective octane, which is why higher octane is bandaiding the problem. Check the cylinders for grooving with a borescope in the sparkplug holes. If the cylinders are ok, you may just need to get the crud out of the piston rings. New pistons and rings would fix that, although you can try some engine cleaner of some sort. If the cylinders are grooved then yes, you need a new engine block.

 

for real on the tire pressure?

 

After a decade above 45psi it may still be a bit hard for me, but tires seem to last longer and mpg savings pay off after that much time... When tires are in first 1/2 of life savings are amazing, 2nd half not so much. Also if you're really serious, converting to lithium via this link is only other thing other than LRR tires w/maxxed out psi it will make a majorly noticeable difference: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw

 

aren't you guys worried of getting a possible ply separation on your tires that may get an unexpected blow-up on the freeway?

 

My ecopias were rate for 60K miles and over the course of a decade I've over 70K miles on both sets of these tires with perfectly even wear on tread. The balloon theory of overinflated tires wearing in the center more than edges is BS.

And I suspect ply separation is also a myth, but if you'd like to provide valid references I'd be happy to consider them!