WOULDN'T IT BE NICE (AND SMART)............

Not a bad idea, but I think for the average user the ICE will be "on" for most miles driven. It's only at speeds below 41 mph and using pulse & glide you would get the prius to not spin the motor when coasting. At higher speed it will spin the ICE (even if the display doesn't show it) using the battery instead of gasoline (when it can) as to be ready to accelerate the car.

So overall the ICE will be on for most miles driven for the average user, even if it doesn't use gas all the time.

I think for a plug-in hybrid or the next gen hybrid with (rumored) 9 miles EV range it would make sense to have this info.

 

Why would it? I think more appropriate is an hour meter for the motor, like on airplanes.

 

I think it would be a nice feature to have for the simple fact that I think having more information is never a bad thing. It would be interesting to see what percentage of the time the car is running on EV power versus ICE power. I think such a measure would be effective in helping a new driver learn the hybrid system and maximize their efficiency in operating the car. The Prius does drive differently than any other car and has a bit of a learning curve. Having more information at your disposal would just help speed the learning process.

 

I like the hour meter for the motor. For next-gen hybrids this might be the appropriate measure. The VOLT for example would surely need it as if I had one I would rarely use the ICE at all. Event for a next gen prius with (rumored) 9 miles EV an "hours used" for the ICE might make a better meter then mileage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 21 2007, 09:17 AM) [snapback]446589[/snapback]</div>

Well, we've all managed for the past 80 years without a seperate tally for "highway miles" versus "city miles". A engine in a conventional car does a lot less work per mile at highway speeds than it does at city speeds. Yet we've managed to survive with only one odometer.

 

this is a shot of the MFD in the wife's 2k4 after a trip that we took last year. Notice that the ICE ran only 68% of the time on the trip. I posted this question last year but deleted all the pix's in my folder so have reposted it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 21 2007, 10:39 AM) [snapback]446634[/snapback]</div>

And I guess YOU have totally missed the point too. In a conventional car, there is a difference between "city miles" and "highway miles" on the wear and tear of the engine. So, a car that spends it's time running up and down the east coast on the highway does not put as much wear and tear on a engine in 3000 miles as a car that spends all it's time driving around New York City for 3000 miles. Its the same issue, just different circumstances. Yet somehow we've managed for the past 80 years not to need to seperately track the different types of miles in order to perform routine maintanence such as oil changes. That was the point YOU missed.

 

My request for something "nice and smart" would be for a lifetime average mpg indicator. I think this should be on all vehicles. It would give used car buyers an inclination of how the car was driven and may just encourage most drivers to drive more economically.

PA P

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FloridaWen @ May 21 2007, 10:59 AM) [snapback]446649[/snapback]</div>

Please explain.

There are plenty of cars that come from the factory filled with synthetic oil. I don't see how switching the Prius over early (1,000 miles) would present any problems. Heck, you could drain it as soon as you got it home from purchasing it and start running synthetic then and it wouldn't create any problems other than probably wasting some perfectly good oil.

 

There are a lot of misconceptions about synthetic oil floating around out there and some of them die harder than others. It was common years ago for engine manufacturers to recommend non-detergent oils for engine break-in. This was when the pistons used cast-iron “square-faced†rings and the rings needed to wear some to “seat†into the engine. With today’s technology of oils and engine manufacturing, engine manufacturers no longer recommend the use of non-detergent oils for the break-in period.

In fact, most high-end cars are coming from the factory filled with synthetic, so this obviously is not a concern that the OEM's have. I used to hear about synthetic oil causing leaking seals and the like, but that has all been proven to be bunk.

 

FWIW, I switched over to Mobil 1 5W30 at 4,750 miles (first oil change).

I think you really need to balance what is most important to you -- removing any possible contaminents (metal shavings, sand, etc.) from the manufacturing process as soon as possible, or listening to what you heard at the dealership and allowing the engine to get broken-in before switching to synthetic. If you are worried about the contaniments, then switch over at around 1,000 miles. If you aren't, wait until 5,000. Either way, you are going to be fine.