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Latest MPG

Discussion in 'Toyota Hybrids and EVs' started by JackDodge, Nov 24, 2007.

  1. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    The first one, showing 33 MPG is achievable under good conditions on a constant basis and the second one, 44 MPG was achieved through hypermiling under ideal conditions (with the exception of the temperature) and can't be maintained but I as able to keep it for quite a while today. Glad I had the camera because few would believe it if I said 'oh yeah, I've gotten 44 with the HiHy'.
     

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  2. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    How many miles were used to achieve both firgures Jack?

    When you sau hypermiling do you include P&G or just basic stealth mode and conciencious driving?
     
  3. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(F8L @ Nov 24 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]543667[/snapback]</div>
    I don't use pulse and glide much. Basically, especially with the hills around here, I drive the car the way I ride a bicycle. That is, accelerate somewhat before hitting the hill so that I can coast up the hill and coast down or get in to EV mode on the way down. Use as little energy as possible. I also avoid higher speed roads, preferring 35 to 40 if possible. I shut off the fan (no heat) to maximize economy. That's why it's not possible to maintain 44 during the winter but I expect, now, to do high thirties to low 40s in the summer but we'll have to see about that.
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JackDodge @ Nov 24 2007, 01:27 PM) [snapback]543673[/snapback]</div>
    That is pretty much how I drive with the exception of the neihborhood streets near my house. In that area I will use ICE or battery power to get up to 30mph then glide to the next stop sign. So I'm not sure if that is considered pulse and glide really but it's close. lol I am stuck driving the speed limit on the other roadways though so my usual is 55mph to school or 65-70mph on the 150mile commute to work and back.

    Good job man. :)
     
  5. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    So ... what is the best anyone has done on a single tank of gas ... mpg wise, and range of miles-wise, in the hihy. I'm curious, because one of these days, I'll get a chance to set a high goal in the 400h. Gotta know what I'm up against. :thumb:
     
  6. rudywalker101

    rudywalker101 New Member

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    My best tank so far is 503 mi - but current tank is on pace to beat that by 10 - 15%, with an outside chance of 600 mi. Current tank is at 35.6 mpg (display)/34.7 est. actual.

    Using EBH and radiator block and car chip to monitor coolant temps and % stealth mode. Best performance on a morning commute (17.5 mi/40 min) w/ EBH has been 50% stealth, which works out to 42.4 mpg. The first 25 min of the drive are used to fully warm up the ICE, and the final 15 min in extended S3/S4 modes. My routes are rolling hills (charge uphill/stealth downhill) with mostly flat terrain at end of commutes.

    I'd have never thought it possible to get > 40 mpg from HiHy either, until I started reading posts on boards like this, trying and learning.
     
  7. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    In the 400h I find that if I creep up the hills (providing traffic allows) at sub-30mph speeds, the regen / stealth down the other side gives a boost. I'm thinking this is so because charging up hills simply means you have to push a whole lot more air mass out of the way.
     
  8. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Do you have any photos of your grill blocking or can you give a good description of how you undertook it? The EBH clearly makes a big difference for my wife's very short commute, the ICE takes forever, compared to the Prius, to warm up fully without it. I'm convinced grill blocking would help, too, but can't see an easy way to go about it.
     
  9. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    As with my Prius, I don't run the tank down to empty so the most miles out of a tank has not been a goal for me with the HiHy. Currently, without trying very hard, I'm getting 30 mpg and I don't have the engine block heater yet. This summer is when I hope to get it in to the mid to upper thirties. Comforting to know that you have hills too.
     
  10. rudywalker101

    rudywalker101 New Member

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    Sorry for the delay in responding. Been on the road taking our youngest on college visits. To answer your questions:

    I have a three-layer approach to blocking the radiator:

    a) Pipe insulation below the grille, similar to those used on Prius (see pic)
    b) A 8.5" x 7.5" mouse pad on the LHS and RHS of the grille, secured with cable ties, covering almost 60%.
    c) Reflective foil insulation (Home Depot part # ST16025), behind the main grille, and in front of the radiator. I had a bit leftover from insulating my hot water heater. I cut two sections, rolled it into a narrow cylinder, inserted from below, and then unwound the cylinder to lie flat against the radiator. I probably have 95% of the radiator blocked and use a Davis Car chip to record coolant temps. Additional insulation was taped to the bottom of the hood. My max temps have been between 196 and 199 F when OATs exceeded 80 F.

    EBH use with the radiator block appears to have the biggest impact on average MPG in the first 7 - 8 min of my morning drive, as much as 50% better (34.5 v 23). By the end of my 35 - 40 min drive, the advantage drops to 32% (45.8 v 34.6).

    My best tank (ending 5 days ago) was 601.8 mi and 35.2 mpg calc., where I was using EBH 3 hr every day for 12 days.
     

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  11. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Evan, after hearing about 50lbs in your Prius tires, I'm now going to (be cringing :p as I) ask you what kind of pressures you run in the hyhi tires. BTW i'm putting our Prius higher then the measly 40lbs we've been running.
     
  12. ginostef

    ginostef New Member

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    I just got my 2008 HiHY and I am only getting 25-28mpg on moderate terrain, mixed driving. I had a 2004 Prius for 4 years, loved it and learned how to get it into the 50s regularly, but I don't have much history on the HiHy. Where do I get a block heater and some kind of monitoring equip to be sure I don't overheat anything if I do some blocking on the radiator/air flow? Anything else I can try - or can you point me to the right place in the forums? Thanks so much -these forums are priceless when it comes to making green, very very green.!!
     
  13. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    A/C may be set too high. Unlike the Prius, A/C does seem to affect the mileage a little. The usual, check the tire pressure. Doubtful that an engine block heater would do you any good in the summer, although they are available. I haven't gotten one yet. Also, the a/c settings are a little tricky on the HiHy. You should check to make sure that the a/c isn't on when you didn't mean for it to be. One trick that helps in cold weather is to use the Econ mode. It makes driving a little sluggish but helps the car stay longer in EV mode. The EV button is useless in my opinion. Don't use gasoline with 10% ethanol, like Marathon. That said, I don't do anything particularly different with the HiHy from when I had a Prius and I'm currently getting around 32. The HiHy does seem to do better, mileage wise, at freeway speed than the Prius does and not as well at lower speeds such as 35. The HiHy is easier to drive up hill in EV, probably due to the greater mass.
     
  14. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

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    WOW finally someone got an EBH for the HiHy! 35 mpg is very encouraging for something that seats 7! and finally a owner that grille blocks a brand new suv :) you don't see that everyday!

    i think the user is using a scangauge, you can monitor engine temp that way, IMO its impossible to overheat if temps are lower than 5 degrees C with a hybrid when your grille blocking... EPICALLY when your robbing heat from the engine to the passenger compartment.

    so if you use the EBH, does that guarantee EV mode operation?
     
  15. ginostef

    ginostef New Member

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    I have an 08 HiHy limited, 4x4, and I struggle to get it to 27mpg - takes a lot of care with the throttle, econ mode, I use it all. I am transitioning from an 04 Prius that I just plain ran the pants off and usually got in the high 40s to low 50s in mpg, so forgive me, but this is hard to get used to.

    Where do I get a car chip to monitor temps on the 08 and can I also use an EBH for it? Has anyone tried blocking the radiator on this newer version? If there is an install for the EBH - I'd like to see it as I'm not sure about draining the block etal on this model.

    Thanks to anyone who can help me get the mileage up. It's a great SUV, rides extremely well and has a much better interior appointment then the previous models.

    Oh yeah - has anyone installed an extra battery in this - like where the third row seats are folded in? What a great car a plug-in HiHY would be!

    Thanks everyone!
    Gene
     
  16. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    The limited HiHy is heavier and uses more power so you can't achieve what I can in the plain HiHy. Currently, I'm getting 34 and haven't gone below 32 all summer. All of that extra equipment that the Limited has, evidently, has a price. You're not the only one with a Limited that I've heard that from.
     
  17. kazots

    kazots LifesaBeach

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    I guess I really would like to get mileage in the 60's. But I won't get greedy with my 50's.
     
  18. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

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    how can the limited get lower mileage even though it weighs 150 something pounds heavier, unless your using more of the electrical features but ultimately yes all the energy does come from the gasoline tank.

    jack you made a good point about being in econ mode when the gasoline engine has to fire up, at least you can idle less gas rather than more. Maybe when econ mode is on the engine knows it doesn't need to work as hard so the engine may shut down earlier?

    and im pretty sure how the 3 white accelerator bars work in the way i described it at hybridchat

    one bar = efficient cruising rpm
    two bars = efficient acceleration rpm
    three bars = efficient performance acceleration rpm

    so anything above three bars, your KW demands are beyond what the efficient rpm is supported. So frictional losses and fuel enrichment modes occur. If I had to make a bet, beyond three bars is above 2300 RPM (someone with scan gauge plz confim!!!!) Also what is the KW rating when you pass the three bars? can one guess what the number rating is?

    Does the N rule in the prius applies to the hihy? enigne off stays off/on

    i drove one around a parking lot trying to engage ev mode... not even in 15 degrees C weather... dissapointing, and the poor thing went through 3 engine fireups, all from dead cold since it was only fired up to move a couple of feet, but since our area is small, it takes great caution not to damage a customer's vehicle.
     
  19. JackDodge

    JackDodge Gold Member

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    I can only speak for my own experience with my own vehicle but during the winter, the econ mode allowed the HiHy to go in to EV mode more readily and kept the mileage from dropping. That's a big help when you don't have an engine block heater which I still haven't ordered. The engine is sluggish but for short distances where slow speeds are necessary, it's not a big deal at all. In the initial miles, before the car warms up, it's critical not to use things like the heater in the winter or the A/C in the summer.

    The dealership tells me that my mileage is the best that they've heard so far and they can see my mpg for themselves when I take it in. One Detroit newspaper columnist doesn't believe me when I say I am getting above 32 but won't take me up on my offer to prove it. I'm not the best on this forum at hypermiling but have no trouble exceeding EPA estimates. I know when not to waste energy so from the small group of actual HiHy owners, I may be better than most. If I were to drive a Limited, I may be able to eke out better mpg but I doubt that I'd be able to get what I'm getting with my unLimited HiHy :cool:
     
  20. philmcneal

    philmcneal Taxi!

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    so once you reach stage 4 (coolant must be 70 centigrade or 168F and you idled 7 seconds under 8 km/h and inducing engine shut off) after hybrid warm up you can invoke engine off at under 40 mph (64 km/h) right? But before that to get the engine off you would need to slow down below 40 km/h? (20 mph) and use the EV button? I'd say thats a very annoying feature on the prius as well but at least the speed limit for ev (< 55 km/h or 34 mph) makes it quicker to kill the engine when you know you can't speed up anymore (lots of downhill lets say).