Hi. Just received a 2008 charcoal Prius and am liking it much more than my Corolla esp. for those 50 minute commutes. I am concerned about what I am hearing and reading about the discrepency between the calculated milage on the readout and what I could never compute from merely fillinf it up, not knowing how much gas is still in the tank when the last bar is flashing. Any ideas on how to determine this more accurately? Much Thanks! :tsk:
Reading your manual on the tanks capacity, which can very by the current outdoor temperature, and not letting the car go below two bars is how i avoid it. Of course unless your route is the same and your driving is conditioned, i am not sure how you would base it on math since the Prius can very depending on weather, driver, and driven route with its MPG. I would say the best thing is to "learn the car" and until that time dont let the bar go flashy
There is no way to know how much fuel is left when the last pip starts to flash. You should take that as your last chance to buy gas; it's better to buy gas before that point. If you push it you will eventually run out, and will feel very silly.
IMO it doesn't matter how much is left. Just record the mileage and note the number of gallons pumped. I like to pump slow and don't top off. The variance between the computer & my calculations vary anywhere from 0 to 20%. Most freguently the MFD is optimistic. Just enjoy the numbers then enjoy improving them.
At first, I has misgivings about how much fuel is left too; I got over not exactly knowing. As "Turbogizzmo" says you just have to learn the car. In my first year of service, my calculated mileage was pretty close to the indicated average. Also, with a Scangauge the "Miles to Empty" option I find is in the ballpark, with the mileage correction cranked in. The bottom line, like others have said, fill up at least at one "pip", and enjoy the mileage.
The average mpg on the Prius display can be over by at least 3 to 5 mpg compared to your calculated mpg. Usually the display is not that far to the calculated. It is just nice for me to see real time consumption while riding. I fill up as soon as I get 2 pips or whenever I am below half tank and passing through my preferred gas station. Enjoy your ride.
Interesting Reading. I reset the MFD at each fill. Just filled up this morning. The MFD read 44.1 mpg. The calculated value was 46.39. ( I am using the spreadsheet in this thread). When I get to 2 PIPs I start looking. Happened to be going past BJs and filled up at $3.769. Their non-member price was $3.969. Street price around here is around $3.929. Bob
The last two times I filled the Prius jumped off the spreadsheet...until the weather came into the equation. Went to the drive-in movie (yes we still have them), sat for 4 hours as the temperature fell from mid 70's to high 40's, then filled the tank on the way home from Missouri. 61.87 mpg. The next time was after work, temps in the upper 70's, 38.8 mpg. Keep the temperature in mind if your mpg has wild swings. Jerry
rsforkner, I'm a BJ's member up here in Ct & after a couple of fill-ups & seeing only the member price posted, I asked the attendant how much more the non-member price is & was told that non-members can't buy gas there. The pumps won't turn on until the membership card is scanned, so you can see how I got surprised when you mentioned a non-member price in your post. I don't know how many BJ's gas stations (here in Ct or elsewhere) have the "members only" rule, but at least in the Manchester, Ct location that's the way it is. So unless you're a BJ's member, you can't get the good price or even pump any gas (for that matter) at this location (which is less than a year old) Ken (in Boilton,Ct).
