First post from a 3 week owner of a 2009 Package 4. I don't know why I waited so long to get smart and buy this car. Have a 140 mile daily commute and averaging 52.9 MPG over 2200 miles at the pump. I have been lurking and learning about my Prius and how to optimize my gas milage. Thanks to all for the tips and I will be back often.
JKDheart, Welcome to PriusChat. Well, you've made two good decisions lately; buying the car and coming here to get smart on its quirks and max your FE. But honestly, it looks like you're off to a good start a 52.9. Wipe that foolish grin off your face! Spring and autumn are the "days of wine and roses" for FE; temps between 45 and 85 mean little or no airco use, and relatively quick warm up times. Dead of sumer and winter you'll see maybe as much as a 10% drop. Poke around here with the search function to find ways to minimize the hits. I pass by Wilkes-Barre and Scranton on my way to Maine each year at least once. I prefer the inland route over I-95. Going I-95 I pay more for tolls than gas. Also, in general, inland is a more relaxed trip; better scenery, less craziness on the road... until Hartford anyway. But then, I get maybe 5% lower FE going northwards due the hills from Harrisburg to the Hudson-- 53 vs. 58 MPG at 60-65 MPH, and it adds some 60+ miles to the trip. I don't always get the FE back on the way south. Still, I'm a happy camper. To each, his own.
Rokeby & paprius4030. Thanks for the welcome. I too live in the Poconos. I am not far from Bushkill Falls and commute into NJ on Route 80 each morning. I can learn alot from your experiences with the Prius, as I see that you guys are real veterans of PRIUSchat and have driven this amazing vehicle for awhile. I enjoyed the few warm days that we just had and could see that the temperature does affect the MPG. Today was back to colder again and it definately affected my milage. I am not too concerned about the MPG's in the winter but the handling of the car on snow. Should I be thinking of different tires for the winter? How do most of you handle this? Is it worth buying new wheels and having a winter tire mounted and then storing them when not needed? Would I also have to buy air pressure sensors ( I think they are expensive) or can they be run without the sensor for the winter months? Thanks again for the welcome and everyone for the great information that gets posted.
I'll tell you how I handle the snow LOL. I leave the Prius in the garge and use my wife's Chevy Venture, better that gets hit then my Prius.:eyebrows:
