Is ECO Mode Useless?

I think the Eco Mode (button) is kind of like 'training wheels' in a way. The limited response of the accelerator teaches to you to go easy on the 'gas' when accelerating. I tried all three settings eco/ev/power, and think that normal mode is just fine. I start off easy sometimes (traffic permitting) and stay in ev. Sometimes I'm going 30 in the neighborhood, let off on the gas, and then gently back on, and get the 100 mpg indication. I think the buttons are more for show/test drives, and that one can get good results driving carefully in normal.
Just my thoughts.
My past three tanks of gas have been about 52 mpg. I'm pleased. It's 14 mpg better than my last car!

 

Much of my everyday driving is on 2 or 4 lane roads with stops now and then. And typically a bit of traffic. I find that when I keep ECO on at normal acceleration, I tend to goose the pedal more than I'd like. It simply feels unnatural to me right now (2 1/2 weeks - hybrid novice). And too slow takeoff with cars behind. So I typically keep it in normal, then "shift" to ECO at speed, until then next stop. I do like the ECO with the byproduct of using less AC. Although I'm in FL, I keep the AC set at 75 and it's perfect.

 

You all use the term "Normal Mode". My model II has a button
labeled "Power". Am I to assume that this is the mode you are
referring to when you say NORMAL? EV, ECO and POWER.

 

No, NORMAL mode is when all 3 are off, therefore you will not have EV, ECO or POWER engaged.

I tend to stay in normal mode as well, particularly in stop and go traffic. Once I get to my maintained speed I will switch it to ECO mode to help control the AC (I live in HOT Texas). I have only needed to use power mode on occasion when having to quickly accelarate onto the interstate or across a 4-laned highway, but in general, I don't use it. I have found in my week of owning this car that there is a good deal more power in normal mode than I originally believed; but I too, watch the HSI display and keep it in ECO (according to the display) without actually turning on ECO mode too much.

 

My TCH did not have it but my HH does. I use it all the time. But then again the HH even in ECO mode has a lot of power. I found early on in the TCH that until you get real familiar with the Hybrid system it's easy to sit there with your foot on the gas from old habits. I feel the ECO mode tones down the sensitivity of the pedal and I can still rest my foot there without having to lift it as intentionally as I did in the TCH. It is sluggish in the HH, and since I've not gotten my Prius yet, the smaller output of the system in the Prius may indeed cause some concern for everyday driving. However my understanding is if you stomp the pedal you have 100%. If I know it's there when I really need the power then my concern over the sluggishness may not be an issue.

 

I have used ECO mode from the start. It seems normal for me.

 

As far as I can tell -- mostly using ECO so far -- the ECO mode gives you "higher detail" in the lower pedal range, so you can pick out your point better, for hitting a glide, etc. Also, it seems to "stick" at the end of the ECO range and take a bit more to bust out into PWR range. Plus the A/C throttle-back.

I have showed my wife how to take it out of ECO mode -- she doesn't drive it that much and wants a more normal response -- and I keep it in ECO.

I guess I'll experiment with Normal mode more to see if the "detail" and "stickiness" are real or just my imagination. (Or perhaps just part of the learning curve and now I don't need it.)

On a side note, the salesman warned me against running the tires at a higher pressure than indicated on the door jamb because "the middle will wear out first". The forums here have disabused me from that misconception, and interestingly when I checked the pressure for the first time today, they had the tires at 40 all the way around. I dropped the back to 38 and think I'll keep it at 40/38.

 

I'm getting 50 mpg in New York City in ECO Mode. I get most of my charging driving on the avenues then EV on the side streets. I make every effort to pulse and glide, staying in ECO mode allows me to maintain 100 mpg easier.

 

You learn something every day. I thought there were only the three and it was ECO by default (I haven't bought one yet). Thanks...

 

I keep mine in normal most of the time. I can't drive anywhere without going up & down hills, so I tend to lose too much speed in ECO on the up side. In normal, with only 300 on my car my avg is 49.8mpg.

 

So, if you are in ECO or Power mode, how do you go back to Normal?

 

Press the ECO or Power buttons a second time.

 

well some people in classics complained that the pedal pressure was not sufficient enough to maintain speed on the freeway by resting foot. many said that they became fatigued after a while because they felt they had to "hold up" slightly to keep from going faster than they wanted too.

as far as power in eco mode, eco mode does not throttle down any of the available power your Pri has to offer. it only reduces the response of the engine in relation to pedal position and smooths out any throttle response to pedal movement. iow, its like mouse smoothing on your computer. smoothing makes the mouse move smoothly from one part of the screen to another without the realistically herky jerky motion that we actually move the mouse. without this smoothing, overshooting our "target" click requiring course corrections would be much more common.

the eco mode does the same thing, allowing slower smoother acceleration, making "lighted footed" driving actually easier because it requires more work from the driver.

if power is needed, eco mode can be overidden by simply pushing the pedal past a certain point.

the only real difference any of the modes makes except EVO is in the first half of the pedal travel. its like (no scientific studies or measurement done here. just a point to illustrate) the first 3 inches of pedal travel in eco is equivalent to the first one inch of travel in power mode

 

I had the car 4 days before I discovered there was a non-ECO mode.

I stay in ECO, which is definitely sluggish from a stop, but oh well, let them pass I say. I do hit POWER getting on the freeway if there are people behind.

 

Hey everyone, I thought I'd share what I learned in the Prius training I had a few weeks ago.

Eco Mode enhances the hybrid system's efficiency by reducing the voltage to the air conditioner and heater as well as by limiting the throttle body opening. The throttle body opening is reduced by as much as 12% based on throttle position. These benefits, as far as fuel efficienty, become more apparent during stop and go driving and not necessarily on the highway.

By comparison, power mode does not reduce the voltage to the climate controls and also allows for maximum throttle opening angle. The performance difference is most noticeable near 50% throttle opening.

If you were to look at a graph normal driving mode is just as it sounds and would appear as half way in between regarding force output and throttle opening.

Please bear with me as I am putting this in very simple terms. There could be an extremely technical discussion in the works here but his is the long and the short of it.

 

Just did an 80 mile trip (one way) using ECO mode there (63.4 mpg) and normal mode w/ AC coming back (51 mpg) so I say there is a diference! By the way, this trip was just after the 600 mile break-in milage.