Mountainous/Distance Driving Info Needed

Sure. I've posted thoughts about my 1300 mile trip from NE Oregon to Buckeye Arizona in numerous places. Averaged 50.5 mpg in normal mode at speeds up to 75 mph & tempetures up to the low 100s. I will be heading back to Oregon this weekend but in ECO mode to get an idea about what it does for gas milege. See my thread "Mattresses and Priuses ... Oh my!" and last post on page 2 for unique circumstances. Wind gusts were felt! and dust devil really felt!!! I even managed to bed down my 5' 9" frame with rrear seats folded down and lying diagonally the first night out. By the way, :welcome: to PC.

 

I've done both with my 2006. It worked very well. I suspect the new model will be even better.

Tom

 

I recently took my car on a trip up to the Sierras. Probably 16,000 feet of elevation combined, maybe more. The pass is nearly 10,000 ft. I drove in power mode on most of the uphill climbs.

400+ miles total and still averaged a little more than 50 mpg.

However, as a new Prius owner, I still haven't figured out how to get the best mpg out of my car. May have been able to do better.

 

I spent a lot of time in the mountains with my Gen2 and I thought it did great, lots of fun to drive. I decided after watching the SOC closely at first that the car could take care of it's battery just fine. On two lane roads I always made sure I had enough charge for safety before trying to pass a slower vehicle though.

If you are climbing a long steep hill at highway speed you may find you need to cancel the cruise control on the way up, because as the battery gets lower the speed may tend to vary. On the other hand the more powerful engine of the Gen3 may let you go right up with the cruise control on.

I went to the top of Wheeler peak in Great Basin National Park, over 12,000 feet at 8% I think. The battery was used up within the first two or three miles but the engine took us to the top with no problems whatever.

I also found the gas mileage was pretty good going up and down hills. When you get to the mountain states you may find that regular gasoline is 85 vice 87 octane. With carburated engines that works just fine, but I've never been sure the theory holds up with fuel injection, mass airflow sensors, and engine management systems? I used 89 octane instead of 85 when 87 was unavailable, only a few cents more per gallon. Others may use 85, does it work OK? no pinging and enough power?

Have fun.

 

+1

We've taken our less powerful '04 across the continental divide several times. NO big deal. No strain. Even sustaining 75mph and above (montana's only had a max speed limit for a few years ... we're very progressive )

.

 

I just drove from Orange County CA to Tucson AZ through San Diego where there is a big mountain range that you need to pass through. I wasn't driving particularly fast, maybe 5 over for most of the way and I only got 43 MPG for the trip. This is consistent with other trips doing the same route.

BTW, I reset one of the trip odometers and found that I was only getting 27 MPG while driving up hill... ended up with about 40 MPG after getting down the mountain.

I don't know what others are doing to get 50+, but I'd like to know! Were you all going below the speed limit? I wasn't doing anything in particular to get better gas mileage, but I also wasn't driving what I would consider crazy... I tried to keep the speed pretty consistent and used the basic cruise control for most of the drive.

I find that anything over 70 MPH starts dropping the MPG significantly below 50mpg.

 

Nice picture of your Red III with Nav. I have one just like it! Nice, huy?

We have done better on trips in Eco mode. Around town, I don't care for Eco but on trips it's okay.

 

I've wondered the same thing about my prius going up to the white mountains in NH. Question: So I should really worry if the SoC shows that the battery is depleted? I wondered if I should drive any differently in the higher elevations, i.e. more frequent stops to let the engine charge up the battery?

 

No, you don't have to worry about the SOC, or stopping to recharge. The best technique is to take it easy in the right lane. If you keep your speed at a modest level you can maintain that speed all the way up. If you insist on blasting by in the fast lane, you may end up going very slowly.

I have climbed 12,000 ft passes in my fully loaded 2006 without any trouble. I got stuck behind a nearly stationary truck on one pass, and when I went around acceleration was *very* slow, but increased as speed increased. We averaged 55 mpg on that trip through the mountains.

Tom

 

Thanks! So far I'm thinking it's nice.

 

I put 115,000 miles on my 2005 climbing over 3000 feet every day. I've been on Interstate 70 up through the Eisenhower Tunnel several times and the car did well in both situations. The car could always go as fast as the corners allowed. Up to the tunnel when the battery was depleted if you had to slow down it took a while to get back up to speed. On the step downhills you will hear, doesn't show on the display, the car go into B mode after the battery gets fully charged.

My 2010 takes my 3300 foot climb and lets me accelerate even on the steepest hills.

Enjoy the drive.

 

Most of my driving, when I do drive, is mountainous and long distance. My 2004 works pretty well, though I would appreciate the additional power and better handling of the 2010. One of my favourite things about the synergy drive is when the motor shuts off after passing someone - even 150 kmh can be amazingly quiet.