After Break in Period = Better Gas Mileage?

Your car is never getting warm, hence it is always running inefficiently. With my grill blocked all but the lowest slit, it takes me almost 20 miles of 50+mph driving for it to get to 185f, the design temp. For those short commutes, and EBH would be a great way to go. You could help a bit by leaving the heat completely off, but that could be a bit tiresome.

Icarus

 

There is a definite improvement after 5K (considered by many here as the initial break-in period). First 5K my average MPG was 50.4 (Apr - June'07)since then 58.2.
Gabe

 

As the nuances of our driving habits (even when we day dream and aren't focused on our P&G and other techniques) vary so, and our terrain, ambient temperatures, warm up, distances, road conditions (wet/dry/etc) all vary, trying to "match" what each one gets seems a bit fruitless.

If we learn the techniques and "tricks" to driving a Prius, and we keep our cars well maintained, and we are attentive drivers, we will obtain the best results possible given all of the variables.

So when we see average mileages from 48 -58 or so, that would "seem" to be a normal "range". And mileage is a range, not an absolute.

If my Prius, despite all my attempts to the contrary, would not do better than, say, 35MPG, I would be consulting the dealer as it would seem there might be a mechanical explanation.

If I drive on a paved golf cart path at 12 MPH, I guess I can anticipate obtaining a consistent 80+ MPG. But that is not realistic (I don't play golf).

In every event, it would seem that Prius drivers are obtaining very good fuel economy, which fattens our wallets while lightening our footprints, (freeing up that much more fuel for all the SUV's to drive 80 MPH on the interstates).

My Prius has just under 600 miles. The first tank (or actually half tank - bladder or not...) was 46.4 MPG on blended driving. I am now another half tank down, and I am a shade under 51 MPG on my display, as average blended driving.

My 2007 Toyota FJ would get 15MPG on a good day with a tailwind.

I have no complaint.

 

To kind of add to the previous post, I find it hard to compare my mileage from one tank to another, at least here in Indiana, with conditions constantly changing. A week ago Sunday, it was 72 deg out; last friday it snowed 3 inches, Sat it was in the 20's. I've had to take my grill blocking out at times, or part of it. Last night I took all of it out, since it's going to be in the upper 50's this week, but was 25 deg F on my drive to work today. Anyway , the point is that its hard to make a comparison from one tank to the next right now. I'm ready for warm weather to settle in and see what I get.

 

Mine has 15K on it now. It has never gotten better than 47 mpg with in-town driving. It meets the estimate on the highway (50mpg). I am very disappointed. I'm a very conservative driver, so techniques has nothing to do with the crappy mileage.
In the winter, it's really bad - avg 40 over all. I have to run studded snows to avoid being killed by the traction control system; those do bottom out the mpg.

 

47/50 is crappy mileage???

 

Even in the weeks it was 10 degrees or colder this winter here in Ohio I still managed above 44.6 MPG or better and that is the worse that I've ever done in the 1 year and 25,000 miles I put on it. I don't do anything special I just drive like a normal person. I don't drive slow or conservative, but I do not drive aggressively at all. I think if you drive conservatively it does worse. And if you look at your screen avoid ever driving with all yellow arrows (unless you are going down a hill on the interstate.)

this past week the weather has been much more mild, between 30 degrees and 65 degrees, and I just finished my first 55 MPG tank of the year.

 

I like that - my wife's a home health nurse - she has lots of patients!<img>

 

I've had my Prius for 2 weeks now and just filled the tank for the first time yesterday. Averaged 48 mpg on the first tank.

Friends who have a 2005 told me about this "break in" period you are all talking about... all I can say is, "Whoo hoo!!":rockon:

 

A few of us bought our Prius used and noticed that our MPG performance improved over the following months and even years since we got the car. Given my car already had over 49,000 miles on it the day I bought it, it is hard to say the car had to be 'broken in.'

In contrast, the Dept of Energy study of vehicles operated by hired drivers, people who neither gained nor lost anything based upon driving performance, revealed the Prius started out with higher mileage that within 3-4 months reached a slightly lower, steady-state condition. This performance was sustained all the way to then end of the study, 160,000 miles later. It was one of the reasons I took exception to bogus claims about a 109,000 mile vehicle life.

The reason I bring this up is that it is difficult to separate driving skills from vehicle performance. But in the case of hired drivers with no incentive to improve their performance, there is no data supporting the vehicle getting "broken in."

In contrast, I would congratulate the drivers doing better for learning how to drive 'Prius style' . . . this is not a trivial problem and they have accomplished something.

So in anticipation of the coming of spring, let me be the first to congratulate everyone whose mileage improves between now and September. "You are all doing very, very good." (From 'Are you being served?' BBC)

Bob Wilson

 

My last car got 24 mpg no matter how I had driven it. With the warm-cold-warm-cold weather cycle we've had in the last month here in MI, my milage has varied between 42 and 48 mpg. I guess since I am still new to the prius, I get a big kick even when I only "nearly" double my mileage over the cars I have had in the past. Just drive the thing, be happy with what the car will give you, it is the best piece of technology available today. Heck in a few years we will be buying 100 mpg cars. I guess folks will still gripe then.:doh:

 

I've had my car for nearly a year. I just turned over 20K miles and have documented EVERY tank. The temperatures have been in the mid-upper 90s with heat indexes of 105+, and as low as 70 in the mornings. This is A/C weather and it EATS batteries for fun.
Anyhow, I've had to adapt my driving and pick routes that are in the 37-55 MPH range so that the ICE is always putting energy back, and gliding isn't recommended because if the A/C requirements (I set the auto A/C from 77-85, depending on the temp outside). The conditions vary dramatically, so it has surprized me that my mileage has increase dramatically in just the last 6 weeks. Up to an avg 52.7 mpg per tank. My lifetime average has crept up steadily to nearly 50 mpg, and continues to improve. If this is break-in effects, I'm grateful, because I was content previously! If anything, my driving style has become just a bit less conservative, too.
Anyway, just some optimism for those who're struggling. I like my 08 Prius Touring #6 so much, I bought another 08 Prius Touring #6 for Spousal Unit! The gas guzzler in the family is now an '06 Honda Civic Coupe (42 MPG).

 

I think I'm in a somewhat similar position as you. This is the high-point mileage time for me, though. We've had a very mild and (relatively) dry summer, and I've hardly even used A/C. It's been just over one year, and I hit a lifetime 52.7 at about 17,000. The numbers really jumped this summer when I hit 60 MPGs on four tanks. The winter is the really killer here, and I had two tanks under 40 MPGs during February.

There certainly is a break-in on the car (and the tires), but I think the real break-in period is the length of the driver's adaptation to techniques that allow increased mileage.

I think my driving has changed since I first had the car. I started out driving like the proverbial "old lady" but have found that is not necessary. The key is to understand the economies of the car and the best and most efficient use of energy.

I have a bit more about my first year, including some basic stats on my post One Year and 17K Miles Later . . . 52.7 MPG & More!.