Can I just drive in ECO Mode??

The ECO Mode changes the mapping of the gas pedal. So, you should get better gas mileage. It won't hurt your car. When I get my new Plug-In in a couple weeks, I will drive it 1,000 miles home with the car in ECO Mode.

 

ECO will also tone-down your heating and air conditioning by lowering your fan speed, etc. If you are comfortable in ECO, stay there. I am and I do.

 

Absolutely! You can drive in ECO mode 24/7/365 is you so wish.

ECO mode also regulates A/C use so remember that in the summer if you are feeling like the car isn't cooling enough.

 

Yes you can do it. No it is not bad for the car. Congrats on your great mileage!

 

I drive mine in ECO mode all the time and have for two years now.

One of the posters correctly mentions that it adjusts how the "gas" pedal affects the engine. But you can accelerate as hard in ECO as in PWR - you just have to push harder on the gas pedal.

 

Always run in ECO mode here.

 

ECO mode until we hit the hill than we put it into Power mode.

 

ECO mode only when I'm on the freeway.

 

You do realize that your Prius has the same amount of power in ECO as in Power mode? Switching to Power mode will not climb hills any faster.

Tom

 

Eco mode all the time. When I want extra power, I press a little harder on the gas.

 

I've been keeping mine in ECO, too.

 

Isn't a Gen III always in ECO mode unless I hit the PWR or EV buttons? What is Normal Mode?

Just got my 2011 3 weeks and I am still learning as this is my first Hybrid.

 

So if when I'm in normal mode (ie did not select the other drive modes: EV, ECO, PWR) and I stay within the range with the ECO logo light up all the time...does that mean I am really driving in ECO mode but with out the help from the ECU?

 

It means you are in Normal mode. All three modes are basically the same, with the exception of pedal mapping. Eco mode makes the gas pedal feel sluggish; Power mode makes it feel responsive. Normal is in between. All three modes have the same power and acceleration.

Eco mode also dials down the air conditioner and encourages the engine to shut down when not needed, helping to get that last bit of mileage from the tank.

Tom

 

Yes and no. The ECO light you see is basically a graph on what your throttle meter looks like at that particular position regardless of whether you are in ECO, PWR,EV or normal driving mode. When the ECO light turns on within the ECO range, you are consuming less gas reagardless of the mode you selected. As the bar go past the ECO range going into the power range, the ECO light turns off and you in the PWR range where you are now applying more pressure to the gas pedal resulting to more use of gas and considered to be "non-ecomonical". Just think about the higher the speed, the higher the gas consumption is. That is what the ECO light is for. The modes only changes the throttle response. In ECO mode, you press hard on the gas pedal but the car moves forward slowly compared to normal or PWR mode. If you switch to power mode, the response of the car is abrupt as you press down hard on the gas pedal from 0 - 45 mph.

 

I like ECO mode on the highway. A fairly large press of the accelerator only increases the power a small amount, so it's easy to control. It's a lot easier to stay in the glide mode on a slight downhill with Eco.

But I don't like the slow initial response when driving in stop-and-go city traffic, so I use Normal there. I'll only use Power mode if I need to handle merging in faster heavy traffic, like an on-ramp, or merging lanes on a busy street.

It's interesting to switch modes while driving at a steady speed with the HSI display showing. After a second or two, the power level on the graph smoothly increases or decreases to match the new mode. (Or I can take my foot off the accelerator briefly to switch modes instantly.)

Another forum user linked to this graph. Note that all modes end up in the same place when the pedal is floored, so they all produce the same max power.

 

Just tried driving exclusively in ECO Mode and can't differentiate it from Normal Mode other than the fact that I can modulate my foots in the first half of the throttle bar more easily. In Normal Mode it kicks me out of the first half of the bar faster and it's harder to stay within that range.