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If you're not getting 63MPG then you're not using HSD

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by IndyDoug, Jul 9, 2006.

  1. withersea

    withersea DNF is better than DNS

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    Try driving to work everyday in the mountains, uphill on the interstate and report back to us. I've had the car for a week and getting 46 mpg in these conditions and consider that to be very good.
     
  2. jtullos

    jtullos New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 12 2006, 11:01 AM) [snapback]285075[/snapback]</div>
    Well, not counting the interstate part (which would add about 90 miles to my 15 mile commute each way if I took it, but I do drive on it for some trips to CA, especially in the winter), I drive in mountains (I live at about 4350 ft. elevation, work at a little over 4700 ft., cross peaks just under 5000 ft. during commute, just over 7000 ft. peaks on occasion), and our worst winter mileage when we were just starting with the Prius was around 43 MPG. Now, we regularly get around 55-56 MPG.
     
  3. daronspicher

    daronspicher Active Member

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    :eek: <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Jul 12 2006, 12:07 PM) [snapback]285045[/snapback]</div>
    I burn 812 gallons a year in my prius, is that enough? :eek:


    That's down from the 2377 gallons(Diesel) I burned per year in my last vehicle. :blink:


    52.22mpg..
    17,000 miles since 2/15/06
     
  4. withersea

    withersea DNF is better than DNS

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jtullos @ Jul 12 2006, 02:32 PM) [snapback]285089[/snapback]</div>
    Awesome! Hopefully I can look forward to comparable mileage. How long have you had the car?
     
  5. sl7vk

    sl7vk Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daronspicher @ Jul 12 2006, 02:36 PM) [snapback]285091[/snapback]</div>
    Well it certainly sounds as if you made the right vehicle choice then.

    It just seems that Prius owners get so caught up with MPG, they lose sight of everything else. Even if your MPG stinks, you're much better off having a 3 minute commute then a 30 minute one!

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 12 2006, 03:13 PM) [snapback]285113[/snapback]</div>
    I'm at 5000 feet, drive up and down to work, well down to work, up back home. 10 minute city commute and am getting 49.5. That is with about 500 miles on the car.
     
  6. TJandGENESIS

    TJandGENESIS Are We Having Fun Yet?

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Jul 12 2006, 03:55 PM) [snapback]285139[/snapback]</div>
    BINGO!

    I love that line. I had a xB that got 25 MPG on the good days. I loved that car, but it was killing me with the MPG. So I traded it, got the Prius, and have told everyone that asks, yes, it gets great mileage. I stopped looking at it a long time ago. I figure, anything above 35 MPG is okay with me. When I got my new rims on it, I looked again, and noticed, yes, the mileage dropped. But only a bit. Again, I could not care. When you go from about 48 MPG to 45, who cares? Not me. And I have safer tires now as well.

    TO me, at least, it's not all about the MPG anymore, to me, at least. It's about the fact, the fact., that when I am at a light, stopped, I am not POLLUTING THE EARTH at all. Think about that the next time you are sitting at a light and the Ford F350 or whatever is sitting there, belching exhaust.

    Just saying.
     
  7. jtullos

    jtullos New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 12 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]285113[/snapback]</div>
    We got ours in November of 2004, literally the day before the first big snow that year. We've got about 22,000 miles on it. I think our current tank will be much better. This is the second tank that I've done the maintenance myself, and I know that the engine has the right amount of oil, and good oil at that (Mobil 1 synthetic), as well as having a higher tire pressure (40/38). But you'll do better as you get used to the car.

    The optimal driving pattern varies based on your driving conditions, but I've found that for me, brisk acceleration (pedal about halfway to 3/4 of the way down), gentle stops, and riding the brakes down hills tends to do wonders. I spent about two months recently driving with the energy monitor up, watching it and trying to keep a high mileage at all points. Now, I keep it off and use what I have learned, and I noticed about a 3 MPG jump after doing that.

    Traffic situations of course will change what you can do. If you're driving on interstates through mountains, you're not going to get as good of mileage. In my commute, the speed limit never goes over 55, and going downhill, I usually don't go over 65. Though there is one particular hill that, if I'm doing 55 at the top and don't hit the brakes at all going down, in the summer I can end up around 74 at the bottom. It's a fairly small hill, just REALLY steep. I biked down it once, it sounded like my tires were going to fly off or burn up. :lol:

    Anyway, my best suggestion is to just drive and enjoy the Prius. You get what you get, and if you want to improve your mileage, go for it. Try different driving techniques, different routes (if feasible), etc. But most of all, have fun.
     
  8. Somechic

    Somechic Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IndyDoug @ Jul 9 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]283353[/snapback]</div>
    Are you odor-free as well?

    Seriously, do you run the air conditioner, carry other passengers/cargo?
     
  9. grasshopper

    grasshopper Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IndyDoug @ Jul 9 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]283353[/snapback]</div>
    Well, I don't know where you live but I would like to chalange anyone to get that where I live. :(
     
  10. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(grasshopper @ Jul 13 2006, 11:18 AM) [snapback]285662[/snapback]</div>
    While it's certainly concievable that certain parts of the country's terrain, traffic conditions and weather could make higher mpg difficult, I'd take your challenge in a heartbeat. I can't think of anything about Myrtle Beach that would make high mpg any more difficult to achieve than it is here in the Ozarks. Perhaps there's something particularly daunting about where you live that I don't understand.



    Folks need to realize that there's a lot to getting those high numbers and to just throw up your hands and say that because you can't/don't currently see those high numbers that it must not be possible isn't necessarily the case. It's taken me over 2 1/2 years to get my first tank of 64.5mpg. I'm just really starting to feel like I'm approaching the realistic limits of what kind of FE I can achieve in my area with my commute and my car.
     
  11. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(grasshopper @ Jul 13 2006, 11:18 AM) [snapback]285662[/snapback]</div>
    Whether I get the mileage or not, I just want to spend a month in Myrtle Beach trying. :D

    I agree with Evan too.
    Hell, two and a half years ago I embarked on this whole Prius lifestyle and looked to him and John for guidance. I've since had one (1) 60 MPG tank. I believe that my commute is not conducive to hyper-miling but that doesn't keep me from trying. You can look at my chart in my signature and see what kind of mileage I got in my first year and it wasn't pretty.

    Sure I complain when I can't get another 60 but that's my own battle with OCD. Luckily one of the voices in my head is a therapist so I can self-medicate.
     
  12. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sl7vk @ Jul 12 2006, 02:55 PM) [snapback]285139[/snapback]</div>
    I don't get the greatest mileage (it's good, just not great), but I use about 10 gallons/month. I think that number is a heckuva lot more important than mpg.
     
  13. grasshopper

    grasshopper Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jul 13 2006, 01:21 PM) [snapback]285714[/snapback]</div>
    Don’t get me wrong, I love my Prius and I love the mileage that I get. I might be able to get close to 60 in the winter but I’m very satisfied with anything in the 50’s.

    Myrtle Beach doesn’t have anything except salty ocean, young girls with practically nothing on, golf and strip clubs. Why would you want to come here? :lol: :p B)
     
  14. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Jul 12 2006, 01:01 PM) [snapback]285075[/snapback]</div>
    That's good for a new Prius that is breaking in, especially for those conditions. From my understanding, most people's mpg improves over time, and your first tank or two is the most likely point of disillusionment (is that a word?).
     
  15. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I was there once for spring break. I never noticed the ocean or the golf courses. Are you sure?
     
  16. bsoft

    bsoft New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IndyDoug @ Jul 9 2006, 10:11 AM) [snapback]283353[/snapback]</div>
    I'm using HSD, I'm just using it to have fun rather than to get uber-high mileage. 53MPG, and it sure is a blast to drive!