Top 20 - MPG Record Holders

I really want to try this challenge, but I drive so little that it's going to take me 2+ months to use a full tank. And by then, we'll have a foot of snow on the ground here!

Double thumbs-up for you guys who can pull off these 60-70mpg tankfuls! I'd love to joing the club, eventually!

 

You'll find that come late next spring early summer that you will be challenging us! It will give you more time to learn about the car and other techniques for better fuel efficiency driving. The warm weather and new skills will go a long way to helping you along.

My mileage has improved every year that I've owned my car. 5 of my 6 best tanks occurred this summer, and that was with new tires (granted, they were a set of awesome Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires).

 

I'm going to try to get one more good run in before it gets "cold" here in Southern California. I figure if I can pull off a 60+ mpg tank, and get into the 600 mile club, I'll be done hypermiling for a while and just enjoy the car.

As much fun as it is to try my best to get maximum MPG's, I actually got into my second road scuffle with someone today over my driving 55 (in less than 2 months, lol!). As nice as it is to save money on gas, I won't save anything if I'm lying somewhere in a ditch.

 

Very true. What is the speed limit where you are going 55? And what happened with this other driver exactly?

 

I'm going to predict

1) Selzier was driving 55 mph in the far right lane and the other driver came up very quickly on him, not realizing Selzier was driving 55 mph AND wasn't going to be speeding up.

2) Other driver has to hit the brakes to slow down and can't get over into any of the lanes to the left (clogged, didn't allow himself enough time or position himself to move over).

3) Speculation - He is now frustrated because he had to brake, the guy in front of him is going 55 mph and he is "trapped" in the slow lane.

4) He flashes his lights or lays on the horn trying to get Selzier to speed up, all the while the other driver is now tailgating the living bejeezus out of him (< 5 feet off his bumper).

5) Other driver finally finds a gap to move to the left to pass. Rather than focus on passing, said driver feels the need to further express his frustration by driving parallel to Selzier, giving him "the death stare". Once Selzier looks over, Selzier and the other driver exchange looks and middle finger salutes.

6) Clearly a Prius driver needs to be taught a lesson, thus the other driver either starts moving over into Selziers lane to force Selzier onto the shoulder to avoid an accident OR he powers in front of Selzier and then gives him a brake job.

How'd I do?

 

If only I could keep this up

 

This is actually almost exactly right. Except I don't do death stares/middle fingers typically haha. Although I did look over to see what kind of idiot drives like this (I hate to stereotype, but it was a guy in a pickup truck with a huge Romney/Ryan sticker) to which I got the death stare, middle finger, and lots of yelling (which I couldn't hear because we were on the freeway and my windows were close (aerodynamics, of course)). He then DID force me off to the shoulder and got out of his car.

I got out of mine, he called me a few colorful things, including insults to my race (I'm Asian, so there was also the proverbial insult to my inability to drive), he also assumed my sexuality, and called me a little man (I'm 5'7"). I told him there was plenty of room (which there was) for him to go around me, and that it was his fault if his huge ego was blocking his vision and hampering his ability to drive. I also argued that if his penis was bigger, he probably wouldn't need to drive such a large car so fast to make up for it. He came at me, but a fellow motorist pulled over and said he was calling the cops, so we both looked at each other, got back into our cars, and drove away.

I guess we have something in common after all! (avoiding jail!)

 

Speed limit was 65. I was also in the furthest right lane, way to the right of it. I had to take traffic school once (I once got pulled over doing 85 in an SUV... the shame!) and it was advised that staying to the right of the lane for some reason or another (I forgot the reason now) promotes people to pass you rather than sit on your nice person angry.

And Codyroo was pretty much spot on. I'm pretty stubborn on the roads, and 55 is what I will go no matter the attempts to make me go faster. I tend not to attempt to provoke people though, although I do have a tipping point.

My first scuffle also was pretty different, and was on local roads. A lady had cut me off (even though I was actually going the speed limit) on a one way residential street. I looked over with a somewhat disturbed look on my face and her male passenger (I'm going to assume it was her boyfriend) gave me the look of death. He then yelled "what the $%#@ is your problem?" and threw an energy drink at my car, which actually hit it (and got into my car a little since my moonroof was open). It was too much and I ran them off the road and knocked that guy flat on his nice person when he got out of the car. He started to get up and try again but the driver yelled at him to get back inside and they drove off in a hurry.

The cops actually came by at this one (I think someone had called them, and I was actually trying to clean my car up a little due to the energy drink getting inside my car a little). The officer didn't really seem too interested in finding the guy and told me to avoid confronting angry drivers and that was it.

Anyway I'm thinking I've been lucky as 2 out of 2 times I've avoided physical harm. If I keep it up I'm pretty sure there'll be a news story about a Prius owner being shot or stabbed, and I don't want that to be me.

 

Hi Justin

Could you replace the one you have for me on the top 20 with the one below?

I got another 700+ mile tank. This time I broke my record with 66.6 mpg. manually calculated.
If I knew you had 71.7 mpg. (dash reading) I would of drove a little more to pass you.

My commute to work I took the freeway each time and from work to home I took surface streets. The only time I took the freeway was to go to work.
Same driving methods as I listed before on your 600 & 700 mile posts.
The only difference I made on the last tank and this tank is I almost never went in the red (PWR).
Also this tank I did more DWB....which pisses people off since they like to rush to a red light so they can slam on their brakes.



Miles: 702.3
Gallons Pumped: 10.547
MFD = 71.7 mpg
Calculated = 66.6 mpg
MFD vs. Calculated = -5.1
% Error = 7.65%
Avg Speed: 27 mph

One bar flashed at 608.2 miles. DTE read zero @ 638.3 miles.

 

Hi guys,
Yes, hypermiling shouldn't be a way of life with the Prius - too much possibility for confrontation. I do the same with staying not in the right most lane but the one next to it. I'll also pull over to an empty lane to allow the idiots to pass me who don't know how to pass a slower car. My daughter used my car this morning, and thus brought me under the 70 mpg mark. Maybe that will bring me back up to 65 on the highway.

If we really want to hyper mile, hang on for the Tesla model S in a couple of years. If the 85KWh model cost $55K, I might seriously consider one next year. I hear the Model S people are not a happy crowd right now as the initial delivery has had a few glitches and some people will be getting their 2012 model in 2013.

I'm hoping that in 3-5 yrs we can get a lot more range for our $. Of course there will be the challenge to hypermile, but I'm just saying don't make a habit of it - if one person gets killed from it, it's not worth it.

 

Well you did get a better true mpg on that tank . I had the largest margin of error for a tank with 7.65% for MFD vs calculated.

 

Maybe it's just the differences of midwest life but I have never ever seen anyone pull over because of road rage and have honestly never even contemplated it in my life. These stories of people doing that are really flooring me.

 

A few more miles of cold holding 70.6 you can add me when you got time F8L

 

Dammit!!!!!