there is a phev conversion calculator thread in here somewhere to answer if it will recoup the money it costs. In my case my job basically pays for it.So I said why not I hate going to gas station so anything that will extend the time between filler ups is worth it to me.Plus its a great conversation piece.
You're right. Installing this kit is a whole different ball game. It's a little unfair to be comparing their plug-in numbers to our standard Priuses. I'm sure it's a great kit but it will void the warranty and it's just not for me. Samaruf it's going to take a while to recoup your "investement" in the Prius but just keep driving it well at 50mpg and know that you're doing better than most of the cars on the road.
I read, somewhere in the vast abyss of posts, one person's understanding and usage of the 10 pips displayed in the fuel gauge and it works for me: Pretend there are 12 pips, two not showing on the right. When the gauge shows 9 pips, you have 9/12ths of a tank remaining, say, 9 gallons. I realize the bladder doesn't deform in a pure way, especially in cold, thus skewing the readout a bit. I have found this useful to tell how much gas I have aboard.
In the summer time, first pip usually gets me 100-150 miles. Last 2 pipes gets me anywhere between 25-50 miles. There's a linear decline between each pip.
I don't know how some of you are squeezing 100-150 miles out of that first pip. Do you let your gauge go down to "Fill Me Now!" situation and then lumber over to the nearest station? My fuel up was when 2 pips were left and I could only put in 7.9 gallons in the tank. So now if I can get 400-450 miles out of these 7.9 gallons, I'd think I did pretty well for a first time Prius driver
So with the second fuelup of 8 gallons and 440 miles driven, to me a pip is worth 55 miles. I did notice the pips going out at a random interval.
It's a way to meet CARB evaporative restrictions. In the winter, you will put less in than in the summer since the bladder is less elastic in the winter. What I'd like to know is if I can replace the tank/bladder in my 2004 with a tank from the 2010 model.
when the pips go out has nothing (or very little) to do with how many miles per gallon your getting or how far you can go on a tank. neither does when you fill up. however, the mpg's you're getting might affect when the pips go out to some extent. i think i'm confusing myself.
I do not know - only had it for a few hours now, but can say this: we bought it with 1 'bip' and the fuel light on. but filled up with only 6 gallons ( i thought it was an 11 gallon tank _ ? 2006 by the way
As you will read throughout this web site your second gen Prius has a fuel bladder that has given many a user on here a problem with fueling.
Don't worry, I'm a new owner just like you and so far have refueled 3 times and each time the tank filled up with a different amount of gallons of gas: 7, 8 and 9 respectively. My first pip range is between 80-120 miles. Between the 3 refuels I can safely say that I'm averaging around 52 mpg. You can sign up at fuelly.com and keep track of your refueling history. There's also an android app called "Garage Life" that will automatically send the info to fuelly.
For those still concerned about their "pip" worth, don't worry, it's all over the map. Just go by the odometer reading and calculate it that way or sign up with fuelly.com and let them do the calculations. My last tank, the first pip went out at 190 miles and by 400 miles, I had 3 pips left. I had to fill up because of a station that had 10 cents cheaper gas.
