Wow I stopped speeding

After owning my Prius for only a week, I too have experienced a noticeable change in my commuter “attitudeâ€. Not only do I not get irritated when the traffic grinds to a near halt, I am actually delighted to watch my mileage climb into the 99.9 range (and my emissions nearly disappear) as I ease into mostly EV mode.

The feedback of the consumption screen has been for me a constant reminder of the worthlessness of speeding and jackrabbit starts. I wonder what impact this feature would make if it was installed on all automobiles.

 

I used to go 15 over. Minimum. Jack rabbit starts and stops. My turns used to leave my wifes stomach at the intersection. I would pass people just because I knew they would be slow at the next stop.

I got my Prius.

Now I drive "like an old fuddy-duddy".

With the old car, no matter how I drove, I got the same mpg. Now, how I drive has a big effect. Every time I coast I picture a Saudi Oil Baron NOT counting my money.

 

Same experiance here. it's nice to hear other lead foot drivers out there are buying the Prius. I still speed every once and a while. I'll get fustrated with bad drivers and pass them all. Quick stops piss me off. People and there acceleration... they don't get up to speed.. they go slow.. a very inefficient slow where they keep accelerating past the speed limit. This bugs me because it kills my mpg. Currently i get a minimal of 42.. and i averaged 45 or so on my last tank. If only i didn't speed.. or didn't show it off to friends. everyone wants to see how much power it has.. which.. they are very suprised at how quick it still is.. or, how well it passes. Needless to say, these little things kill my mpg. But while driving to work and back, i'll make my mpg climb a few points. I would probably get 50 + if i wasn't addicted to speeding and passing car. Even though not often, it burns up fuel.

As for emmissions, my old car had an 87 HO 5.0L engine in it. I could smell the fumes that would come out of the exhaust. It was kindof gross. And, very loud.

 

I used to go 15 over. Minimum. Jack rabbit starts and stops. My turns used to leave my wifes stomach at the intersection. I would pass people just because I knew they would be slow at the next stop.

I got my Prius.

Now I drive "like an old fuddy-duddy".

With the old car, no matter how I drove, I got the same mpg. Now, how I drive has a big effect. Every time I coast I picture a Saudi Oil Baron NOT counting my money.

 

Indeed, this is one of the greatest 'hidden' features of this car. You actually learn and care for your car, and when you see someone speeding, you don't get angry or follow, you instead think, "Man, they're getting horrible mileage and at a time when gas prices are so high - they're just contributing to their own anger and hatred of traffic!"

Read my earlier thread on this subject if you get a chance: http://www.priuschat.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=972 it's titled "Road Calm"

-m.

 

LOL!!! Same exact thing here.. but no wife.. lol I also laugh to myself because i know what their gas mileage is. Plus, why? Even if i wanted to speed, i would know that i'm gettting several times better gas mileage than most who speed. it's a great car :mrgreen:

 

I have gotten away from my speed limit + 5 habit with the Prius. I am much calmer in driving.

I even changed the way I go to work. I used to drive past two entrances to get to the one close to the building at the far end of the campus. I now take the first entrance and hold to the 15 MPH limit in EV.

 

i have to agree with everyone in this post 100%. i used to be just barely on the sane side of felonious road rage it seemed. I would zip in and out of traffic doing whatever i could to save what amounted to seconds off my commute.

but since ive gotten my Prius it has not only changed my attitude when driving, the attitude of taking things one day at a time and stop and think instead of flying off the handle has spilled over into all facets of my life.

for one thing, the experience of driving my Prius is so different and exciting (yes the thrill is still there!) that i dont feel the need to rush everywhere. before commuting was a chore. now, i look forward to long trips and now find myself manufacturing day trips that a year ago i would never have considered.

Back when i was a kid, i bought a Datsun 280ZX Turbo. i thought that car changed my lifestyle, but i realize now that it was all a facade conjured in my brain in a futile attempt to justify the cost of the car.

But now, i can honestly say that for me anyways, owning a Prius has become something on the level of a religious experience.

ok... im done, i gotta got out an hug my car... bye all.

 

Not to stir the pot, but I've always been one to drive faster than average and always taken pride in driving well. My move was from a Bronco and a Mustang Cobra to the Prius... a huge change! While I appreciate the way some other Prius owners may be proudly cruising along at 50 in a 55, I know that other drivers can and do find it annoying.

To me, it's a nice feeling to know that I can drive the Prius at or slighly above the speed of traffic AND STILL get virtually all of the mileage and environmental benefits. I must admit to a certain level of satisfaction in passing a Suburban or an Escalade and knowing that I'm getting there quickly, quietly, and all the while tripling their mileage. Even though I like horsepower as much as anyone, I absolutely love my Prius for day-to-day driving. The highest MPG game is always fun to play, but hopefully I've given the owners of the M3's, A4's, and G35's reason to think twice about their purchase as I slide by and thoughtfully use my blinker as I move back into their lane... in front of them.

 

oh wait a second now... i in no way what so ever even hinted that i drive under the speed limit. in fact i do not, in fact the only time i drive the speed limit is south of town on I-5 where the speed limit is 70.

what i am refering to is the easing in and out of traffic, watching and anticipating traffic conditions before entering the area so as to not have to touch the brakes.

what i love about my Prius is that in many cases i can go several miles without using friction brakes because the regenerative brakes slow me down enough if i simply plan a little in advance for them. in doing so, i need to follow at a greater following distance when traffic is heavy and what not, but in the area i live in, that is almost essential anyway.

i used to work late and would be coming home at 8-9 PM and would have the late afternoon?? sun shining directly into my eyes. for those of you that dont live in the northern lattitudes, you cant even begin to imagine what it is like simply because you have nothing to compare it too.

you see, in the southern climate, when the sun is low in the horizon, its brightness is greatly reduced because it is shining through as much as 4 times more air than it is when overhead.

I live in the northern most capital city in the contigious US. here the sun is never overhead. the sun sets at 10 PM in the summer and the early morning and late afternoon sun is absolutely brutal here.

we average at least one chain reaction accident attributed to sun blindness every year. in 2000, 143 cars were involved. so when the traffic is heavy i dont follow close for that reason especially if im driving into the setting sun. going the other way, im basically a 2 car length guy like every one else.

also on a trip to Idaho (i admit it was taken because it was 400 miles one way and i wanted to check out the car on long distances for comfort... you know, make sure the butt doesnt go numb after 100 miles, or the car doesnt heat up in a little 90+ degree weather. other than that, i had no real reason to go...) but that was 75 all the way and yes i had several people passing me like i was parking at the drive-in. but they were in a hurry because they thought driving was a chore. i was driving for recreation....makes all the difference in the world.

 

I would admit that i speed.. but.. uhh.. i would feel bad. :mrgreen: either way, i still do. Not 100+ like in my old car.. but i stay over at almost all times... unless my battery is lower and i'm trying to get a good charge.

no tail gaiting? hehe... i think i'm a little too used to california traffic.

 

I think I've mentioned this before, but I use to be the fastest car on the road. For a year and a half, I was never, ever passed. Driving slow now, all that old road rage is gone too, just like everyone else here.

Funny thing is, I don't even own a Prius yet. Must be the halo effect from hanging around Priuschat too much : )

 

Our office just held a required defensive driving training course. The first part of the class was filling out a survey to identify each person's driving style. I came out as being low to moderately aggressive. Just about everyone else in the class of 20 was in the highly aggressive category. As an individual not really known for a relaxed personality several people didn't believe I had filled out the survey honestly.

I explained that 6 months ago I probably would have easily fell in to high aggressive style but since I got the Prius 3 months ago driving has become a peaceful experience for me. I discovered there was no need to rush between traffic lights just to get in front of everyone else. I do still drive over the speed limit on occasion on the freeway, and I've even been pulled over for speeding in my Prius. But that didn't even upset me. I just told the officer yea, I guess I was. And he said watch the speed. cool car and sent me on my way with no ticket. The car is such a pleasure to drive why would you want to rush through the experience.

 

I'll admit.. i was passed once.. by a motorcycle doing 100+.. at the time i was only doing about 80 or so.... i actualy thing he was doing about 115 or so when he passed me. You see him enter the freeway, you think " wow he's going kindof fast" and all of a sudden he passes you. You accelerate, but it's no good. he was basically gone. you can't drive a car in and out of traffic like a bike.

after two speeding tickets last year.. i not only want to drive slower.. but can't afford to drive fast. it strange seeing people pass me now.. but when i think back to the gas mileage i got... i can still smile as cars pass me.. and i'll laugh as an H2 passes me.

 

Late here, but agree about slowing down. For the first many months I drove Prius like my other ICE vehicles. My driving plan with them was to stay clear of other vehicles to minimize the risk of getting involved in their problem. That usually involved speeding up to clear clumps of vehicles traveling closely together. I've avoided many potentially dangerous situations that way. Now that I'm in Prius mode in all vehicles, I'm using other techniques to avoid the pack.

Another huge benefit to slowing into Prius mode is the sudden increase in the number of traffic signals showing green when I arrive. You don't suppose someone like a traffic engineer envisioned everyone driving at the speed limit, do you? :lol:

Oh, one comment about the "American" attitude about overly aggressive driving and competition behind the wheel. I've driven in twenty-four countries on four continents. Believe me, American drivers are pussycats compared to almost anywhere else on Earth. Maybe inattentive pussycats, but relatively docile nonetheless.

 

Yet another tale

I was never quite one of those excessively speedy types, but I've always enjoyed the feeling of being pushed back in the seat as you hit the gas, or when you gun it around a corner. I too was often in a hurry to get places.

What makes the Prius nice is the way it appeals to every part of me. The EV-enthusiast loves EV mode. The environmentalist in me loves the emissions and fuel mileage -- and the way the screen has an amazing way of controlling my speed (I tend to slow down considerably going up hills trying to keep my momentary consumption above 50). The engineer in me loves the design of the thing. The gadget freak in me loves the electronics & controls. What's also great is that I can turn off the display and have a grand old time zipping around in my Prius, which actually has more power than my old Subaru Impreza.

Still, as much as driving fast can be fun, few things are better than that feeling of walking away from the gas pump calculating an average fuel mileage of 53MPG for a 400+ mile trip of entirely highway driving, or better for slower stuff

-Ben