Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
#11
01-14-2008, 06:18 AM
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mid Hudson Valley, New York
Posts: 1,389
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
Haroldo and Rocket08,
There are many factors that affect FE. I got my TCH Sep13, 2006 and have racked up over 40k miles since then. This is because my current daily commute is 42miles one-way.
I DO NOT TAILGATE or DRAFT (whatever you want to call that crap). As a matter of fact, I avoid trucks like a plague (I don't want any stone chips on my TCH).
I DO NOT DRIVE LIKE GRANDMA (50 miles per hour on a highway with 65mph limits).
I can tell you this though;
I do drive between 65mph and 80mph using my own technique (I have not seen it on this site yet). It takes time to learn it, but if you are PATIENT and CAREFUL enough you can try it. It varies on depending on where I'm driving City or highway.
Here you go (City):
During cold weather, I set my AC between 67 and 70 (At 67, the engine shuts off almost immediately at all lights). This keeps me warm enough without freezing to death like some people advocate here.
I speed up to 40-45mph as quickly as possible (once again, use your brains here don't go smashing into another car just to save gas). Then, I gradually let go of the pedal as I frequently (notice the word FREQUENT and not CONSTANT) watch the instant mpg needle drop to between 40-60mpg (the sweet spot is usually around 45-50mpg imho). Continue driving as you watch at least 3 lights ahead to determine traffic flow. If traffic starts to come to a halt, let go of the accelerator long before you reach the light so you can "COAST" down to the light (approx. 200ft or more if possible). I rarely use my breaks because the lights tend to turn green by the time I get there using very little gas.
HIGHWAY:
This is not for you if you are a nervous wreck!
I turn on the defroster. Set the temp to anywhere between 70 and 75 (Your desired temp may vary) and leave it on for the first 2 minutes. I turn it off making sure that the yellow light behind the defroster button stays lit (The defroster is off i.e. no visible temp in the center console, but the cabin stays heated)
I accelerate quickly to 45mph with the instant mpg needle at around 20mpg (Please take a quick glance and keep your eyes on the road!). After that, I let go of the accelerator until the instant mpg needle is at 30mpg until I reach about 75mph.
At this point, I let go of the accelerator till the instant mpg needle reaches 40-43mpg(I prefer 40mpg) and focus on holding it there regardless of slopes on the road (Once again, use your brains!). If the roads go downhill, my speed increases to as much as 85mph and by the time I get back uphill, it is back to around 75mph. Sometimes there might be a very gentle but steady uphill that reduces my speed to around 70mph, at this point I add some extra power and make sure the instant mpg needle does not go beyond 30mpg as I slowly get back up to speed.
When approaching an exit (approx. 500ft away) I coast all the way till my speed drops to 40mph(engine shuts off) and then I use EV mode till I get to the toll (Yeah we have tolls on NJ highways).
Sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.
For more explanations, send me a PM. I don't like submitting lengthy posts
Make sure you keep your eyes on the road (I'm young and I have pretty good reflexes, so if you are much older this may not be for you).
There are many factors that affect FE. I got my TCH Sep13, 2006 and have racked up over 40k miles since then. This is because my current daily commute is 42miles one-way.
I DO NOT TAILGATE or DRAFT (whatever you want to call that crap). As a matter of fact, I avoid trucks like a plague (I don't want any stone chips on my TCH).
I DO NOT DRIVE LIKE GRANDMA (50 miles per hour on a highway with 65mph limits).
I can tell you this though;
I do drive between 65mph and 80mph using my own technique (I have not seen it on this site yet). It takes time to learn it, but if you are PATIENT and CAREFUL enough you can try it. It varies on depending on where I'm driving City or highway.
Here you go (City):
During cold weather, I set my AC between 67 and 70 (At 67, the engine shuts off almost immediately at all lights). This keeps me warm enough without freezing to death like some people advocate here.
I speed up to 40-45mph as quickly as possible (once again, use your brains here don't go smashing into another car just to save gas). Then, I gradually let go of the pedal as I frequently (notice the word FREQUENT and not CONSTANT) watch the instant mpg needle drop to between 40-60mpg (the sweet spot is usually around 45-50mpg imho). Continue driving as you watch at least 3 lights ahead to determine traffic flow. If traffic starts to come to a halt, let go of the accelerator long before you reach the light so you can "COAST" down to the light (approx. 200ft or more if possible). I rarely use my breaks because the lights tend to turn green by the time I get there using very little gas.
HIGHWAY:
This is not for you if you are a nervous wreck!
I turn on the defroster. Set the temp to anywhere between 70 and 75 (Your desired temp may vary) and leave it on for the first 2 minutes. I turn it off making sure that the yellow light behind the defroster button stays lit (The defroster is off i.e. no visible temp in the center console, but the cabin stays heated)
I accelerate quickly to 45mph with the instant mpg needle at around 20mpg (Please take a quick glance and keep your eyes on the road!). After that, I let go of the accelerator until the instant mpg needle is at 30mpg until I reach about 75mph.
At this point, I let go of the accelerator till the instant mpg needle reaches 40-43mpg(I prefer 40mpg) and focus on holding it there regardless of slopes on the road (Once again, use your brains!). If the roads go downhill, my speed increases to as much as 85mph and by the time I get back uphill, it is back to around 75mph. Sometimes there might be a very gentle but steady uphill that reduces my speed to around 70mph, at this point I add some extra power and make sure the instant mpg needle does not go beyond 30mpg as I slowly get back up to speed.
When approaching an exit (approx. 500ft away) I coast all the way till my speed drops to 40mph(engine shuts off) and then I use EV mode till I get to the toll (Yeah we have tolls on NJ highways).
Sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.
For more explanations, send me a PM. I don't like submitting lengthy posts
Make sure you keep your eyes on the road (I'm young and I have pretty good reflexes, so if you are much older this may not be for you).
#12
01-14-2008, 07:09 AM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
I got 79.5 mpg on an 8 mile trip. Granted, it was mostly downhill coasting at about 60 mph.
I hit "city" stop and go traffic for the last 4 miles of my trip and ended up with 60.5 mpg. It was approximately 32°F
On average I've been getting about 30-32 mpg on my commute to work since i got the car in october.
I hit "city" stop and go traffic for the last 4 miles of my trip and ended up with 60.5 mpg. It was approximately 32°F
On average I've been getting about 30-32 mpg on my commute to work since i got the car in october.
#14
01-14-2008, 10:38 AM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
I'm in Boston and before my newer mode of reduced-highway driving I was usually getting 40+ for a ~20 mile commute each way during warm weather and maybe mid-30s when it got cold (down to ~30 when it was really freezing). This year I started driving through some towns between home and work and for less distance (but more time) am consistently hitting solidly in the 40s for warmer weather. Cold weather still sucks, but hopefully less bad (today's storm hasn't helped any, requiring lots of heater plus energy lost to snow). After 18+ months I'm at 37 mpg. For Christmas I drove up from Boston to mid-Maine and for a single tank doing several hundred miles (just under 500 according to my logged data) my MFD showed 40.4 mpg though it calculated out to 39.3, with all of that mileage being maybe low-mid 30s. Just the whole return trip was basically non-stop and the trip up was with just a few stops (shopping on Christmas eve, what can I say? hehe).
I'd say the biggest factors for you will be a) weather, as for just about all of us--right now you'll get less, but it will improve when the car's nearly warmed up when you get in; b) driving habits (including both the nature of the drives you'll be doing most of your mileage on, which for me is my daily commutes to/from work, and how you drive, the routes you choose, etc); and c) experience. As you drive more and monitor the effects of your driving behaviors on FE, and read more tips here, your mileage is likely to improve. But there should be no reason, if you're driving for more than a few miles most of the time, why you shouldn't be able to get upper 30s into the 40s on a regular basis when the weather improves. But driving styles vary a lot. Someone had a map with people's locations marked with stars and the colors showed FE levels if I remember right... Might be worth trying to find that thread and get that populated more for questions like this....
I'd say the biggest factors for you will be a) weather, as for just about all of us--right now you'll get less, but it will improve when the car's nearly warmed up when you get in; b) driving habits (including both the nature of the drives you'll be doing most of your mileage on, which for me is my daily commutes to/from work, and how you drive, the routes you choose, etc); and c) experience. As you drive more and monitor the effects of your driving behaviors on FE, and read more tips here, your mileage is likely to improve. But there should be no reason, if you're driving for more than a few miles most of the time, why you shouldn't be able to get upper 30s into the 40s on a regular basis when the weather improves. But driving styles vary a lot. Someone had a map with people's locations marked with stars and the colors showed FE levels if I remember right... Might be worth trying to find that thread and get that populated more for questions like this....
#15
01-14-2008, 12:13 PM
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mid Hudson Valley, New York
Posts: 1,389
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
Haroldo and Rocket08,
There are many factors that affect FE. I got my TCH Sep13, 2006 and have racked up over 40k miles since then. This is because my current daily commute is 42miles one-way.
I DO NOT TAILGATE or DRAFT (whatever you want to call that crap). As a matter of fact, I avoid trucks like a plague (I don't want any stone chips on my TCH).
I DO NOT DRIVE LIKE GRANDMA (50 miles per hour on a highway with 65mph limits).
I can tell you this though;
I do drive between 65mph and 80mph using my own technique (I have not seen it on this site yet). It takes time to learn it, but if you are PATIENT and CAREFUL enough you can try it. It varies on depending on where I'm driving City or highway.
Here you go (City):
During cold weather, I set my AC between 67 and 70 (At 67, the engine shuts off almost immediately at all lights). This keeps me warm enough without freezing to death like some people advocate here.
I speed up to 40-45mph as quickly as possible (once again, use your brains here don't go smashing into another car just to save gas). Then, I gradually let go of the pedal as I frequently (notice the word FREQUENT and not CONSTANT) watch the instant mpg needle drop to between 40-60mpg (the sweet spot is usually around 45-50mpg imho). Continue driving as you watch at least 3 lights ahead to determine traffic flow. If traffic starts to come to a halt, let go of the accelerator long before you reach the light so you can "COAST" down to the light (approx. 200ft or more if possible). I rarely use my breaks because the lights tend to turn green by the time I get there using very little gas.
HIGHWAY:
This is not for you if you are a nervous wreck!
I turn on the defroster. Set the temp to anywhere between 70 and 75 (Your desired temp may vary) and leave it on for the first 2 minutes. I turn it off making sure that the yellow light behind the defroster button stays lit (The defroster is off i.e. no visible temp in the center console, but the cabin stays heated)
I accelerate quickly to 45mph with the instant mpg needle at around 20mpg (Please take a quick glance and keep your eyes on the road!). After that, I let go of the accelerator until the instant mpg needle is at 30mpg until I reach about 75mph.
At this point, I let go of the accelerator till the instant mpg needle reaches 40-43mpg(I prefer 40mpg) and focus on holding it there regardless of slopes on the road (Once again, use your brains!). If the roads go downhill, my speed increases to as much as 85mph and by the time I get back uphill, it is back to around 75mph. Sometimes there might be a very gentle but steady uphill that reduces my speed to around 70mph, at this point I add some extra power and make sure the instant mpg needle does not go beyond 30mpg as I slowly get back up to speed.
When approaching an exit (approx. 500ft away) I coast all the way till my speed drops to 40mph(engine shuts off) and then I use EV mode till I get to the toll (Yeah we have tolls on NJ highways).
Sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.
For more explanations, send me a PM. I don't like submitting lengthy posts
Make sure you keep your eyes on the road (I'm young and I have pretty good reflexes, so if you are much older this may not be for you).
There are many factors that affect FE. I got my TCH Sep13, 2006 and have racked up over 40k miles since then. This is because my current daily commute is 42miles one-way.
I DO NOT TAILGATE or DRAFT (whatever you want to call that crap). As a matter of fact, I avoid trucks like a plague (I don't want any stone chips on my TCH).
I DO NOT DRIVE LIKE GRANDMA (50 miles per hour on a highway with 65mph limits).
I can tell you this though;
I do drive between 65mph and 80mph using my own technique (I have not seen it on this site yet). It takes time to learn it, but if you are PATIENT and CAREFUL enough you can try it. It varies on depending on where I'm driving City or highway.
Here you go (City):
During cold weather, I set my AC between 67 and 70 (At 67, the engine shuts off almost immediately at all lights). This keeps me warm enough without freezing to death like some people advocate here.
I speed up to 40-45mph as quickly as possible (once again, use your brains here don't go smashing into another car just to save gas). Then, I gradually let go of the pedal as I frequently (notice the word FREQUENT and not CONSTANT) watch the instant mpg needle drop to between 40-60mpg (the sweet spot is usually around 45-50mpg imho). Continue driving as you watch at least 3 lights ahead to determine traffic flow. If traffic starts to come to a halt, let go of the accelerator long before you reach the light so you can "COAST" down to the light (approx. 200ft or more if possible). I rarely use my breaks because the lights tend to turn green by the time I get there using very little gas.
HIGHWAY:
This is not for you if you are a nervous wreck!
I turn on the defroster. Set the temp to anywhere between 70 and 75 (Your desired temp may vary) and leave it on for the first 2 minutes. I turn it off making sure that the yellow light behind the defroster button stays lit (The defroster is off i.e. no visible temp in the center console, but the cabin stays heated)
I accelerate quickly to 45mph with the instant mpg needle at around 20mpg (Please take a quick glance and keep your eyes on the road!). After that, I let go of the accelerator until the instant mpg needle is at 30mpg until I reach about 75mph.
At this point, I let go of the accelerator till the instant mpg needle reaches 40-43mpg(I prefer 40mpg) and focus on holding it there regardless of slopes on the road (Once again, use your brains!). If the roads go downhill, my speed increases to as much as 85mph and by the time I get back uphill, it is back to around 75mph. Sometimes there might be a very gentle but steady uphill that reduces my speed to around 70mph, at this point I add some extra power and make sure the instant mpg needle does not go beyond 30mpg as I slowly get back up to speed.
When approaching an exit (approx. 500ft away) I coast all the way till my speed drops to 40mph(engine shuts off) and then I use EV mode till I get to the toll (Yeah we have tolls on NJ highways).
Sounds a lot more difficult than it really is.
For more explanations, send me a PM. I don't like submitting lengthy posts
Make sure you keep your eyes on the road (I'm young and I have pretty good reflexes, so if you are much older this may not be for you).
That said, I have no idea how to keep this car accelerating and decelerating at 30 mpg on the meter. I feel like I cannot gain speed until I am at 20. It feels like I am driving full of bricks.
I will practice more.
Last edited by mikieboyblue; 01-14-2008 at 12:15 PM.
#16
01-14-2008, 07:15 PM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
I am tired of hearing people say people getting over 38mpg in the north are either lying or driving like grandma.
I went to work today (Princeton, NJ) and went down to Hamilton, NJ after work to go see a friend. On my way back I decided to take some pix.
My trip was from Hamilton, NJ (right next to Trenton, NJ) to Jersey City, NJ. The entire trip was about 60miles. The toll plaza you see in one of the pix is exit 15E.
At an average speed of 53mph I couldn't have been driving at 50-55mph (you could guess my speed based on the fact that I had about 7 miles of city driving), could I?? Watch closely as the FE rose from 37mpg to about 39mpg at the end of my trip. Notice I took pix in such a way that you could see the current mileage of the car, avg speed, total distance traveled, current tank miles and FE. My Sony Ericsson W580i phone takes pictures with the time and date stamp so maybe you can recreate the sequence of pictures.
Any questions? Please ask.
PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WHILE DRIVING!! I ONLY DID THIS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES WHILE EXITING FROM THE HIGHWAY.
I went to work today (Princeton, NJ) and went down to Hamilton, NJ after work to go see a friend. On my way back I decided to take some pix.
My trip was from Hamilton, NJ (right next to Trenton, NJ) to Jersey City, NJ. The entire trip was about 60miles. The toll plaza you see in one of the pix is exit 15E.
At an average speed of 53mph I couldn't have been driving at 50-55mph (you could guess my speed based on the fact that I had about 7 miles of city driving), could I?? Watch closely as the FE rose from 37mpg to about 39mpg at the end of my trip. Notice I took pix in such a way that you could see the current mileage of the car, avg speed, total distance traveled, current tank miles and FE. My Sony Ericsson W580i phone takes pictures with the time and date stamp so maybe you can recreate the sequence of pictures.
Any questions? Please ask.
PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WHILE DRIVING!! I ONLY DID THIS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES WHILE EXITING FROM THE HIGHWAY.
#17
01-14-2008, 08:07 PM
Ridiculously Active Enthusiast
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Mid Hudson Valley, New York
Posts: 1,389
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
I am tired of hearing people say people getting over 38mpg in the north are either lying or driving like grandma.
I went to work today (Princeton, NJ) and went down to Hamilton, NJ after work to go see a friend. On my way back I decided to take some pix.
My trip was from Hamilton, NJ (right next to Trenton, NJ) to Jersey City, NJ. The entire trip was about 60miles. The toll plaza you see in one of the pix is exit 15E.
At an average speed of 53mph I couldn't have been driving at 50-55mph (you could guess my speed based on the fact that I had about 7 miles of city driving), could I?? Watch closely as the FE rose from 37mpg to about 39mpg at the end of my trip. Notice I took pix in such a way that you could see the current mileage of the car, avg speed, total distance traveled, current tank miles and FE. My Sony Ericsson W580i phone takes pictures with the time and date stamp so maybe you can recreate the sequence of pictures.
Any questions? Please ask.
PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WHILE DRIVING!! I ONLY DID THIS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES WHILE EXITING FROM THE HIGHWAY.
I went to work today (Princeton, NJ) and went down to Hamilton, NJ after work to go see a friend. On my way back I decided to take some pix.
My trip was from Hamilton, NJ (right next to Trenton, NJ) to Jersey City, NJ. The entire trip was about 60miles. The toll plaza you see in one of the pix is exit 15E.
At an average speed of 53mph I couldn't have been driving at 50-55mph (you could guess my speed based on the fact that I had about 7 miles of city driving), could I?? Watch closely as the FE rose from 37mpg to about 39mpg at the end of my trip. Notice I took pix in such a way that you could see the current mileage of the car, avg speed, total distance traveled, current tank miles and FE. My Sony Ericsson W580i phone takes pictures with the time and date stamp so maybe you can recreate the sequence of pictures.
Any questions? Please ask.
PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WHILE DRIVING!! I ONLY DID THIS FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES WHILE EXITING FROM THE HIGHWAY.
... I am jealous! I will keep practicing your tactic.
#18
01-14-2008, 08:49 PM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
Yep, it's possible to get in the 40's, even in the northern states. I've had my car about 13 month's and have averaged 40.9 mpg (down from 41 with the colder weather). That's calculated mileage, not trip computer mileage.
I don't have to drive like a grandma or anything, but my drive is ideal for getting good mileage. I drive 23 miles one way to work and there probably isn't more than 800 feet in elevation changes along the way. I take the back highways so my speed is between 35 and 60 most of the time. There might be ten stops along the way and I make sure to do some coasting into each stop when possible. Both ends of my drive allow me to use EV to some extent (1/2 mile or more).
Weather is making a difference, but shorter trips and faster speeds make more difference. On short trips the car doesn't have time to warm up (so no EV mode). I've noticed if I take the freeway (70+mph) I only get about 38 mpg. In the last couple weeks we've had a lot of snow so everyone slowed down, and even though I was driving through several inches of snow (and deeper drifts) part of the way, I still managed 40 mpg.
I've noticed wind, rain, snow, temperature, and any electrical load on the car makes a difference (headlights and the heater in winter, AC in summer). I've also noticed I don't need to use the heater fan at 50+ mph. I didn't notice a big difference in economy when the winter formulation of gas hit in October, or when I put on my steel wheels and snow tires. When I fill up I only use Shell gas (that's one of a couple brands others have had good luck with) and I've kept every receipt so far. I'm also using regular 5-30w oil that the local Toyota dealer uses since they haven't got to selling synthetics (like some 0-20w some day). The engine heater helps a little when I use it, but since I can park in the garage again it isn't such a big deal.
I don't have to drive like a grandma or anything, but my drive is ideal for getting good mileage. I drive 23 miles one way to work and there probably isn't more than 800 feet in elevation changes along the way. I take the back highways so my speed is between 35 and 60 most of the time. There might be ten stops along the way and I make sure to do some coasting into each stop when possible. Both ends of my drive allow me to use EV to some extent (1/2 mile or more).
Weather is making a difference, but shorter trips and faster speeds make more difference. On short trips the car doesn't have time to warm up (so no EV mode). I've noticed if I take the freeway (70+mph) I only get about 38 mpg. In the last couple weeks we've had a lot of snow so everyone slowed down, and even though I was driving through several inches of snow (and deeper drifts) part of the way, I still managed 40 mpg.
I've noticed wind, rain, snow, temperature, and any electrical load on the car makes a difference (headlights and the heater in winter, AC in summer). I've also noticed I don't need to use the heater fan at 50+ mph. I didn't notice a big difference in economy when the winter formulation of gas hit in October, or when I put on my steel wheels and snow tires. When I fill up I only use Shell gas (that's one of a couple brands others have had good luck with) and I've kept every receipt so far. I'm also using regular 5-30w oil that the local Toyota dealer uses since they haven't got to selling synthetics (like some 0-20w some day). The engine heater helps a little when I use it, but since I can park in the garage again it isn't such a big deal.
#19
01-15-2008, 03:54 AM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
I think the big difference is trip length.
During the average work week I take a number of 10 minute trips, and get ~33-34 MPG
This weekend I drove to Taxachusetts and averaged 40 MPG.
Conclusion, short trips kills mileage.
During the average work week I take a number of 10 minute trips, and get ~33-34 MPG
This weekend I drove to Taxachusetts and averaged 40 MPG.
Conclusion, short trips kills mileage.
#20
01-15-2008, 02:18 PM
Re: Any northern TCH owners getting 40+mpg?
Getting real jealous with these mpg BUT I am only on my fourth week of ownership..second tank of gas..SO I'm hoping between TIME and all these techniques I can achieve mileage happiness too. Though really cannot complain last week when it was in 50s I got 35 mpg and now getting about 33.8 mpg....
Is it true the first oil change at 3,000,4,000 miles makes a big difference..Only have 700 miles!......
Is it true the first oil change at 3,000,4,000 miles makes a big difference..Only have 700 miles!......
