Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I am working towards 1000 miles on a tank of gas in my 2006 Toyota Prius. I have six pips left. I just thought I would throw in a picture of the progress:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...m/DSC_7097.jpg

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

My best wishes and GOOD LUCK!!!

Getting 1,000 miles from 11.9 gallons normally requires an average of a little over 84 MPG. My target is to achieve a sustained 90 MPG before making the attempt.

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Bob,

I started cold today and drove 62.4 miles for a before / after calculated 103.3 mpg for that segment. I know that I cannot maintain that for another 540 miles, but if I could, I would end up with a 92.x ish mpg tank. We shall see.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Good luck with your endeavor! Do you have another vehicle you can drive if the weather gets crappy? Rain or cold will kill your tank.

I got lucky with a long hot dry spell and made it 1005 miles on 12.3 gallons in my "mild" Honda Civic Hybrid. Most of the driving was at 40-45 mph or so but at times I was just barely crawling over the tops of some hills.

https://www.greenhybrid.com/share/fi.../1000miles.jpg

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

With the weekend, you're within spittin' distance. Time for a 'road trip' to Ocean City? <grins>

I just don't remember if there is a minimum speed on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Hey Chris,

Nice segment! I assume you based this on the MFD before and after your segment for MPG and used the trip A or B before and after to calculate the 103.x segment. Or do you have a scan gauge or other instrumentation? Any way good luck! I have managed 83.x over a tank last Sept and pulled off a shorter 103.x segment, but I don't think I'm in quite the same league as you.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

dcoyne78,

I have thought about getting a SGII, but I am simply trying the best I can with before and after mpg readings and doing the math to figure out segment mpgs.

I don't think it is being fair to yourself to say that you are in a different league. There are a host of variables (including driver skill) that comes into play. As many others have proven (bob wilson); slowing down increases the fuel economy of this car. The trick between where I think Bob wilson is and where I stand is that I am trying to apply this to roads with many other cars; stop lights, and stop signs over 50 miles a day rather than over a closed course.

If I had the patience and time; I could go knock out a 1200+ mile tank; but can I drive by myself in a closed loop for 50 hours straight. No way. I have to go to work. I am a dad of one and within three weeks the second will be here. I have been passed by a kid on a skateboard when coasting to a stop sign. Do you have that luxury in your commute where you can slow down; maybe not. I have just under 10000 miles on my car. I went through a cold winter without blocking the grill of my car. You will be in a league of your own when you and only you fully understand your commute and find ways to maximize your segments. Like teddygirl in Japan; if I had a 15 mile commute where I could average 25 mph with little traffic and few stop signs, you would be hearing me talk of 90+ mpg tanks. I might just do a mini marathon by myself to prove this point.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Congrats, Chris. Stay with it. Flag, Barker or Priority?

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Thanks. Priority. They gave me $1000 less than MSRP when $500 below was considered good.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I've been thinking about this and it may be as simple as "taking the long way" to and from work. The bulk of the fuel burn is in the first 5 miles. It may be possible to 'extend' the morning and evening commute with just enough laps to bring the average up to the threshold. For example, my work commute is 10 miles. However, I might be able to tag an extra 10-20 miles at peak efficiency speed and bring the total average up to something that would work.

The key is getting the car through the warm-up as quickly and efficiently as possible. Using a block heater, transaxle heater and thermistor hack, this should be entirely possible. But it would be more interesting to determine what is the optimum 'warm-up' profile.

The other technique is to tickle-charge the traction battery to 80% (actually 78%) of peak. This is a trickier technical problem but IMHO no more or less valid than pre-heating the block and transaxle.

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Stop in and say Hi next time you come in for service.. I've been there for 7 years.:shade:

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I would be intersted in hearing about ways to tricle charge the traction battery. Last Friday I was able to acheive 152 mpg on a 7.7 mile segment from my bank to backing into my garage. I did this by starting at 6 bars and starting at 8 bars could have made a very significant difference. I'm getting a block heater installed this morning which will help on my morning commutes but won't do much good on my commute from work each afternoon.:(

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I am averaging roughly 52 mpg right now. How in the world are some people getting 100+ mpg in segments? I think I understand pulse and glide and seem to be approving--but some of the figures and stats I see are mind blowing to me. What can I do better?

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I live in a rural area with very little traffic. What little traffic there is, is used to farm machinery moving slowly so they go around without any problems. I did it by pulsing to 28 mph and coasting down to 20 or so. This will only work when there are no time constraints and light enough traffic. It would not always be practical commutes, errands, etc.
Edit: I got the above speed ranges from VaBeachPrius(Chris) and they have been very valuable in helping me reach the FE levels I'm at. Thanks Chris! Most of my friends(family too :)) know that I'm not smart enough to figure things like this out on my own. :D

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Elkhart, eh? I am familiar--I used to live in Middlebury so I understand your setting very well. A lot of horse 'n buggies as well as farm equipment too!

When one says "pulse," that is the acceleration to the desired maximum speed, correct? How do you determine, however, what the speed should be? For instance, if I am traveling on a street where the speed limit is 35, should I pulse at about 40mph and glide until about 33mph?

I am having a difficult time getting a good acceleration from a complete stop, such as a stoplight. Is it better to just take it slow, or should I gas it a little bit to get up to speed?

Thanks for your help everyone! I've learned so much from this website about driving my hybrid that it is insurmountable.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

This is one of those things where you have to take the traffic into consideration. The range you mentioned would probably work quite well since, if it was done smoothly, probably wouldn't even be noticed by traffic behind you.

As for taking off from a stoplight, the best thing is to avoid stopping by timing the lights. Unfortunately though, life is not always that predictable.:( I'm relatively new to this site so I don't know exaxtly where the info is but, hobbit has some very good info about how to coax FE out of a Prius. I learned from his info that accelerating with the rpm's in the 1400-2200 range is the optimum FE range. And yes, this site is an invaluable source of information.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

No 1..never drive on the Highway or over 50 mph. As soon as you do you fall from the mid 60's and higher to the mid 50's or lower. After that it's technique. I'll leave it to the experts beyond that.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Diamondlarry,

Did you get your P&G speeds from my suggestions? Did you refine what I said? Any suggestions for me?

There is a neighborhood that has newly paved roads and little traffic that features a 1.6 mile loop (25 mph speed limit) with three ways for traffic to exit the neighborhood. I can essentially run for hours with little traffic for 20-28 mph P&G activities.

I have considered using this area for a solo marathon over x number of days to get to 1200-1300 miles.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Yes, I did get that suggestion from you.:embarass: I am going to go back and edit that post and put your name in there. I think that a 1.6 mile loop would be very challenging from a mental standpoint. If I did my math right, that would be ~52 hours and 812+ loops for a 1300 mile tank. You would certainly have my respect if you could pull that off, not to mention the ~109 mpg would be incredible! The smooth roads would definitely be a plus.

Anyway, the terrain in my area is often FE friendly if I choose the right route. There are times when my speed drops below the 20-21 mph level but I usually let that happen when I am cresting a hill and I will be able to get back into the 20-28 mph range again when there is a downhill after the crest. I'm also usually warmed up by the time I start the high FE segments and make sure I come to a complete stop at least once for long enough to let the engine shut off when I'm at operating temp to insure that I'm in S-4. I also try to start at 4 to 5-6 is even better-bars and try to make sure I have 4 bars by the time I get to my driveway. My driveway is ~.1 miles long and is a 1-2% grade and, if I keep my speed to 5 mph, I can make it up in EV.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Diamondlarry,

I wasn't asking for credit. :D I was just curious to see if I had helped you. I have seen what you can do with a Saturn and if I am correct, you are on your first tank with the prius and kicking butt. It wil be easier and slightly more accurate if I use a SG rather than comparing before and after MFD displays for segment mpgs. My best segment was with a cold start up, I didn't use my block heater and I still averaged 103.x mpg. That took me two hours. My mileage would be higher with more time on the loop with a block heater.

Good job right of the bat.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I knew that but, because of my upbringing, I like to give credit to the proper people.

Technically, I'm working on my second tank. I topped off when I got home from the dealer so I knew the tank would be full. Then, 4 days later I noticed a discrepancy between my SG and FCD and realized I had forgotten to change the tank offset setting from when it was in the Saturn so I topped off and started over again. I can see that this tank won't be 1K miles as I'm at 5 pips at just shy of 500 miles.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Good question about the minimum speed. I was there not too long ago on a tour bus and I do not remember either.

By the way, unless it was his commute, would taking a road trip specifically to get 1000 miles on a tank not be a waste of gasoline?

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Not if he takes a detour to Assateague Island for a stuffed, baked flounder and then Phillip's in Ocean City for crab patties and a beverage. I'd just call it 'grabbing a good bite to eat.' <grins>

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Bob,

I don't think I will be traveling to the eastern shore anytime soon; It is amazing to me that I haven't pumped gas for almost a month!

I am only at 692 miles at 84.9 miles. I just went from four to three pips. I should be at 800 miles my Friday afternoon and if I make 1000; that should occur by next Thursday.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Excellent! GOOD LUCK!!

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

How many pips are in your gauge?

Have any Prius owners made it to 1000?

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

One team effort in the USA and at least 50 Japanese owners.

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

I went past 1000 this morning. I will post a picture this afternoon when I refill.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Excellent!

Bob Wilson

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Well, I did it. Time to try for 1100.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/...m/DSC_7101.jpg

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

One important aspect about your two, 1,000 mile tanks are the amounts of gas versus the tank capacity:

• 12.1 - 102% full
• 11.9 - 100% full

Due to the risk of overfilling, I typically stop after the second click, which typically means I'm getting only 11.3-11.4 gallons per 11.9 gallon tank. Any thoughts about were the extra 0.2 gallons came from in the 12.1 gallon tank?

Bob Wilson

Since my Prius is so new to me I'm not sure how it's set up but, I have had a few cars through the years that I could get more gas in than the tank was rated for. On those cars I attributed that to the fuel it took to fill up the filler tube. Not sure if that applies to the Prius though.

Re: Working towards 1000 miles on this tank
 

Hi Larry,

Mostly there is the risk of overfilling the Prius tank:

http://priuschat.com/index.php?s=&sh...dpost&p=419197

I've looked at the filler tube and the return line that leads to the $$_bad space. It isn't terribly large, compared to other filler tubes I've seen in the past. Still, I've read tales of 'burping' the tank.

Bob Wilson