I have a buyer who's got problems with mileage and fuel tank bladder... heh... the usual. I have swapped cars off with him for two days to see what I can do with his car. I suspect it's the way he is driving it, but we shall see. I can usually pull 45-51 mpg with my commute -- and he claims to be averaging in the mid 30's...

wish me luck!

Dianne -- check the following things before anything else. They will effect mileage the most:

Oil level
Tire Pressure
Trip Time

If any of these are abnormal (or trip time < 10 min), his figures are understandable.

isn't dianne the female guru?

Yeah, actually. I posted the information more for the community than Dianne. Sorry to insult your intelligence, Dianne! :)

Oh no, that was very good insight for us all - even me! I do not know it all (but do not tell my 13 yr old son that, folks!!)

Di

(^_^) I wonder if he is getting a Prius when he grows up

He is! It's what he asked for when he turns 16. It used to be a Z3 that he wanted, till I let him drive a Prius in a large parking lot. :>

OK -- I have had Jack's Prius (my buyer's tideland 9) over night... on my drive home last night in SoCal, which is from Carson (Wilmington Ave exit) and then south down the 405 to the 73 (towards the Toll Road) and then UP the toll road pass thru Newport Beach and down into Laguna -- and off the 73 at Greenfield to my home in Laguna Niguel... here's the scoops.

I reset the mileage button when I hit the freeway. The car maintained a steady 57-60 MPG at speeds of 60-70 mph down the 405. I have a blurry photo of this while I was driving showing the ODO at 69 mph and the mileage avg steady at 57.3 ... and when I got to that huge incline to get thru the pass mid-73 toll road, and subsequently the dips and hills on the 73 as I try to get home to Laguna, the average dipped to 53.

Had I stayed on the 405 and merged to the 5 and not taken my usual route, I would have possibly been able to maintain a 57-60 average all the way home on the freeways.

There is absolutely nothing the matter with this car... it's one of the better ones for freeway mileage. I think that it's clear that there is a way to drive, and then there is a way to drive a Prius. :> That's what I have to impart to dear Jack today -- so post your advice here for Jack on how YOU get the best mileage from your car, in detail! I'll direct him right here to see it. :>

Thanks!

Hi Dianne:

___Since these methods work for the MDX, Corolla, and the Insight, I am sure they will work just as well for the Prius … Read through and attempt to possibly capture some of the techniques listed in the discussion in the thread entitled “hey xcel!”. They did in my short test drive(s) behind the wheel of an 04 Prius anyway.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Note, however, that the Prius is a complete hybrid and therefore is effected more by driving techniques. I find that cancelling all energy flow (VERY light gas pedal) reduces lost energy and increases mileage. Driving in "stealth" wastes energy that will only be regenerated in smaller quantities when slowing down again.