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.

I wish I were Dianne's son :( now i'm insanely jealous

Hi Jason:

___Stealth or not, 56 mpg segment on a 32 degree day from initial startup to swap of drivers ~ 7 minutes later in a TRAC with 0 experience in an 01-03 or the 04 Prius. The other Insighter received 57 from the swap to pulling back into the dealership parking lot.

___For an Insighter, it is not just energy flow, it’s about acceleration, load, throttle technique, and in the case of the Insight and Prius, Fuel cut or Regen. Fuel cut or regen in an Insight can happen at any speed whereas Auto Stop happens below 22 mph with the proper shifting and braking technique. I believe fuel cut and stealth happen at different speeds during coast down in the Prius as well but I have only read of acceleration and steady state, not the deceleration mode(s).

___Flare, I have seen you bash your current ride more then once here in this forum??? Do you know you can use some of the same techniques to improve its (whatever its is?) emissions and fuel economy as well? It was the high fuel economy run in the MDX w/ the Game gauges instantaneous feedback that taught me how to drive for maximum fuel economy and I just transferred it to the Corolla without a game gauge(s) to master that ever present EPA estimate.

___Good Luck

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

Well, my car is like this. a 1993 Audi 100 with a 190hp V6 engine. There are 4 cylinder engines that can achieve 190 hp. and an accord with a V6 has 240 hp already. This leads me to believe that my car is wasting gas by not using it to its full potential. It achieves around the same economy as some sports cars while driving at a much slower rate. i'm not sure how to test emissions but i looked online and the estimates were 4/10 for my car. Not even the worst midsize/fullsize sedans of today have such low emissions. when i go to school each day, i have to back up and make a 180 degree turn to get out of my driveway. it stinks when i turn around. after going to the teton science school where they don't advocate pollution, i am biased against stinky cars. my car smells outside and inside :( and i have to spray pearberry every time i get in the car. the steering wheel is cracking and its very dirty. the engine check light comes on frequently (though my dad says there isn't anything wrong even if it goes on) which means... if something really does go wrong... how would i know? and also the brake worn warning beeps at me all the time too, yet the brakes are fine. once the car went all the way to 4k RPM and stayed there.. the PRND321 signals all lit up. when i decelerated the gears didn't shift down. definately wierd. the glove compartment is sooooo stubborn. it doesnt close unless you slam it hard and its a small glove compartment anyways. oh and... the engine belt snapped off when i was in the parking lot, so the power steering went away and it was sooo difficult turning at those slow speeds. i wish i was at a high RPM so my valves could have melted shut and I would have a prius by now. and also, the lights are really dim and i want them to be changed. i cant see anything when its raining. i had to replace the windshield wipers too because before they were just smearing anything. so... i'm left with a stinky, low mpg, slow (manual versions are quicker), poor visability, high maintanence car that is only thought of as "good" because its an Audi. This nominal car also has faded paint and it shocks me every time i get out of the car. i guess this really isn't a reply to your suggestion. I could try, but i wouldn't know if my car would be any cleaner b/c i dont know how to test that