A Prius in the middle of nowhere

[RebeccaJK42]

Hello! I'm new to the forums. I thought I'd introduce myself and my car to see what advice people might be willing to offer.

I got a 2007 Toyota Prius in March, and I've been tracking my fuel efficiency with a little notebook I keep in the glove compartment. I'm averaging about 44 mpg this year - I know I can do better. My issue is that right now, this car is mostly doing highway driving. I live in an incredibly small town, so if I drive anywhere it is to the nearest cities, which are both a bit less than 30 miles away on the highway. To get home (I'm in college now), I add an hour on one of the busiest stretches of Interstate 80.

Is there any way to improve my mileage, even though this is pretty much just a highway car? I've taken to using cruise control on the 2-lane highways at about 55 mph. On the interstate, however, the speed limit is 70 and traffic goes about that speed or faster, plus it's not exactly "open road" because it's quite busy.

Thanks for any advice you can give me! Also, if there's anything that can be done about lower efficiency during the winter, I'd love to hear that too - I noticed that in December I was only around 40 mpg, and I hope it's just the cold temps to blame.

[mparrish]

Hi RebeccaJK42!

You certainly came to the right place. A late congratulations on your purchase.

The biggest factor is speed, and keeping her at 55-60 will definitely help.

"Warp Stealth" (WS) going downhill on hillier terrain is helpful:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1224
"Super Highway Mode" (SHM) on the flats is also helpful:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showt...&highlight=shm
Although there may be some debate about how helpful SHM it is:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showt...=highway+prius

A scangauge is very helpful with the above techniques, especially SHM.

An engine block heater (EBH) will get her up to peak operating temperature much quicker, which will be helpful during that first mile or two near or on the highway.

Keep those tires at least at max sidewall (44 psi).

Around here, we avoid the Interstate like the plague, as 75+ mph is a killer.

65+ mpg is possible in a Prius on the highway. In fact, just today I had a 50 mile round trip @ 62 mpg. Of course, it certainly helps that it was non-interstate, @ 55-60mph, with a heavy dose of WS & SHM, and in 65 degree Texas weather

[diamondlarry]

Welcome to the site! You have made an excellent choice of vehicles. I got my '07 in May and I'm loving it. The first thing I would suggest doing is pumping up the tires to the maximum on the tire's sidewall which, in your case, is 44 psi. This will make your car ride a little stiffer so you may want to go a few psi at a time to get used to it. I actually run significantly over 44 psi but I won't recommend that because of the legal implications. I will say that I have run this way for the entire 11,000+ miles I've had the car.

For the 55 mph stretches you may want to take a look at SHM which stands for Super Highway Mode. To do this the easiest, I would strongly recommend that you get a Scanguage2 so that you will be able to monitor the different parameters involved in SHM. Also, the Scanguage will allow you to monitor temperature, trip mileage, and several other things that will help give you instantaneous feedback on what works and what doesn't for FE.

For colder weather an EBH(electric block heater) will do wonders for warming the car up quicker so it will operate at greater efficiency much quicker. If you put the EBH on a timer so that it comes on about 3 hours before you need to leave you won't have to leave it on constantly. Run the heat sparingly, ie., use as little as necessary to keep the windows clear. Also, go to a building supply store such as Lowe's, Menard's, etc. and get some 1/2" foam water pipe insulation and cut it to the length of the grill slots and stuff it into all but the very bottom two slots on the grill. You can use cable-ties to keep them in place if necessary. I'm sure you will have many questions but that's why we're all here.

[laurieaw]

welcome,rebecca. did you mention what area you are in? weather can take a chunk out of your FE, also, as several of us found out here in minnesota. we had a hybrid meeting saturday with several attendees from out of the state, and we all were affected by a big snowstorm which kind of snuck in and was worse than was predicted.

it might be a little slow with answers for the next few days, with the holiday and all. i am sure more of our prius drivers will pop after and bring a lot of suggestions for you.

[DebbieKatz]

Welcome Rebecca

It's always nice to see another hypermiling "sister"

[desdemona]

Originally Posted by DebbieKatz

Welcome Rebecca

It's always nice to see another hypermiling "sister"

Amen to that. Heck of a time to join us. Everybody's mileage is suffering because of the weather. But good way to build character. YOu can still learn approaches and come in for a nice gain come spring.

--des