Prius driving tips for a new user?

I just got a 2008 Prius. Are there websites with information on how to drive Prius to be efficient on MPG? I found I accelerate way slower than I used to be. I keep looking at the energy chart to make sure they don't come from gas as much. If I need to keep up the pace like other cars, I have to push the pedal really deep initially. Also I had the habit to coasting with neutral gear in the past but it does not appear to be a good idea for Prius as it needs the gear engaged to generate power for the battery. With gears engaged, the drag decreases the distance it can go without gas (down hill). What is the balance?

Thanks for the help,

Reply to
liu
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In short: leave early :) If you're not anxious to get somewhere, your driving will have less acceleration / braking which kills efficiency (in any car, not just Prius)

The novelty will wear off soon and you'll just drive normally and probably judge more by the sound of the engine (or lack thereof) than the display.

I don't believe it's ALWAYS necessary. Just because someone in front of you is in a hurry, it does not mean you also have top burn rubber. You'll catch up with the car in front of you at the top of the speed limit anyhow (+10MPH most of the time ;) , what difference do 10 seconds make?

Just let the car decide. Since it's a hybrid, the energy isn't wasted (well, not all of it anyhow). There's always an uphill after that down hill and then the stored energy will come handy. Switching to neutral is NOT a good idea.

Cheers!

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Reply to
DA

Sure, for good MPG avoid the use of the traction/HV battery, it only has about a 70% storage efficiency of watt-hours out to watt-hours in, and the worst thing for MPG you can do is to try to force the car to run on battery and then end up with the ICE running just to recharge it. One of the oldest Prius tricks is to "Pulse and glide", this means instead of going a constant speed you alternate between "Pulse" which is accelerating with no arrows to or from the HV battery on the energy monitor screen followed by "Glide" which is coasting with the ICE (engine) off and no arrows at all on the screen. To do both you have to feather the accelerator pedal position. When accelerating as you apply more pressure the arrows will start as going to the HV, then they disappear, then closer to WOT the arrows will be from the HV. You want the sweet spot in between. To glide you let all the way off the pedal, wait for the ICE to shut off, then reapply just enough pressure to make the arrows disappear. Note that above 42MPH the ICE crank never stops turning, though the fuel injectors do stop pulsing.

ICE= Internal Combustion Engine.

Beyond that, maintain your tire pressures like a hawk, and try 42PSI front,

40 rear instead of the stock 35/33

After oil changes make sure the level on the dipstick is between add and full, preferably not on full, and NEVER over full. There is a ~1.5 quart difference between add and full, the car only holds 3.5 quarts after a change, and lots of oil change places including some of the dealers see the

3.9 quart from bone dry spec and dump in 4 resulting in an overfill. The best advice is to only put in 3 quarts and then check and adjust if needed.
Reply to
Daniel who wants to know

Rather than coasting, get used to pressing the gas pedal *just enough* to maintain speed. If you are climbing a short grade, back off a little and lose a few MPH on the uphill. Just don't make yourself a 'rolling roadblock' for cars behind you who just want to drive at the speed limit. That will have the same effect as coasting, more or less. I don't know what the 2008 display shows (we have a 2010) but on our car you can use a bar graph to keep the engine from running more than is needed.

Reply to
Leftie
Reply to
Bruce Richmond

That's very true. I've been late for work a few times, and so was pushing it hard, albeit in Eco mode so I had better throttle control. I still averaged 49MPG, instead of the usual low to mid 50s. I've heard that it will still get in the low forties running hard in Power mode.

I also use the battery with the engine off, when I know that the engine will have to run soon to climb a grade or accelerate faster. The current average on the display, over several tanks of gas, is 55MPG.

Reply to
Leftie
Reply to
Bruce Richmond

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