Gas Mileage Tips - Avoid These Common Bad Driving Habits

 Here are some easy and practical tips that you can follow in your
everyday driving and before you know, the mileage of your vehicle will
boost…
http://consumershop.googlepages.com/gas_mileage_tips

 
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Do you remember and can post a few tips?

 wrote:


Sure - but you only need two, not a few.

I bought the '04 upon release in Oct '03, and my car is fully
instrumented. The data bus shows engine load/RPM in realtime, and I
have LEDs that illuminate to show various combinations of regen and
friction braking. Those operating indicators trained me.

To optimize fuel efficiency, remember - THIS IS NOT AN ELECTRIC CAR.
It is a car powered by an internal combustion engine that is very
fuel-efficient under some operating conditions. The electric motor
system permits the engine to work under those conditions more often.
Further, that efficient ICE has terrible low end performance. An
electric motor, on the other hand, has max torque at zero RPM. A
marriage made in heaven. Or Japan, in this case.

Many of those reporting >50mpg are fooling themselves or being
deceptive (but why?) - a few tell the truth because they (consciously
or otherwise)  follow these simple rules.

1. Accelerate briskly to the desired cruising speed, then back off and
find the power system's "sweet spot", in which the load on the engine
is minimal. Even without the ScanGauge, you can learn to sense it. To
help learn it, fine a long flat road and drive at 38mph - watching
fuel consumption (and angry drivers behind you!). When it's holding a
steady >80mpg, you'll know what the sweet spot feels like.

2. Keep your foot off the brake. Plan ahead, adjust your style, think,
and soon it will become automatic. Regen is inefficient - only
slightly better than nothing, and friction braking is a total waste
because the kinetic energy of the car (hard won at the expense of gas)
is dissipated into the environment as heat.

On the other hand you can do what most people do. Get in and drive,
and watch the world go by instead of the gauges. You'll get 42-45 mpg
and love it.

Ike

  binarydotike@gmail.com wrote:


I drive that way, and get 45mpg religiously--except in winter.

On the other hand, the absolute WORST I get in the coldest depths of
winter while doing short trips is 35mpg.

 Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:


And what are your coldest depths of winter like? Could be quite
different in California than in Minnesota, for instance.

I'm in Michigan and expect to have a new Prius next. I'm wondering
what I should expect. Winter days can have ten degree (F) highs and it
could be as cold as 20 or 30 below in the morning when I head out to
work - though global warming (or something) seems to have reduced the
frequency of really cold days. Most days are in the 0 to 30 range.

I suppose I can trust my dealer and other Prius owning friends to
advise me about need for a block heater.

 - Leo