What is the "optimum driving style" for mpg? - Page 2

 
PriusFooting works within the bounds of the battery maintenance protocols
designed into the car, it just maximizes return.
Tomes

 

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No real problem with that - it was the idea of wiring in fuel pump cut-outs,
etc that prompted my response.

Chas

 

 

You are driving your car like a normal car, like everyone else on the
road drives, and that's fine.  You're getting good mileage.

If you want to get what those other people are reporting, you can (a)
lie (like most of them), or (b) start driving very, very weirdly and in
the way in traffic.

Do you want to be the dweeb who's screwing around in traffic, playing
his dashboard video game?

 Shagnasty (elmop@nastydesigns.com) says...

I am doing neither a) nor b), and average well over 50 MPG. (actual fuel
use vs. miles driven, not based on the MFD.)  I'm sure a big part of
that is my commute is 36 miles each way.  As mentioned before, one of
the MPG killers are short trips, since MPG is poor in the first 5
minutes or so of driving.  So on a short trip that will be a significant
factor in the overall mileage, whereas on a longer (45 min-1 hr) trip,
it's largely offset.  My tires are at 40/38 psi, which I check
regularly.  I block my grill to varying degrees depending upon the
weather, and I use an engine block heater year-round, which is a big
help with the initial mileage.

I don't drive in a way that impedes traffic.  In fact, I've noticed that
if I get behind a particularly slow driver, my MPG actually suffers a
bit (based on the MFD history.)  I accelerate smoothly, try to keep a
steady speed, and begin to slow down as soon I see I'm going to need to
stop ahead.  I DON'T do the pulse & glide (which is I think what was
being referred to here as 'PriusFoot'.  In fact, I engage the cruise
control as much as possible.  I do try to maintain stealth or warp-
stealth on long downgrades, but never slowing to the point where I'm
below the speed limit if someone is behind me.  In fact, it usually
isn't necessary to slow down... just a light touch on the throttle.

The only drivers I seem to piss-off are 1) ones that apparently think
everyone should be doing 10+ over the speed limit, and 2) the idiots who
think you need to race up to the stopped traffic as quickly as possible
so that you can jam on the brakes.  Then again, I've encountered such
drivers long before I started driving a Prius.

The fact is, I've always had sports cars or sporty sedans, and my
driving style was to go as fast as I thought I could without getting a
ticket (radar detector was required equipment.)  Now that I stick to the
speed limit, I find I'm much more relaxed, and even long trips don't
take significantly more time.

You can choose to assume I'm exaggerating the mileage I'm getting.  I'm
just hoping that I can help others improve their MPG, since it *is*
possible to regularly get over 50 MPG without resorting to stunt
driving.