Prius Mk Ii Optimal Settings

[rodi]

Hi guys, what are the optimal settings to get the best mpg result on 2006 prius? By settings I meant tyre pressure, motorway speed (60, 70 or 80 mph and how this effect mpg) ... thx

Also, any tips/links of how to get the best mpg of prius mkII both on motorway and in town journeys? thanks a lot

[johalareewi]

The faster you go, the lower the mpg but you get there more quickly.

The higher the tyre pressure, the higher the mpg but you get a bumpier ride.

Driving style is also a big factor.

You can get big mpg on the motorway doing 50-60 but you will get tailgated a lot!

I can get near 70mpg doing 60-70 on the motorway and mid 60mpg doing 75mph (Prius speedo reads high so prius 75mph = 70mph on GPS).

I neat technique is to follow the lorries on the motorway. They do 60-70 so you get decent mpg and they can drag you along (but don't get too close!!)

Have a look at the various threads on Prius Chat.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/

[cootuk]

Quite a few hypermilers seem to advocate 'pulse and glide' where you speed up to just over the speed limit then glide to a much slower speed, then speed up etc, though this would be very annoying to drivers behind you - probably one of the reasons why there are so many Prius haters over there.

Going downhill there is a technique where you can take your foot off the pedal then reapply gently and, watching the energy screen, you can hit a sweet spot where there's no power arrows going anywhere so you are in 'glide' mode.

If you're in heavy slow traffic then gentle throttle can keep you running in electric only for longer.

I guess over here the biggest thing is forward observation and smooth technique - generally you'll be keeping up with normal traffic.

[johalareewi]

Pulse and glide only really works well in the 30-40mph band. If you try to pulse and glide on the UK motorways, you will annoy a lot of drivers. Not a good idea to set yourself up as a road rage target.

Going easy on the accelerator (keep out of the HSI PWR zone when possible) and brakes (use regen as much as possible) but first rule is keep moving with the traffic flow. The Prius will do a good job of keeping the mpgs up.

[rodi]

Thanks a lot, I was doing 65mph for about 120 miles there and 75mph return, total 240 miles and on average I got 60mpg ... not bad I assumed

[acetip]

Thanks a lot, I was doing 65mph for about 120 miles there and 75mph return, total 240 miles and on average I got 60mpg ... not bad I assumed

we are often advieed not to carry anything in boot etc that is not necessary to help with improving fuel consumption.if a car with two people on board will use more fuel than a car with just the driver over same route under the same conditions.thats common sense,so why fill the fuel tank to the max when half filling will save fuel.just a thought.

[johalareewi]

Thanks a lot, I was doing 65mph for about 120 miles there and 75mph return, total 240 miles and on average I got 60mpg ... not bad I assumed

Sounds good.

You should find that with a bit of experimentation, you can get the mpg up even more. I started out at 50mpg and can now do 60mpg or more easily on motorway journeys. Does the gen2 have the mpg meter that the gen3 has? I find this wery useful for getting instant feedback about how what I am doing affects the mpg.

[johalareewi]

we are often advieed not to carry anything in boot etc that is not necessary to help with improving fuel consumption.if a car with two people on board will use more fuel than a car with just the driver over same route under the same conditions.thats common sense,so why fill the fuel tank to the max when half filling will save fuel.just a thought.

I am often amazed that some people always fill up when the tank is half empty. Just means they are lugging half a tank of fuel around for nothing.

[rodi]

Thanks a lot, I was doing 65mph for about 120 miles there and 75mph return, total 240 miles and on average I got 60mpg ... not bad I assumed

Sounds good.

You should find that with a bit of experimentation, you can get the mpg up even more. I started out at 50mpg and can now do 60mpg or more easily on motorway journeys. Does the gen2 have the mpg meter that the gen3 has? I find this wery useful for getting instant feedback about how what I am doing affects the mpg.

Yes it does have a mpg meter ...