Quote:
Originally Posted by bwilson4web
Hi,
During the first 5 minutes or until the engine coolant reaches 70C and I can get it into Stage-4. For example, I cut through the neighborhood, relatively flat with 25 mph, 40 km/h, speed limits and I'll slip into "N" so the ICE will turn slower. Especially at stop lights where I'll shift into "N" to reduce the fuel burn while waiting for the light. My informal testing suggests stopping and starting the engine manually is more fuel expensive so I just idle in "N". If stopped and in "D", the engine will burn fuel a little faster than "N": |
Ah, Bob, now I know how some of you guys get stellar mpg in your Prius while I "limp by" at about 45-48 ;-)
I've always know the topography matters a LOT, simply because my 04 got 50-52 when I lived 40 miles east, the only real diffs were limits and it was virtually flat there. Now 40 miles west, I get that 45-48 in either the 04 and 06 for daily driving. When I take the route to recycling that covers most of the route to my wife's work, I get close to her mpg in my 06 (50 on up to 60mpg) , and my size 16 foot makes it a LOT harder to control the pedal than hers.
I have a 0.2mi home street (no limit posted), a 0.2mi 30mph, then 2 miles of 55mph to get to a 65mph road. I have to take that to get to ANYTHING, and ANY shopping is 15mi or more away. My mpg tanks rapidly when starting out on a trip, and still drops a little on the way home due to that 65. It doesn't help that my car is used for virtually all shopping trips, so lots of stop-n-go with cool downs between.
My only other choice is the "back way" that never tops 55, and is nearly the same miles to the point where I would start shopping, so maybe I might have to try it for a couple of weeks to see how it goes. It probably takes 10min more, though, and I'm an impatient guy, so we'll see ;-)