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Sovereign · 06-23-2011, 11:02 PM

...partially. The area in which I work (Greater Boston) can be somewhat hilly. There are ways to deal with that. Sometimes, there's a lot of traffic. I can deal with that. The roads are full of patches and pot-holes. I can (sometimes) avoid them. All at the same time, there is a huge potential to mess up my fuel economy.

Between not being able to P&G in the worst of stop-and-go (slow-moving is easier), having a nearly dead traction battery when I hit the worst traffic (so the engine won't stop running--though I am getting better at "drive without battery" as applied to hybrids, that is avoid using the electric system), having my coast ruined by an unavoidable pothole and my car's stubborn refusal to "glide" above about 40MPH, I'm getting annoyed.

Sure, the Highlander Hybrid (2006 Limited 4x4) was rated a combined 26 (27/25). Yeah, my readout hovers between 31-32 (20% over EPA). I'm just convinced I can get it to 35 but I'm not doing everything right. High speeds kill my FE (as mentioned earlier) the most.

Help?

06-23-2011, 11:02 PM	#1 (permalink)
Sovereign EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Greater Chicago Posts: 75 RAV4 - '16 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid Limited 90 day: 35.26 mpg (US) Thanks: 6 Thanked 8 Times in 7 Posts	Traffic Kills My FE... ...partially. The area in which I work (Greater Boston) can be somewhat hilly. There are ways to deal with that. Sometimes, there's a lot of traffic. I can deal with that. The roads are full of patches and pot-holes. I can (sometimes) avoid them. All at the same time, there is a huge potential to mess up my fuel economy. Between not being able to P&G in the worst of stop-and-go (slow-moving is easier), having a nearly dead traction battery when I hit the worst traffic (so the engine won't stop running--though I am getting better at "drive without battery" as applied to hybrids, that is avoid using the electric system), having my coast ruined by an unavoidable pothole and my car's stubborn refusal to "glide" above about 40MPH, I'm getting annoyed. Sure, the Highlander Hybrid (2006 Limited 4x4) was rated a combined 26 (27/25). Yeah, my readout hovers between 31-32 (20% over EPA). I'm just convinced I can get it to 35 but I'm not doing everything right. High speeds kill my FE (as mentioned earlier) the most. Help?