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Old 04-23-2022, 03:08 PM   #11 (permalink)
Drifter
EcoModding Apprentice
 
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: California
Posts: 166

Cx9 - '18 Mazda CX9 Grand Touring
90 day: 31.41 mpg (US)

Prius - '10 Toyota Prius III
90 day: 57.8 mpg (US)

Tundra - '00 Tundra V6 long bed base work truck
90 day: 19.4 mpg (US)
Thanks: 95
Thanked 91 Times in 61 Posts
The prius "transmission" is essentially a cvt in that the motor generators hold the engine rpm steady at a given throttle position/load while speed varies. So you won't get lower rpms from larger tires.

People do put larger tires on the prius to increase ground clearance, but they always lose mpg doing so. Some of that is because their odometer reads low, but larger tires are heavier & increase the frontal area. People wanting more ground clearance also tend to pick more aggressive tread patterns that don't have as good of a rolling resistance as eco-focused choices in the factory size.


PS: going back to your first post you talked about the distance you can drive in electric mode being a proxy for how the traction battery is doing. Since you sometimes drive on dirt, I thought I'd point out that my gen 3's newish battery can go about 2 miles on pavement at ~15mph, but struggles to go 1/2 mile on gravel/dirt at ~10mph. The rolling resistance is that much worse. Larger tires might actually help slightly on gravel for the same reason a 29er tends to roll better off road than a 26" mountain bike.

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