2013 Prius eco mod thread

[bike4miles]

I performed my first aero mod today on my new to me 2013 Prius which was the rear wiper delete. I have only filled the tank on this car about 4 times so far and hadn’t tracked the consumption exactly so far but I’m just learning how to drive it so I haven’t established a solid baseline fe but I’m too impatient to wait any longer. The average for the first 4 tanks according to the car was around the high 40’s. Solid, but lots of room for improvement.

I also installed a new K&N air filter which I’ve did a lot of resurch and read very mixed and often conflicting reviews on K&n drop in filters but since the old filter needed changing, I sprang for it since manny reviews on Amazon reported increased fe after installing one. Worth a shot.

The wiper delete plug was not specific to this car. I measured the rubber grommet on the rear wiper and found it was about 42mm in diameter so I found this plug in eBay which is 44mm and worked very well. The wiper assembly is just over 2 pounds and definitely causes a little drag. Deleting it really improves the look of the back end in my opinion so +1 for style points.

Next mod will be a shark fin anntanna which is coming.

[vskid3]

Originally Posted by bike4miles

I also installed a new K&N air filter which I’ve did a lot of resurch and read very mixed and often conflicting reviews on K&n drop in filters but since the old filter needed changing, I sprang for it since manny reviews on Amazon reported increased fe after installing one. Worth a shot.

A freer-flowing air filter most likely won't help fe on a gas car because the throttle is usually the greatest restriction (diesels are another story, as they have no throttle). The study on the bottom of this page found no difference in MPG between a new and clogged filter, though power is improved with a clean filter. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/maintain.jsp My Prius has had the same paper filter for 55k miles.

Make sure that your driving style isn't working against you. It might seem like maximizing EV usage is best for fe, but you have to remember that all that energy ultimately comes from gas. I've found that brisk acceleration using the engine and doing P&G with EOC (applying just enough throttle to cancel the coasting regen, no power in or out) at lower speeds helps a lot.

[bike4miles]

I took a little day trip from north of Seattle to south of Seattle and back and managed about 58mpg for 65 Miles of mostly busy freeway with some stop and go according to the display. Very good considering the manny steep hills on I405! Traffic was far to heavy to drive with load and stay out of the red power zone. On flatter terrain, I’m certain I could do much better.

I can say for sure that wind noise is reduced a noticeable amount without the rear wiper so I’m very pleased with that result. No noticeable difference in throttle response or engine sound with the K&n air filter.

I did notice several cases when the ice would not shut off until I came to a complete stop, even fully warmed up at less than 15 mph on the brakes. Usually the ice will shut back offf but about 40% of the time it doesn’t until I stop. This is a bit frustrating but I guess it means that if I can keep the engine off in the first place when turning into the parking lot, I can save a lot of fuel. If anyone has a tip on how to get the engine to shut off during thes coast downs and slow speed cases, please let me know! I’m certain I would have been up over 60 today in not for this pointless idling.

[bike4miles]

Cheap fin antanna from Amazon actually works quite well for radio reception.