I Am Renting A Prius!!need Some Quick Tips For Hypermiling!thanks

[fshagan]

I don't personally know anyone with over 60 MPG in their Prius, but I know there are hypermilers out there that get up to the 70 MPG range. Most people I know average right around 50 in mixed driving.

I maintain my speed no matter the terrain; one thing I like about the Prius is that I sometimes drive up the Conejo Grade (from Camarillo to Thousand Oaks), and the Prius can do 70 mph up the grade without hesitation. No downshifting either, because the variable speed transmission doesn't do that ... the rpms just go up on the motor. I'm not convinced going slower uphill will save much gas; in any case, the guage shows about 15 mpg when going up a hill like that.

The seats are my one quibble; Toyota doesn't have comfortable seats on several of their cars. The Sienna van we turned in for our Prius was slightly more comfortable, but not much. The problem I found with the Prius seat is that the shape of the back tends to push your shoulders forward, causing greater strain on your lower back. I have an Obusforme highback seat back cushion that makes the seat bearable.

[Bob64]

Avoid any arrows coming from the battery.

Do you have a scangauge? Anyway a good trick is to make sure that your in stage 4 of prius operation (coolant must be at least 70c, and your engine must be idling for 5 seconds at a very low speed (below 7mph) without you hitting the gas. If the engine turns off, then your now in stage 4.

Without stage 4, your engine idles from 0mph to 35mph. You can usually tell if your in stage 4 or not if the engine "refuses" to turn off at 0-35mph when your not at a stop.