V8 owner, just picked up a Prius (1st Gen 2001)
 

hello everyone,

long time V8 owner (currently have 3) :eek:
just picked up my new commuter (first hybrid) a 2001 Prius :turtle:
it's got 205K miles, newly rebuilt battery
runs and drives well (feels like an economy car)
she's currently getting 40-42mpg

I am moving this weekend, picking up a 60 mile each way commute (30,000 miles per year)
just trying to save a little money and wear and tear on my nicer vehicles.


current cars
2005 GTO, getting 18 avg / 24 highway
2001 Tahoe, getting 14 avg / 17 highway
and a 94 Turbo Diesel F-350 guessing about 18 mpg highway


any info on the 1st gen Prius would be appreciated


and we just traded the Tahoe in for a 2010 Prius
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...55817746_n.jpg

Welcome!

Start here: 100+ Hypermiling / ecodriving tips & tactics for better mpg - EcoModder.com

You're already doing well for the commute...42 hwy vs your next best car's hwy of 24. But, there is room for improvement. Start by modifying the driver...

I'm already a "Highly Modified Driver"
my gto is a full STREET car, and I run 11.6 in the Quarter mile

Got it. Modifying the driver for fuel economy is slightly different than drag racing!

Lighting the wick and hanging on itsnt exactly how you get good fuel economy.

You also do not need a prius to get good fuel economy either. You just need some minor modifications and adjusting the nut behind the steering wheel. :thumbup:

I think that the Prius will go further economy-wise than the GTO. :) Honestly, how well can you drive the muscle car and how poorly can you drive the Prius? :)

[Economy-wise!]

Or are you going to talk about people driving Prii like they are sports cars? :D

the GTO got 31-33mpg cruising 70-75mph (when it was stock)
now she gets closer to 23-24 mph going 65
still needs premium

the expected fuel savings with the prius should pay for the car and the insurance before I wear out a set of tires
$2700 per year (commuting only) in the Prius
$4800 per year in the GTO

Ever thought about modding the GTO in the other direction? You know a kubto(SP?) diesel engine, 2.x to 1 rear axle, full frontal aero mods and such?

He also wants to save wear and tear.

I hear GTOs are very expensive to repair, but that's from Mustang people who often just try to troll- but regardless of cost, it is nice to preserve the precious vehicles.

My Insight has saved me +5k miles on my Mustang, and right now has cost me only about 1K.

hell no :eek:

I've spent alot of time and money making that GTO one of the fastest street cars in my area

it's still fairly efficient for what it is

6.0L LS2 V8
Cammed, Ported Intake, CAI, Custom Tune, Long Tube Headers (1-7/8" Primary/3" collectors) with High flow Cats, full Cat Back Exhaust
and a little 100 shot (WET) of Nitrous

stock the car put down about 345 RWHP/TQ
now she's at about 425 RWHP / 440 RWTQ (Naturally Asperated) and still gets 23-24mpg highway
and 512 RWHP / 620 RWTQ on the bottle (running 11.619 @ 121mph in a 4200lb car)

An uncle of mine once had a Suzuki Vitara repowered with a 50hp early Volkswagen Diesel, and could get the very same 42MPG constantly with that old little low-tech rig either in city or highway. I wouldn't expect anybody to get less than 55MPG in an early Prius, unless you were running away the cops :D

Just think what would be possible if you added a diesel to a hybrid? :eek:

Cant speak for the prius, but a bad starter battery in an insight will cost you 10-15 mpg. Couple that with low air psi in the tires and other maintenance issues like a clogged air filter, wheels out of alignment, dragging parking brakes, plugged egr and other things non hybrid cars suffer it can add up.

the 01-03 prius was rated for 41 HWY / 42 City
my commute is 2 lane highway @ 55-65mph (with lots of elivation)

I wish I could afford to go with a Diesel economy car (+ I'm a big VW fan)
but you can't find a road worthy rabit around here for the $2200 I paid for my prius

perfect combo (IMHO) would be an Electric car, with a Diesel Generator

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ius-10710.html

here's a thread you might want to look at, from 2009.

regards
Mech

That's kinda disappointing they get such a low mileage, in spite of all the praises the Prius gets from the hybrid enthusiasts. But it can also be another reason for me to stick with Diesel :D


I'd rather be messing with motorcycles and sidecars instead of a Prius if I couldn't find a Diesel in a close price.

Anyway, if your Prius get some transmission damage, its body may still be a good base for a Diesel conversion project. Altough I'm not into "rolling coal", the Diesel clattering in a Prius would get some funny reactions...

I don't see it as disapointing

but I don't look at it as a "PRIUS"
it's just an economy car to me

for the $2200 I paid for it, I could have gotten a mid 90's civic that gets 5-10 mpg less (and I'd make that up in one year of commuting)

as far as bikes/sidecars
the URAL with a sidecar is going for $13,000 (about 6x the price of my car)

I did commute on a motorcycle for about 2 years
I had the choice of 75 mile ride or 20 miles and a ferry
ended up putting 28K miles on one of my bikes in 16 months

with the hours I'm commuting now (leaving my house at 5am)
and the elivation and likelyhood of snow/ice in the winter
I'm not too interested in riding year round for my commute

again,
I love diesels

but they are just demanding way too much money around here

That's a good point. Anyway, since I'm more used to the Honda than to the Prius, I'd still go towards the Honda and eventually work around lean-burn, gearing mods, weight-savings and other tricks. It's also easier to perform all the maintenance at home.


I didn't even know the Ural was available back there. In my country is more usual to see side-cars attached to low-displacement motorcycles such as the Honda CG 125.


Bad weather is really a matter of concern while riding a motorcycle, not just due to comfort but also safety. No wonder recently I started to get more favorable to side-cars...


Seems like oil-burners are overpriced almost everywhere...
Anyway, why not to start looking for a random 3cyl stationary Diesel (or the ones used in side-by-side ATVs) and the manual transmission of an Echo or a Tercel?

Well, you know the saying, you get what you pay for. Most who buy hybrids dont do it for the mpg as the ROI is never achieved. Use to be you got to ride in HOV lanes, tax breaks, cheaper registration, insurance, etc, etc, etc. Then of course the right to be SMUG to non hybrid owners. :thumbup:All of that has come and gone and in some states they charge you extra to register hybrids. Of course now days many non hybrids achieve or exceed hybrid mpg and are even cleaner than before.

Toe-may-toe vs. Tah-mah-toe

Six vs. half-dozen

Theater vs. theatre

Us vs. them

I see the 2014 prius is giving you a bad case of the SMUGs. :D

Nah, I always mentally "...flip coins over..." to see if they have two-heads (or two-tails), so either-or situations are FUN!

Mentally flipping coins? Too two dimensional for me. I like telling myself jokes.

WooHoo!!! I'm a HIPERMILER
 

with my most recent fill up @ 18.13 mpg (US)
in my 94 F-350
with a 7.3L TurboDiesel
http://ecomodder.com/forum/attachmen...p;d=1396279140

here she is

How did your GTO lose so much mpg?? Are you on stage 3 cams and shorter gears or something?

loose?

it's still getting pretty close to EPA estimates


I'm making almost 50% more horsepower than a stock GTO
it does have a big cam, as well as custom fuel system mapping

Nice, I have a hybrid and a muscle car too, it's always interesting to see other people who can appreciate both cars. My Civic has saved me a pile on fuel but it does need a new hybrid battery, for now I am driving it without the electric assist while I consider my options.

and I just got another....


last night, I traded my 2001 Tahoe (5.3L V8, 4wd, and 15-17mpg) for a 2010 Prius II (certified Toyota with 44K miles)

My original plan was to take a sporty car and ecomod it, but I have come to the dark side and am saving my preferred vehicle some miles.

So, the new one is for the wife?

yeah,

it replaced our Family vehicle (2001 Tahoe)

we still have a Crew Cab F350 Turbo Diesel if we need to haul/tow

Sounds like a good combo there.

It would be kinda odd if a stereotypical tree-hugging Prius owner would come chimping-out at you for driving a truck, and you telling that your other car is a Prius...

and my other other car too :thumbup:



http://static.neatorama.com/images/2...-repellent.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/73...e13b24917b.jpg

I like Diesel engines, hate Priuses, but actually I'm not so much favorable to rolling coal. Since the "coal" is basically poorly-burnt fuel getting wasted, it goes against the fuel-savings and range-extending reasons I became favorable to Diesel.

well,
we've still got the 2010 prius
she's got another 100,000 miles since we picked her up
overall doing pretty well, the fuel economy dropped off over the winter (also got new tires) and hasnt come back

it was as low as 44-45mpg, now it's getting about 47-48mpg
the best tank this year was 50mpg (alot less than a few years ago)