Hurry and write those other chapters! Greatly appreciated.
Maximizing Gas Mileage in a Toyota Prius
When I first purchased my Toyota Prius, I was quite content to drive around getting between 45 and 47 miles per gallon. The EPA estimates of 55 (highway) and 60 (city) MPG seemed unattainable in real-world driving, and every Prius driver I spoke to (I like to strike up conversations with strangers in parking lots) was getting about the same mileage as me. Then, after I had my car for about half a year, a co-worker bought himself a Prius and started telling me about his absurdly high gas mileage — occasionally topping 60 MPG on his weekly trip from his San Diego home to our Los Angeles office. I was insanely jealous. Something had to be done.
I started reading up on the subject, trying out different driving techniques intended to drive down my gasoline consumption. Within a month, I was up over 50 MPG for an entire tank of gas, and I’ve never looked back. I haven’t seen the underside of 52 since. My best full-tank performance was 56.4 MPG.
As I’ve learned and then mastered these techniques, I’ve written about them in this blog, but in a piecemeal fashion. Over the next few weeks (months?), I intend to publish on these pages an e-book e-pamphlet e-brochure e-guide titled “The Complete Rattling the Kettle Guide to Squeezing Every Last Mile-Per-Gallon Out of Your Prius”, or Maximizing Gas Mileage in a Toyota Prius.
Anyone with a Prius can achieve the kind of high fuel efficiency that I get, tank after tank. It just takes a little bit of work, and some counter-intuitive driving techniques. Here’s how to do it.*
- Chapter One: The Basics - Learning to Love Your Energy Meter
- Chapter Two: The Little Things - Short Trips, Short Stops and Short Tire Pressure
- Chapter Three: The Highway - Slow and Steady (aka, My Way On the Highway)
- Chapter Four: The City - Pulse and Glide
- Chapter Five: The Exceptions - When to Run the Yellow
- Chapter Six: The Advanced - Warp Stealth [coming soon]
- Chapter Seven: The Finally - Plot Your Routes [coming soon]
- Chapter Eight: The Conclusion - Where I Think of Inspirational Things to Write [coming soon]
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* DISCLAIMER: This information is provided for theoretical educational purposes only. Attempt at your own risk. This website and its author assumes no liability for any and all manners of loss (including damage caused to your vehicle or to others) in any way directly or indirectly attributable or related to your application of the techniques described herein. Pay attention to the road at all times. Your mileage may vary. Professional driver on closed course. Don’t sue me, dick.
Responses
By: vicki on November 10, 2007
at 6:31 am
I second Vicki’s comment.
By: Hot Librarian on November 18, 2007
at 12:28 pm
As a fellow Prius owner I commend your effort, but I don’t think it is all that complicated. Like you, I drive the LA freeways and I find I make 52 without much effort. I do have the advantage of the carpool lane stickers though.
As you noted, if you go easy on the starts and coast early for the stops you will have great mileage. I am amazed when I see other Prius drivers behaving as if they were in a mono fuel vehicle. Why buy the car if you are going to drive like that.
You should also note in your book the the MPG on the info center is often wrong and if you truely want to track your mileage keep a log of gallons and miles every time you fill your tank and average it over months/years.
By: madone52 on November 28, 2007
at 11:15 pm
