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Messages Page 2516 of 3236

#25148 of 32355 Re: Prius [steve_] by ateixeira

May 08, 2012 (1:30 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (May 08, 2012 12:41 pm)
So to be a true hypermiler I'd have to diet a lot... NAAAH! I like to eat well.

#25149 of 32355 Re: Prius [steve_] by jayrider

May 08, 2012 (1:33 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (May 08, 2012 12:41 pm)
Another "weigh" to improve mpg is to never drive with more than a quarter [eighth?] of tank. 8.3 pounds per gallon. Saw a late model Civic outside McDonalds. The back seat was hoarded to the ceiling with enough junk to survive a month after a nuclear holocaust. The driver was a middle aged woman -- dressed and groomed nicely -- sitting inside surfing the web and eating.

#25150 of 32355 Re: Prius [lemmer] by anonymousposts

May 08, 2012 (1:53 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (May 07, 2012 6:37 am)
Driving a 07 was what made us want a Prius. Gee wanted the buttons on a new one, otherwise we would have been happy with a 2nd generation. Dealers in Atlanta were not the easiest to deal with. They didn't have the exact car we wanted and they weren't willing to discount them. We found one in Nashville that was white over charcoal. That dealer was willing to sell it for $27,200 but it had one hail ding from a storm and we decided we wanted the tan interior. So we found this one in SC and called them up. They verbally agreed to meet the $27,200 and they did, with no games.
 
On a trip back from the grocery store today, I was able to get 62.4 MPG. My work commute is averaging right at 50 MPG. So far we are very pleased. It isn't the sportiest car on the road. However, if you know what you are getting into, it drives surprisingly well.

#25151 of 32355 Re: Prius [lemmer] by michaell

May 08, 2012 (2:45 pm)

Replying to: lemmer (May 08, 2012 1:02 pm)
It always irks me that I can't exceed EPA estimates in my Honda Pilot when we take trips. But we have four people a dog and all our junk with us. Considering that, maybe reaching the EPA number is not so bad.
 
Our CX-7 is rated for 17/23 .. on the one road trip we took, we saw 25 on the highway, but it was just the two of us .. and our luggage .. and my golf clubs.
 
Got a mini-roadtrip set for this weekend ... couple hundred miles to south central Colorado on Friday, return to Pueblo on Saturday, then home on Sunday. We'll see what kind of mileage we get. About 70% interstate, 30% 2 lane highway over a significant pass.

#25152 of 32355 Re: Prius [ateixeira] by roadburner

May 08, 2012 (3:50 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (May 08, 2012 8:22 am)
BMW(E34 M5) and Pontiac(3rd Gen. Firebird) both flirted with aerodynamic wheel designs in the early '80s. Both attempts were pretty homely. BMW realized its error and revised the wheel design while Pontiac dumped the altogether.

#25153 of 32355 Re: Prius [michaell] by steve_ HOST

May 08, 2012 (4:18 pm)

Replying to: michaell (May 08, 2012 2:45 pm)
Didn't you do this trip last year, but a bit farther down to Santa Fe?
 
Find those backroads, really zap your mpg and be late for work come Monday morning.
 
I'm jealous - love the country down there. Haven't seen any real mountains for a couple of years now.

#25154 of 32355 Re: Prius [steve_] by andre1969

May 08, 2012 (8:30 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (May 08, 2012 12:41 pm)
Every pound helps. The real reason so many people complain that they can't get the EPA mileage is because they are 40 pounds overweight.
 
I'm not fully convinced of that, although on something like a Prius, every little bit probably matters. I just keep thinking back to 2005, when I went to Florida with two friends in my 2000 Intrepid. The car got about 27.5 mpg on that trip, with two extra people on board and so much luggage that the trunk was packed and we had to throw some in the back seat. That was with the a/c going the whole time, and me exceeding the speed limit, and having the 78-in-a-65 ticket to prove it.
 
And, FWIW, 27.5 is about the same mileage that car would get with just me, alone, empty trunk, driving like that on the highway, with the a/c on.
 
I'm sure that in local stop-and-go driving though, the extra weight would make more difference.

#25155 of 32355 Re: Prius [andre1969] by steve_ HOST

May 09, 2012 (5:02 am)

Replying to: andre1969 (May 08, 2012 8:30 pm)
Well, yeah, but you were going downhill all the way.
 
Americans' obesity adds to gasoline consumption, study says (USA Today)
 
"The same effect has been seen in airplanes. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines"

#25156 of 32355 Re: Prius [steve_] by michaell

May 09, 2012 (6:07 am)

Replying to: steve_ (May 08, 2012 4:18 pm)
Didn't you do this trip last year, but a bit farther down to Santa Fe?
 
Last year we went to Santa Fe and Sedona.
 
This weekend we're hitting Alamosa, CO and Pueblo. Not really a vacation - wife is graduating from college on Saturday in Alamosa. The stop in Pueblo is just an excuse not to go straight home.
 
I'm jealous - love the country down there. Haven't seen any real mountains for a couple of years now.
 
It's funny - after living in CO for 19 years the mountains are just part of the scenery. What I miss are the green hills that are prevalent back east. Would love to do a road trip in that direction someday, but the problem is that the first day and a half you've gotta traverse either Kansas (I-70), Nebraska (I-80) or Texas/Oklahoma (I-40).

#25157 of 32355 Re: Prius [steve_] by andre1969

May 09, 2012 (6:57 am)

Replying to: steve_ (Dec 21, 2011 2:21 pm)
A few years back, I bought a set of aluminum Mirada/Cordoba wheels, with the intention of putting them on my '79 5th Ave. I'm not sure how much of a weight savings they are, versus the 15x7 steel wheels that are on it now, but going by feel, there's definitely a noticeable difference.
 
FWIW, once I stepped on a bathroom scale, holding one of the NYer's tires, mounted on a steel rim, to see how much it weighed. Something like 52-53 pounds! I wonder if those aluminum rims would save, oh, maybe 10 pounds per wheel? I wonder if 40 lb of unsprung weight would make much difference in a car that size?
 
Checking my fuel records, the last four times I drove that car up to PA for the Carlisle Mopar show, I averaged 17.66, 17.41, 17.51, and 17.82 mpg. If I'm able to swap out the steel wheels with the aluminum ones in time for the show, I'll be curious to see if it has any noticeable effect on fuel economy this year.
 
I also wonder, if you go to a slightly narrower tread width, if it would have much effect on fuel economy? For example, say you had a car that normally takes 225/60/R16 tires, but you replace them with 215/65/R16? Would less friction from the slightly smaller contact patch have much of an effect?
 
In years past, I've put oversized tires on older cars, and haven't seen any noticeable effect, but maybe with modern, fuel efficient cars there's more of a difference? For instance, when I got rid of the 235/75/R15 tires on my '85 Silverado and replaced them with 255/70/R15, it didn't seem to do anything to the fuel economy.

Messages Page 2516 of 3236

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