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2009 Toyota Prius

#201
Honda_FCX_Clarity.jpg


That is the real future.
 
#202
anniemcu said:
That 'hypermiling' is looking better and better to me as gas prices rise again, though I doubt I'll dive fully into it. There certainly are some easy wasys to add mpg's though, and the simplest is to drop speed. I do the posted speed limit, and a little less on multi-lane hiways. It is aggravating to get up 15 minutes earlier so I can get to work without speeding, but I have to say, I clench my jaw less, use 'colorful language' less and have fewer headaches. LOL!

I suspect that the folks who are so exceedingly eager to get past me are probably already not having a good day before they manage to crowd my bumper.
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I agree that getting the extra mile out of a commute can be satisfying (I recently dropped my speed on my 37 mile commute for a change of pace), but some of the practices of hypermiling are downright dangerous. Besides, it's almost a game as the actual money saved ends up being (literally) the price of a snack run to the corner store. That kind fo saving isn't worth getting rear-ended by someone driving the speed limit to me.

One can easily argue that "legally" they are only require to drive 45 on the freeway, but that's assuming perfect conditions. Legally, the far left lane should be used for passing only, but this just isn't the case. Inasmuch as I don't believe that everyone should operate with the lowest common denominator....I think certain concessions have to be made for the safety of the other drivers on the road.

Mike
 
#203
Yeah, I prefer the streamlined "hypermiling" mentality. There are no real surprises anymore on any commutes that I take, and I anticipate ahead of time where the lights are, and slow accordingly to catch them on the change..stuff like that. No jackrabbit starts either as not only does it kill your gas mileage, but it taxes your tranny too. That is consistently where most wear to tranny, brakes and engine occur is all the stop and go.

But the shutting down the motor and coasting in neutral downhill is even MORE dangerous, as Mike says, and even more taxing on your engine. To me, it's all about being smarter and more responsible with my gas dollar, and if that means I end up second or third in queue as others speed to be first in line from green off a stoplight, so be it.
 
#204
mike_v_s said:
I agree that getting the extra mile out of a commute can be satisfying (I recently dropped my speed on my 37 mile commute for a change of pace), but some of the practices of hypermiling are downright dangerous. Besides, it's almost a game as the actual money saved ends up being (literally) the price of a snack run to the corner store. That kind fo saving isn't worth getting rear-ended by someone driving the speed limit to me.

One can easily argue that "legally" they are only require to drive 45 on the freeway, but that's assuming perfect conditions. Legally, the far left lane should be used for passing only, but this just isn't the case. Inasmuch as I don't believe that everyone should operate with the lowest common denominator....I think certain concessions have to be made for the safety of the other drivers on the road.

Mike
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Totally in agreement on that. I keep to the speed limit on the lesser roads, where those behind me have no chance to assert their perceived dominance, unless the road conditions warrant slower (wet, snowy, nights with lots of wildlife, and then they can mutter and mumble all they want, LOL!). I will not risk my life for their 'need for speed'.

I usually hold to 60 (no less than 55) on the wider main highways (Speed limit of 65 here), and a good 5-10 mph under the top speed on the high speed ones (usually a top Speed limit of 70 here). That's savings enough for me (and loads safer).
 
#211
anniemcu said:
Just a reminder that the old bangers use batteries too, and those are not much less problematic on manufacture and disposal.

Also, if you want to get all disturbed about the manufacturing, you'd better start using that cell phone a lot less, as well as your PC and laptop.

The Prius is certainly not *the* answer to the problems of pollution and all, but it certainly is a step in the right direction. A direction, BTW, that should have been being pursued for the last 40some years rather than newly 'discovered'.
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i think you misunderstood me, i'm talking about the batteries that make the prius drive, not the normal one for the starter et al. that is of course the same in a prius as it is in any car. what i'm trying to get at is the bogus promise by toyota that the prius is environmentally friendly because it only emits a certain amount of co2 per mile. firstly, there are other cars out there that emit way less than the prius (the tesla for example, many others with a combustion engine too). i see the problem in the manufacturing process that emits all sorts of nasty gases and substances which have to be counted if you want to determine the impact on the environment of any given product. it is simply wrong to believe that you are doing the environement a favour by throwing you old car away and getting a prius or any other new car instead.

it's also a know fact that hybrid systems were developed because the market demanded them, not because the car manufacturers want to do the environment a favour.
any engineer will tell you that a hybrid system is very inefficient due to the additional weight, but the consumer still feels good about it.


regarding pc's and cell phones. i have no choice and i'm not telling myself that using cell phones or pc's are good for the environment. some prius/hybrid drivers cannot stop bragging about how green they are and how much they care for the environment. if they really did they would not buy a hybrid car.
 
#213
mike_v_s said:
EDIT: Ford had been slowing pushing their turbo program for over a year. I think it's called Eco-boost? Anyway, the idea is to replace some of their larger engines with smaller, turbocharged, poweplants. They advertise the fuel savings as 15-20%, I'm betting it's less....and pointless if it is. Most of the turbo engines I'm familiar with require premium. We'll see if the project gets pushed into completion and if the public buys it.
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I think VW has been selling these for a year or two, check out the VW TSI engine. Their 1.4 litre TSI gets 168 hp.
 
#215
kanonfodr said:
First of all, congrats to the OP on the new ride.

I thought the average 45 mpgs of my landlady's Prius was great, especially when gas was 4 bucks a gallon in Hawaii and my truck only gets 12 mpg. But then I bested her, by buying a ride for $1100 bucks that gets me 57 mpg with a steady flogging :).

Go ahead, guess what it is!!!

Peace,
Greg
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One of these???
248542-0-0-1.jpg
 
#216
anniemcu said:
Totally in agreement on that. I keep to the speed limit on the lesser roads, where those behind me have no chance to assert their perceived dominance, unless the road conditions warrant slower (wet, snowy, nights with lots of wildlife, and then they can mutter and mumble all they want, LOL!). I will not risk my life for their 'need for speed'.

I usually hold to 60 (no less than 55) on the wider main highways (Speed limit of 65 here), and a good 5-10 mph under the top speed on the high speed ones (usually a top Speed limit of 70 here). That's savings enough for me (and loads safer).
Click to expand...

in my experience, my prius gets its best mileage on highway trips at around 67 mph. set the cruise and whammo, average around 52 mpg.
 
#217
on a lark, i expended serious effort this last tankful with my prius in trying to maximize my gas mileage. went over 530 miles before i refilled the tank, averaging over 52 mpg. that's bumper-to-bumper traffic, short drives of a mile or less, along with a daily 20+ mil each way commutes.

this didn't cause me to arrive anywhere late, or hold up traffic or otherwise be obnoxious. just required a little bit of patience, and a little less driving aggression than one might normally express while driving.
 
#218
09 Honda Fit Sport Manual transmission

1st tank, filled by dealer, so not sure just *how* full, returned 30+MPG.
2nd tank, filled by me, to the point where it was sitting right at the base of the fill opening, netted a much more pleasing 40.4MPG!! And that included a road trip and air con, as well as a week of to and from work. (Figured by actual gallons used and actual mileage driven, not by the MPG gauge in the car, though that was only off by 1.5MPG)

The Fit is an Ultra Low Emissions vehicle, and with that kind of mileage, driving sanely, not obsessively, certainly takes some shine from the Prius, and a lot less money from the buyer. And my bass fits! :D
 
#219
anniemcu said:
2nd tank, filled by me, to the point where it was sitting right at the base of the fill opening, netted a much more pleasing 40.4MPG!! And that included a road trip and air con, as well as a week of to and from work. (Figured by actual gallons used and actual mileage driven, not by the MPG gauge in the car, though that was only off by 1.5MPG)

The Fit is an Ultra Low Emissions vehicle, and with that kind of mileage, driving sanely, not obsessively, certainly takes some shine from the Prius, and a lot less money from the buyer. And my bass fits! :D
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not too shabby - about 3/4 the performance (mpg) of the prius at about 3/4 of the price, give or take.

looks to be not much smaller than the prius, either.

did you get the manual or the automatic?
 

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