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07/07/2007 08:05:50 PM · #26 |
Wow. Good for you. Congratulations!
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07/07/2007 08:23:28 PM · #27 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Originally posted by jbsmithana:
I'd take it back, that shirt clashes with the car. |
We wanted the "silver pine" one, which would have matched, but they didn't have one in stock... :( |
Nice wheels,  alanfreed, but as  jbsmithana says, "that shirt's gotta go." Love the color - of the Prius that is.
One more thing you will like with the Prius - it acts as a blind when you're out shooting wildlife, since when it's idling, the engine is turned off and there is absolutely no vibration. Makes for easier shooting in those wildlife preserves. |
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07/07/2007 08:37:40 PM · #28 |
| Congrats on the new wheels Alan! Nice looking vee-hickle. |
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07/07/2007 09:08:39 PM · #29 |
Did you already place an order for the 24" chrome wheels yet?
;)
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07/07/2007 09:36:43 PM · #30 |
I've barely figured out how to turn the radio on yet, let alone pimp my ride any further :)
Originally posted by Brad:
Did you already place an order for the 24" chrome wheels yet?
;) |
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07/12/2007 09:28:03 AM · #31 |
I have a question for you Prius owners. I own a Hybrid vehicle, but not a Prius. I am curious, do you know or can you tell on any given tank of gas, how many miles were driven on battery alone?
In mine, I have a theory...the computer reports to me the average miles per gallon the gas engine is getting - with or without electric assist. Currently this is 35 mpg. At the end of the tank of gas I fill up, say 10 gallons (average fill up for me - I usually fill up the first time the computer reports low fuel) and reset the trip meter. Now, at the end of a tank of gas the trip meter says I have driven 450 miles. With ten gallons of fuel expended and 35 mpg, I take this to indicate that I have driven 350 miles using gas with electric assist but a clear 100 miles on battery alone. Is this a reasonable assumption or am I missing/confusing something here?
Oh and Congrats Alan! I am sure you will love the car. Everyone around this area loves their Prius vehicles. A little small for me and not so sure about them in all the snow we have here in winter (why I got the vehicle I got), but any Hybrid is a good thing as far as I am concerned.
How are they in snow? Deep snow? Anyone know?
Message edited by author 2007-07-12 09:30:19. |
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07/12/2007 09:40:11 AM · #32 |
I am actually glad I got to ride in terry's prius. I still wouldnt own that particular vehicle but last time i had been in one was the 2004 Motor Tren International Car show and I was only there to shoot fords end anyways. I only knew what I had read about them and what I had read about other similar vehicles.
Im a minor gearhead still in school for it and am more interested in engine swaps then fixing broken crap. The EV button mod will wear the battery out a bit faster, Im sure where toyota offers it the Warranty on the battery isnt voided but what about the US.
As far as peopl who ask well do you really save money the vehicle costs more and to maintain this and that. Honestly for someone like me i dont care about in the end. I can afford a loan more then I can afford the day to day fuel expenses. Id rather pay the extra (up to) 50% of fuel expense a normal car would cost me in the long run through a loan then out of pocket each day. |
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07/12/2007 09:41:11 AM · #33 |
Originally posted by CEJ:
How are they in snow? Deep snow? Anyone know? |
I drove my 1966 Austin healey Sprite Mark 3 down 1 foot of unplowed street. WITH 13x3.5 inch tires which are tiny in a car that weighs 1500 pounds and is rear wheel drive.
It might not sound like much but its the height of the tires lol. I made it down the street just fine ims ure the prius does better.
Message edited by author 2007-07-12 09:42:56. |
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07/12/2007 09:47:19 AM · #34 |
Originally posted by CEJ:
How are they in snow? Deep snow? Anyone know? |
I know several people here in Michigan who drive theirs all the time and they don't seem any better or worse than any other FWD car. The biggest factor in driving through deep snow is ground clearance. When the roads are just covered with packed snow, the biggest factor is having enough weight on the drive wheels and, of course, tires. |
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07/12/2007 10:29:35 AM · #35 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Well, remember earlier in this thread when I mentioned the fact that when we go "just looking" for a car, we normally just buy one instantly without bothering to shop around, etc.?
Well, here's a picture of my driveway, taken 5 minutes ago...
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I can see the car smiling :) Congrats! |
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07/12/2007 11:00:15 AM · #36 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Originally posted by ClubJuggle:
If you ever run out of gas, don't try to drive the car to the gas station on battery. Pull over and call for help, as you would with a traditional gasoline engine. |
What if I run out of the plutonium... how will I achieve the 1.21 jigawatts of power to run the flux capacitor? |
Duh, that's easy. Just get yourself a Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor. You can then pick up trash from the side of the road, feed it in, and generate the electrical power needed. It's that simple.
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07/12/2007 11:59:31 AM · #37 |
| Just don't rearend a suburban with this vehicle. Had one run into me at maybe 10mph, the toyota was totalled. No damage to my rig...Lol |
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07/12/2007 12:07:32 PM · #38 |
Originally posted by ace flyman:
Just don't rearend a suburban with this vehicle. Had one run into me at maybe 10mph, the toyota was totalled. No damage to my rig...Lol |
Totaled means a lot of things to alot of people. Real life totaled it just costs more to fix then its worth.
I had the same 93 toyota go into a guard rail at 50 mph, mind you not direct impact more like the vehicle was going sidewys and lept forward intot he rail. And rear eneded an audi at between 25-40 mph. And pulled the front end out both times.... Part of my job is in a body shop it helps.
A vehicle can be cut in half and they insurance company fixes it, it can be dented and they total it. Most people see a messed up car oh totaled...
But yeah dont wreck this or defintly not an insight lol. |
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07/12/2007 12:22:10 PM · #39 |
Look at the VW golf diesel if you want good gas milage and decent performance without supporting the battery making facility's damage.
Also gas milage has greatly to do with how you drive a car and the quality of the gas you put in it.
I've got a 2004 acura tsx that is rated for 22/31mpg by the epa. With some gas stations i've been getting close to that driving conservatively, but I can get 41mpg mostly highway with good gas and driving conservatively. Last tank of gas I got I averaged about 35mpg for 400 miles. About 2/3 of that was highway.
edit: oh man guess i was too late.
Message edited by author 2007-07-12 12:23:00. |
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07/12/2007 12:28:21 PM · #40 |
I like the VW deisel, the Focus is such a pile of crap (i work for a ford dealer in parts i know lol) but the Deisel focus in europ gets 50+ to the gallon, we dont get it here because our deisel fuel sucks lol.
My 1993 Toyota paseo that i drove from 03 to 06 got 30 to 34 mpg over the rated 29/32... not much more but i drove like a jackass. But i fueled at night even when i accelrated fast once i got to the speed iw as going i dropped it in 5th and stayed there. I did alot of retuning replaced the entire intake and exhaust with OEM type parts not performance and had it turning near 0's across the bored on emissions (0.003 0.080 0.055 and the other number was like CO2 and i cut it down from 200 to 24 lol.)
If you dont need to downshift to speed up then don't. Stay in 5th or whatever and gradually pick up speed i feel this also helped alot with gas mileage may have added a little stress but not so much that the car couldnt take it. |
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07/12/2007 03:01:53 PM · #41 |
Originally posted by RainMotorsports:
As far as peopl who ask well do you really save money the vehicle costs more and to maintain this and that. Honestly for someone like me i dont care about in the end. I can afford a loan more then I can afford the day to day fuel expenses. Id rather pay the extra (up to) 50% of fuel expense a normal car would cost me in the long run through a loan then out of pocket each day. |
Also, it's not only about saving gas -- the hybrids are also considered low- or ultra-low emmission vehicles, so you're not contributing so much to air pollution -- in California, the Prius is exempt from (otherwise mandatory) smog-testing for up to ten years.
Message edited by author 2007-07-12 15:02:20. |
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07/12/2007 05:38:10 PM · #42 |
| That's what I love about this place...you can ask a question and never get a response. |
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07/12/2007 05:51:20 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by CEJ:
That's what I love about this place...you can ask a question and never get a response. |
You already got an answer to the safety-related part of your question.
I don't know the specific answer to the other part ... it seems to me that if you drive 450 miles and burn 10 gallons, you are getting 45 miles/gallon, regardless of the (varying) rate at which the fuel's being burned at any one time.
I find that there's very little time spent actually driving in all-electric mode, but with the electric motor assisting the gas engine the milage will often be rated at 75 mpg, dropping to 25 mpg when climbing a steep hill or accelerating onto the freeway, so I average about 46 mpg.
It will run in all-electric mode when going downhill or at around 30 mph or less on level ground -- it's great when you're stuck in a traffic jam, parking lot, or toll-lane. If you are at a long traffic signal, the gas engine shuts off, so you don't burn gas idling, and coasting up to a stoplight/sign will provide regenerative braking, which charges up the main battery. |
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07/12/2007 06:10:42 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
... I average about 46 mpg. |
That's good to know... I just got home from the first semi-serious trip in the Prius, and most of the time I was averaging just over 50. Overall, I'm at 49.4 mpg on this tank of gas, and I have just about 500 miles on this tank.
Very curious to see how it'll do cross-country next week! It's interesting that it's less efficient on a long, flat highway, than it is in stop & go traffic. |
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07/12/2007 06:18:20 PM · #45 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
... I average about 46 mpg. |
That's good to know... I just got home from the first semi-serious trip in the Prius, and most of the time I was averaging just over 50. Overall, I'm at 49.4 mpg on this tank of gas, and I have just about 500 miles on this tank.
Very curious to see how it'll do cross-country next week! It's interesting that it's less efficient on a long, flat highway, than it is in stop & go traffic. |
Remember when comparing milage that mine's about six years old.
They say milage better in the city, but I think I get better on the highway -- driving from LA to Oakland I think I get closer to 48 (going 70+ much of the time on I-5) -- if you can keep your speed around 65 you should do better. It only needs a light touch to keep going on level ground. |
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07/12/2007 06:24:47 PM · #46 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
... I average about 46 mpg. |
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They say milage better in the city, but I think I get better on the highway -- driving from LA to Oakland I think I get closer to 48 (going 70+ much of the time on I-5) -- if you can keep your speed around 65 you should do better. It only needs a light touch to keep going on level ground. |
Also take into consideration the city terrain. San Francisco lets me get only around 36-38mpg as I must use power for all the hills. As GeneralE says, in the flat when it's slowgoing, and at stoplights, it powers off.
For combined city/country driving - and I make sure I get plenty of country stuff - I average 45-48mpg in my 2003 Prius. |
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07/12/2007 06:47:03 PM · #47 |
Originally posted by CEJ:
That's what I love about this place...you can ask a question and never get a response. |
You got 2 responses one an opinion from me someone who has driven a car smaller and lighter then the prius with tires that arent even as wide as the prius's. And another from a person that lives in a snowy place and see's them all the time. Also an added opinion on deep snow.
Sorry if an actual prius owner didn't answer? |
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07/12/2007 06:55:36 PM · #48 |
My real question was on the mpg calculations which consisted of 99% of my post. The how are they in snow was one line and not the gist of my post.
GE: No - I guess you didn't read my post. The computer reports to me the GAS engine is getting average 35 mpg (including when assisted by electric) it averages the mpg only when the gas engine is running. So the GAS engine gets 35 mpg. However, the trip odometer reports miles traveled above that. So my question is does that mean the extra miles are ELECTRIC only driving or am I missing something?
I drive to and from work everyday with the gas engine coming on only when I first start the car and it runs for two or three minutes. By the time I back out it is only electric. Around town the car is in electric mode most of the time. |
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07/12/2007 06:58:13 PM · #49 |
Chris,
Which hybrid do you own, and what year?
~Terry
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07/12/2007 08:09:32 PM · #50 |
2006 Ford Escape 4 Wheel Drive (not all wheel, 4 wheel). The specs say it will go to 25 electric only, but I have learned to use the roads themselves and quite frequently can cruise through town at 35 mph in all electric. Plus with the dynamic braking and low gear the battery gets quite a bit of charge without the gas engine.
Much cheaper than my previous vehicle to drive and maintain - had an F-150 V-8 truck. The hybrid gets serviced every 10000 miles. It gets its 3rd oil change in 4k when it hits 30k. 4 wheel drive is automatic - only thing I don't like - not so much that I no longer have to put it into 4 wheel drive, but it is so smooth a change you never know when it goes into 4 wheel drive and there is no indicator. But in three feet of unplowed snow this winter at 3 a.m. I had no problems on the road at all.
The figures for mileage I gave are what MY car is reporting to me. The computer is telling me I am averaging 35.1 mpg with the gas engine. The trip odometer is between 435 and 470 when I reset it at fill-up. I have never put more than 11 gallons at once in the tank. And that was only once. I fill up when the first low fuel warning comes on and it is usually between 9.8 and 10.5 gallons.
Message edited by author 2007-07-12 20:13:43. |
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