Just brought home my 2008 Prius, and have been reading through threads. I've read that short trips = less mpg due to the warming up of the car. My question is, how long does it need to be off before it cools down. I have a 15 minutes commute home after work, but I stop at home for about 5 minutes, grab the dog, and head out again, for a 20 minute trip to my horses. Is that 5 minute stop short enough that when I head out the car isn't "cold" again? What's the max time I can leave the car off before I am back at square one? Thanks!
I'd guess it would cool down some, but not completely. If you have to stop, then stop, and don't worry that you're ruining your mileage. You could always call on your way home and tell the dog to be ready when you get there.
Of course it will cool a little but not enough to really hurt efficiency in any big way. I'd say it will be back up to an efficient running temperature within about the first minute of that 20 minute trip. I find I've got to be stopped for a couple of hours before I'm really back to "square one".
Until the 2010, the problem with short stops is that a new warm up cycle is required even though the cool down in 5 minutes is nominal. If you can shut down stereo and climate control, etc. and leave in ready mode for the 5 minutes you avoid the forced engine on time.
Thanks, as a newbie here... when you say to leave it in ready mode, do you mean leave the car on, but make sure the radio, etc. is turned off. Basically, park the car, but don't turn it off. This probably isn't as much an issue while it's warm here in PA, but once fall/winter comes, every little bit will help. Oh, and yes, I'll try calling the dog ahead of time - although he's usually ready to go before I am! Thanks again!
Correct, leave the car on with minimal electric drains. Some gen2 owners lock their car while getting groceries, etc., leaving it "on."
it also depends on the time of year. right now, even tho it has to run the warm up cycle again, your average will only drop one or two tenths of an mpg.
it takes hours for my car to cool down to the point the ICE restarts when i start the car to complete a warm up cycle. im talking 4-5 hours.
Depends on the ambient air temperature. Obviously it'll cool down a lot faster in the winter than in the summer. If the engine's is fully warmed up (i.e. you've been driving around for 10-20 miles at least and it's summer), then 5 mins won't make that much of a difference. It'll still cool down but we're talking a few degrees, not enough to make it start in S1 all over again. When it's -20c on the other hand...
So how do they lock the car and get back in after they exit? I have the base model and no smart key how would I accomplish this? Excuse me my brain a little fuzzy than usual since my wreck last week.
There's a metal key in the side of the FOB. You pull back a little slide and it comes right out. You can lock/unlock the car with the key. The key cannot be used to start the car. Of course you could always use the lock/unlock buttons on the FOB.
This could really come in handy to avoid the startup cycle if you were making multiple stops and were only away from the car for a few minutes at a time. Am I correct in thinking this?
My experience with "cooling down" on short periods of shut down for the Gen II suggests that the key is not block/coolant temps as measured by my ScanGauge. Yes, the Gen II seems to "want" to go through the whole warm-up routine after a short shutdown. But, it does so even if the block/coolant temps stay well above 157 degF. I think that lowered Catalytic Converter, CC, temps cause the new warmup cycle. If it is any consolation, from my observations, I also believe that the CC warms up rather quickly and there is a relatively quick return to fully warmed up, that is S4.
For the most part--true. However, I don't believe there is any way to bypass the (I think it runs for...) 57 seconds the ICE runs after you start up the car. If the water/cat temps are high enough I think it will go directly to S4 at ICE cut-off. Caution: my beliefs and reality are not always in sync.
