So after about 400 miles of driving I finally got down to 2 pips. I'm moving right now and doing a lot of highway, so I decided to put a little gas in for the first time just in case. 3 gallons got me from 2 pips to 7 pips. I mean, seriously? Doesn't seem right!
that is why it is called a guess guauge, Due to the gas bladder alot of people have issues filling up. I have yet to experience this problem though, so far i have put 9.6 gallons or more on every fillup, i do drive it though till the last pip starts flashing but this is because on my commute there are plenty of stations on the way to stop and get gas.
It seems about right, 3 gallons will usually move you about 4 PIPS. Remember the tank will only hold little more then 10 gallons. Usually The first pip (full) will last about 80 - 120 miles The rest of them except the last one will usually last approx. 40- 45 miles The last one is somewhere around 25 before it flashes. When it flashes you are taking a chance if you go further then 10 miles
You have a 2008 package 4. There's a long history of those models being defective. Every dealer and salvage yard in the US knows about it. Good luck dumping that lump of trash. However, since I'm in a good mood, I'd be more than happy to take your defective Prius off your hands for a very generous $15,000. Let me know if you'd rather risk your life with that guess-gauge danger-mobile. Like the other guys said: we all know that there's no linear correlation between the pips and gallons in the tank; fill up at two pips and you'll be fine.
I'll give you $16,000 for that death trap and believe me (if you're not very bright) that is a benevolent act.
No, he's completely serious. If you have one, sell it now. I'll take it off of your hands... Of course he is kidding. Don't make me smack you with a trout. Oh never mind, I'm going to anyway: :fish: Tom
The problem with the 2008s has been known for at least three years. HA! I should write for The Onion!! YES, I was kidding. Everyone calm down, there's nothing wrong with any of the Prii. I just wanted to buy a new 2008 #4 for cheap. Mean? Perhaps.
You know that Gladys Knight never had a damn problem with those PIPS..... They were always there, on key and dancing in Sync!!! 73 de Pat KK6PD Oh, by the way I average 140 miles before the first Pip Pops!!!
Yeah, stick around here and you'll get used to Tony and Pat's sense of humor. I think of the first pip as about 2-3 gallons (if the tank is completely filled, which does not happen in winter due to the flexible bladder, better to think of it as 1-2 gallons then). Then after the first pip goes, each next one is nearly a gallon's worth. So 3 gallons should move you up 3 or 4 pips. You went up 5 pips, so maybe it barely was on two pips when you started, or barely made it to 7 pips? Anyway, not too far off of the expected. Down to 2 gallons, time to fill up again. Some people push their luck with getting down to one blinking pip, but that's dangerous. They do call it a guess gauge for a reason. If you run out of gas, you can go a short distance on the battery only, but if you push it too far, you run down the battery below the safety zone, and the life of the battery is severely damaged. Also, don't overfill the tank, that can damage emissions controls. I usually go to the second click, but stopping on the first click is probably better (unless you know it was premature click-off - rule of thumb: if you're getting about 50 mpg, then double your miles on the tank and knock off two zeros - eg. 400 miles will require about 8 gallons to refill, 380 miles will be 7.6 gallons).
For the first 100 miles on this new tank I was getting 56mpg. Then I had to transport a lot of heavy furniture over long distances and it dropped by 10. I've decided to commute to work via side streets rather than the highway. That will have to bring it back up. I'm a master at the pulse/glide when going around 35-40. I actually did pretty well with the stealth glide on the highway by identifying declines in the road. I'm going up the whole way to work, so it's not worth it. Maybe on the ride back I'll take it.
After a full summer I suspected that my evening commute was slightly uphill. With a topographic map I was able to prove it. My morning drive almost always yields higher mileage due to the downhill nature. On the drive home I'm happy if I can maintain the average mileage.
For a little while there I thought we were on PCbay. My rule so you don't have to follow it. Regardless of what I think I am not really god of the whole world. Fill up at 2 pips or rectangles or segments on the gauge. It isn't a dreadful imposition to fill at this point, after all my last car got 33% less miles on a fill and each fill was 50% more fuel. Enjoy your Prius, it is functioning as it should. But if you do want to sell to a good home for $16,500 ...
Ha, I was aware of the pip issue before I made this thread. It just irritated me. My baby is going nowhere. I've discovered the backroads to work are very good for my mpgs. I went from 44.2 mpg (after 50 miles of transporting 400 pounds of furniture and a passenger) to 48.7mpg in one day. I should be back to the 50's by tomorrow. Hopefully I can pull 53.5 before my next fill. I friggin love this car, regardless of the crap my friends give me for it.
My morning drive gets better mileage than my afternoon because I run into heavy traffic sooner and am able to glide or warp stealth sooner. On the way home I have to go several miles before the traffic backs up. The other day we had a small "Pri Parade" going northbound on the Tri State--3 of us in a row!
