I'm probably going to call my dealer tomorrow because my car only wants six gallons of fuel with two bars left on the gauge, which is at least 2 gallons less than it took back when it was warm. Does the fuel tank bladder have a tendency to shrink (or an aversion to expansion) when cold? This is ruining my miles-per-tank. Only got 35 MPG last tank.
Yup, the Prius doesn't like the cold, like me LOL. Tank shrinks in the cold, try waiting till the warmest part of the day before you put gas in it.
"The fuel tank capacity is decreased at low ambient temperature. (decreased by about 5 L (1.3 gal., 1.1 lmp. gal.) at –10°C (14°F).)" Pg 204 The problem is, it doesn't say how much it decreases per 10°C or something like that.
but if you have to bars left on the gauge and the car wants to take 6, that sounds right in the cold. You probably have about 2 gallons still in the tank and you putting 6 that makes it 8. Pretty normal. I barely squeezed 8.8 gallons yesterday after my last bar was blinking for about 20 miles. And it's warmer here.
Yep. The bladder shrinks in the cold. It's been suggested that with time it will shrink less. I have not kept records, so I can't say. I've learned not to be obsessive about how many miles I get on a tankful. I concentrate instead on how clean the car is.
