A few days ago I got 4 new tires. They are the same size as the originals but a different brand, Falken ze 512, which is highly rated and is supposed to have a low rolling resistance. Before the tires my average mileage was around 47mpg. Now it seems to hover around 40. I also notice that the battery charge is full green a lot more and the battery seems to be discharging less than before. Basically, the car isn't using the electric motor as often. Anyone have any thoughts as to why this might be?
1. Short-term mpgs are quite variable, and may be more related to short trip length than anything else. Keep watching. 2. I know nothing' about your tires, and probably only little about your car. Mine is a 2001 Prius. 3. Did you switch to a wider tread? This can counteract LRR benefits. 4. Run your front tires at 95% of the sidewall max cold inflation pressure, and your rears at 90% - until somebody comes up with a better idea. 5. Many new tires roll rough for the first thousand miles or so, until the rough edges get smoothed off. This process can be accelerated by some wild driving - so go have some fun! But be careful, and keep your eyes up, not on the MFD screen. 6. Consider a front to back tire swap after 1000 miles. Get everybody smoothed off. 7. Please let us know if things improve!
The green on your battery is from the colder weather. As to the tires there aren't many that can match the oem's for LRR. They should improve with time a little. My mpgs in New England have dropped from typical 55 down to 50 and no tire changes yet. This is due to fuel mix changes and or colder weather. The colder weather affects me a lot due to short trips.
There's a recal procedure for the MFD when new tires are put on, right? I don't have time to look it up right now. Also, although I wouldn't expect what you are seeing, new tires generally mean lower MPG until the wear in a bit...
Ok, so anybody remember how to do this or where to find it? I took a quick look through the owner's manual and it wasn't apparent.
I had to put new tires on at 20,000 miles. Supposedly LLR, my mileage went from 48+ to 42+. I increased the psi to 40 and got to 44MPG. Still a hit of well over 10%. I'm hoping for the wear-in period you mentioned. This loss was literally the day I got the tires-no difference in trip lengths, driving styles, or weather. I should have stuck withe the OEMs.
