We are about to embark on the trip. The main thread for the trip is over at cleanmpg.com. The link is here. I will try to keep everyone posted here on any Prius specific items. Also, if anyone has any quesitons about the Prius side I will answer them here.
Hi All, Trip is going well. Left Chicago yesterday at 3:00pm. The conditions were ideal. The first two segments, the Prius average 60-62mpg, using super highway mode. At about 7:00pm, we ran into 25-30mph cross/head winds, this together with snow caused whiteout conditions. This dropped the mpg down into the mid 50's. The headwinds continued until dawn. As of now, the weather is calm and clear, and the prius (for this leg) is averaging 62.3mpg. I'll keep you posted. Average Speed: 50 mph
We are currently at Sidney, Ne. We have encounter a 25 mph headwind, directly out of the west. We have climbed 2000 feet in the last hour. Because of these factors our mpg has taken a hit, and we are currently averaging 53mpg. Note: SHM works very well in ideal conditions, (level terrain and no wind) but in our current conditions it's unless. JUST IN: TUMBLEWEEDS ARE CROSSING THE ROAD, AND WE HAVE TO DODGE THEM.
I just finished the Lonepine, Ca - Bakersfield, Ca leg of the trip. I recorded 72.9mpg, but it was a partial tank, with two other drivers and the total will be lower because of mountains. We were able to get those numbers using the SHM with a combination of warp stealth. I'll post details later, I've got to get back on the road. One More Thing.......On the last tank into Salt Lake City....the PRIUS BET THE Honda!!! The numbers are being posted at Cleanmpg.com
It looks like the numbers are close enough that even if the Honda has a higher mpg the Prius will end up being the cheaper ride due to the difference in fuel prices. Nice work on the 72.9 segment! I know from experience how challenging it is to get into the 73 mpg range on the highway with a Prius.
Made it back to Cincinnati. I will post the mileage figues after they are compiled. One unexpected thing that happened. We left LA at 8:00 PM on Saturday. Andrew (Palemelonesian) had to be in Amarillo TX the following day at 4:00 to make his flight. After going through all the options, we dicided to try to make it there. We needed to average 70 MPH. What happened was what I will call the Prius/i-CDTi cross country dash. We drove 4 hour shifts, at 75 to 85 MPH (speed limt 75 most of the way). The Prius was awesome. The Prius is a great highway car. Anyone familiar with the route will kinow that there are many high passes and large grades to navigate. The Prius was able to climb all the grades and keep a steady 75-80 at all times and still get in the mid to high 40's for MPG. Also consider we had 3 men and all their gear in the car at all times. SOC was the only issue.
