I posted this in the Newbie section and thought I would post on the main forum as well....Have had some great advice just wanted to hear more.. I bought a new 2008 Prius for the family. We have one child and one on the way. So far we really love this car. It is really for the wife but I have to say I enjoy driving it when I get the chance..its pretty cool..I work out of the house so we only have 400 miles on it. We traded a Chevy Tahoe with the big V8 so needless to say we are saving lots of money on gas. Here in Central IL the gas is now $3.17 - $3.25..wow for this area. I need some advice...we are taking a trip to Dallas Texas to take our son to the doctor..He is 4 and has to go every 6 months for a heart checkup. He was born with a heart defect and we love the doctors there so its worth the drive. Last trip was in the tahoe and I spent a ton on gas then 6 months ago. I liked the room in the tahoe for trips but that is about the only plus. Any advice or tips on taking the Prius on a 1800+ mile trip and what I should expect or do to get the best out of the car and comfort for us. We are going over Easter Break. Thanks for any and all replies and I appreciate the Help. Darin IL
Remember to make enough "comfort" stops, as you won't be stopping for gas as frequently. Oh, and it's a guess gauge, so fill up when you get down to 2 pips, don't try to see how far you can make it on one pip. Enjoy!
Tire pressure 42/40. Do you have a ScanGuage II? It would be very interesting to compare your stats at different cruising speeds in similar conditions. You can see iMPG on the MFD, but more is available with the SG. You should see better FE at lower freeway speeds. In light traffic you can try warp stealth and super highway mode, but they may slow you down too much for regular use on a long trip w/ family. Try to use warp steath for exits, etc. Don't tailgate. When safely following large vehicles, watch for iMPG impact.
I've gone on a couple of 1500+ mi trips since buying the Prius last year. You will be stopping less often for gas and You will be spending less for gas when you stop. Enjoy your trip. :car:
roadtrips are awesome in the prius! we just got back from a 2400+ (roundtrip) adventure from the florida panhandle to jerseyville, il, several day trips to st louis, and then down to clarksville, tn and back home. i spent less than $200 in gas! love it! before my prius i was driving a 1991 explorer, so "roadtrips" were limited to ~200 mile trips. keeping highway speeds low (not more than 5 mph over limit) makes a big difference! we didn't let the guess gauge get below 3-4 pips; we were stopping that often anyway for breaks so it wasn't out of the way. the guess gauge was a little frustrating however, especially has the temp was dropping the further north we went, i only had about 8.5 gallons of usable gas as the bladder shrunk up. but over all it was great! happy roadtrip!
Let the kid drive. Kidding! Seriously, keeping the youngsters entertained is a big contributor to happy trips. You obviously have had some experience in this. How about a "state outlines" map of the US? Mark the route (approx) and color in every state license plate spotted. Some guessing game, where the prize is that the kid gets to pick the next food stop. There must be web sites with (better) ideas! The adults can use $5-10 unburnt gas money for a tire pressure gauge. Check all 5, including the donut under the rear floor.
