Hi everyone, I am interested in purchasing a gen II Prius. Living in Ohio, I am a little concerned about the effects that the winter might have on the car's fuel bladder. Does the refueling situation get worse in the winter? I understand the winter caveats of stock tires handling poorly and lower FE, but its the bladder thing that is giving me pause. I understand that the 2010 uses a tank. In your opinions, if the bladder is indeed a problem, do you think it warrants getting a new 2010 over a used gen II model? Thanks! - Andrew
The bladder is only a problem if you choose to disregard the refuel indicator. For me in the winter, that has meant a range between 300 and 350 miles. That's much less than some prefer. But then again, you really don't want to be caught in sub-zero temps without gas anyway. In short, if you fill up with 8 gallons, no big deal. .
It shouldn't be too bad. Winter will reduce your mileage anyway and therefore range. You can mitigate this through grill blocking and perhaps an engine block heater (I've only done the blocking.) The main thing I noticed in winter was that the fill volumes became much more variable with several "short fills." If you have to refill on some of the coldest days of the year you can lose about 10% of a normal fill from bladder shrinkage alone. Short fills and bladder shrinkage make another hit on your range. Mine dropped down into the low 300's at the flashing pip until I grill blocked. I also did a few fills early (2-3 pips) because of serious ice/snow storms expected within 24 hours. As for which car to buy, its a matter of money and preferences. I supposed the used GenII will be considerably less expensive. Sure I would like to be without the bladder, but it isn't a show stopper. The main problem I see with the 2010 is that it is the first model year, and that generally results in a few teething problems for any car.
You won't get quite as much gas in the tank in cold winter months. If that's a deal breaker (I can't imagine how it would be), get the 2010. ... Brad
No problem here in northern Michigan. My experience is pretty much the same as that described by Shawn. Expect lower mileage from the cold and snow, and reduced tank capacity from the bladder. As others have said, pay attention to the fuel gauge and you will be fine. Tom
Unless on a long highway trip I usually fill up at 1/2 tank. I don't have -any- problem with "short fills". I can assure you that we DO have real winter here in Edmonton! In winter I usually get 300 km on 1/2 tank. In warmer weather I get 400 or more. I fill the tank more slowly than the pump might want to at "full output". I suspect, because of that, the bladder has time to expand. The fuel being pumped in is also at a much warmer temp than the air so it may warm the bladder a bit. It's around 10C whereas the air is usually at -20C or colder. Yuck!
Some people seem to think that you should run the tank dry on each tank and coast into a gas station on EV then fit 11.5 gallons in on every fill up. If your not one of these people you are good to go.
For cold weather operation, I always advocate filling up at 1/2 tank. This has nothing to do with bladder issues but is a survival issue. Say it's -38 C, you're cruising along somewhere, and with sudden strong NW winds, a whiteout closed the road and you're stranded for a day or so. That extra gas in the tank could mean the difference between being inconvenienced and being turned into a popsicle
More like 9.5 gallons for the coast, but that would just be a guess since the cruddy fuel gauge isn't any help once you get to the flashing pip. It's nowhere close to the stated capacity for most who actually have a bladder.
I might point out to everyone, I'm an Aussie so I don't have a bladder in my fuel tank, there fore I am unqualified to make any comment in relation to any aspect of the Prius that relates to the fuel system. So I'm told. For the record I have actually got a bladder, I empty it several times a day.
