Aulfingers’ Favorite Cars - Toyota Prius

Say it isn’t so! A Toyota? Well, this car is different. It’s different than any Toyota before and different than any other car. This is the future of automobiles. Want to feel like you’re piloting a space shuttle?

While not made to toss around corners like the beloved MINI it replaced, the Prius is a terrific family sedan that rewards in its own special way. It has quite a following, as can be seen on PriusChat.

Part of the fun of being “into” a car is to make it your own through modifications and enhancements. As good as the Prius is at saving gas, can it be made better? Can the performance and handling be tweaked? For all the neat toys (Navigation, voice recoginition, etc.) can the creature comforts be enhanced?

The after-market wheels and tires have made a huge difference in the drivability of the car. Road feel and traction are much improved. But the down side is more tire noise (not bad) and a rougher ride. The rough ride highlights the simple and light weight rear suspension. It’s no BMW multi-link back there! There is no contest in poise in corners or over bumps compared to the MIN. But more than anything, I have found the throttle response when trying to merge into traffic or overtake a car to be bothersome. I sometimes feel a bit vulnerable when stepping on the gas and waiting for the computer to decide what to do. There can be a 1-2 second delay with nothing happening! And sometimes it begins to hesitate after an initial spurt. These habits are wearing on me.

Modifications

I hope to post a little of our success at reducing America’s dependence on foregin oil…

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Comments
8.198 360.5 4/19/05 44.0
50.0 Break-in. Who knows exactly how full the tank was from the dealer.
8.152 417.5 4/26/05 51.0
51.7 Break-in done. Experimenting with more power. Wet and Windy.
9.202 461.9 5/09/05 49.1
50.2 This car can be fun! But mpg’s suffer. Wet and warm enough for A/C.
8.088 407.4 5/17/05 50.4
52.5 More of a normal mix of city, highway, hot, cool, fighting traffic, etc.
7.800 372.2 5/25/05 47.7
48.3 Road trip to Mansfield, Missouri. Lots of hills.
8.621 413.3 5/28/05 47.7
49.9 Return trip from Mansfield, Missouri.
7.640 386.0 6/11/05 50.5 50.6 Found one rear tire had been low about 10psi.
9.670 420.3 6/13/05 43.5
44.7 Strong headwinds going south to Woodville, Mississippi
7.573 329.2 6/16/05 43.5
48.2 Mix of travel from Woodville to Lafayette and local trips.
10.786 421.6 6/16/05 39.1
45.4 Return trip. BP Sardis, MS—pump wrong? Lot of gas for 2 ticks on gauge… hmm.
10.495 486.8 7/01/05 46.4
47.5 Ran tank down until last tick was flashing to test above pump being wrong…
8.971 417.2 7/15/05 46.2 46.5 Hot!
9.703 438.7 7/22/05 45.3
47.3 Hot! Down to two ticks again at fill.
9.248 440.8 7/31/05 47.7
48.4 Hot! Down to two ticks again at fill.
8.710 372.7 8/15/05 42.8
43.8 Hot! Down to three ticks at fill. A/C left running for 3 hours!
9.371 417.5 8/25/05 44.6
44.8 Hot! Down to two ticks at fill. First tank on 16” tires
6.274 344.7 9/03/05 45.9
54.9 Tracy filled; not all the way to the top? Next tank will tell.
9.498 349.0 9/11/05 36.7
47.0 Yup…
8.478 386.8 9/24/05 45.0
45.6 Will it ever cool off???
9.355 428.8 10/07/05 45.8
46.3 One tick left.
8.974 398.1 10/19/05 44.4
50.7 Two ticks left.
8.787 443.4 11/02/05 48.4
50.5 Finally, some relief from the heat. One tick.
9.325 455.0 11/11/05 48.8
53.0 Down to one tick.
7.905 347.6 11/22/05 44.0
45.4 Down to two ticks. Starting to get cold. Engine stays on a lot.
8.746 407.6 12/02/05 45.8
46.6
9.462 373.5 12/15/05 39.5
41.5 Down to no ticks.
8.539 395.9 12/22/05 43.9
46.3 Down to no ticks.
6.547 292.2 12/24/05 44.6
49.2 Road trip to middle Tennesseee; back roads.
8.664 328.5 12/27/05 37.9
40.3 Trip home; 75mph highway with full load. Two ticks left
8.264 420.7 01/08/06 46.6
50.9 No ticks left.
8.709 350.5 01/17/06 40.3
50.9 No ticks left.
8.676 349.2 01/28/06 40.2
42.2 Cold weather is here. Could EV switch save gas on short hops?
8.990 385.0 02/07/06 42.8
45.5 Cold weather is here. Could EV switch save gas on short hops?
7.207 295.0 02/21/06 40.3
40.9 Cold weather not only cuts economy, but I've had hesitation, too.
8.484 338.7 02/24/06 39.9
43.6 Cold weather and a trip to Tulsa.
7.164 320.9 02/25/06 43.4
44.8 Cold weather in Tulsa.
7.082 269.2 02/25/06 38.0
39.8 Return from Tulsa.
8.885 352.4 03/02/06 39.8
40.8 Return from Tulsa.
8.3 (est) 375.1 03/30/06 45.1 45.1 Broken pump shutoff; estimated actual fuel taken.
Lifetime Total
132.857 6213 125 Days 46.8
Average on stock Goodyear Integrity tires.
201.651 8822 227 Days 43.7
Average on Continental SportContact 2 tires.
334.508 15035 352 Days 44.9
Lifetime Average
Note: Green mpg from trip computer; Blue mpg calculated from pump.

So far, it appears as though the trip computer is slightly optimistic. The lower mpg on the performance tires also coincides with more extreme temperatures through the brief transition from summer heat to cold of winter. A couple of milder weeks yielded notably better economy.

Revised April 6, 2006