How to get better MPG on your CT200
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I wish my CT get that much. Mine only up to best of 42. Quiet some hill and california traffic. driving in local street will kill the mpg to 30.
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is the 120 mile reading on the trip computer reset after you fill up gas to full?![]()
The read out says 57.2 at the moment but usually by mid to 3/4 way through the tank, it'll average out to read 54-55.
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funny, right now i am about as much tank used up (needle at the 4th section from full) and my trip computer clocked around 105 miles. not my best mpg i know (since it was raining), but my dashboard clocked my MPG (not real mpg) at 5.1L/100km or 46MPG US according to google. so if i add 10% to my trip computer making it closer to 120 miles like yours, the MPG reading should be 46 * 1.1 = 51MPG which is still lower than your 57.2 readout.
i am having this conspiracy theory: i suspect that the dashboard MPG is displaying the imperial MPG as UK mpg as supposed to US mpg. i was wondering if you are able to show us what the dashboard displays between MPG and metric (L/100km), and then use some google calculator to recheck the math. you can change the meter units in vehicle settings. metric should be accurate and not ambiguous, but MPG can be US or UK which can be a difference.
for my CT, the MPG displayed is never accurate against US MPG would be if converted from metric (L/100km), but seems to be closer to accurate if the metric reading is coverted to UK/europe MPG
i am having this conspiracy theory: i suspect that the dashboard MPG is displaying the imperial MPG as UK mpg as supposed to US mpg. i was wondering if you are able to show us what the dashboard displays between MPG and metric (L/100km), and then use some google calculator to recheck the math. you can change the meter units in vehicle settings. metric should be accurate and not ambiguous, but MPG can be US or UK which can be a difference.
for my CT, the MPG displayed is never accurate against US MPG would be if converted from metric (L/100km), but seems to be closer to accurate if the metric reading is coverted to UK/europe MPG
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to further illustrate my theory that the CT displays UK mpg as supposed to US mpg (fyi 170km on my trip computer is around 105 miles):
my dashboard displays the current mileage to be 5.1L/100km (metric) and 55.5MPG
but if i take the metric 5.1L/100km to a online calcuator to covert to US MPG its actually much lower:
but if i covert my metric mileage and covert to european/UK MPG its pretty accurate:
which leads me to believe that the CT only displays UK MPG and not US MPG which will make the numbers look extremely inflated if you are only relying on the dashboard reading, and if you live in the US.
and honestly, i think anything over 50 US MPG is not as achievable you may think on the CT. i do not believe 60US is even feasible; the prius C maybe, but definitely not the heavier CT. 50 US MPG is certainly achievable but in very optimal conditions (lots of uninterrupted smooth highway driving at lower than 60mph)
for those who are in doubt, go change your display unit on your dashboard and swap between MPG and L/100km and then use an online calculator and do an independent conversion and see if they hold up
also, if you look at the CT stats on fuelly (mine is 2013 model), people rarely get over 50US MPG in the long term
http://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/ct200h/2013
most people are doing mid 40s US MPG, including myself. no offense, but for those who are claiming that they are getting mid to high 50s, they are either:
- bluffing
- living in the US and misreading the dashboard display (which displays UK MPG)
- actually living in europe
my dashboard displays the current mileage to be 5.1L/100km (metric) and 55.5MPG
but if i take the metric 5.1L/100km to a online calcuator to covert to US MPG its actually much lower:
but if i covert my metric mileage and covert to european/UK MPG its pretty accurate:
which leads me to believe that the CT only displays UK MPG and not US MPG which will make the numbers look extremely inflated if you are only relying on the dashboard reading, and if you live in the US.
and honestly, i think anything over 50 US MPG is not as achievable you may think on the CT. i do not believe 60US is even feasible; the prius C maybe, but definitely not the heavier CT. 50 US MPG is certainly achievable but in very optimal conditions (lots of uninterrupted smooth highway driving at lower than 60mph)
for those who are in doubt, go change your display unit on your dashboard and swap between MPG and L/100km and then use an online calculator and do an independent conversion and see if they hold up
also, if you look at the CT stats on fuelly (mine is 2013 model), people rarely get over 50US MPG in the long term
http://www.fuelly.com/car/lexus/ct200h/2013
most people are doing mid 40s US MPG, including myself. no offense, but for those who are claiming that they are getting mid to high 50s, they are either:
- bluffing
- living in the US and misreading the dashboard display (which displays UK MPG)
- actually living in europe
It's fairly easy to reach high 50s in US mpg, definitely not impossible. I recently made a record of 3.8 l/100 km on the display driving 20 kilometres with pulse&glide style in suburban environment (speeds were 50-70 km/h, quiet traffic, full hybrid battery at the start and at the end). Display error is 0.1-0,3 litres according to fill ups and trip meter, so that would be around 4 l/100km or 59 US mpg in actual consumption.
That's best case scenario though, my last month average is 44-47 mpg..
That's best case scenario though, my last month average is 44-47 mpg..
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i can drive 20km at only 3.8L/100km too, but sampling 20km driving distance isn't very representative of an overall mileage, is it?
heck, my best record is 3L/100km for rolling down a hill lol....but then eventually you will need to go back up a hill which will kill my mileage. i can also roll over a short distance driving under pure EV mode and claim a 0L/100km but eventually the battery will run out and you are on gas only and your mileage will go back up
therefore, calculating short best record is totally useless IMHO
50US MPG over long distance is achievable if you have no traffic and cruising on a highway or country road with no stop signs or traffic lights, but those are very optimal conditions
Yes, it's kind a useless, but it shows the hidden potential. I didn't cheat with that trip by driving downhill or draining battery etc., and there was even 2 cold starts included
Otherwise I'm rather satisfied with CT's fuel economy, and there's only 6500 km on the odo so it can still improve when break-in period is completely over. Stock Bridgestone tyres aren't the best option what comes to rolling resistance, so there's even more room for improvement.
Otherwise I'm rather satisfied with CT's fuel economy, and there's only 6500 km on the odo so it can still improve when break-in period is completely over. Stock Bridgestone tyres aren't the best option what comes to rolling resistance, so there's even more room for improvement.
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Conspiracy theory! OK, I needed to know, so I went and read the meter using both display settings.
My car is US/California model, so you might need another Canadian car to prove theory.
When I started measuring I was at 45.1 MPG then 19.2 km/l then engine kicked on and it 5.2l/100km but then since engine kicked on, MPG fell to 45.0MPG, so accuracy might be off a little.
Anyway, I went here for calculator sites.google.com/site/scmrak/fuel-economy-calculators-and-converters
5.2 l/100km = 45.23 MPG(US) which is off by only 0.13 and 45.1(US) =5.215 l/100km which rounds out correctly, so I would guess the computer is calculating in MPG, and then converting to metric. It might also be calculating in Imperial and converting to US or vice versa, which could throw off the accuracy.
But converting the metric to imperial it is clear my computer is not showing Imperial MPG, 5.2l/100km = 54.2769 MPG (imperial)
If you read the CleanMPG and PriusChat forums' tips on hypermiling you might understand how people can get fantastic MPG. Some of the tips in this thread are technically WRONG. Best MPG is not at 55 or 65MPH but much slower. Accelerating quickly will rarely give you better MPG. The hypermiling champions accelerate very slowly and go very slowly. People who get better than 50MPG either piss the people off waiting for them or they drive in ideal places. But some tips like accelerating quickly do have some merit, because technically our engine is most efficient at about 2000 RPM and about 80% load. So accelerating quickly but not at wide open throttle can yield good gas mileage, so the posters that recommend it are not completely wrong, but it is rarely the best gas mileage. It is tough to beat slow driving for maximum MPG. Hypermiling experts will drive slowly, use a scan gauge to keep ignition advance close to 13 or 14 degrees and use pulse and glide (accelerate and coast) technique. But even pulse and glide is not ideal all the time. There have been studies where cruise control beats out pulse and glide. I have practiced some of these techniques and can get the MPG up over 50MPG for many miles, but NOT for a full tank!!! Commuting, short trips, hills, and traffic, bring my MPG way down. Like the original poster, I am in San Diego and it is tough to get good MPGs here. I bought my CT only about a month ago, so still learning. Whether driving slow or fast, the car is a blast! Check out the PriusChat forum for great tips. One thing I learned from there is that our Michelin Primacy tires are about the sportiest Low Rolling Resistance tires and they don't give as good of gas mileage as Michelin Energy and a few others, so if you want to make a compromise, you can get better MPG by switching to even lower rolling resistance tires than the Primacy.
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chroma23, you hater you!
I've been getting a regular 50-52 MPG on my daily run (75% highway at 60 mph).
After my tires wore out, I swapped to the new Bridgestone Ecopia EP422 Plus tires (all of my research showed the EP422s were the most fuel-efficient tires in the LRR category, and the Plus version is a better model that came out early 2015). Since wearing the tires in, I am now regularly getting 53-54 MPG on the same route. Epic really, considering the EP422 non-Plus tires-equipped Prius C I used to drive would rarely get above 60, and most of the time sat around 54-57 MPG on this route, AND this was at 55 MPH, not 60 like on my CT! All that considered, the CT is doing amazingly well!
I am not bluffing or lying, I live in the US (Houston area), and the MPG display is not displaying UK gallons. It is using an estimating software which can't calculate MPGs that accurately, since it can't factor in every variable. Every car I've ever driven with an MPG display read something optimistic. Some cars get close, some don't.
BTW, UK MPG is usually 10 more than US MPG around the 55 mark. When I get 54 MPG at the pump, my car is reading 57 MPG or so. It's almost always 3 higher than what I actually get. Take a look at my fuelly page. The note is where I posted what the car reads for Trip A (reset at each fill up), Average MPG, and Average Speed.
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Thanks! And it's only going to get worse! (or better?) I am looking at my work route changing to an almost 550 mile round trip! With more highway driving, my MPG should climb ever-so-slightly. Should be interesting!Damn Raidin, you're MPG is amazing
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I've kept records since day 1 of buying my 2011 car, and the actual calculated average mileage has been 5.78 l/100km filling up 278 times. Using a free fuel consumption conversion calculator for my iPhone, that translates to 48.87 mpg (UK) and 40.69 mpg (US)
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not being a hater, i just dont understand why my dashboard MPG display would be so off between metric to US imperial. in the end i just rely on fuelly statschroma23, you hater you!
I've been getting a regular 50-52 MPG on my daily run (75% highway at 60 mph).
getting low 50s US MPG is definitely possible if you drive mostly highway and not going faster than 60mph and without traffic jams. i can do that too though i do alot of city driving so unless i am taking a road trip i never that that high mileage
but i am talking about achieving mid-to-high 50s or even over 60, that may be a bit superficial for a heavy car like the CT
and i would expect people south of the border to get better mileage than us canadians because you guys always have good weather all year round without the snow. though im abit surprised jtnoboru getting only 40-ish MPG in cali
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Just wanna point out that I was being sarcastic, I didn't actually think you were being a hater.
I average 37 MPG with mostly highway driving. When I was doing mostly city, I was getting 33 MPG regularly. SoCal just has too many lights so all the start from complete stops kill the MPG. If all highway at ~70MPH, its very possible to get 45-47 MPG. I would think at 60 MPH, you can hit over 50 MPG.
I was amazed at my MPG in the mountains in Colorado. Up and down, up and down....between usually 6,000-10,000 feet (I lived at 8,500). I usually got about 45-50 mpg. This was, in large part, due to the downhills without any engine running. Seemed crazy that even with having to push hard to get up hills, that coasting down would really improve MPG's. Now I'm around Houston, but have a 45 minute commute at 78mph. Speed limit 75, but I just set it at 78 because I see little difference in mpg between 75 and 78, so I figure I may as well go 78 (no tickets and no need to go 75). My mpg's get killed over 60-65. Fighting all the wind drops me by about 10mpg, I estimate. These cars are made to go 60, ideally....maybe still good at 65mph...over that and it just sucks fuel to fight wind. I think I'm getting around 35 mpg at 78mph. I could leave earlier, and go 60mph, but damned would people be pissed off at me. I'm in Texas, after all, and there's already visible animosity on the road by some drivers who make a point of being asses because my car says "hybrid" on the side of it. Colorado plates make it even worse. If I go 60, some brilliant intellectual is likely to run me off the road.
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