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Car Forum / Toyota / Prius / August 2005Break-in period
My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should drive during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to accelerate unaggressively for quite a while (or it seems like that to one who is used to the opposite). I have heard this is debatable for normal cars and wonder whether it is also debatable for the Prius? When I got my VW, I was just told to drive it. No special instructions for break-in....  SignatureJean B. > My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should > drive during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to > accelerate unaggressively for quite a while (or it seems like that to > one who is used to the opposite). I have heard this is debatable for > normal cars and wonder whether it is also debatable for the Prius? It's only for the first 600 miles; keep it under 80 MPH and don't brake hard. After 600 miles, drive as you wish. SignatureStop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush. >>My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should >>drive during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > It's only for the first 600 miles; keep it under 80 MPH and don't brake > hard. After 600 miles, drive as you wish. Eeeek--re the acceleration only, When you are used to a quick acceleration, it may be hard to remember. Also, one is not totally in control of how hard one has to brake. Yes, when it IS under my control (which is almost always the case), I will do that.... Thanks. SignatureJean B. > >>My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should > >>drive during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > IS under my control (which is almost always the case), I will > do that.... Thanks. C'mon, it's a $20,000 asset. Surely you can remember not to drive like a maniac for the first 600 miles? And read the fine owner's manual. Especially read the "before you drive" section before you drive away from the dealer. Do you have the inspection checklist? http://www.vfaq.net/docs/pickup_checklist.html > C'mon, it's a $20,000 asset. Surely you can remember not to drive like > a maniac for the first 600 miles? I don't drive like a maniac--I just like accelerating quickly. But yes, I will remember. I hope/ > And read the fine owner's manual. Especially read the "before you > drive" section before you drive away from the dealer. Okay. How long is that? I hope they don't mind my sitting there forever. > Do you have the inspection checklist? > http://www.vfaq.net/docs/pickup_checklist.html I didn't but have just printed it. Thanks. SignatureJean B. > > And read the fine owner's manual. Especially read the "before you > > drive" section before you drive away from the dealer. > > Okay. How long is that? I hope they don't mind my sitting > there forever. It should take less than 20 minutes. It's worth the time. Enjoy! > In article <3mfq31F16mjtiU1@individual.net>, "Jean B." <jbxyz@rcn.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Enjoy! I've now printed out all of the literature--good stuff! Thanks so much for the link to that. I will be sure to look at the manual and the checklists while I am there--and to do the little drive to gather initial observations re the alignment etc. SignatureJean B. >>My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should >>drive during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > It's only for the first 600 miles; keep it under 80 MPH and don't brake > hard. After 600 miles, drive as you wish. >>first 600 miles; keep it under 80 MPH<< Hope you don't get a ticket. After 600 miles you can drive over 200 MPH. But don't kill your self. JS > After 600 miles you can drive over 200 MPH. Nope. To protect the electric motors, the computers won't let it go faster than 114 MPH. >>After 600 miles you can drive over 200 MPH. > > Nope. To protect the electric motors, the computers won't let it go > faster than 114 MPH. I, anyway, am not into speeding. I don't even do much highway driving. I do like to accelerate though--and to be able to pass annoyingly slow vehicles. SignatureJean B. >>>After 600 miles you can drive over 200 MPH. >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > do like to accelerate though--and to be able to pass annoyingly slow > vehicles. It accelerates as fast or faster then my Explorer both in town and on the highway. Probably won't be as fast as the sporty car you've been driving though. >>>>After 600 miles you can drive over 200 MPH. >>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > highway. Probably won't be as fast as the sporty car you've been driving > though. I'll see soon enough. I am about to go out and look at floor mats. Since I have to buy them anyway, I am going to see whether there is anything interesting around.... SignatureJean B. > I am about to go out and look at floor mats. Since I have to buy them > anyway, I am going to see whether there is anything interesting around.... I bought the Prius floor mats. They were so nice I now have floor mats on my floor mats. > I bought the Prius floor mats. They were so nice I now have floor mats on > my floor mats. That sort-of defeats the sliding business. Maybe I can put something different in the back to placate my daughter.... SignatureJean B. >> I bought the Prius floor mats. They were so nice I now have floor mats >> on my floor mats. >> > That sort-of defeats the sliding business. Maybe I can put something > different in the back to placate my daughter.... Yes and no, Jean. I had some old, thin clear plastic mats with sharp dimples on the bottom. They don't slide much. I live in rural MN and we track a fair amount of mud into our cars in the spring. The ones from Toyota include two front, two back and one for the hatch. > Yes and no, Jean. I had some old, thin clear plastic mats with sharp > dimples on the bottom. They don't slide much. I live in rural MN and we > track a fair amount of mud into our cars in the spring. The ones from > Toyota include two front, two back and one for the hatch. I have pretty much decided top get the ones from Toyota and maybe some other ones too. It would be nice to have the one for the hatch.... SignatureJean B. >> Yes and no, Jean. I had some old, thin clear plastic mats with sharp >> dimples on the bottom. They don't slide much. I live in rural MN and we >> track a fair amount of mud into our cars in the spring. The ones from >> Toyota include two front, two back and one for the hatch. > I have pretty much decided top get the ones from Toyota and maybe some > other ones too. It would be nice to have the one for the hatch.... Yes! Keep your stash in that clever cubby hole where one expects to find the spare tire. With the mat in place nobody will even know the cubby hole is there, much less the stash. :-) > My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should drive > during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to accelerate [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > When I got my VW, I was just told to drive it. No special instructions > for break-in.... I guess we babied our cars because they were new, but nothing too crazy. I did the 5k svc about 1k early to shake out any sediment, but that's about all I did out of the ordinary. Russ >>My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should drive >>during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to accelerate [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Russ Thanks. My main problem is that I am used to rocketing off of stops. (My car encouraged me to do that....) I have to remember not to do this. Maybe I can cure myself of this bad habit.... SignatureJean B. > My Prius is almost here. :-) I keep meaning to ask how one should drive > during the break-in period. I have read that one needs to accelerate [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > When I got my VW, I was just told to drive it. No special instructions > for break-in.... The day after I received my Prius I started a roughly 500 mile round trip on a 70 mph interstate. Knowing I was taking this trip, my dealer gave me specific break-in instructions. He said to drive 50, 55, 60, 65, 70 and 75 mph changing speeds every 5 minutes or so. While this may not have been necessary, I followed his instructions. That was last February and it was fairly cold so cabin heat was on continuously. Averaged 47.5 for that trip. Mileage is now about 52 on each tank and the car runs just fine. He said had I not been taking that trip, which would otherwise entail long periods with the cruise set to the speed of my choice, there would have been no special break-in routine. > The day after I received my Prius I started a roughly 500 mile round trip on > a 70 mph interstate. Knowing I was taking this trip, my dealer gave me [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > with the cruise set to the speed of my choice, there would have been no > special break-in routine. Thanks! I wonder what, if anything, *I* will be told? And what the manual says. Soon I shall know all. (Car is coming in sometime between now and Thursday. I may not pick it up until Saturday though.) SignatureJean B. > Thanks! I wonder what, if anything, *I* will be told? And what the > manual says. Soon I shall know all. (Car is coming in sometime between > now and Thursday. I may not pick it up until Saturday though.) Manual says not to change speed abruptly so you better break that habit of peeling-out on green, Jean. >>Thanks! I wonder what, if anything, *I* will be told? And what the >>manual says. Soon I shall know all. (Car is coming in sometime between >>now and Thursday. I may not pick it up until Saturday though.) > > Manual says not to change speed abruptly so you better break that habit of > peeling-out on green, Jean. Yeah. It's a bad habit anyway. I got into it because my car is very quick off the start, and I found that kind-of fun. :-( SignatureJean B. > > Manual says not to change speed abruptly so you better break that habit of > > peeling-out on green, Jean. > > > Yeah. It's a bad habit anyway. I got into it because my car > is very quick off the start, and I found that kind-of fun. :-( I like to do it when anyone next to me at a stoplight is showing real attitude. It's fun to pull away from some squealing Charger, Mustang, or SUV. This is possible because most people don't know how to optimally shift their old broken down sh.t technology transmissions, which of course is not an issue in a Prius. (Can't beat BMWs or 'Vettes, though; that will have to wait for the hybrid Camry.) It seems to help to push the pedal just enough to start the engine (takes about half-a-second), and then mash it to the floor for as long as necessary. It works especially well going uphill. The others just crap out. Of course, do this only *after* the sensible-driving break-in period, otherwise performance and engine life may be reduced. Synthetic oil may also help. Oh, to be 17 years old again! > I dunno, but when I bought mine it was a quick hop onto I-5 and up to 80 > mph for two hours to get home. Anything less and I would have been a > grease spot on the highway. Truckers were also up to 70 mph (this was > near midnight when I think all good cops are in bed or patrolling bars). Mileage wasn't - and still isn't - all that hot though. Maybe 38-39 mpg, but better than the 24 I had previous. B~ > Mileage wasn't - and still isn't - all that hot though. Maybe 38-39 mpg, > but better than the 24 I had previous. > > B~ My current car got 22 at best and now has declined because of undiagnosed problems, so whatever I get with the Prius will be MUCH better. Of course, I am going to be shooting for good numbers--and that may keep my (eventual) acceleration at a more modest level. SignatureJean B. >> Mileage wasn't - and still isn't - all that hot though. Maybe 38-39 mpg, >> but better than the 24 I had previous. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > course, I am going to be shooting for good numbers--and that may keep my > (eventual) acceleration at a more modest level. For many, shooting for those good numbers can become an obsession. The Prius instrumentation, along with an understanding of how the brakes work, makes it easy to beat the EPA highway rating. The first 5 minutes, as the engine warms up, is a killer though. I probably average 35 during this period. People who have a regular 5-minute commute aren't going to come close to the EPA rating while people who have a regular 30-minute commute can beat it handily. > For many, shooting for those good numbers can become an obsession. The > Prius instrumentation, along with an understanding of how the brakes work, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > close to the EPA rating while people who have a regular 30-minute commute > can beat it handily. I saw that! And I am telling myself that I should do errands after I take my daughter to school.... I used to do that, and now it will make sense from the MPG standpoint too. SignatureJean B. |
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