As the 2012 Prius was approaching its 120k mile milestone, I noticed a dip in fuel efficiency among other issues (cold start rattle, struggling acceleration, rough ride). In its glory days, I was getting and average of mid 50’s MPG on a full tank. On rare driving circumstances, I was able to bump that number to beyond 60 MPG. Ever…
Tag: mpg
DIY: How to Replace the Positive Crankcase Ventilation Valve (PCV) On Your 3rd Gen Prius
If your 3rd gen Prius is approaching or passed the 100,000 mile mark, it’s time to replace the positive crankcase ventilation valve (PCV valve). If your Prius is consuming noticeable amount of motor oil, say 1 quart every 2,000 ~ 3,000 miles, the PCV valve may be clogged with carbon build-up and may need to be changed. It’s definitely a…
1st week MPG update: From the Inland Empire to the South Bay
Today marks the completion of one week’s worth of commute from the Inland Empire to the South Bay and I must say that while there is definitely a traffic jam to and from, it is not nearly as bad as I’ve anticipated. I have co-workers that commute from Diamond Bar and the commute takes 2-2.5 hours. Also have an acquaintance…
Looks like I’ll be taking a micro road trip everyday
We’re moving from the South Bay to the Inland Empire this month solely for the purpose of shortening and alleviating my wife’s work commute at the expense of increasing my commute by 900% (from 5 mile drive to work to 50 mile drive). We’re also exploring options to buy a new house in the area so we’ve signed a 9-month lease with a…
Fourth of July road trip and plans for the Prius
Another road trip completed! Well, this road trip ended two weeks ago and I just gotten around to write about it. This road trip coincided with the July 4th holiday weekend, affording us extra days. We both got Thursday and Friday paid holiday off and used three paid vacation days to take advantage of taking an entire week off for…
First gas-up for 2013
Since relocating closer to work (5 miles), I have enjoyed shorter commutes and total elimination of competing with other drivers on LA’s bumper to bumper traffic during rush hour. Today’s the first day I had to gas up for 2013. I’ve been driving on the same tank of gas since refilling after the trip to Monterey, CA in late December,…
Cleaning your RSX’s throttle body and idle air control valve (IACV) helps improve response and MPG
After spending about 3 hours cleaning the idle air control valve and the throttle body of the Acura RSX, I noticed immediate throttle responsiveness and an increase in MPG. This is after 7 years of owning the RSX and at 84,000 miles. The clean-up was performed because I’ve experienced erratic idle-stalling problems upon start up after a long drive. I’ll…
Arco gas gives you poor mileage
I’ve been trying out fuel efficiency of different gas brands over the course of the past two months and came up with surprising results. The brand of gas DO affect your overall fuel efficiency and the old adage of “You get what you pay for” applies when choosing gas brands. Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve discovered. The analysis is based in…
RSX Fuel economy update
Here’s a short follow-up on the fuel economy of the 2005-2006 RSX Type-S. I have beaten my old record over July 4th weekend with a whopping 383 miles to the tank. 382.7 miles on the tank, and the empty fuel indicator hasn’t lit yet! As some of you who have been following my previous entries detailing the trial runs for…
Cold air intake systems and its effect on fuel economy
When I initially installed the cold air intake system by Injen about 2 years ago, I noticed a sudden change in fuel economy. I didn’t do any data collecting at the time, so I assumed it was due to the newly installed intake. I’ve recently removed the Injen system and re-installed the OEM air box and did some analysis. This…
Fuel economy: Injen CAI versus OEM air box
I’ve recently removed my Injen cold air intake system (CAI) and noticed a drastic increase in fuel economy. Mind you, with the OEM air box back in, no more VTEC roar at 5.5k RPM or audible air suction sound. Matter of fact, you can’t hear VTEC engagement at all unless you turn off the stereo and listen really carefully for…