Make the most use of the gas by driving. The ideal is to get the max efficiency out of the engine if it has to run. Idling is the worst efficiency. If you are driving such that the engine needs to run, then you are heating the engine for "free".
Most of the reason for the low mpg is not due to the engine heating up, but the battery being returned to the ideal 60% state of charge (SOC) and there is nothing you can do about this other than let the car do what it is going to do here. If you ended you last drive with slow driving (like in a 25mph residential area), then the battery may be needing to be recharged from that last battery powered coast home.
For warm-up times, I go by the 12-hour method in summer and the 8-hour method in winter. So in summer if more than 12 hours have gone by since my last drive, I'll let it warm up until the engine shuts off. The reason I do this, regardless of the amount of fuel I save, the Prius still has an engine that needs to be properly warmed up and lubed.
When your engine sits for too long, oil slowly drains off of the parts that need lubrication and into the oil pan (or whatever part of the respective engine that cooling oil will pool to). As oil pools and cools it becomes more viscous and more difficult to work with in comparison to its warmed state. When you start your Prius before you head for work, 30 seconds (1 minute in colder temperatures) is really all you need to get the oil warmed up and the internal engine components lubed.
Also factor in the first minute or two of your journey. Make sure you have a warm engine for highway driving or hilly terrain. Out of my parking lot, I have to conquer a steep hill every morning on the way to work. I'd be a fool to do that on a cool engine and cool oil. The stress would accelerate the degradation of my internal engine components.
The best way to warm up any car is to drive it! If you are worried about poor lube after start then use synthetic oil. When I lived in the frigid North I found that using Mobil 1 in my car practically eliminated the wear from cold starts.
The main warmup issue with the Prius is to heat the catalytic converter up to its proper operating temperature. The engine coolant is kept warm in a thermos bottle when the car is shut off. You can hear this happening -- that's the humming sound from under the hood right after you turn off the car. Thus your engine will be warm right from startup the next time (within a few days anyway).
I disagree. Having been on a small block modified racer pit crew and having assisted in some engine tear-downs and rebuilds, instant power is not good for an unwarmed engine. Nor does it better assist the warm-up process. Doesn't make a difference if you're about to race around a 1/4 mile at 80 mph or tackle 30 degree hill at 35 mph. I agree that with synthetics a lower engine temperature is needed, which assists in a faster warm-up time. So therefore an engine that's been sitting for half a day should be fine. However, with a cool enginge, synthetics don't acheive optimum viscosity instantly. The technology is getting closer, but it's just not there yet.
4 years ago
Make the most use of the gas by driving. The ideal is to get the max efficiency out of the engine if it has to run. Idling is the worst efficiency. If you are driving such that the engine needs to run, then you are heating the engine for "free".
Most of the reason for the low mpg is not due to the engine heating up, but the battery being returned to the ideal 60% state of charge (SOC) and there is nothing you can do about this other than let the car do what it is going to do here. If you ended you last drive with slow driving (like in a 25mph residential area), then the battery may be needing to be recharged from that last battery powered coast home.
4 years ago
For warm-up times, I go by the 12-hour method in summer and the 8-hour method in winter. So in summer if more than 12 hours have gone by since my last drive, I'll let it warm up until the engine shuts off. The reason I do this, regardless of the amount of fuel I save, the Prius still has an engine that needs to be properly warmed up and lubed.
When your engine sits for too long, oil slowly drains off of the parts that need lubrication and into the oil pan (or whatever part of the respective engine that cooling oil will pool to). As oil pools and cools it becomes more viscous and more difficult to work with in comparison to its warmed state. When you start your Prius before you head for work, 30 seconds (1 minute in colder temperatures) is really all you need to get the oil warmed up and the internal engine components lubed.
Also factor in the first minute or two of your journey. Make sure you have a warm engine for highway driving or hilly terrain. Out of my parking lot, I have to conquer a steep hill every morning on the way to work. I'd be a fool to do that on a cool engine and cool oil. The stress would accelerate the degradation of my internal engine components.
4 years ago
The best way to warm up any car is to drive it! If you are worried about poor lube after start then use synthetic oil. When I lived in the frigid North I found that using Mobil 1 in my car practically eliminated the wear from cold starts.
The main warmup issue with the Prius is to heat the catalytic converter up to its proper operating temperature. The engine coolant is kept warm in a thermos bottle when the car is shut off. You can hear this happening -- that's the humming sound from under the hood right after you turn off the car. Thus your engine will be warm right from startup the next time (within a few days anyway).
4 years ago
I disagree. Having been on a small block modified racer pit crew and having assisted in some engine tear-downs and rebuilds, instant power is not good for an unwarmed engine. Nor does it better assist the warm-up process. Doesn't make a difference if you're about to race around a 1/4 mile at 80 mph or tackle 30 degree hill at 35 mph. I agree that with synthetics a lower engine temperature is needed, which assists in a faster warm-up time. So therefore an engine that's been sitting for half a day should be fine. However, with a cool enginge, synthetics don't acheive optimum viscosity instantly. The technology is getting closer, but it's just not there yet.
2 weeks ago
I m not sure that when that the plug in function for heating the engine 1 or 2 hoursbefore starting it is working, how can i check this?
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