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gr8fulverm Rookie Author Virginia Beach Posts:92 Points:157,070 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:47:51 AM Ignore gr8fulverm Report Abuse I purchased my 2006 Camry Hybrid new on June 6th 2006 and have been getting between 36 mpg and 46 mpg ever since. My wife does not drive it the way I do and always has either the heat or A/C running and therefore, when she drives it, we get around 36-38mpg, not bad considering! When I drive it I currently get about 40 mpg. When I bought it I could get 42-44 easily and 46 if I tried. I was wondering what other Camry Hybrid owners have experienced as far as milage performance degredation as the vehicle/hybrid system ages. Our other vehicle is a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, also purchased new in Dec 2007. It, on the other hand seems to be easier to get higher milage out of as it ages. My wife drives this vehicle much more than I do and drives it the same way she does my vehicle (lots of peddle to tha metal and ac/heat usage). She has always gotten around 32-37mpg and when I drive it I currently get around 40mpg. When we first bought it however, I was lucky if I could get 38mpg out of it. Just curious if anyone knows if there is a difference in design of the systems that allows one to age better than the other or is there a correlation between milking the system (as I do) and ignoring it even exists (as my wife does) that would effect the longgevity/performance of the hybrid system as it ages. Either way, I definately have been pleased with the performace of both vehicles. After the tax credits that were available at the time of purchase for each vehicle, our cars we instantly more affordable than the equivalently equipted non hybrid models and we have saved an additional 30%+ on all of our gas purchases over the past +/-5 years.

gr8fulverm

Rookie Author
Virginia Beach

Posts:92
Points:157,070
Joined:Sep 2005

Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:47:51 AM

Ignore gr8fulverm Report Abuse

I purchased my 2006 Camry Hybrid new on June 6th 2006 and have been getting between 36 mpg and 46 mpg ever since. My wife does not drive it the way I do and always has either the heat or A/C running and therefore, when she drives it, we get around 36-38mpg, not bad considering! When I drive it I currently get about 40 mpg. When I bought it I could get 42-44 easily and 46 if I tried. I was wondering what other Camry Hybrid owners have experienced as far as milage performance degredation as the vehicle/hybrid system ages.
Our other vehicle is a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, also purchased new in Dec 2007. It, on the other hand seems to be easier to get higher milage out of as it ages. My wife drives this vehicle much more than I do and drives it the same way she does my vehicle (lots of peddle to tha metal and ac/heat usage). She has always gotten around 32-37mpg and when I drive it I currently get around 40mpg. When we first bought it however, I was lucky if I could get 38mpg out of it.
Just curious if anyone knows if there is a difference in design of the systems that allows one to age better than the other or is there a correlation between milking the system (as I do) and ignoring it even exists (as my wife does) that would effect the longgevity/performance of the hybrid system as it ages.
Either way, I definately have been pleased with the performace of both vehicles. After the tax credits that were available at the time of purchase for each vehicle, our cars we instantly more affordable than the equivalently equipted non hybrid models and we have saved an additional 30%+ on all of our gas purchases over the past +/-5 years.

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GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 31, 2012 7:57:10 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse 2013 Ford C-max Plug-in will pick up where the 2005-2012 Escape Hybrid leaves off would be a better choice than the V. "Honda and Toyota lie about MPG's, The wifes Prius got 40.3(395miles on 9.8gal) last fill NOT the 60/51 Toyota claims." 2004-2007 Toyota claimed 60 mpg city/51 mpg highway later in 2008 it was changed to 48 mpg city/45 mpg highway still higher than we get. Our 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid gets 32.5 most of the time, paid 10grand the wifes P.O.S. 2004 prius only gets 40.3 not 60 like they said, but she got it for 7grand, ok beater I guess, but the Ford is our favorite, better quality for sure! reb4, that driving 30-40mph(pulse-glide/hyper-miling) in 45-55limit roads will get you rear-ended, oh you help desk metrosexuals are into that kinda thing!
ricebike Champion Author New Jersey Posts:10,032 Points:1,855,720 Joined:Oct 2005	Message Posted: May 31, 2012 6:10:30 AM Ignore ricebike Report Abuse thank goodness i ignore GBHUGVA... but i like reading others' posts about these hybrids
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 30, 2012 4:46:37 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Full hybrids like the Ford Escape hybrid or the Ford Fusion hybrid get their EPA rated MPG when driven over 30 minutes per trip, under 55 mph, in warm weather, and if the driver accelerates and decelerates gently. A full hybrid like the Prius will get significantly below their EPA rating when driven hard, under 15 minutes per trip, in extreme cold, driven very fast around corner/bends, or/and driven at speeds over 70 mph.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 8:03:39 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse wow, talk about tough love, ford discontinues the ford escape hybrid , even though the big fan, that buys cars used, attests his escape hybrid is best! Funny!
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 27, 2012 7:19:40 PM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Ford Escape Hybrid is a better built veh. than the Prius, I have one of each, both driven equally. The Ford with 140K miles feels much more solid than the Toy with 103K on it. I don't care who sold more, the Ford wins in our family!
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 7:14:22 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse "Message Posted: May 26, 2012 GBHUGVA 2013 Ford/Lincoln will be this fall! Ford is also working to develop its own CV transmission for its hybrid vehicles to eliminate the Toyota choke point. As for the 2013 Ford Escape, it will debut with 3 engine choices and Ford projects up to 5 mpg better fuel economy than the current Escape. So the new model will actually be able to deliver better fuel economy than the older hybrid technology, all at a likely lower cost to consumers." GBHUGVA, do you see where you posted that the new model will actually be able to deliver better fuel economy than the older hybrid technology... YIKES! Meanwhile Toyota has sold 4 Million Hybrids... and are getting close to selling 1 million a year world wide... Fords goal may be 100,000 ???
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 5:59:19 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Questions... Are you an idiot?, slow?, Why are you comparing the 2013 reg. Escape to a Hybrid?, 2013 improved over reg. 2012, you'll have to wait to compare 2012 hybrib to the 2013 C-Max. 2013's come out in the fall as ussual.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 5:25:32 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse gbhugva, you are so naive... Here is comparison of ford Hybrid Escape and New model Ford Escape... Any questions? where do you come up with these lies?
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 26, 2012 5:04:30 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse 2013 Ford/Lincoln will be this fall! Ford is also working to develop its own CV transmission for its hybrid vehicles to eliminate the Toyota choke point. As for the 2013 Ford Escape, it will debut with 3 engine choices and Ford projects up to 5 mpg better fuel economy than the current Escape. So the new model will actually be able to deliver better fuel economy than the older hybrid technology, all at a likely lower cost to consumers. [L=http://www.insideline.com/ford/escape/2013/text deleted Here[/L] What's not to like?
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 24, 2012 6:55:24 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Ford takes on Toyota with lower-priced hybrid May 17, 2012 12:04 AM ET. By DEE-ANN DURBIN TICKERS IN THIS ARTICLE.NAME LAST CHNG % CHNG # F 10.16 0.00 0.00 # TM 76.72 0.00 0.00 DETROIT (AP) - Ford is taking on Toyota in the hybrid market. Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its new C-Max hybrid small minivan will have a base price of $25,995 when it goes on sale this fall. That's $500 less than Toyota's Prius V wagon. Ford says the C-Max's fuel economy will also beat the Prius V, which gets an estimated 42 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. Toyota Motor Corp. has dominated the hybrid market for more than a decade. In March, for example, 65 percent of the 50,000 hybrids sold in the U.S. were made by Toyota, compared with 3.5 percent for Ford. Ford hopes to change that with the five-seat C-Max, which will be sold only in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions. As ussual reb4 twisting facts, that poorly written article does not state that any rollovers accured, and they have not. But remember when driving any SUV that they are not cars!
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 24, 2012 5:29:37 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Was never an issue reb4, just hater propaganda
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 24, 2012 5:13:20 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse hope the rollover issue isn't there... maybe with lower center of gravity...
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 23, 2012 6:01:06 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Ford takes on Toyota with lower-priced hybrid May 17, 2012 12:04 AM ET. By DEE-ANN DURBIN TICKERS IN THIS ARTICLE.NAME LAST CHNG % CHNG # F 10.16 0.00 0.00 # TM 76.72 0.00 0.00 DETROIT (AP) - Ford is taking on Toyota in the hybrid market. Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its new C-Max hybrid small minivan will have a base price of $25,995 when it goes on sale this fall. That's $500 less than Toyota's Prius V wagon. Ford says the C-Max's fuel economy will also beat the Prius V, which gets an estimated 42 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. Toyota Motor Corp. has dominated the hybrid market for more than a decade. In March, for example, 65 percent of the 50,000 hybrids sold in the U.S. were made by Toyota, compared with 3.5 percent for Ford. Ford hopes to change that with the five-seat C-Max, which will be sold only in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions. As ussual reb4 twisting facts, that poorly written article does not state that any rollovers accured, and they have not. But remember when driving any SUV that they are not cars!
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 23, 2012 5:46:26 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse Hybrid batteries do welll, but the rollover issue still there on older units "Reluctance to Switch to Hybrid Taxis in New York City However, the experiences of cabbies in San Francisco will probably not quell all concerns about battery longevity and hybrid safety—at least for use in taxis. New York City’s Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT) appears to be engaged in an ongoing publicity campaign to show that Ford Escape Hybrids should not be used in taxis. Last month, the MTBOT issued a 43-report outlining a number of safety concerns, including bulletproof partitions interfering with airbags. (In San Francisco, in-car cameras are used as a theft deterrent.) Last week, the MBOT issued another report—this time claiming that Escape Hybrids are prone to rollover. These reports—and the MTBOT’s lawsuit against the city to block a mandate requiring all new cabs to obtain a city mileage rating of 25 miles per gallon, essentially requiring widespread use of hybrid taxis—can be viewed as a strategy for taxi owners to avoid taking on the added upfront expense of purchasing a hybrid." Glad your wife has the safer car that is less prone to roll overs.. Drive safe gbhugva!
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 23, 2012 5:22:33 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse The prius is a small car, the Ford Escape Hybrid(still available) offers much more room. The new Ford C-Max which will pick up where the Escape leaves off will have more room than the largest prius V and be $555 less than the V. Aging not an issue with the Ford Escape Hybrids, N.Y. taxies got 300K on the orig. bateries.
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 6:10:33 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Ford takes on Toyota with lower-priced hybrid May 17, 2012 12:04 AM ET. By DEE-ANN DURBIN TICKERS IN THIS ARTICLE.NAME LAST CHNG % CHNG # F 10.16 0.00 0.00 # TM 76.72 0.00 0.00 DETROIT (AP) - Ford is taking on Toyota in the hybrid market. Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its new C-Max hybrid small minivan will have a base price of $25,995 when it goes on sale this fall. That's $500 less than Toyota's Prius V wagon. Ford says the C-Max's fuel economy will also beat the Prius V, which gets an estimated 42 miles per gallon in combined city and highway driving. Toyota Motor Corp. has dominated the hybrid market for more than a decade. In March, for example, 65 percent of the 50,000 hybrids sold in the U.S. were made by Toyota, compared with 3.5 percent for Ford. Ford hopes to change that with the five-seat C-Max, which will be sold only in hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric versions.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 5:59:37 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse I have a life, more than could be said about you...
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 4:58:19 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse reb4, You need a life, dude!!, You should be spending time with your partner(or what ever your kind call it) rather than taking pictures while driving around. WATCH OUT FOR THAT......... R.I.P.
OilerFan Champion Author Tulsa Posts:14,050 Points:2,447,800 Joined:Aug 2005	Message Posted: May 17, 2012 4:32:55 AM Ignore OilerFan Report Abuse I haven't looked to see if the quality of gasoline we've been getting in the last 6 years is as good as before, but I've seen other vehicles dropping mileage a bit too even after being tuned.
GrumpyCat Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,611 Points:789,785 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: May 16, 2012 5:32:39 PM Ignore GrumpyCat Report Abuse When in the 40 to 50 MPG stratosphere 5% or 10% MPG changes stick out more than in the 20 MPG range. As others have mentioned Toyota hybrids are seemingly more sensitive to LRR tires. Also respond well to increased inflation. Sensitive to alignment. Ask to be aligned on the "economy" end of the acceptable alignment specs. And air filter can be blocked without appearing dirty. Change the filter yourself because its easy. Then if the new didn't help you can put the old back and save the new for later. Many swear excessive oil level in the engine also kills Toyota hybrid MPG. I'm not so certain of anything other than oil change monkeys typically overfill, thinking they are doing you some sort of favor with extra free oil or something. I pour 3 liters out of 5 quart Mobil-1-from-Walmart jugs. Change filter. Dump the 3 liters in without checking until its all done. Fill line is reliably half way to FULL above ADD. Most owners get better MPG after 10,000 miles. Maybe the car breaks in. More likely its the driver.
the1roadhog Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,908 Points:2,056,680 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: May 14, 2012 5:14:30 AM Ignore the1roadhog Report Abuse Getting that hybrid high?
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 13, 2012 8:17:10 PM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse gbhugva - do this in your hybrid escape...
GLM4205 Champion Author Toledo Posts:4,057 Points:800,295 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: May 13, 2012 3:13:58 PM Ignore GLM4205 Report Abuse I don't have one.
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 11, 2012 10:02:54 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Once again reb, apples vs oranges, compact car with no options VS SUV with Nav., leather seats, top of the line stereo, etc.
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 11, 2012 9:58:46 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Honda like Toyota lies about MPG's, The wifes Prius got 40.3(395miles on 9.8gal) last fill NOT the 60 Toyota claims. While our Ford Escape Hybrid 2WD gets 32.5 close to the 34/31 the sticker claims.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: May 11, 2012 6:08:15 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse BusterMoves, I bet they don't go to the wrecking yard... There is a company for the prius out of N.C. that offers Prius batteries for 1,850 (trade-in)... 272 installation fee .If you look at gbhugva you see the Prius retains resell value much better as well. 2004 Prius sold for about 20K New... used 7K 2005 Escape Hybrid sold for about 26K New... used 10K Looks like a wash to me value wise..
bustermoves Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:3,470 Points:690,625 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: May 11, 2012 2:37:34 AM Ignore bustermoves Report Abuse i think you will see a lot of hybdids heading for the wrecking yard,not to many people these days are going to be willing to shell out $3000 + for a battery,especially in a car thats 10 years old.battery will be worth more than the car is.
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 10, 2012 6:42:20 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse Honda like Toyota lies about MPG's, The wifes Prius got 40.3(395miles on 9.8gal) last fill NOT the 60 Toyota claims. While our Ford Escape Hybrid 2WD gets 32.5 close to the 34/31 the sticker claims.
chemist74 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:13,510 Points:2,395,980 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: May 10, 2012 5:44:29 AM Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse My guess is that the battery performance is degrading some with time and you are thus using the engine (and gasoline) more often. Many batteries lose some performance as they accumulate a lot of charge - discharge cycles that slowly degrade the electrodes. How much is lost probably depends on the the battery design.
GBHUGVA Champion Author Virginia Beach Posts:4,697 Points:789,160 Joined:Mar 2009	Message Posted: May 9, 2012 9:32:02 AM Ignore GBHUGVA Report Abuse A NICE USED FORD Escape/MERCURY Mariner/MAZDA Tribute HYBRID IS THE WAY TO GO! Let someone else pay for the tech.research and dev. Our 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid gets 32.5 most of the time, paid 10grand the wifes P.O.S. 2004 prius only gets 40.3 not 60 like they said, but she got it for 7grand, ok beater I guess, but the Ford is our favorite, better quality for sure!
drydem Sophomore Author Maryland Posts:133 Points:3,390 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Feb 5, 2012 10:50:27 AM Ignore drydem Report Abuse Toyota hybrids partially depend on Low rolling resistant(LRR) tires to get their rated level of fuel efficiency. If Toyota hybrid tires are replaced with anything other than a LRR Tire then the hybrid's MPG will drop.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2012 9:06:35 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse interesting, there is no 2006 camry hybrid. the 2007 camry hybrid has a Transmission: continuously variable-speed automatic. which is what I thought. 2008 Ford Escape also has the Continuously variable transmission. There is a company for the prius out of N.C. that offers Prius batteries for 1,850 (trade-in)... 272 installation fee . Company name is re-involt or Re-involt = they work on other hybrids... But Toyota should cover that battery if it's bad.. Might be worth having the battery tested. Should be warranted for 7 years 100K miles (or more).
Roadburner440 Sophomore Author Virginia Beach Posts:186 Points:82,285 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2012 8:32:28 AM Ignore Roadburner440 Report Abuse A NiMh battery replacement for a current hybrid is about $3500 completely removed and replaced.. The batteries can last anywhere from 100,000-300,000 miles.. Even going with a lower number (say 80,000) the cost per mile is $0.04 per mile, and goes down the longer it lasts. My only issue with the Camry, Escape, and other hybrids of the like is they have conventional transmissions. So all in all you still have the regular vehicle maintenance PLUS all the hybrid stuff.. At least with the Prius or Volt there is no transmission, torque converter, flywheel, alternator, fan belts, or other things regular cars have. So all you need to do is change the oil every 10,000 miles, differential fluid every 20,000 milesand keep the tire pressure up to keep it running in tip top shape. Not to mention with the regenerative braking you save a lot of your brake pads.. So a lot of your "normal" maintenance costs are deferred, or completely gone on a real hybrid. Which to me more than makes up for the cost of replacing a battery. Especially since the rest of the components are rather inexpensive, and have low failure rates. Granted when I bought mine I am basically betting gas will be $5-$7. That is just me though. [Edited by: Roadburner440 at 2/3/2012 11:33:29 AM EST]
OceanArcher Champion Author Mississippi Posts:5,708 Points:1,328,375 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2012 8:09:01 AM Ignore OceanArcher Report Abuse I wonder how his 'cost-per-mile' amount will change when it comes time to replace the batteries?
MertieMan Champion Author Lexington Posts:14,793 Points:2,896,585 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Feb 3, 2012 6:54:57 AM Ignore MertieMan Report Abuse You must always remember that no two drivers drive exactly alike.
plastic Champion Author Virginia Posts:46,826 Points:2,839,890 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 12:46:37 PM Ignore plastic Report Abuse We have a few Escape Hybrids in our company. The older they get the more they seem to use the engine.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 11:05:48 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse You know to get best mileage you need to try to get up to speed faster. Big debates on the "pulse and Glide" technique. I don't really spend a lot of time but I have acheived 61 MPG (59 actual) on one tank of gas. Alot of work, and not really worth it. But you can't drive too slow or you waste mpg. Some more thoughts: Check when the compressor is on. That makes a big difference. Remember when you use defroster / outside air, typically the compressor is on. My vehicle continually starts up with compresor on (for the wife). Also do you use the 0 - 20 weight synthetic oil? If not, might want to switch over. I've heard it makes a big difference. I don't really over inflate tires or sacrifice a/c. Good luck with figuring this out... Check your air pressure on tires... I'm not a big believer in the air filter but you could check that out. No accidents or alignment issues?
GrumpyCat Champion Author Alabama Posts:2,611 Points:789,785 Joined:Jun 2009	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 10:50:35 AM Ignore GrumpyCat Report Abuse Some vehicles are more sensitive to fuel composition than others. Is much harder today to find ethanol-free fuel than it was in the past. Today you will never accidentally get ethanol-free but in 2007 it was not uncommon. Even with ethanol some fuels just do not work as well as others. You can not trust brand names for superior fuel, each local distributor makes the final decision as to what goes in their pumps. Locally I find Exxon and Kangaroo to have poorer gas than Sams Club and Krogers. You have to keep a logbook of all fuel purchases, and it takes an average of 5 tanks for a statistically significant result. There is too much variation in fill from one tank to another to reach a conclusion on only 2 fills. There have been those who replaced Prius traction batteries at 250,000 miles and found less than 25% of the original capacity. Yet were getting essentially the same MPG the whole time, and continued to get the same after replacement. Others have tried doubling the battery capacity and at best were able to eek 1 MPG more out of the car, not statistically significant.
gr8fulverm Rookie Author Virginia Beach Posts:92 Points:157,070 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 8:06:20 AM Ignore gr8fulverm Report Abuse Yea, I know that I beat the advertised milages. I drive like a grandpa ei. obey the speed limit and don't use climate control unless I am uncomfortable. It gives my wife something to "talk" about.
gr8fulverm Rookie Author Virginia Beach Posts:92 Points:157,070 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 8:03:04 AM Ignore gr8fulverm Report Abuse When I replaced my tires I did see a drop of about 2mpg. Thanks for reminding me. I went from the Michilins that came with it to Goodyear(before Goodyear made thier "Fuel Efficient" set). Road noise also went up but the milage and noise seemed to go back to more normal ranges after about 10,000 miles on them. That could still be the difference though. Thanks again for reminding of that.
reb4 Champion Author Chicago Posts:19,118 Points:1,823,100 Joined:Sep 2004	Message Posted: Jan 31, 2012 7:58:32 AM Ignore reb4 Report Abuse can't help on the experience, but I do have a couple of questions. When you replaced your tires on the Camry, what did you replace them with compared to what you had on them? Your wife sounds like mine... two speeds, go and stop. By the way, those number are very impressive for those two vehicles compare to the window sticker mpg. [Edited by: reb4 at 1/31/2012 10:59:57 AM EST]