Toyota Prius Owners Manual

How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too
Starting and driving / How to save fuel and make your vehicle last longer, too

Improving fuel economy is easy−just takeit easy. It will help make your vehicle lastlonger, too. Here are some specific tipson how to save money on both fuel andrepairs:

  • Keep your tires inflated at the correctpressure. Underinflation causestire wear and wastes fuel. See page409 for instructions.
  • Do not carry unneeded weight inyour vehicle. Excess weight puts aheavier load on the engine, causinggreater fuel consumption.
  • Accelerate slowly and smoothly.Avoid jackrabbit starts.
  • Avoid unnecessary stopping andbraking. Maintain a steady pace. Tryto time the traffic signals so you onlyneed to stop as little as possible ortake advantage of through streets toavoid traffic lights. Keep a proper distancefrom other vehicles to avoid suddenbraking. This will also reduce wearon your brakes.
  • Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jamswhenever possible.
  • Do not rest your foot on brake pedal.This causes premature wear, overheatingand poor fuel economy.
  • Maintain a moderate speed on highways.The faster you drive, the greaterthe fuel consumption. By reducing yourspeed, you will cut down on fuel consumption.
  • Keep the front wheels in properalignment. Avoid hitting the curb andslow down on rough roads. Improperalignment not only causes faster tirewear but also puts an extra load onthe engine, which, in turn, wastes fuel.
  • Keep the bottom of your vehicle freefrom mud, etc. This not only lessensweight but also helps prevent corrosion.
  • Keep your vehicle tuned−up and intop shape. A dirty air cleaner, impropervalve clearance, dirty plugs, dirty oiland grease, brakes not adjusted, etc.all lower engine performance and contributeto poor fuel economy. For longerlife of all parts and lower operatingcosts, keep all maintenance work onschedule, and if you often drive undersevere conditions, see that your vehiclereceives more frequent maintenance.

CAUTION

Never turn off the hybrid system tocoast down hills. Your power steeringand brake booster will not functionwithout the hybrid system running.Also, the emission control system operatesproperly only when the hybridsystem is running.


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