Hybrid War: Honda vs Toyota

Back when the redesigned 2004 Prius came out in fall 2003, I remember
commenting on how the new Prius looked like the existing Honda Insight
and the existing Toyota Prius had a baby that was bigger than either
of the parents... So the current NHW20 Prius looks a lot like both
the older NHW11 Prius and the original Honda Insight. So it's no
surprise to me that the newly redesigned Honda Insight looks a lot
like the Prius (especially since the aerodynamic designs are so
similar).

The current Honda Civic Hybrid II is able to move short distances
without turning on the gasoline engine. The older HCH (pre 2006 or
so) had the same IMA setup as the previous Honda Insight.

 

The 2004-2005 NWH20 Prius will reset the Consumption Screen
odometer/MPG at each fillup (more than about 3 gallons) automatically
(after one full revolution of the wheel?), or if you manually hit the
Reset button.

The 2006-2009 NHW20 Prius will only reset the Consumption Screen
odometer at each fillup automatically (same conditions as 2004-
2005). The Consumption Screen odometer/MPG will reset if you
manually hit the Reset button. (The cumulative MPG will only reset
if you press the Reset button.)

You have 12 presets for FM and 6 presets for AM. How many more would
you like?

That's the speed rating of the temporary spare tire. Stock Goodyear
Integrity tires are S-rated, which is for sustained speeds up to
112mph (which is faster than the Prius can actually go).

 

I do recommend reading:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/autos/aut12.shtm
US Federal Trade Commission's Facts for Consumers - "The Low-Down on
High Octane Gasoline"

You should use whatever the owner's manual recommends. (For a US
Prius, that's 87 octane (regular), under the (R+M)/2 method (as posted
at the gas pumps), which is about 91 octane under the RON method.) If
your car is experiencing engine knock, then you should go up a grade
in octane. (But if your Prius IS knocking, something is wrong with
it!)

(To note, Prius in the UK use 95 octane (RON method, which equates to
about 91 octane ((R+M)/2 method) in the US).)

Octane is a measure of the fuel's ability to resist pre-detonation (or
engine knock).

Higher octane gasoline doesn't mean that it is necessarily cleaner or
better. "Premium" or "super" is a mis-nomer. All gasoline sold in the
US must meet certain federal EPA clean-burning guidelines. However,
some individual brands _may_ decide to put some extra cleaners or do
extra refining in their higher-octane fuel (as I've heard of some
brands advertising low-sulfur gasoline as only in their Premium line).

A higher octane gasoline actually has lower BTUs (energy content) than
a lower octane gasoline, so the only way that you'd see better fuel
economy by going up in octane is if you were previously using lower
than recommended octane in your car...

In the Toyota Prius, using higher than recommended octane fuel is
known to cause check engine lights with engine misfire codes, besides
the expected lower fuel economy.

(Ethanol also has a lower BTU content than does gasoline, so you can
expect to see slightly lower fuel economy using E10 fuel. The Prius
is not a flex-fuel vehicle, so do not use E85 in it (unless you want
check-engine lights and the potential for corroding out your fuel
system!)

If you live in a high altitude area (like the Rocky Mountains) usually
you can use the next octane level down from what is listed in the
owner's manual because of the altitude/thin air with no ill effects
(except if you come down from the altitude with a full tank!).

Reasons to use higher octane fuel:
1. Your owners manual calls for it
2. Your engine is knocking
3. It's the only way to get low-sulfur fuel in your area (sulfur will
slowly poison your catalyst, making emissions worse over time)
4. You like spending extra money on gasoline

See also:
Premium vs. Regular : http://cartalk.com/content/features/premium/

 

The 2004-2005 NWH20 Prius will reset the Consumption Screen
odometer/MPG at each fillup (more than about 3 gallons) automatically
(after one full revolution of the wheel?), or if you manually hit the
Reset button.

The 2006-2009 NHW20 Prius will only reset the Consumption Screen
odometer at each fillup automatically (same conditions as 2004-
2005). The Consumption Screen odometer/MPG will reset if you
manually hit the Reset button. (The cumulative MPG will only reset
if you press the Reset button.)

I have a 2005. If I read you correctly a later model would let me
accumulate a lifetime mileage figure by not hitting the reset button but
still let me see the number of miles on each tank. I could, therefore,
reset my trip odometer at the same time I reset my cumulative mpg and get
cumulative mileage figures for much longer periods like, for example, the
5000 miles between oil changes. Right?

 

That is theoretically true, but I have my doubts about how reliably this
would be calculated. Does anyone have information on exactly how the
calculation is done?