Anyone notice this in last couple days?

[BHunted1]

I usually get between 24.3 - 25.2 average mpg combined driving. Today I noticed something weird. Pulling away from a light or just accelerating on a flat road, the average mpg would drop to 5-10 on the linear gauge. It never did that....
Along with the average mileage which usually hovers around 24.5.. this concerns me a bit. Unless in electric mode, my average mpg has now dropped to between 22-23.8..... even lower when accelerating...

Nothing has really changed in my driving habits nor gas.
PS: It's acting like the gauge is in instant mpg instead of average mpg. Had that in my '19 Ranger. I looked hi and lo, there is no setting for that. Told the mechanic and he said he changed it to average mode. It always said average mode above the linear gauge, do so much them not bsing me.
I don't show any OTAs but then again, it never shows that there was one.

Even topped off the tank and ran it a bit on the highway. Any thoughts?

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[RCR001]

Welcome to the world of so many Electronic fuckin sensors which Change computer Ecm variables that make yer truck work!! Nope! i aint no help!!!

 

[BHunted1]

I’ve had Ford trucks for many years and knew long ago that their electronic tech always fell short. But in the last few years, it dwindled even more.
Can’t even get current maps with roads in existence over 4 years. Whatever happened to letting us know at least when it did OTAs? Far as I can tell, my truck hasn’t had one yet and if it did, was minor enough to pass it as just that. Minor changes. Argh!

 

[Snakebitten]

Wow. I must be an optimist. I've had 4 consecutive F150's over the last dozen years. If I were to narrow my opinion to just their electronics I would have to say they have come a long long ways.
In fact, the Powerboost is like a HUGE leap forward in so many ways. It's a marvel everytime I get in it. Still amazed.

 

[F-150 Prius]

I usually get between 24.3 - 25.2 average mpg combined driving. Today I noticed something weird. Pulling away from a light or just accelerating on a flat road, the average mpg would drop to 5-10 on the linear gauge. It never did that....
Along with the average mileage which usually hovers around 24.5.. this concerns me a bit. Unless in electric mode, my average mpg has now dropped to between 22-23.8..... even lower when accelerating...

Nothing has really changed in my driving habits nor gas.
PS: It's acting like the gauge is in instant mpg instead of average mpg. Had that in my '19 Ranger. I looked hi and lo, there is no setting for that. Told the mechanic and he said he changed it to average mode. It always said average mode above the linear gauge, do so much them not bsing me.
I don't show any OTAs but then again, it never shows that there was one.

Even topped off the tank and ran it a bit on the highway. Any thoughts?

I have a '21 Platinum FX4 Prius – sometimes my truck creeps up to 20 mpg or 22 for a few tens of miles, but never for a whole tank. I don't think it's possible to have a decimal place in an average that varies by 10%. I think the nearest mpg is as precise as it gets.
I guess I drive outside EPA parameters. On longer trips of 500+ miles sustaining freeway speeds above 70 mph (my truck rarely goes to work if it's got less than 200 miles to the destination) it won't stay above 20 mpg (unless I drive carefully and stay below 65 mph with no other conditions like terrain or weather.)
Again guessing, I assume it's people who drive mostly under conditions that favor the hybrid drive (slow-n-go, no wind resistance, smooth acceleration, frequent coasting/braking regen) who experience near EPA mpg. Maybe tire selection by the factory is a factor. I run my factory tires at 50 psi hot with symmetrical wear after 10K miles, so I don't think the tires on my truck are the factor, it's just my right foot (and maybe being a long bed and usually with a lot of weight on board.)
I don't know what this typo means: "It always said average mode above the linear gauge, do so much them not bsing me." but I can only suggest watching the real time consumption and see if it's implausible.

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

My instant mpg bar can drop seemingly randomly (can be sitting at 25-30ish doing 50mph on a flat road and then randomly sink to 15 on the same stretch). I believe it’s due to the engine charging the hybrid battery, therefore putting a higher load on the engine and requiring more fuel. This also comes with slightly increased engine vibration

 

[Roady]

I don't know how it is in TN but here in the Northeast, I can tell exactly when the gas stations here switch to "winter" gasoline. The blend is good for a 2-3 MPG drop in my average MPG.

 

[BHunted1]

My instant mpg bar can drop seemingly randomly (can be sitting at 25-30ish doing 50mph on a flat road and then randomly sink to 15 on the same stretch). I believe it’s due to the engine charging the hybrid battery, therefore putting a higher load on the engine and requiring more fuel. This also comes with slightly increased engine vibration

I don't have an instant option. Unless I missed the setting somewhere. In my ranger, I had the option to be instant or average.

 

[BHunted1]

I don't know how it is in TN but here in the Northeast, I can tell exactly when the gas stations here switch to "winter" gasoline. The blend is good for a 2-3 MPG drop in my average MPG.

I recall the gas in NJ would change and they'd tell ya on the pumps. MPG would change slightly. But don't think that's the issue.

Let me reiterate folks. This is not about mpg. It's how the linear gauge at the bottom center is reacting. It bounces like a yo-yo and around like an instant gauge would do. Prior to this happening, it would hover slowly up and down at different rates. But never jump down to zero when taking off.

For the ol' timers that remember carbs, needle valves, etc., when those things had issues, hitting the gas would suck up small particles and clog the port hitting the gas, then at times, return to normal when let off. They had to be cleaned out and filters needed to be changed. Old rule. Never get gas at the station if there is a tanker filling the main tanks.

So again, this NOT about mpg. It's about the gauge acting much differently. It never dropped drastically to 0-10 mpg when taking off. It was always a gradual change.

 

[BHunted1]

This what I'm referring to..

 

[Bocephus87]

I recall the gas in NJ would change and they'd tell ya on the pumps. MPG would change slightly. But don't think that's the issue.

Let me reiterate folks. This is not about mpg. It's how the linear gauge at the bottom center is reacting. It bounces like a yo-yo and around like an instant gauge would do. Prior to this happening, it would hover slowly up and down at different rates. But never jump down to zero when taking off.

For the ol' timers that remember carbs, needle valves, etc., when those things had issues, hitting the gas would suck up small particles and clog the port hitting the gas, then at times, return to normal when let off. They had to be cleaned out and filters needed to be changed. Old rule. Never get gas at the station if there is a tanker filling the main tanks.

So again, this NOT about mpg. It's about the gauge acting much differently. It never dropped drastically to 0-10 mpg when taking off. It was always a gradual change.

I get what you're saying. I haven't watched mine in a while. I been a bit preoccupied watching the Power Distribution screen in 4wd-A. Simple minds, simple pleasures. I'll have to remember to watch my AVG MPG meter when I head home today and see if it's acting similar.

 

[jcaspar]

This what I'm referring to..

On mine, the blue bar is the instantaneous MPG and the thin white line is the average. It also displays the average above the picture of the truck. I have never seen the blue bar display the average.

 

[Oxford_Powerboost]

This what I'm referring to..

So is your white line average going crazy or is your blue bar moving around? The blue bar is instant fuel economy and should drop quite a bit while on the throttle. The white bar is average and unless you just reset it should be fairly stable

 

[BHunted1]

On mine, the blue bar is the instantaneous MPG and the thin white line is the average. It also displays the average above the picture of the truck. I have never seen the blue bar display the average.

Thanks for checking. When driving, did you notice the blue bar bouncing or going to zero when taking off? I know its not showing average. The thin line is but as a result of this bar bouncing around, the aver mpg goes down as well as the little marker. Then the average has to start all over again. Wish I can explain it better. That blue bar rarely changes drastically. Even when stopped at a light. Idle long enough in gas mode, it will drop in 10ths, but not drastically.

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