[Static Inverter Man]

Greetings, all.
I've just celebrated my first month of ownership of the Prius, and I'm quite amazed. I'm running 36/36 on my Potenzas, and am thinking of increasing to 42/40. 36/36 was the dealer pressure, by the way.
I live in South Florida, and the brutal summer heat is just around the corner. I can report, however, that the car's performance in mid-90 degree temperatures is admirable. No issues with the heat, so far.
I'd like to know how the cloth seats handle their age. I'm thinking about seat covers.
That should do it for an initial post. Happy motoring...

 

[Phoenix]

Tire pressure and seat covers

I have been running 45 psi in the front and 40 in the rear, and tires seem to be wearing pretty evenly after about 12,000 miles. Actually, they don't show much wear, so I am wondering if they may last more than the 20-30,000 miles most others report. Or, maybe they wear really fast at the end. Will have to wait and see.

I think most people are running at least 42 to 44 in the front, and you will probably find that with 36 psi you will start seeing some uneven wear (on the edges) after about 5-6,000 miles.

As for seat covers, you didn't mention whether you have side airbags. If you do, seat covers could prevent side airbags from deploying properly. It is really sunny and hot here in Arizona, so we put towels over the seats to protect them. Otherwise, most seat coverss sun-rot after 5-7 years. As it is, the towels (in our other cars) only last about two seasons before they start to sun-rot. The dealer said that since the towels just drape over the top and sides, and are loose around the back, that they should be OK. If you didn't get side airbags, this is probably a moot point; and seat covers are OK.

I was getting about 50-51 mpg in mixed city and freeway driving, but with the daytime temperature in the low 90's and the A/C on now, mileage has dropped about 2-3 mpg. When it gets above 110, it will probably drop more. Late last summer, mileage was about 44-46. Not sure, but I think mileage improved after 8-10,000 miles, probably due to engine break-in and more experience at driving techniques to improve economy.

 

[Ken]

Seat covers

I put seat covers on mine, because I didn't want to worry about that sort of thing. I got mine from https://www.toyotapartsnow.com/Catalog/specials.asp
and they fit just fine. There are others that have since come on the market.