Forget your SUV's depressing MPG meter
First came the admission:
I never realized that I average 10 mpg. even if I barely touch the gas to get up to speed slowly It drops to around 4 to 6 mpg. cruise control will hold me steady at 12 on a flat road at 60mph. I always thought it was at least around 16. Building taller, flatter, wider, and heavier really takes a toll.
This was from a user of the FJ Cruiser Forums, who said that a recently-installed Scanguage II was making him (or her) realize just what a beast s/he was driving. This post elicited all sorts of similar tales (He was not even getting 10 mpg around town and he was MAD!! and I thought it was a problem with the Scangauge but I get the same!). Then the discussion mostly shifted to how to get the Scanguage to work correctly (seems it's a bit of a trouble to have it register things) and finally, someone suggested to just forget the new-fangled device and calculate mileage the old fashioned way: count up the gallons going into the tank and the miles driven. A little division and you're on your way. Bonus: they make fun of the AeroCivic.
[Source: FJ Cruiser Forums via Treehugger]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
gregger 11:00AM (2/15/2008)
Just FYI, it appears your "send us news tips" form is busted. I keep getting a bounce back from dane@.au after I toss in a tip.
TTFN
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Charles S 2:02PM (2/15/2008)
I disagree that measuring the fuel usage AFTER a fill-up can give USEFUL results. Having real-time reports help one recognizes what one is doing wrong under THAT specific condition.
For example, some people love to tout that their twenty years old car can do 40+ mpg, but forget to mention that it was only achieved with long trips at constant speeds. This touted number is only useful as a representation of that specific circumstance, but it does not help the driver UNDERSTAND the relationship between the driver's behavior, road condition, performance and fuel consumption.
EPA estimates have some real merits because it uses the same test conditions for similar vehicles. While "real world" demands may result in different numbers, instant fuel-usage information will confirm that the vehicle (under matching conditions) will result in the similar numbers.
My 2001 MINI is rated at 28(City)/36(HWY)/32(Combined). My daily routine involve 1/2 rural highway and 1/2 city driving. I regularly get 35 mpg at fill-up. One of the reason I get better-than-EPA numbers because I use the on-board fuel computer and adjusted my driving behavior to match the road conditions. I worked out an arrangement with my employer so that I can commute outside the rush hour. With my knowledge of optimal speed with each segment of my route, I get high mileage number on a car that few owners can barely break 30-mpg combined. I also get 10% better than EPA on my hybrid, driving the same route.
I truly believe that such instant fuel-gauges are good tools, if people are willing to use them and apply some discipline.
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Karkus 2:43PM (2/15/2008)
Charles makes some good points about MPG claims and expectations and the EPA tests, and the power of instant feedback.
I think a fuel consumption meter in every car might do more good than the new CAFE rules.
And miles divided by gallons on a fillup is often inaccurate. It's only really useful if you track it over dozens of tanks in a row.
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UH2L 3:32PM (2/15/2008)
My Scangage works well with my Saab, probably within 5% of the trip computer and closer to reality with the miles divided by gallons method over many fill-ups. I haven't had a chance to do a detailed comparison though.
With Scangage, I found that on my mom's auto tranny 9-3, putting it in neutral while stopped at a light can save 30% on fuel usage.
Atul
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Bill 4:44PM (2/15/2008)
FYI: I have a FJCruiser, and I get a solid 16mpg. City, highway; it doesn't matter. 16 mpg...
--Bill
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kt 4:54PM (2/15/2008)
Why is making fun of anyone a bonus? :(
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Sebastian 5:26PM (2/15/2008)
@kt-
In that the Aerocivic wasn't part of the thread, but then it came up
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bolhuijo 10:16PM (2/15/2008)
The scangage has trim adjustments for both speed (and therefore distance) and the fuel used. You can calibrate the former with gps and the latter with a series of 5-10 fill-ups to average out the error with different tank fill levels.
My scangage was fully 15% optimistic on mpg when I first plugged it in to my subaru. On another car, it was was dead accurate over a 3000 mile trip.
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rhett 8:40AM (2/21/2008)
In case someone is curious, I have created an optimal commuting speed calculator that http://www.dotphys.net/page1/page10/page11/page11.html This takes the price of gas, your car's efficiency and your pay rate. With this it determines the speed at which your commute cost is minimized.
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Steve 7:44PM (2/12/2009)
Can't find this link you posted
www.dotphys.net/page1/page10/page11/page11.html
Shane Labs 8:24PM (6/02/2008)
A more detailed analysis on how speed affects your mileage can be found here: http://www.mpgforspeed.com/
There's also a cool calculator.
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