Average cost per mile: $0.05Total gallons used: 227.46
Total miles traveled: 11056.5
Total cost: $568.65
Total saved: 48.95 gallons
Total saved: $122.38
Average tank distance: 409.5
Fill date
Distance
Fill amount
Price
MPG
Details
2009-11-16
464.5 mi.
9.219 US gal
$2.759
50.39 US
Odo indicated 448.7, with 2.6% correction, that gives 460.4. Using GPS value of 464.5 instead, due to a little EOC.
Fairly typical commute pattern, with about 20% errands (though 18% was one errand mostly on the freeway). Had one long run at over 70mph freeway because I was late, which might have hurt my mileage a bit.
Attempted to clean out the IACV in order to reduce the bouncy idle, but did not help all that much.
2009-11-04
429.3 mi.
9.034 US gal
$2.799
47.52 US
Odo indicated 415.5, with 2.6% correction, that gives 426.3. Using GPS value of 429.3 instead, due to a little EOC.
This tank was a bit challenging; I had a few days where I had to hurry in to work, so average speed was a bit higher than usual, and then I killed the battery one day when I left the lights on all day. The battery never recovered and so there was about a week where I did very little EOC and couldn't shut down the engine during traffic lights. Definitely used up more fuel than usual during that week.
2009-10-18
407.1 mi.
8.002 US gal
$3.039
50.87 US
Odo indicated 390.8, with 2.6% correction, that gives 401.0. Using GPS value of 407.1 instead, due to some EOC.
Had several days where I had to hurry to work, so avg speeds were a bit higher than typical. Also started to have much cooler weather and a few days with rain to deal with.
2009-10-07
489.9 mi.
9.185 US gal
$3.099
53.34 US
Odo indicated 471.0, with 2.6% correction, that gives 483.2. Using GPS value of 489.9 instead, due to a bit of EOC.
Fairly typical commuting this tank. Weather is starting to turn cold. Was really warm for the first week of this tank, and then pretty cool for the 2nd week. About 16% errands this time. A bit higher average speed this tank compared to last due to more freeway commute trips.
2009-09-21
461.3 mi.
8.979 US gal
$3.139
51.38 US
Odo indicated 443.9, with 2.6% correction, that gives 455.4. Using GPS value of 461.3 instead, due to a bit of EOC.
Didn't seem to be a great tank due to more than one day where I had to hurry to work (or back, or just to somewhere). At the beginning of this tank, upped the pressure on my front tires only to ~50psi (had been keeping them at about 40psi previously). Also removed my rear seats to make room for my tadpole trike, though I doubt the removal of the seats will have any effect... they are really light!
Only about 6% errands vs commuting this tank.
2009-09-10
510.8 mi.
9.4 US gal
$3.119
54.34 US
Odo indicated 489.2, with 2.6% correction, that gives 501.9. Using GPS value of 510.8 instead, due to a lot of EOC.
Woohoo!! Best tank ever! First tank over 500 miles!! It was tough getting as good FE as this on this tank, but I was helped by several very early morning commutes, where I was able to hit nearly every light favorably and coast down to comparatively low speeds when doing EOC. Also had about 1/2 of normal errand running (~6% of total mileage) versus commuting.
Since I had the chance, I filled this tank with high grade at about the same price as mid-grade, still trying to minimize ping.
2009-08-24
442.3 mi.
8.592 US gal
$2.979
51.48 US
Odo indicated 425.9, with 2.6% correction, that gives 437.0. Using GPS value of 442.3 instead, due to some EOC.
Keeping the errand:commuting ratio about the same; this time it was ~15% errands to commuting. Had a couple of days on this tank where I had to hurry to work and therefore was not very conservative; but then tried to make up for it by commuting to work using slower back roads. Will need to hit 55mpg to make up the for the additional distance traveled on those back roads, however.
Went with mid-grade again this tank; seems to help a little with the predetonation.
2009-08-14
469.4 mi.
9 US gal
$3.179
52.16 US
Odo indicated 450.0, with 2.6% correction, that gives 461.7. Using GPS value of 469.4 instead, due to some EOC.
Continued to take the longer route for the home commute. Total round trip used to be about 45.4 miles; with same route going TO work and the longer way coming home, it's now 49.6 miles. Average speeds on the way home are between 33 and 38mph; about 10mph slower than taking the shorter route. Weekly average speed has dropped about 5mph.
Went with the mid-grade fuel this time because of the pinging when lugging the engine on the hills. The mid-grade seems to have helped so far.
2009-08-03
478.8 mi.
9.1 US gal
$2.699
52.62 US
Odo indicated 458.6, with 2.6% correction, that gives 470.5. Using GPS value of 478.8 instead, due to some EOC.
Started taking an alternate route home this tank; it's a bit longer but much slower and less steep overall than the freeway. Hope is that the slower average speed and less steep climbs will boost the fuel mileage significantly.
2009-07-21
417.7 mi.
8.278 US gal
$2.499
50.46 US
Odo indicated 400.5, with 2.6% correction, that gives 410.9. Using GPS value of 417.7 instead, due to some EOC.
Same driving style as typical. Computer systems have been down recently, so have not been able to keep track of details as I normally do. Plan to switch to a different route starting with the new tank, to see if it makes a noticeable difference in FE.
2009-07-02
378 mi.
7.925 US gal
$2.819
47.7 US
Odo indicated 365.2, with 2.6% correction, that gives 374.7. Using GPS value of 378.0 instead, due to some EOC.
Went on vacation during this tank; drove family to airport with the Maus and then parked there in blazing sun for 2+ weeks; may have lost a little fuel due to evaporation. For comfort of my family, the round trip was driven at a relatively high speed; trip average each way was about 54mph, my highest ever. Round trip distance was nearly 30% of my total miles for this tank; adding the remaining errands brings non-commute miles to 33%.
Weather was cool during first part of tank, then turned hot toward the end, as I finished my tank.
2009-06-04
443.4 mi.
8.825 US gal
$2.599
50.24 US
Odo indicated 424.0, with 2.6% correction, that gives 435.0. Using GPS value of 443.4 instead, due to lots of EOC.
Felt like another good tank, but not quite as good as the last. Probably wasted some fuel (and lowered my FE) by exploring some coast-down areas and doing some simulated runs (hard acceleration). Still only about 14% running errands vs commuting. Didn't really think about it 'til I saw how many miles I got out of this tank, but 500 miles ought to be achievable between fillups now!
Currently, my technique consists primarily of EOC and slower driving. I am averaging about 45mph overall, with very few days above 48mph avg and a few below 38mph avg.
I still have a bouncy idle issue that I haven't resolved. Simply haven't had the time. I'm still using the Cali ECU, even though I have the Fed ECU plus harness ready to go. Too many other things to worry about at the moment. Since I'm getting ~50mpg avg, I'm not too worried about it currently.
2009-05-22
420.7 mi.
7.854 US gal
$2.519
53.57 US
Odo indicated 400.1, with 2.6% correction, that gives 410.5. Using GPS value of 420.7 instead, due to lots of EOC.
A new high!! Had about 14% errands vs the rest commuting. Weather was warmer, typically in the 80s F. Did a lot of EOC throughout this tank, and was able to do more during the commute home due to the sun setting later (I don't like to EOC at night as much because the headlights dim when the engine is off). Lighter weight oil and new plugs, wires, cap & rotor might have helped with this tank too.
2009-05-12
374 mi.
7.745 US gal
$2.269
48.29 US
Odo showed 357.3, with 2.6% correction that is 366.6. Due to lots of EOC, using GPS recorded distance of 374.0 instead.
Still mostly commuting miles, but had a higher percentage of errands for this tank (about 21%). About half way through the tank, changed oil to a lighter weight (to 5W30 vs 10W40), and at the same time installed new cap, rotor, wires, and plugs (but did not index the plugs). Also changed O-rings on the IAT and the IACV, as well as the filter on the IACV. Unfortunately, after all this, I still have a bouncy idle!
2009-05-02
387.4 mi.
7.746 US gal
$2.269
50.01 US
Odo showed 370.5, with 2.6% correction that is 380.1. Due to lots of EOC, using GPS recorded distance of 387.4 instead.
Mostly commuting during the week with some errands at on the weekends. Weather was pretty good for most of the tank, though had a couple days of rain in the beginning as well as a few during the end of the tank. Right at the end of the tank, started having problems with stalling; tracked this down to a loose ground (my own fault; something I had forgotten to tighten when I removed the Fed ECU and the LAF sensor harness). Once tightened, car ran just fine, but probably wasted some fuel trying to keep it running and restarting it when it died.
2009-04-22
425.8 mi.
8.549 US gal
$2.189
49.81 US
Odo showed 409.2, with 2.6% correction that is 419.8. Due to lots of EOC, using GPS recorded distance of 425.8 instead.
This tank nearly consisted of 100% commuting, with only 2 or 3 errand-related trips. Almost made it 2 weeks between tanks!! Average during commutes speeds have typically been between 45 and 48 mph, a little lower than previous tanks.
A bit of rain during the first few days of the tank, but most of the rest of the tank was during clear and sunny weather, with the past few days actually up in the 80's(F)!
2009-04-09
417.4 mi.
9.283 US gal
$2.219
44.96 US
Odo showed 406.8; 2.6% adjustment gives 417.4. Oddly, the GPS showed a lower number of miles; only 396.3. In order to be consistent, I used the GPS miles instead of the Odo miles.
This tank was primarily commuting. Due to the problems with the erratic idle after having switched to the Fed ECU, I switched back to the Cali ECU at the beginning of this tank... but still I have the erratic idle!!! Very frustrating. I had hoped to achieve at or near my best FE of 48.8 when I had the Cali ECU, but obviously the FE is nowhere near that. Haven't had any time at all to troubleshoot the high idle. Plan to do an oil change and tune up within the next few weeks, which I hope will quash the idle issues.
Edit: Based on the most recent tank, decided that I must have simply forgotten to bring along GPS during a trip with the car. Using the odometer value + 2.6%, though this will be a little low due to EOC odometer losses.
2009-03-27
415.1 mi.
8.794 US gal
$2.259
47.2 US
Odo showed 405.7; 2.6% adjustment gives 416.2. Did very little EOC on this tank; used the GPS distance of 415.1 instead. Looks like adjustment should be more like 2.3%?
Had a long trip on the 1st half of this tank; no EOC, no P&G, etc. Ran into a lot of traffic, so speeds were low initially, but then picked up to ~65mph later.
The rest of the tank was primarily commuting, but decided to try no EOC (which I do typically)
Haven't had time to trouble-shoot the high idle, so will be swapping back to the Cali ECU (which previously gave me my best tank) until I can spend some time wrenching on the car.
2009-03-20
379.7 mi.
7.966 US gal
$2.199
47.67 US
Odo showed 366.3; 2.6% adjustment gives 375.8, but due to a lot of EOC I used the GPS distance of 379.7 instead (was relatively lazy about turning the key back on in many instances).
Accidentally added premium to the tank this time; will see if that makes any difference (I don't really expect it to).
This tank was nearly all commuting, mostly in fairly good weather (had one instance where it was raining). Had a lot of opportunity to EOC; but still have the high idle issue. Hope to get the extension harness within the next week or so; will need to do further troubleshooting once I have that. Currently have taxes to deal with so weekends for troubleshooting are pretty much shot.
2009-03-10
400 mi.
8.365 US gal
$2.139
47.82 US
Odo showed 388.9; 2.6% adjustment gives 399.0, but due to a lot of EOC I used the GPS distance of 400.0 instead.
Still plagued with high idle, but the replacement Fed ECU (I replaced the 1st Fed ECU with another Fed ECU about 50 miles into this tank) seems to give me better results overall. Have not had a chance to troubleshoot the cause of the high idle very much; simple causes such as vacuum, connections, etc have checked out OK.
This tank was primarily commuting and therefore had a lot of EOC (avoided engine on coast due to the high idle). A few wet & rainy days, but mostly it was cool, dry, and sunny.
2009-02-28
389 mi.
8.652 US gal
$2.259
44.96 US
Odo read 378.4; 2.6% adjustment gave 388.2, but due to lots of EOC, I went with GPS recorded miles of 388.96.
The new Fed ECU is bugging me a lot... whenever I let off the gas to coast in neutral, the idle jumps to about 1500rpm and rarely goes below that... stopping at a light gives me about 1100rpm. Sometimes after a long time it drops to "normal" idle at ~900rpm. I rarely stop the engine when it is night-time or bad weather, so I know the high idle hurt FE. Also spent time trying to diagnose the high idle over the weekend, with lots of idle time, which I'm sure hurt FE further.
This tank was mostly commuting; had a few cold ("California cold") and rainy days. I did quite a bit of EOC when I could (mostly the commute "to" work, which has a lot of downhill) and a few P&G attempts. Definitely could feel the ECU kick into "lean burn" mode and tried to stay within that mode. However, often the lean burn would be so severe that I could not stay at my freeway speed without kicking it back out of lean burn mode.
2009-02-17
310.3 mi.
7.05 US gal
$2.259
44.01 US
Odo indicated 302.4; adjusted by 2.6%
First tank with Fed ECU (except for the first ~50 miles). Miserable weather for nearly all of this tank (rain, cold, snow); often the temp gauge did not indicate above the 1/4 mark. As a result, relatively little EOC and P&G. Also, the swap to Fed ECU either highlighted or caused an issue that results in a very high cold idle and a higher than normal warm idle.
2009-02-06
344.3 mi.
7.598 US gal
$2.079
45.31 US
Odo reading was 335.6; adjusted by 2.6%
Maus was smogged on this tank, so spent at least 1/2 hour idling in the shop waiting for the guys to figure out what was wrong with the smog machine (it kept cutting out). Also discovered that shutting off the key and leaving it off stopped the odometer from registering the miles when I did EOC... so lost some "free" miles on this tank as well.
2009-01-29
390.5 mi.
8.197 US gal
$2.019
47.64 US
Odo reading was 380.6; adjusted by 2.6%
This tank was almost all commuting; one trip to the airport (100 mile RT) and only a couple of side trips. Lots of P&G on this tank; started to doing some EOC as well. Had some cold and rainy days mixed in here as well.
Discovered *after* this tank that odo stops when I turn off the key... probably lost ~10 miles due to that!
2009-01-18
367.1 mi.
7.51 US gal
$2.079
48.88 US
Odo showed 357.8 miles; adjusted up by 2.6% correction factor.
This tank was much more in line with what I expected to get. Mostly commuting, with progressively more P&G throughout. Don't expect to get much better than this without 1) instrumentation, and 2) going to EOC.
2009-01-11
301.7 mi.
8.443 US gal
$2.039
35.73 US
Miles shown on odo: 294.1 Added 2.6% correction according to previous GPS data.
First fillup after I bought the car where I am the driver who burned all the fuel. Very disappointed with this tank. I was hoping that I'd do at least as well as the previous tank (which was mostly driven by the prior owner). Most of this tank was commuting to work and back. Will have to figure out how to improve my driving style to get better FE!!
2008-12-30
341 mi.
8.17 US gal
$1.579
41.74 US
Very first refill, assume that the trip odo was reset by previous owner at the first fillup; previous owner drove at least half the tank.
Edit: Adjusted miles due to odo error; Odo showed 332.4 but GPS indicated odo is low by 2.6%. Not surprising given that the prior owner installed taller than stock tires (175/70R13 vs the stock 165/70R13)
