pissed

[badaz907]

I have removed my spoiler, update my ignition added tire pressure, adjusted my driving using a vacuum gauge, and all i got was 1 more mpg so what gives

[MetroMPG]

1 mpg compared to what?

I wouldn't expect those mods to show up above the usual noise in tank to tank monitoring.

The biggest variable in that list is the driver. A ScanGauge or an MPGuino would get you the results you want.

[azraelswrd]

Depending on where and how you drive, aero mods can only do so much. From my own experiences/experiments smooth hubcaps and rear skirts do very little for my FE because I drive about 80% city and 20% highway (and "highway" is 45-55mph at most).

Plus it's hard to say if a mod is having any significant effect after a tank/refill worth of driving because so many variables can factor in along the way from driving style since that is difficult to maintain the same at all times. One trip you can be getting 50mpg and another trip, a traffic jam and headwind get you 30mpg. This is why instant digital feedback is critical here that a vac gauge cannot or rather its limited by what it can offer.

[chilimac02]

If I'm reading your post right, then it looks like you minutely lowered your drag coefficient. That equals a minute difference in F/E. If you alter your driving techniques you can achieve much more F/E.

Then again, if you went from 10mpg to 11mpg, then it was a HUGE difference. If you went from 50 to 51, it was a small difference. What was the percentage difference?

[badaz907]

I went from avging 32 mpg city to 33 or almost 34, other forum memebers convinced me that removing the spoiler was a good idea and now I am frustrated with the results. I refuse to spend 160 dollars on a scan gauge they are over priced. All I want to know is mpg not anything more. I drive exactly lke this 1st gear rev to about 2500 rpm shift 2nd 2500 3rd shift coast in fourth with about 10-20 mmhg on the vacuum i dont know what more I can do.

[badaz907]

keep in mind i drive 8 miles to work and back maybe thats as best as im going to do in such short distances, hwy i avg about 39-41 mpg

[thebrad]

Originally Posted by badaz907

I went from avging 32 mpg city to 33 or almost 34, other forum memebers convinced me that removing the spoiler was a good idea and now I am frustrated with the results. I refuse to spend 160 dollars on a scan gauge they are over priced. All I want to know is mpg not anything more. I drive exactly lke this 1st gear rev to about 2500 rpm shift 2nd 2500 3rd shift coast in fourth with about 10-20 mmhg on the vacuum i dont know what more I can do.

Well then tough cookies, "Badaz".

[badaz907]

good attitude brad

[metroschultz]

there is a group purchase price of 149.99

Official EcoModder ScanGauge II group buy info

or A Whitney special of 139.99

Official EcoModder ScanGauge II group buy info
one of these may help you,


Instant feedback on mpg and load is necessary for driving enhancement.
Adjusting the nut holding the wheel is the first thing most people hear when they join.
A lot of that needs to be attitude adjustment (key barroom country song here) many of us (me included) had some issues changing driving habits.
But I am sure you will get to where you want to be, it takes practice and time. (I recently went backward, working my way forward).

TTFN,
Schultz

[Johnny Mullet]

Driving habits was a tough change for me also. At first, I was a little skeptical, but after time I noticed a definite change. I still learn more as I go even today.

Good luck to you!

[extragoode]

Originally Posted by badaz907

keep in mind i drive 8 miles to work and back maybe thats as best as im going to do in such short distances, hwy i avg about 39-41 mpg

I have a similar problem, I only drive 9 miles a day round trip, so a lot of efficiency mods would take extremely long to pay off. That said I still went from 14.5 to about 19.5 just by bumping the tires from 30 to 45-48 and EOCing, but that could've been the weather as much as the changes I made. Well see this winter.

[Concrete]

badaz907,

If you had a scangauge you might know why you only got 1 mpg better
mine has already paid me back just over the summer

If i could only have one mod - it would be a scangauge
I have used it to teach my self to drive better (I am now one with the truck)
and it has helped me diagnose problems with engine and transmission

as for the FE
you could be right - might be short hauls costing you
my truck is neg 10-20% FE until warmed up (learned that with a scangauge too )
I'm sure my issue is an ECU warm up mode
If that is true for you too, you might want to try slowly blocking up the grill

[dann_04]

If you're only driving 8 miles one way you probably aren't even getting out of closed loop mode which is where the car runs rich until it's at temp. It does that to warm up and get everything situated for driving, there's really nothing you can do about it besides getting a block heater to have the oil warm right from the start. I'm assuming 8 miles is probably city or slower speed roads in which case maybe you could get a bike/motorcycle/scooter to commute to work. Also if it's lower speed roads and short trips, your aero mods won't do much. Under 45mph you don't get that much of a return. Also try shifting at 2 or 2.25k instead of 2.5. I used to have a metro that if you shifted at 2k it got much better than 2.5k. Trying to get better mpg's can be frustrating especially when you don;t see the results that you want, but change some things and see what happens. Or change the vehicle, but i think 33-40mpg is pretty good regardless.

[Concrete]

If you're only driving 8 miles one way you probably aren't even getting out of closed loop mode

that could be, but my s10 is open loop for less than a minute
before I am off my block it is closed loop - but it does run rich for 1-2 miles after that
I think to light the cat - but who knows

i think 33-40mpg is pretty good regardless.

this is an excellent point (and encouraging)
when you get up there in MPG little things mean a lot
(one trip thru the drive thru at McDonnell's can really set you back)

[azraelswrd]

A grill block may also help speed up the warming. To get higher FE, I had to use more neutral coasting and dancing around my DFCO point plus pulsing the throttle to keep around the optimum speed/rpm. Scangauge helps but not necessary if you know your car's habits and limits already.

My 7mi summer trips made getting 40+mpg a chore, mostly because 80% of that was in city.

[99metro]

I don't think a Scangauge is overpriced. For what it does and for what it can "teach" you about getting better fuel economy, it's well worth it.

I went from 42-43 to 57-58 using the Scangauge. Let's see: 25% fuel savings = $8.00 per tank (for me), would take 19 tanks of fuel or 2.5 to 3 months to pay for itself. Money in my pocket after that. Anything that pays for itself over 6 months to a year, I believe, is worth it.

My little Metro paid for itself in 4 months just in gas savings alone compared to driving my F250 diesel. Worth it in my opinion.

[Daox]

This would be what I would highly recommend.

1) Block heater! Your short trip is mostly just getting your car to warm up. If your not using EOC, your using tons of gas to warm it up. Replace this with a block heater on a 3hr warm up time and you'll not only have heat in the winter, but a car that isn't idling at 3000 rpm at the stop sign/light. This is very important for short trips IMO. It will even help in summer.

2) Grill block. Again, aids with warm up time and aerodynamics. It'll also help keep some of that block heater heat in the engine bay.

3) Keep refining driving technique. Take a look at my fuel log. The first few months don't show incredible gains. It takes some time to figure this stuff out and learn how your car likes to operate.

4) Yep, you guessed it, some sort of instrumentation. If you can't swallow the scangauge price, try the MPGunio. Keep in mind the other functions of the scangauge (load, tps, etc) are incredibly useful. MPG is by far not the only thing you need.

[MetroMPG]

.

For anyone who says they can't afford a ScanGauge...

.

[PaleMelanesian]

It's all about driving style. The scangauge will tell you MUCH more than a vacuum gauge can. If you can increase even to 50mpg, it'll pay itself back in a matter of months. You can take my results below and reduce it by a couple mpg to see what an EX would likely give me. My commute is only 11 miles.

A grill block is a big help, too. These cars don't like to warm up very fast.

Originally Posted by badaz907

I drive exactly lke this 1st gear rev to about 2500 rpm shift 2nd 2500 3rd shift coast in fourth with about 10-20 mmhg on the vacuum i dont know what more I can do.

I drive like this: 1st gear only to get moving, then 2nd before 5mph.
The other gears, shift about 2000 rpm.
Coast in Neutral, not in gear. That's where the big gains are. In gear, you're getting engine braking. The extra drag from the engine eats up any potential gains.

[thebrad]

Originally Posted by badaz907

good attitude brad

Like yours is any better?
Think about it, you create a thread to complain about how you only gained 1 mpg for changing mechanical aspects of your vehicle while not addressing your driving technique, good job. How about trying to be more pro-active, than complaining about it? It's not like anyone on this forum went from 30 mpg to 50 mpg in one tank.