I have a 2002 Corolla S (Manual Transmission), with near 170k miles on it. I got my Scan Gauge a couple weeks ago, and I'm surprised how good gas mileage I'm getting. I've been hyper-miling without the help of a gauge for awhile now, but this really helps me stay on top of it, for sure.
I averaged 44mpg on this mountainous, sloppy drive from Littleton, CO to Glenwood Springs, CO, with a kayak strapped on top of my roof. I did it by staying in 4th gear, and cruise control set to 60mph. The only ecomod of note was that I had a cockpit cover for the kayak.
After that I've taken it upon myself to completely clean out the car, take off the roof rack when not in use, and I deleted the mud flaps. In the process I also found that I can fit my shorter playboat (kayak) in my car; it just takes a little coaxing. So I'll be doing that from now on, and I'll only need the roof rack when other people are with me, or when I take my creek boat.
So these past few days, I've noticed my commute to and from work has averaged over 50mpg! At the end of my trip home today, my gauge read 56.4 mpg for the trip. I haven't done any significant mods to my car, but I have gradually improved my hypermiling since I got the gauge, and I think I've pretty much peaked. Having this gauge has also really helped relieve stress, because it's a constant motivator to drive efficiently, and I don't find myself speeding up unnecessarily just so I don't get cut off and things like that; I just don't care what the drivers around me do. I also don't have to drive obnoxiously slow or anything just to be efficient. I've really got my daily commute down pat, and it makes me happy.
With that said, I am a bit more motivated to do some actual ecomods to the car now. My car accumulated junk over the past couple years and I finally cleaned it out, in the name of fuel efficiency. It's trunk and backseat, even the glovebox are 100% free of unneeded stuff. I've survived a couple years without turning on my A/C, so I think I will have a shop delete that for me, if the price is right. I've also turned off my car prematurely and rolled around in parking lots without power-steering and I think it's feasible to delete that as well (thankfully, I can probably do this myself, unlike the A/C).
I'm pretty handy with fiberglass, so this summer when I can work outdoors, I will most likely begin with some subtle aerodynamic mods.
Anywho, forgive the rambling. I hope my scan gauge isn't broken, because its display is really bringing a smile to my face.
