Do I need a scan Gauge?

[SmellyCat]

I got a 04 Audi v6. It calcs my mpg. It's fun to watch my mpg drop at stop lights. What extra benefit will a scan gauge give me? Will it save me fuel dollars?

[Nedlom]

Download torque pro to your mobile, and buy a bluetooth obd2 dongle off amazon/ebay - about £10-£15 total.

Been using this for the past two years - scanguage seems very expensive for what it is (to me).

Not essential, but very helpful - instant mpg, intake temps, all sorts of useful/interesting info that should help save fuel.

For such a small cost, you cant go wrong.

Nedlom

[euromodder]

It'll mainly give you information that you may be able to use to save some $ on gas - like engine load or oil temp, ...

Car instrumentation is usually rather basic.
There's a lot more info on the OBDII bus.


These days, a bluetooth / wifi OBDII dongle and an app like Torque may give you more info, and allow keeping track of that information

Necessary, it is not

[Fat Charlie]

I love being able to have short trip mpg compared to long trip (current tank) mpg.

[vskid3]

Another alternative is the Ultragauge. Does everything the SG would do in your car, while being half the price and showing twice as many gauges at a time.

While Torque can do anything you would ever want, you have to set up your phone every time you use it. Fine for doing testing or longer trips, probably not ideal for commuting every day. My phone can show me everything going on with my Prius, but I usually use my Ultragauge because it shows just enough and I don't have to mess with it.

[Nedlom]

Vskid3, I've got a cheap £20 smart phone permanently in my car - when I switch the key on torque "wakes up" and starts running.

The "dash install" options work well.

Nedlom

[ThermionicScott]

"Need"? Probably not, since instantaneous MPG alone is a big help when trying to drive more efficiently.

But once you've had a taste of all the extra real-time data a ScanGauge/UltraGauge/Torque/whatever can provide, you miss it in a car that doesn't provide it.

[JRMichler]

Originally Posted by SmellyCat

It's fun to watch my mpg drop at stop lights. What extra benefit will a scan gauge give me? Will it save me fuel dollars?

A ScanGauge, by itself, will not save you one penny.

The gas saving process starts by using your built in MPG meter, which apparently is set to show the mileage for each trip. Adjust your driving habits so as to consistently get the best trip mileage. Most of this is driving to minimize your brake usage. Move with the flow of traffic, time traffic lights, coast down for most speed limit changes, etc. Note the effect of temperature, hot vs cold start, and wind on gas mileage.

At some point, you will start to wish for additional information, possibly instantaneous gas mileage to help find the best cruise speed. THEN, you will be ready for a ScanGauge / Ultragauge / Torque app / something.

[MeteorGray]

The ScanGauge worked for me. With it I can see instantaneously the effects on fuel consumption due to speed, wind, rain, road grade, etc . Such information encourages me to adjust throttle settings for maximum fuel economy under any given circumstance.

One great feature of the ScanGauge is that by pressing buttons on the face of the gauge you can change and see whatever instrument reading you want. It is a lot easier to use than many others out there.

[stefanv]

A ScanGauge or the Torque app will definitely help you, as long as you use the information as JRMichler describes above. I went with Torque, and have a dedicated tablet in the car for it (which also serves as my GPS and music player).