How do you get the most from your Ultragauge

[darcane]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Watch the trip average mpg. Keep it moving up. If you do something and it goes down, stop doing that (within reason). If you do something and it goes up, keep doing that. Simple concept, but it has a profound effect.

I've been doing that a lot as well. At this point, Instant MPG, Ave MPG, Abs. TPS, and Instant G/H are all on my primary screen and I try to keep all four as optimized as possible.

The thing I'm having the hardest time figuring out is what rate to accelerate at. My Ave MPG goes down no matter how I accelerate, it's just hard determining if brisk acceleration and cruising is better than longer gentle acceleration.

Neutral coasting makes a big difference. Part of my routine driving is to go from the hills on one side of a valley to the hills on the other. I've gotten to where my Ave mpg is the same after going through the valley as it was before I started. Mostly, this is due to coasting down the entire hill and keeping the Abs TPS under 25% going up the other side (having some good momentum at the bottom helps too).

I seem to be making progress, but overall my mileage is going down a bit now that colder weather is starting to set in (which brings with it far worse traffic).

Mike

[PaleMelanesian]

Winter happens to us all. I'm down 20% as well.

Since you're driving an automatic, I'd suggest accelerating with moderate throttle but keep the rpm at or below 2,000.

[SentraSE-R]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Winter happens to us all. I'm down 20% as well.

Since you're driving an automatic, I'd suggest accelerating with moderate throttle but keep the rpm at or below 2,000.

+1. You want to keep ATs from slipping the TC or downshifting as much as possible. Every time they do that, you lose a significant amount of your hard-earned mpg. Try to keep your speed as low as possible with your TC in lockup. Newer ATs w/lockup in lower gears have big advantages, but MTs are always going to win.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by PaleMelanesian

Winter happens to us all. I'm down 20% as well.

Since you're driving an automatic, I'd suggest accelerating with moderate throttle but keep the rpm at or below 2,000.

Ouch! I'm only down about 5% from my summer mileage, but we don't have real bad winters.

And I'm up about 6-10% from where I was a year ago.

[darcane]

Originally Posted by SentraSE-R

+1. You want to keep ATs from slipping the TC or downshifting as much as possible. Every time they do that, you lose a significant amount of your hard-earned mpg. Try to keep your speed as low as possible with your TC in lockup. Newer ATs w/lockup in lower gears have big advantages, but MTs are always going to win.

I can see evidence of it locking up in 4th, it's hard to tell in the lower gears.

Instant MPG is better in 4th with TC locked (~40-45mph) than going a little slower in 3rd (35-40mph), so I try to keep it at that point when I'm not on the freeway.

[SentraSE-R]

Sounds like you're going about it the right way.

[IsaacCarlson]

I have been wanting to get a vac and rpm gauge in the truck so I can see what is going on. I just need to save some more $$ to do it.

[CoolFeet]

I am anxiously waiting for ultra gauge. This thread has been helpful!