ideas to improve my mileage log - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

twoodcc · 12-31-2009, 06:48 PM

hi. i'm new here. i'm more of a computer guy, and i've been keeping my own car log site (tracks more than just mpg).

anyways, i thought people around here could give me their take on what needs to be on the site (i'm not trying to compete with any site, like this one. only my wife and myself use this site).

here is the link to the site. if you want to try it out - user:guest pass:guest1

here is a shot of the stats page:

the main problem here is that it doesn't compare the current stats with anytime in the past, so looking at this, you have no idea if things are getting better or worse.

also, am i leaving out any valuable information? like is it worth to track avg mph? i do have a scangauge (my wife does not though)

anyways, just looking for new ideas.

thanks in advance

FastPlastic · 01-01-2010, 12:47 PM

I know a big factor that very few think about is weather conditions. A lot of us around here have been running in to the winter time MPG blues.

twoodcc · 01-01-2010, 01:59 PM

thanks for the reply. i plan to work on this project this weekend. i'll keep that in mind

Lazarus · 01-01-2010, 03:25 PM

Maybe a section with notes so you could list weather conditions, SG info, and modification such as new tires, oil change etc.

cfg83 · 01-01-2010, 04:00 PM

twoodcc -

I second Lazarus' vote for notes. You will find that there are always details that can't be captured numerically, and a notes section will allow you to "go back" and see what was going right or wrong.

CarloSW2

thatguitarguy · 01-01-2010, 04:29 PM

I do think that avg mph would be helpful to track, because I know that I'm getting good avg mpg because I do so much of my driving on the highway. My mpg is better when I'm averaging between 45-50 because I do a lot of miles at a time and I don't bump it up by going 75mph. Some would think that mpg would get better if the avg mph were around 35-40, but for me the opposite is true because that just means I'm adding a lot of stop and go.

pgfpro · 01-01-2010, 04:32 PM

Nice work I like that you have all the cost values a part of the equation.

twoodcc · 01-02-2010, 09:08 AM

thanks for the suggestions guys. i will take them into consideration when i get to work on this, hopefully tonight or tomorrow

Piwoslaw · 01-02-2010, 11:15 AM

I like that insurance, maintenance, parts, etc. are factored into the costs.
Thatguitarguy's suggestion to add average speed is very good. I would add what percent of your tank was city/highway. When you look at your history you can see a trend: higher avg speed on highway=higher fuel consumption. Hopefully some people will get the picture.