Saturn Vue ecomod thread

[BenArcher006]

For the wheel arch gap, I ordered lowering springs. They drop the front 2,5in and the back 2in which give the truck a 2in cut in the wheel arch gaps. I dont plan on filling the rest of the gaps... Dont really like the look it gives... But I bought wheel covers and I plan on going the pizza pan way.

As for Dfco, I cant figure why, but my truck never enters dfco.... NEVER! Between shifts, the engine takes some time slowing down. If I shift àt 2000RPM the engine will rev up to 2100-2200rpm before slowing down. I dont know why, but on Saturn forums people say its normal for a Saturn. Will have to work on this because I think it might hurt my fuel economy.

200kms in since the last fill and Im in the 30Mpgs area. Still room for improvement, got to get use to the kill switch use.

Yaaayy!!!

[CAPTAIN CHAOS]

Def. interested in this thread. My wife drives a Saturn Vue as well. It’s been a rock solid vehicle and she consistently averages 25mpg+ (regularly gets 28 in warm weather) in mixed city/rural driving.

Couple things I’ve found:
-I can’t help but feel the shifter issues some have experienced are a problem with the cable or shifter mechanism. Her’s has never been an issue to get into/out of gear and shifting is never more than ever-so mildly ‘notchy’.

-The RPM ‘flare’ when shifting is caused by your hand/foot timing. The Vue has a somewhat laggy drive by wire system and you have to start releasing the gas pedal probably a ½ sec. earlier than you normally would with a manual trans. Every time I drive her car I have to remind myself to roll out of the gas before actually beginning to depress the clutch or else VAROOOM between every gear.

-Cold weather really makes the MPG’s plummet in these things so I’ve VERY interested in seeing the effectiveness of your WAI.

-Also interested if the lowering springs make any discernible difference. These things do sit pretty high and for no real good reason.


I’ve done some research and one major job I’d love to see someone get some results on is a 5th gear swap. The Vue uses the same Getrag F23 transmission as the Cavalier/Cobalt/HHR and an assortment of other small GM vehicles. The difference is though, the Vue has a 4.41 final drive (which it needs to get this portly thing going!) and a .81 5th ratio. All other versions got a super tall .69 5th and an assortment of final drives ranging from 3.84-4.17; all other ratios and internals are identical.
I considered a final drive swap but like I said, this thing is portly and I feel a taller final might actually hurt in-town mileage. However, the crummy .81 5th has it spinning 2600-2700 (indicated) at 60mph and I can’t help but feel that is simply too high for max hwy mpg’s. Rolling into the throttle at 60 shows there is PLENTY of grunt at those engine speeds leading me to believe lower cruise RPM’s would be beneficial here in the flatter portions of the country.
Anyway, it’s a major job that requires splitting the trans and swapping out a shaft or two (some of the gears are integral to the input/output/counter shafts). However, donor transmissions should be plentiful and cheap. I would just use a donor and swap out the final drive to the Vue’s 4.41 but I’ve heard there are minor external case differences, I haven’t been able to confirm this though. Still, when I go to replace the clutch I’ll probably tackle this as it would drop hwy RPM’s by about 15%.

[jedi_sol]

Here is a picture of my rear diffuser that sits up right on my exhaust pipe (keep in mind, turbo engine)



opposite side, you can see the coroplast has BARELY melted away

[BenArcher006]

Well my kill switch just went south!! On a red light engine off was not able to restart the engine on the Green Light!!

Will have to work on it tomorrow! I have no Idea what happen the engine was working fine when I killed it!!

Kinda pissed because my Mpgs were going up with it and now theyre taking a dive!!

Edit: Already fixed!! Couldnt wait till tomorrow!!

[Xist]

From the manual:

Injector Cutoff
MENU -> UltraGauge Setup -> Injector Cutoff

While in gear during de-acceleration, many vehicle manufacturers will turn off the fuel injectors in order to save fuel. This is true for vehicles with either manual or automatic transmissions. The fuel savings is slight, but over time and distance could become significant. UltraGauge can detect when the injectors are switched off and factor the fuel savings into the fuel usage and mileage calculations.

Injector cutoff is disabled when set to zero, and is disabled by default. To enable Injector cutoff detection, set the value equal to seven times the engine size in liters, rounded up to a whole number. For example, for a 2.3L engine the value should be set to 2.3x7= 16.1 -> 17. The value is not crucial and this calculation represents a best estimate.

When enabled and injector cutoff occurs, the Instantaneous MPG will read 999.9, and the Instantaneous Gallons/hour will read 0.0

Injector Cutoff should only be seen when de-accelerating. If during heavy acceleration, Injector Cutoff falsely occurs, decrease the injector cutoff value by 20% or until cutoff no longer occurs. Setting the value too low will cause the Injector Cutoff to never be detected.

NOTE: Injector cutoff detection should be enabled prior to performing fuel calibration. If enabled after calibration, the calibration procedure should again be performed.

NOTE: If the open/closed loop indicator is not displayed on the gauge display or the loop is always open, then the vehicle does not support Injector Cutoff detection and this feature should remain disabled. If the loop indicator is always open, this could indicate an issue with your vehicle. If so, check for the presence of trouble codes.

NOTE: Nearly all Diesel vehicles do not operate a closed loop system, and as such do not support the open/closed loop indicator. UltraGauge does not support injector cutoff for Diesel vehicles.

NOTE: Each vehicle manufacturer has their own algorithm for injector cutoff. Some require significant de-acceleration, usually enabled in terms of higher RPMs and a certain speed threshold, while others have a much lower de-acceleration requirement.

NOTE: When the transmission is placed in neutral, the vehicle’s injector cutoff function is disabled.

NOTE: This is an optional setting and provides only marginal benefit to fuel usage and MPG calculations.

[BenArcher006]

Getting impatient with the shipping of my springs!! Would really like to install them right away with my pizza pan wheel covers!

Other than that, Im eyeballing the spare tire and jack... Thinking bout buying à 12v compressor and "patching" fluid, might shave 20 to 30 pounds off the truck..

Looking into kamback, but I dobt think there is a lot to gain as I drive mostly in town... I lilke the post about the fifth gear swap but thats a big job... Looked into lightweight flywheel but dont know if it would help or hurt Mpgs...

Im getting crazy... My girlfriend is concerned.. Haha

[BenArcher006]

There has been a error by shipping compagny with my springs, but everything is sorted out and I should receive them this week.

Installed my winter tires today along with my wheel covers. Went on a short trip just to see if they made any différence. Im sure Im crazy, but my average got from 28.33mpg to 28.86. Half a mile per gallon seems a lot to me for simple wheel covers.

Still waiting on the spring to reduce that gigantic wheel arch gap and maybe have a more aerodynamic ride.

Ordered LEDs all around the truck and Hids to maybe have a lower current consumption from the battery and alternator.

[kafer65]

Originally Posted by BenArcher006

Im getting crazy... My girlfriend is concerned.. Haha

Um, I think that means you're ecomodding just right

[BenArcher006]

Received my HIDs 6000k from VVME.

Must admit, I dont think there is a better kit out there for the price.

65$cad with relay kit shipping included and 2 years warranty, cant beat that.

All there is left to do is align them so I wont blind people on the streets.

[BabyDiesel]

I just installed 8000k HIDs from Innovited. The difference is amazing to say the least. You'll love them if you do any night driving, especially out in the country. I am aiming mine in such way that it may aggravate oncoming traffic, but I'll see deer sooner since I drive 95% rural