ScanGauge : which gauges you choose?
 

I have a ScanGauge II, about 6 years old. I will have it's firmware updated soon and I was wondering: which gauges do you usually put on display.

Currently, I have LHK and LPH permanently displayed. For the other two, sometimes it's average fuel economy (current trip), sometimes Engine load or TPS.

I'd like to know which gauges you watch and the reason behind the choice to try to help me choose good gauges to better my efficiency!

Thanks!

Welcome Jack!
Don't forget to raise your psi also.

did you try a search. several threads on this topic.

Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - Search Results

also the first link in my signature

Thanks for the quick reply and the very interesting thread you suggested! I'll raise my PSI as soon as I go to a gasstation that isn't charging 1$ for air, propably this weekend.

I bought a small compressor at a discount store "big lots' in the states.
also Harbor Freight has them.

LOD - Whatever driving style you prefer, monitoring engine load is important. I have learned to control the amount of engine load up hills to limit wasting gas. For example, keep a lower engine load up a hill and allow speed to taper off, rather than hold speed the entire way up.

VLT - I display battery voltage primary because I plan to implement my alternator delete project soon, and will need to monitor the charge to not damage the battery.

MPG - Instant MPG is helpful just to gauge how you are driving. Instant MPG is not as instant as LOD, so I usually use LOD to control how much throttle I apply. But MPG is helpful when you want to know how current conditions are directly effecting MPG.

LB - I have entered this xGauge to monitor the primary o2 sensor reading. This is useful on lean burn engines because it will tell you when lean burn is engaged. It's not useful for non lean burn cars.

That's not really doable for me as I live in a third floor appartment and I wouldn't have any place to store it.

As soon as I buy a house, I'll buy my own for sure!

cbaber, LOD is a good idea, my van doesn't do lean burn, but it does DFCO and I see it on the LPH setting when it drop to 0.00.

Top Left: Instant MPG Top Right: GPH
Bottom Left: AVG MPG Bottom Right: IGN/LOD

That's how I have it today. I recently started using the GPH gauge.

*Note - IGn/LOD meaning that I might have it at one or the other.

I don't know what mcrews was referring to but you can buy adequate compressors suitable for inflating tires that will fit in a shoe box. They run off 12V so you can use the cigarette lighter/accessory plug in the car or clamp onto the battery posts.

They do draw quite a lot of current, (mine draws 20A) so consider that if your battery is old or marginal or the accessory plug is rated at less than that. Most aren't.

Avoid the really cheap -like ~$20 - compressors as they are noisy and slow to inflate the tire. The ones I'm describing have a die cast cylinder and fairly substantial construction.

Re. Scan Gauge display:

Instantaneous MPG

Current trip MPG

MAP

Coolant temp..

The MAP is the most useful in allowing driving with the right amount of engine load. (LOD isn't as easy to interpret for me.) Instantaneous MPG is not really useful, except for when coasting, where it gives an indication of open loop operation (0 MPG) and consumption vs coast speed while idle coasting, but is interesting. Current trip MPG tells me how I'm doing and my car doesn't have a coolant temp. gauge.

-Engine loading (LOD)
-Throttle position sensor (TPS)
-Water temperature (°cWT)
-12v Battery voltage (VLT) / Engine RPM / Intake air temperature (°cIA)

I wish TPS and LOD had decimals... :)

No,a little small one that plug int your lighter. About 15-20 dollars.

You probably could get them to display decimals via xgauge, I know someone did on a different forum with these value :

ISO/VPW
Throttle Position (XX.X%)
TXD: 686AF10111
RXF: 044185110000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 00C800330000
NAM: TP

It steps in 0.4% increment due to hardware limitation (255 discrete steps)

Maybe you could get it to work!

the OBD-II protocol of my Insight is CANLF. I don't think ISO or VPW xGauges will work, thanks anyway for this good info, this could be usefull for people with this protocol :).

I found how to make some gauges with decimals, they work in my Caravan, which is CANSF, so I'm not sure they'll work with CANLF, but I'm sure someone can figure it out ;-)

Fuel level w/ decimals
TXD: 07DF012F
RXF: 0441452F0000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 271000FF0000
NAM: _F%

Throttle position w/ decimals
TXD: 07DF0111
RXF: 044145110000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 271000FF0000
NAM: Tps

Relative throttle w/ decimals
TXD: 07DF0145
RXF: 044145450000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 006400010000
NAM: Rth

Engine load w/ decimals
TXD: 07DF0104
RXF: 044145040000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 006400010000
NAM: Lod

Accelerator position w/ decimals
TXD: 07DF0149
RXF: 044145490000
RXD: 2808
MTH: 271000FF0000
NAM: Acc

I've used other gauge combinations now (On the right, Keeping what was on the left) and cycled through some gauges at red lights and other points of a trip to see how the van worked and one gauge reacted in relation to another. I recommend doing this, To learn.

For example, I learned that the IGN went way down and hovered between 9-14 when stopped in neutral at a red light but the MAP went down a bit too along with GPH (Though it was comparably the same in drive some times) and HPR also did go down when I tried it.

Also, I started using TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) Lately which has been helpful. In the van it is set to 16 when I'm not holding it down; I'm not sure what it would be held down all the way.

As it was 2013-September-17:

Top Left: TPS Top Right: MPH
Low Left: MPG Low Right: HPR

(MPG = Instant MPG)

Feel free to try other configurations, I was going with Instant MPG and Average a lot but I can learn in this way too.

Top Left: Tank MPG Top Right: Water Temp
Low Left: GPH Low Right: Boost

GPH is fuel consumption rate in gallons per hour. My TDI has no cluster gauges, so I had to program coolant temperature and boost as Xgauges.

UL: Instant MPG UR: AVG MPG
LL: RPM LR: MPH

My stock gauges suck so I use this for RPM (I don't have a tach) and MPG. Otherwise, I'd have those at coolant temp and LOD

[.rpm. ][.mph.]
[ mpg* ][mpg**]


* = MPG avg
** = MPG instantaneous

I changed the bottom right one to fWT today. Perhaps I'll add a partial duct tape grille block soon.

My scanguage settings
 

I have a 2000 Silverado, 2wd, 4.8 L V8, and a ScanguageII, couple years old, has 4 spots. Here's what I watch on it, first 3 spots are always the same:

Top left, MPH because it's closer to my line of sight than the speedometer.
Top right, avg MPG generally 21 at 70, 23 at 60.
Bottom right, instant MPG, try to keep this higher than the avg. MPG
Bottom left, I cycle through based on my mood.

Here's what I run in the bottom left and why:
LOD most common, I use the loading % to even out hills, trying to keep just a little above the flat number while going up hills on the highway. It's almost always below 20.
TPS I use throttle position if I want to monitor the cruise control or the Mrs. Sometimes I use it when towing to see how deep I'm going. Usually under 20%, 25 or even 30 if the horses are being damned. Seems closely correlated to LOD.
HPR Horsepower is fun to watch, especially when towing. Not sure if it's meaningful or accurate. Only seen above 100 towing. Also correlated to TPS and LOD.
VLT I had a weak battery, so I watched this for a while to be sure it was the battery and not the alternator. There's a guage on the dash too, but I liked the number
Intake Air Temp. I watch this in the winter, to know what a tough ass I am, or the number of minutes to frostbite. Lowest I've seen is -38
Coolant Temp. I like to compare this to air temp in the winter, to see how much heat I am retaining. Dash guage doesn't register below 100. This was important with the weak battery and the -38, I'd try to keep this number above -20 through the night so it'd start in the morning.
Open loop/Closed Loop. I watched this until I realized the 9999 instant mpg says the same thing. 2nd or 3rd gear will allow <40mph open loop on a downhill, fyi.
GPH This is just depressing, rarely watch it, I just avoid idling.
MAP This is not meaningful for me, because I am an ignoramous.
I think there are others, but I can't think of them, and I don't watch them very much. I never tried the miles to empty. I use the trip odometer for that anyway.
Maybe others could expond on what MAP and other things mean and why you would watch them.

Also, about the $25 harbor freight compressor pump, I was literally burned on that. It's a more of a PITA than the gas station, albeit my gas station has "free air". Putting a scrader valve on the inbound side of a guage/chuck combo for use at a gas station might be fun.