SGII what 4 parameters do you monitor most?
 

So I'm new to the whole ecomodding scene and have been having a blast with my SGII(need to watch the road more).

I was just curious what parameters are monitoring most..

For me its typically Engine Load, Gallons per Hour, Miles per Gallon and throttle position. In the case of having rad blocks installed substitute GPH for coolant temp.

Typically, I feel these three give me the best feedback on my driving style.

What about you?

SpeedR -

Welcome to EM! I use these 90% of the time :

TPS FWT
MPG IAT

I use TPS to monitor how light I am on the accelerator pedal, which translates to seeing my instant MPG go up.

I have FWT and IAT to monitor my HAI (Hot Air Intake) performance. I already have the Coolant level on my instrument cluster, but I like to see the actual coolant temp because I use a manual fan radiator switch to lower the coolant temp when I am stuck in a traffic jam.

CarloSW2

wtemp, gph, instant mpg, and either tps or air temp

MPH MPG
TPS RPM

I view these because they are what I can directly control.
Finding the "sweet spot" for any given speed or condition for optimum MPG (say with the ac on) would be impossible without the ScanGauge, it simply rocks!
:turtle:

LOD TPS
MPG FWT

I have a heads up mph and tach,
so I didn't need them
and the FWT is to monitor the temp because of the grill blocking.

I mainly use the TPS to keep the light and steady foot.
The LOD lets me know if the engine is straining and I should let up on the gas.
Such as going up hill and I don't want the auto-trans to down shift,
so I watch that to let the speed bleed off rather than have the down shift.

RPM MPH
MPG HPR

I will probably be replacing RPM with TPS though.

MPG MPH
FIA TPS

The TPS is the most watched gauge for instant tweaking (and for the auto trans),
MPH because the speedo is off,
MPG for the obvious, and
FIA to monitor intake temps (set to warmer-than-average).

If I sit for long periods with the accessories running, TPS becomes VLT. Low 11's = time to start and charge.

RH77

A really light foot with slow acceleration hurts FE*. People would be better off with a BSFC readout during acceleration. Preferably one that would display negative numbers when you hit the brakes.

* you get good instant FE numbers, but it also takes longer to get up to speed. So it is misleading.

I usually have:

*CFE MPH
MPG (LOD, TPS, FWT, GPH, Other)

*CFE is an xgauge reading based on Current trip Fuel Economy.
I use this because if i can maximize my current trip then it makes my tank trip go up too.

I'm a beginner at this, and my main technique is keeping throttle pressure on the SGII at less than 30 (flat 55 mph takes about 25). That makes for slow acceleration from a stop, but I don't know any way to figure how a faster acceleration to top gear compares in FE.

I've seen different opinions on this slow vs. fast acceleration issue, so I'm currently just confused.

Lane

I'm going to concur with jonr at post #8. When I got my ScanGauge I found I was driving too softly. Not only does it increase the likelihood of incoming fire from the people behind you, but it keeps you in low gear longer. I don't floor it (my gas peddle has never known the floor), but I move out aggressively to get through the first two gears. I can watch the instantaneous MPG climb with each gear. Even going up hill, I push it to get into third gear. When you average the longer distance at low MPG, it drags down the total.

PS: FWT FIA to monitor new Hot Air Inlet
TPS to control foot
MPG to see how the foot is doing

update:

MPG
AFC (Avg FE for Current trip)
FWT
TPS

my MPH and RPMs are fairly consistent from the SGII and my instrument cluster

Fwt Fia
Lph Lhk

It would be nice if it allowed you to load in a BSFC chart so that it could display BSFC.

Or use an accelerometer or GPS input to derive it (with long term averaging to account for hills).

MPH, MPG, TPS, and either water temp or GPH.

For myself I use:

RPM - MPH
MPG - TPS

With my 4-spd auto trans I tend to keep the TPS <= 20 or 25 depending on how much traffic is behind me and on the highway I've found that my '97 Cavalier gets the following mpg's.

Without A/C: TPS of 10-12 will hold a steady speed on the flats and at 60mph I can usually average between 45mpg - 50mpg.

With A/C: TPS of 15-18 will hold a steady speed on the flats and at 60mph I can usually average between 31mpg - 35mpg.

Jeff

I try to keep my TPS around +4 and +6 above idle for FE while trying to stay between 45 and 55mph.

I don't know about that. I don't have an engine map for my vehicle but I assume it looks generally like the ones I've seen. It's clear that ultra slow acceleration doesn't utilize the most efficient areas of the map, but there's another factor.

Looking at the vehicle as the system boundary and outside as the environment (that is, ignoring the rotating masses in the drivetrain, etc.), fuel is used to do two things: overcome resistance (rolling, aerodynamic drag) and to add kinetic energy during acceleration (assuming level ground). If I accelerate slowly, that portion of fuel that goes to add a given amount of kinetic energy is burned over a greater distance - the calculations are quite easy and I can show it if anybody wants. But if I accelerate at half the rate, I'll go twice as far to get up to any given speed and that portion of the chemical potential energy that is converted to added kinetic energy is used more efficiently in that sense.

Combining this with bsfc on the engine map turns out to be a fairly thorny mathematical problem, though I'm working on it using a "generically" shaped engine map with a few tweaks to accurately represent those few spots I know about on my vehicle. Maybe somebody here has modelled this? It's a problem in numerical integration.

Sorry to hijack the thread.

RPM MPH
MPG Lod

Hi,

I used XGauge to map the average MPG (normally in the Trip selections) to be available in the Gauge options:

AVG TPS
MPG fWT

I'm a newbie to SGII also. I just installed mine in my 2000 Insight this week.

FIA GPH

IGN LOD

I already have instantaneous MPG, trip MPG, H2O temp and RPM on the instrument panel.

Wish I could figure out how to program the X gauge to show when I'm in lean burn, but I can usually tell just from the feel of the car and the instantaneous MPG readout.

I'm still in the process of calibrating the fuel flow and the odometer functions. At an average of 81 mpg, I don't get many opportunities to fill the tank for calibration purposes!:D

Someone I know who uses the SG with a Civic indicated that he watches the IGN closely.

How does this gauge help?

Eph

My SG is loaded this way;

LOD AVG
MPG MPH

cephraim

I don't know enough to make use of the ignition timing reading but I've been curious about it as well.

How si the IGN display used? It sort seems to move relative to the LOD display.

I just got my SGII last week and have been tickled at the amount and instantaneous availability of the data. The book that came with it is OK but it doesn't go into depth with regard to all of the different gauges that are available. I've enjoyed gleaning knowledge from this site but I'm wondering. Is there a website that anyone can refer me to that would contain a comprehensive explanation of the powers of the ScanGauge?

If there is a single source, I haven't found it. Usually I find what I need from forums like these or over at CleanMPG with dedicated sub-boards for Scangauge discussions.

UPDATE:

Avg FE Current Trip
MPG
TPS
LOD

The ign display shows the total ignition timing currently used. When running at it's most efficient levels or at very high RPM the timing tends to be more advanced.

I've notice when my Insight 5 speed is in "lean burn" mode the timing is anywhere from 26-30 degrees BTC. If I pop out of lean burn, the timing retards. This makes sense as a leaner, more efficient mixture combusts more slowly and needs more advanced timing to thoroughly burn.