Archives

I'm kinda new to this but figured the sgii was worth it to help me learn faster. Plus, I like gadgets :). So it arrived yesterday and I just hooked it up today. It's amazing how much information this thing can provide.

If only I knew what half of it meant. :o

Is there a guide anywhere to getting started? Some posts on this forum have been helpful but the information is scattered and at times a little technical for me. I have put in the engine and fuel tank sizes and after reading a few posts today I will switch it to hybrid mode so it can recognize my occasional FAS. I'll try to calibrate it properly next couple times I fill up, but I assume inaccurate numbers are good enough for now because I can at least compare the relative values. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I figure a good first step is to figure out optimum acceleration/shifting for my car. Up til now I've just eased it up to 2000rpm then shifted but if I can do better, might as well. As I understand it I should try out different styles on a few similar trips and compare average MPG. How long should each trip be to even out any random effects? Is there anything I should vary besides TPS and shift points?

In terms of instantaneous gauges I'm also not sure quite what to aim for. Right now I'm focused on trying to learn fine pedal control from the TPS, and generally keeping instantaneous MPG up (not perfect but better than nothing). It seems everyone has a different opinion on which gauges to pay attention to, but I'd love some input on what's important for DWL, since a lot of my commute is hills taken at 30mph or so.

Thanks for helping out.

Good to hear from you again, Nick! :)

You'll figure out what you are looking at soon enough. You are correct that deltas are the really important thing -- actual numbers come from your odometer readings and the gallons you fill the tank with when calculating mileage so don't worry about the SG being off a bit for now.

Acceleration rates will really depend upon what you are trying to do, but in general you want to get up to speed without putting your foot into it too much, and also without crawling to the next gear. My Elantra seems to be pretty happy with around a 2-3mph gain every second for normal cruising type driving, faster if I'm doing P&G. At the leisurely acceleration rate I typically shift around 1.3 - 1.5K RPM. For harder accelerations it is typically around the 2K mark.

For instantaneous gauges, I highly recommend programming XGauge to show the current trip mileage -- the example in the user manual shows you how to do this particular one! The gauges I keep up are Current Trip MPG, Instantaneous MPG, coolant temperature, and voltage. The 12V is needed if you FAS much so that you know if your battery is getting low (that way you can skip some FASing if necessary and let the engine charge it back up). You could replace coolant temperature with TPS if you like.

As for DWL, the best first approximation of good technique for that is to maintain TPS at a set value. That way you are sure you are not changing the flow rate of fuel to the engine. This will cause you to speed up a bit downhill and slow down a bit going uphill. To get slightly better mileage, you can speed up a little more going downhill by adding a little gas, and ease off to slow down a bit more going uphill. For really steep hills, I recommend picking a minimum (safe!) speed you are willing to go and then letting the car slow until you hit that speed. Then just maintain that up and over the hill.

The current trip mileage will help you stay focussed on trying to "ratchet" up the trip average. I drive watching both instantaneous and average almost exclusively -- though I do pay close attention to the 12V status just because I FAS so much and really don't need to strand myself. ;)

I hope that helps, but if you need more clarification by all means ask more questions!

As for DWL, the best first approximation of good technique for that is to maintain TPS at a set value. That way you are sure you are not changing the flow rate of fuel to the engine.Sean, IMHO, maintaining TPS does not maintain fuel flow. From my experience, fuel flow will increase due to the increasing Load. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't maintain TPS for DWL.... just that the fuel flow will still increase.

Hm... I should put up the GPH gauge at the same time and see what it does going uphill with a fixed TPS...

It goes up;)

I use GPH when DWL. It's easier for me to relate to my driving without having to think too hard. ;)

Hi Nicksa:

___The way to teach DWL for the new SG-II or non-FCD equipped beginners is to lock the accelerator and ride the trough, incline, crest and descent. After you have mastered that one, you can move up to a more advanced method and do even better by watching the OEM or SG-I/II iFCD and locking it in within a 3 mpg band or tighter. The higher the resolution, the better you will get at using the technique.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi Nicksa:

___The way to teach DWL for the new SG-II or non-FCD equipped beginners is to lock the accelerator and ride the trough, incline, crest and descent. After you have mastered that one, you can move up to a more advanced method and do even better by watching the OEM or SG-I/II iFCD and locking it in within a 3 mpg band or tighter. The higher the resolution, the better you will get at using the technique.

___Good Luck

___Wayne This may be dumb question, but how does one "Lock" the accelerator? Do you mean TPS value??

Hi John:

___Before we were ScanGuage equipped, you could literally mash the side of your foot against the tranny housing wall and hold the accelerator pedal to an exacting point. Without any feedback, that was about the best you could do in a DWL scenario. With feedback via OEM iFCD’s or the SG-II’s iFCD, hold an instantaneous value the best that you can while ascending a small slope and descending the back side of the same.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hi John:

___Before we were ScanGuage equipped, you could literally mash the side of your foot against the tranny housing wall and hold the accelerator pedal to an exacting point. Without any feedback, that was about the best you could do in a DWL scenario. With feedback via OEM iFCD’s or the SG-II’s iFCD, hold an instantaneous value the best that you can while ascending a small slope and descending the back side of the same.

___Good Luck

___Wayne OK -so watch MPG instead of TPS - Gotcha. Thanx, I'll try that!! :)

Hm... I should put up the GPH gauge at the same time and see what it does going uphill with a fixed TPS...Let me know what you see.. I'm not so positive that I was correct.

Tough to maintain TPS on hills for me in 6th w/o having to downshift.... I tend to maintain speed and let the downslope help make up for the mpg loss going up.