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Hello to the forum:D. Today was my first trip with a ScanGaugeII and I am already wondering what else it can do:rolleyes:, so I was glad to find such an active forum covering the science:lightbulb:.

I have a 2001 Mazda Protege as my commute car, my trip is 23 miles on I-83 in Maryland and the drive is typically rolling at 70-80 mph. I check mileage on each tank fill-up and average 26-28 mpg.

I am hoping SGII will help change my habits to achieve a new average of 28-30 mpg without going slower, just smarter. I have already noted that easing up on the throttle when going down hill changes the MPG but not the speed. My trip has many elevation changes of 300+ feet, so there are uphill stretches of 18 MPG and downhill stretches of 99 MPG (if I back off).

I am interested in finding measures of the operation of the car like trans temp and other things that may make the trip interesting. Looking forward to investigating the fourm:o.

Regards Tom.

Welcome to CleanMPG!

I have a feeling that once you try some of the tips offered here, 30 will be a distant memory. I do highway trips at that mpg in my V6 Odyssey. Is your car an auto or a manual?

Be sure to read this article: http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1510

Welcome, Tom! Sounds like you're off to a good start.

I am hoping SGII will help change my habits to achieve a new average of 28-30 mpg without going slower, just smarter.

Slower is smarter :) There are other things you can do that will help but speed has a significant impact on MPG. Try staying around 60 for one trip with the SG2. It will only add about 4 minutes to your 23 mile trip but should have a significant impact on MPG.

I've had great results just going slower and using DWL (click on my signature for details). Advanced techniques like P&G aren't as effective for me since I can't FAS with an A/T.

Welcome Tom. Used to live in Severna Park and frequently traveled that section of I-83. Very, very hilly. If you have a manual transmission (MT) you might try shutting down on the downhill sections (fas). But you will lose power steering. Not sure of your car but in heavy cars the effort can sometimes be too great. You will have one or two power brake applications from the reserve vacuum, but then you also lose brake boost. It is an advanced technique that you could probably defer for a while, but it will save some fuel.

Just keep an eye on the SGII instantaneous FE. That will be your guide to what is working for you. And by all means read the ref that Andrew mentioned.

If you don't have a manual transmission, DON'T try FAS unless you have verified that the vehicle is flat towable (all four wheels on the ground when being pulled). You can do serious damage to a transmission if you do this and it isn't capable of dealing with it.

Also, if you do decide to try this, practice in an empty parking lot. You do not want to be surprised out on the road and in traffic by behavior you don't expect from your automobile. That's how accidents occur. This is an advanced technique and should be thoroughly explored in an isolated area before even thinking about using it on the open road.

Remember, saving fuel is the goal but safety comes first.

Hello, sorry I did not respond sooner to this post. I thought I would see a message to my email about responses.
I do have an automatic transmission, so power off is not an option at this time.
Shifting into neutral on the down hill portions of the trip does yield a 2mpg boost to the trip and 60mph or under gets me into 30-32, but the fast lane is moving at 80+ and 60 gets me bad looks.
Shifting into neutral at stoplights (I hit 3 in my commute) does make a difference. When the MPG = 0 every second is costly to the trip average, especially if in Drive.
Like jimepting noted, I80 is very, very hilly. I have been working on a technique to ease back on throttle while going down hill and eliminate engine braking, but increasing speed to assist with the uphill trudge.
This improves the peak to peak average mpg over the neutral approach, but it is < 1 mpg difference. One of the hills is a 280 foot elevation change, so mpg goes to 11-13 on the way up. Without the 3 major hills, I would be tasting 35 I bet.:)
I am also looking for the formula to get trans temp.:confused: Any information would be appreciated.
Regards,
Tom.