Hypermiling the Ford Escape Hybrid ...

[CraigG]

Thanks Gary,
I have one more question. Does the odometer only measure miles travelled on the gas engine? I got this with a little over 300 miles on it and now the odometer reads 420mi when I know I've driven further than that.
Thanks,
Craig

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by CraigG

Thanks Gary,
I have one more question. Does the odometer only measure miles travelled on the gas engine? I got this with a little over 300 miles on it and now the odometer reads 420mi when I know I've driven further than that.
Thanks,
Craig

The odometer measures all miles traveled in both EV and with the engine on or even off with the key in the run position (FAS).

[Sustainable Guy]

Hi I'm a newbie here. Bought a used 2006 FEH 2 weeks ago with 44K on it from the dealer. A side story is that there was a noise in the rear that they said they would fix under their warranty. Turns out they had to replace the entire rear end! Bad bearings in the rear diff. Anyone have that happen on their FEH?

Anyway I'm not new to hybrids, my wife got the Honda Insight back in 2001 and we are very experienced with that. At 88K we have an average of 57.6MPG. Not bad for hilly + frigid Maine! I am quickly learning from experience -- and this forum -- that all the tricks I learned on the Insight aren't so relevant to the FEH. So I have read way back through this forum to learn how to drive this baby. I just love EV mode - I call it "Stealth Mode"!

I have ordered a ScanGauge II and will put it in next week and will stay in touch.

[bruski1959]

Originally Posted by GaryG

John, it just plugs in above the brake pedal and you do a easy set-up with the size of the engine, fuel you save hybrid, speed set plus 1%, choose CAN, set the back light to match you other gauge colors and set the CAN speed high. If you look at my photos here at CMPG, you will see where I mounted it which works great.

Sean, I knew you would put it to good use!

GaryG

Hi Gary,

Just curious about speed set plus 1% and set the CAN speed high. I notice that my SGII vs my computed numbers for miles, mpg, and gallons is always off by around 1% per tank. Was wondering if these settings might have something to do with these anomalies. Most of the time I have to run some type of RFG in SE WI, but occasionally I will get some straight gas when I travel outside of the area. I tried to find the FEH information in the SGII area of the hardware without much luck. If this is already covered there, I would be glad to read it there if you can point me in the right direction.

Thanks,
Bruce

[Sustainable Guy]

I don't understand the reference to "speed set plus 1%" -- can someone explain what this means, and why it needs to be set? I totally geeked out with the SGII, and have set it to show stuff like when the AC is activated etc. As an electrical engineer I can say that this Gauge is one elegant piece of design and I would be very proud of it if I had designed it.

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by Sustainable Guy

I don't understand the reference to "speed set plus 1%" -- can someone explain what this means, and why it needs to be set? I totally geeked out with the SGII, and have set it to show stuff like when the AC is activated etc. As an electrical engineer I can say that this Gauge is one elegant piece of design and I would be very proud of it if I had designed it.

Ron Delong is the inventor of the SG and many here have met him in person at the '07 Hybridfest event. Ron had a booth and held classes on the SG where we had a chance to ask question. CarlD who is a member here ask me to give Ron information he came up with in order to program SoC. Ron said it was the information he needed and we all could program SoC in the new X-Gauge chip and program. Carl, an EE, and Ron live and work within a few miles from each other and as a result have given us a large volume of different gauges to be added to the new X-Gauge programming in your SG.

I personally don't alter my gallons reading at fill-up, but Carl and I agreed the trip OD and the SG TANK mileage never match. In order to get them to match as close as possible, we tested our mileage at different % of speed increases. We both found our '05 FEH was between 1% and 2% off. The 2% plus speed adjustment caused the SG Tank mileage to be more than the OEM Trip OD. The 1% plus adjustment caused the SG Tank mileage to be lower than trip OD. Carl and I agree that the SG speed adjustment should be around 1.5% plus, but the SG will not adjust in tenths.

Changing brand tires will sometimes require a different change in speed because of the height of the tire. Also, the '08 model may need a different % adjustment than the '05 model. The best way to find out if you need to adjust the SG speed % to match the Trip OD is to compare the Tank mileage to the Trip mileage at fill-up. If your SG Tank mileage is lower than your Trip OD, start adding 1% until they match the best. Once the Trip OD and the SG Tank mileage are adjusted to match the mileage, the speed will match also for a better MPG reading. The OEM MPG gauge does not store enough data for an entire tank, therefore the SG MPG with never match the OEM MPG gauge. I rely on the SG solely because gas pumped at each fill can be off as much as three gallons. When I hear people post about adjusting their SG to the gallons they pump, I assume they are getting incorrect MPG readings all the time. I read on GH that posters are adjusting their SG up to 7% tring to match the gallons pumped. I'm not saying the gallons should not be recorded, but I am saying you should not adjust the SG to match those gallons pumped in the FEH/MMH.

GaryG

[bruski1959]

Appreciate the thorough answer Gary!

Wow and I have been adjusting at every fillup! Depending on the outside temperature and type of fuel, I have seen wide variances, sometimes adjusting it by nearly 10%. I generally don't mess with the OEM MPG gauge, as I was unaware that it couldn't store enough data for an entire tank. Thought I could reset it between oil changes. Any idea how much data the OEM MPG meter can store, as in how many miles driven is it reliable for? I can see adjusting my speed % by 1% as that seems to be how much I am typically off. When I can I try to get gas at the same station, same pump, same direction, etc., but that isn't always feasible.

Thanks,
Bruce

[GaryG]

Originally Posted by bruski1959

Appreciate the thorough answer Gary!

Wow and I have been adjusting at every fillup! Depending on the outside temperature and type of fuel, I have seen wide variances, sometimes adjusting it by nearly 10%. I generally don't mess with the OEM MPG gauge, as I was unaware that it couldn't store enough data for an entire tank. Thought I could reset it between oil changes. Any idea how much data the OEM MPG meter can store, as in how many miles driven is it reliable for? I can see adjusting my speed % by 1% as that seems to be how much I am typically off. When I can I try to get gas at the same station, same pump, same direction, etc., but that isn't always feasible.

Thanks,
Bruce

Sorry Bruce, I didn't see your response till now.

My Nav Sys MPG average starts to drift from my SGII Tank reading at around 200 miles. I reset my Nav MPG at fill-up and reset the SGII Tank at the same time. No one that I've talk to knows how much data can be stored or how data is dropped in the OEM MPG average.

I'm hoping the new 2nd Generation Nav Sys in my ordered '09 will store more data so we can get a real Tank average.

GaryG

[Sustainable Guy]

As a side note to this thread, we've had the Honda Insight since 2000 and it has a life of the vehicle MPG average display (currently at 58.6 at 82000MI) and then 2 trip meters that show miles and averaged MPG per trip. Lately on our hilly Maine back roads we are getting 60-64 MPG on short trips averaging 45MPH.

So the SGII seems to fit the same needs for me and I'm used to thinking in per trip terms, but I miss the "life of vehicle" average MPG.

Thanks for pointing out the +1% speed correction for the SGII I was wondering which gauge to trust the vehicle or the SGII, now they are both pretty much in agreement.
Guy