Pathetic Gas Mileage

[transitman]

Anybody have pics of the Ultra-Gauge mounted?

I ordered a vertical mount with my device but there are limited places to mount it where it's easily visible. I ordered a windshield mount and it should arrive Wednesday or Thursday, I'll post pics then.

[transitman]

I've been using my Ultra-Gauge for a few days now and have kept it on the avg. mpg, instantaneous mpg, boost %, mph, rpm's and throttle position screen. A couple of observations so far, the analog speedometer and the digital read out are identical. Using the gauge to improve my mileage and really, these are pretty obvious., but it's interesting to see the numbers the car is generating, don't use the cruise control unless you're driving across West Texas. It's amazing how easily and frequently the car goes into deceleration fuel shut-off and when you can feather the gas, rather than have the cruise keep it at a steady speed it helps with mileage. Anytime I take my foot off the accelerator, even for a second, the fuel cut off activates, sending my instant mpg's to 45, 55, 65... mpg's and finally 999.9 when no fuel is flowing.
Most of the time the boost percentage is in the negative range, but with moderate acceleration it raises to 1-3% boost, getting on the freeway it is 6-8% and hitting passing gear on the freeway, 10-13% boost, I don't believe I've seen it go higher than that. If anything, it has shown me how sensitive the car is to changes in mpg's and how driving technique can improve mileage. I have yet to concentrate on the other pages I've set up, all in good time.

[ScapeTom]

Thanks for the update, TransitMan!

[ScapeTom]

The ultragauge might be worthy of its own thread!

[GaryG]

Transitman, a trick I use to go Fuel-Cut to 9,999mpg faster is to tap the brake pedal. This signals the computer you're in deceleration faster. Works in all my Fords.

[transitman]

Transitman, a trick I use to go Fuel-Cut to 9,999mpg faster is to tap the brake pedal. This signals the computer you're in deceleration faster. Works in all my Fords.

I'll start trying that, thanks.

[transitman]

Anybody have pics of the Ultra-Gauge mounted?

Here you go. The first pic is where I had it before the windshield mount arrived. The wire tucks into the gap and the extra fits behind the OBD access door.

 

 

Three additional pics. The arm on the window mount is flexible and holds it position nicely. I tucked the wire neatly out of the way and secured it with a small piece of tape. I noticed the OBD access door was open on one side, it occasionally pops open because the extra wire is pushed in there, no biggie.

Edited April 5, 2013 by transitman

[ScapeTom]

Well, call me crazy but I just ordered an ultragauge.

 

With the windshield mount. I'll have to put it somewhere other than where transitman has it because my GPS is mounted there. Probably right above it or next to it.

[transitman]

Well, call me crazy but I just ordered an ultragauge.

 

With the windshield mount. I'll have to put it somewhere other than where transitman has it because my GPS is mounted there. Probably right above it or next to it.

I don't know why you think it's crazy. It's not expensive and it's a useful tool to help identify situations of increased fuel use and can assist you in changing habits to improve mpg's. It will tell you when your car's systems are beginning to show problems before damaging anything and what the trouble code is, it also monitors emission systems, electronics... I haven't found the page yet, but I think it even pays for lunch, unless only the Scangauge does that, I don't recall.

 

So, if this is what you want... you're crazy.

Edited April 4, 2013 by transitman

[sasscuba]

I bought a OBD that is wireless and works with your smartphone for $23 that does much more than the ultragauge and 1/3 the price. Worth checking out.

[bolt in blue]

I just ordered one too. Had been thinking about something like it or getting a bluetooth reader and using one of my old phones but decided to just bite the bullet and go with the Ultra Gauge. I think I'm going to try using a binder clip to mount mine to the air vent like this person did: http://www.optimaforums.com/forum/23-entertainment-audio-navigation-electronics/7984-new-toy-ultragauge.html

[Escapism]

I bought a OBD that is wireless and works with your smartphone for $23 that does much more than the ultragauge and 1/3 the price. Worth checking out.

Which one did you get? The OBD II ?

[sasscuba]

Yes

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005NLQAHS/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1365092082&sr=8-2&pi=SL75

Edited April 4, 2013 by sasscuba

[khyros]

The Escape has a little door hiding the OBD port. When you plug that in, can you put the door back on, or does it interfere?

[ScapeTom]

I don't know why you think it's crazy. It's not expensive and it's a useful tool to help identify situations of increased fuel use and can assist you in changing habits to improve mpg's. It will tell you when your car's systems are beginning to show problems before damaging anything and what the trouble code is, it also monitors emission systems, electronics... I haven't found the page yet, but I think it even pays for lunch, unless only the Scangauge does that, I don't recall.

 

So, if this is what you want... you're crazy.

 

Certified bat-crazy!

 

Just the ability to pull trouble codes is worth the price of admission. Plus, I am a gadget freak anyway so this will provide plenty of entertainment for me as I drive up and down I-75 every other month.

[sasscuba]

The Escape has a little door hiding the OBD port. When you plug that in, can you put the door back on, or does it interfere?

If you get the wireless one I got you can unclip the female end in dash and push the whole unit back into the dash and close the door. Works great.

Edited April 4, 2013 by sasscuba

[Escapism]

Darn, doesn't work with my iphone, just android devices.

[transitman]

I have an iPhone so the Bluetooth device wouldn't work for me either. Question, when you're using your phone to scan, does it disable your ability to make and receive calls? I'm not saying one is better than the other and frankly, the Ultra-Gauge has more features than I'll ever use, but not being able to use the phone would make it a no sale for me.

[sasscuba]

I have an iPhone so the Bluetooth device wouldn't work for me either. Question, when you're using your phone to scan, does it disable your ability to make and receive calls? I'm not saying one is better than the other and frankly, the Ultra-Gauge has more features than I'll ever use, but not being able to use the phone would make it a no sale for me.

nope phone works just fine while using obd2. There are others on the market that work with iPhone.

[Ticmxman]

From the EPA site:

 

Some fuels contain less energy than others.

 

Using oxygenated fuels or reformulated gasoline (RFG), for example, can cause a small decrease (13%) in fuel economy.

 

Most of the gasoline now sold has a small amount of ethanol in itup to 10% by volume depending upon the region. Using gasoline with 10% ethanol decreases fuel economy by 3-4%.

 

The energy content of gasoline varies seasonally. Typical summer conventional gasoline contains about 1.7% more energy than typical winter conventional gasoline.

Dm

New vehicles will not obtain their optimal fuel economy until the engine has broken in. This may take 35 thousand miles.

 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/how_tested.shtml

 

It seems some owners drive their car (whatever brand) off the lot and expect it to meet the predicted fuel economy rating immediately. I suggest they go to this site and do some research.

Edited April 8, 2013 by Ticmxman

[jared6788]

Using gasoline with 10% ethanol decreases fuel economy by 34%.

 

3-4%, not 34%

[Ticmxman]

3-4%, not 34%

 

Thanks, I corrected the error. Strange, it was a copy paste quote.

[khyros]

Aye. There's quite a few reasons that the modern EPA testing (which, while tested by the auto companies, the gov't dictates what testing needs to be done) is irrelevant to everyday persons.

 

First, the government says to use E00 fuel for testing. Yet the government requires the use of at least 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel, which primarily came from Ethanol. This (along with the government issuing a certification that all vehicle from 2001+ can run on E15, even though the manufactures fought this, and if you run E15, some will void your warranty) has pushed most "regular unleaded" to actually be E10. Most states require the pumps to say something along the lines of "Fuel may contain up to 10% ethanol," but some states, like Michigan, allow up to E10 without any disclaimer. So that's a 4% hit to fuel economy. (Unrelated, there are concerns as to whether or not corn ethanol is actually renewable/sustainable)

 

And then there's the fact that we're just getting out of winter. Colder air is denser, which means that the ambient pressure is higher, which means in order to get the right Air/Fuel ratio in order to burn the fuel (~14.1:1), you have to provide more fuel. @ 30C, air density is 1.164kg/m^3, @ 0C, it's 1.293, which is 11% more dense. For a naturally aspirated engine, that should pretty much mean a 11% decrease. But since the ecoboost engines are turbo charged, the higher ambient pressure means that the turbo doesn't have to kick in as much / as often in order to provide more power, so there will be slightly less than 11% hit to fuel economy. (Note, this also means your engine has more power during the winter due to the dense air... Again, I'm unsure as to how the turbo affects that, as to whether it has a max boost, or a max pressure).

 

And as someone already pointed out, the fuel you get during the winter has less energy in it. The reason for this is due to government emissions, coupled with cold start conditions. This is another 1-2% decrease to fuel economy.

 

So, if the EPA certification tests accurately represented the real world, due to all of these other variables, one could still expect to be getting 11-17% under the rated fuel economy (at least during the winter). On the 33MPG that the 1.6L FWD ecoboost is rated for, this means that one would expect to get 27-29MPG just from variables you can't control.

 

 

 

But then there's the fact that the testing isn't really representative of real world testing. The highway part of the test is actually quite dynamic, speeding up and slowing down quite a bit. Whereas in my mind, I think of highway driving as rather steady state, with the cruise control (either electronic or controlled by me) set at a specific speed, with the occasional speed up to get around that F-150 that has that mattress precariously "secured" in the bed of the truck, or slowing down for the oh-too-common mexican road block, but in general, I'd consider it a steady speed.

 

But wait! Shouldn't the dynamic varying speed negatively affect the rating? Yes... It should. Until you further research what speeds they're doing their highway testing at. The average speed is 48.3MPH, with a max speed of 60MPH. I don't know about ya'll, but whenever I'm on the highway, the slowest speed limit is 65, more commonly 70, and traffic does at least 75. And as the government has made everyone aware, slowing down saves you fuel. (They estimate 15% savings driving 65 instead of 75)... The formula for drag is Fd = Cd*A*V^2. I don't know what the coefficient of drag of the Escape is, nor have I bothered to figure out what the frontal area is. But traditionally, the air drag and the mechanical losses are about the same around 45MPH. And the drag force at 75mph is 2.78 times larger than it is at 45mph. So one can assume the overall drag at 75mph is ~1.89 times higher than at 45mph. Which means your car has to work almost twice as hard. And while that cannot directly relate to a MPG hit, it's easy to see that going 75mph is going to yield a drastically lower FE than 48.3mph. Maybe the two issues with the test typically cancel each other out (transient at lower speeds vs. steady at higher speeds). Or maybe not. I don't know. But either way, its not representative of real world driving.

 

I am personally disappointed in my fuel economy, averaging ~18/24 (2.0L AWD), with all 5 leaves on both things (well, at least when I'm driving around town. On the highway I lose the speed leaves), achieving both Eco Champion and Advanced Eco driver (off topic - anyone know what the difference between the two is?) - but the main disappointment comes from the fact that my Dad's F-350 with the 6.7L diesel gets the same 18/24 that I get (given, it's with diesel fuel, but still)... and that thing is a beast, weighing almost twice of what the Escape weighs, and having at least double the frontal area, 3.31 gearing vs my 3.06, and plenty of cargo room. One of the main reasons I got rid of my truck was because I was expecting to double the fuel economy in the Escape (I was getting 12/16 with the 5.4L w/ 4.11 on my F-250)... But its only ~50% better, and now I actually have to think about what stuff I want to bring where because I can't just throw everything in the bed of the truck.

[galangg]

3-4%, not 34%

 

I was wondering. 34% is a rather large difference.

[ScapeTom]

Good post, Khyros.

 

Just want to throw in a couple of points - my city/combined driving is netting me about 22-23 mpg so far on my 2.0 (FWD, not 4WD) and I'm seeing around 25-26 on the highway. Like yourself, average highway speeds for me are not 48.3, and it would be suicide to drive 60 on I-75 through TN and GA! I generally set the cruise for 5 over the limit, and occasionally speed up a bit to pass the occasional left-lane bandit or SMV.

 

I do get about double the mileage in my Escape that I get with my truck, but the truck is a rather inefficient Dodge 4WD with the Hemi (plenty of HP, but thirsty as all get-out). On a good day, I've seen 13.8 mpg with that monster. Still, when you need a truck, it definitely fits the bill!

 

Yeah, the EPA is kind of a WAG overall, and I'm not quite convinced that some of their "ratings" don't have a bit of a political tint to them (ever see real-world VW TDI mileage versus EPA estimates? Dot-Gov doesn't like diesel, but loves the hybrid, it seems). My Honda Civic Si routinely beat the EPA estimates by 1-3 mpg. And I calculated mileage with every fillup. The Escape - I'm struggling to meet city mileage ratings, and can't touch the highway ratings (now, to be fair, it's only now starting to act like spring/summer around here, and I just hit 6000 miles on the vehicle, so my numbers are not derived under ideal circumstances).

 

All that said, I'm very satisfied with my purchase of the Escape. I knew it wasn't going to easily tool around on the highway at 32 mpg. I accepted that, because it offers me much more in other areas that the small Honda couldn't match. Like headroom and legroom, and cargo capacity and occasional towing capability. And a much smoother ride.