Hypermiling - best base car..?!

[benlovesgoddess]

Thanks - yes, it is because I heard good things about them I chose Scangauge, not a half price Chinese brand!
For the firmware update, do I need to plug the Scangauge into my laptop?
I have instructions, so will find out the software. Tested again at lunch - it only works if I pull out and reinsert the wire to the display part, and that needs doing whenever the car is turned off and on again.

[trollbait]

As far as I know, you have to send them back the unit(not the cable) for a firm ware update. Mine actually got new buttons when it was done. It was several years out of date though. Perhaps a software flash is possible by the end user now.

[Draigflag]

Have you checked their website to see if there are any driver downloads or updates that you can do via a USB cable or the like?

[benlovesgoddess]

A woman is trying to help me from their site - a little progress, as in I can use the buttons to force it to work (rather than pulling the wire out), but dunno if it will store data yet.
Watching the instant figures scroll from above 60 mpg to 9999 mpg is fuel economy porn!
I can't wait to see if by chasing the higher figures I'll get a real mpg boost at my next tankful.
As the sub 60 mpg live figures appear to match those of the cars own display, I'm hopeful these higher figures will contain some truth!

[Draigflag]

I always thought a scangauge just shows similar readings to the instant MPG and average MPG on the cars dash. What else can it do?

[benlovesgoddess]

I paid £75 for the ScanGaugeE. It has a LOT of stuff it can do, but I am only really interested in one of its many features - the eco screen! Even if it won't ever work properly, one bit of info alone seems worth the price - the live feedback figure. Why? Well, my car has a live bar maxing at 60 mpg (the same a in our CRV). So, I have no idea how much better a certain speed or gear is at any efficiency above an indicated 60 mpg. From the 3 or 4 20 mile journeys I've used it on, there seems to be plenty of scope between travelling at 70 mpg or 110 mpg for instance. Yes, it does seem to mainly involve going slower (!), but I'm all about the MPG, not the MPH. I had enough of flooring it in my decade as a top pizza delivery executive!
I'm quite happy to chase this figure, and the average it displays beneath it.
I expect the average is meant to be a long term average, but due to my current problem with it, the average is of just each trip the car takes.
Also on this same screen is a bar scrolling left. It makes sense for you to have a look at the ScanGauge E site than I try and describe it probably.
(also, I sliced the tip of my finger earlier, so am typing with a little difficulty!)

[benlovesgoddess]

There is at least one or two other scangauges with even more features, for maybe £50-£75 more.
The feature list for all types is pretty hefty!

[benlovesgoddess]

[benlovesgoddess]

Correct badge success!

[benlovesgoddess]

It is looking positive! On a bad tank i will have only covered 130-150 miles by the time i hit the three quarter tank mark. On a good tank i would expect a little over 200 miles by that stage. I ve only just cleared the 3/4 tank mark and i m over 300 miles!
Previously i ve been fixated on driving at 56 mph - because it was the top mpg figure published for cars when i was growing up. 30 mph, 56 mph and (i think) 75 mph economy figures were released by (i think!) the manufacturers.
Also, my historic best tanks were always acheived after long 56 mph motorway journeys.
Scangauge has broken that habit! I have been driving to keep 3 figure feedback on screen as much as possible, and zero fuel use wherever i can. Also, climbing hills a bit slower seems to be halving the fuel used.
I hope i wont need to fill up for at least one, maybe 2 weeks, so we ll see if its as amazing as it looks then!