What features would be on your ultimate fuel economy computer?

[MetroMPG]

Spent too much time looking at the instantaneous FE display on the ScanGauge (1) today, and came up with an idea that has probably been mentioned here or elsewhere already ...

On the way home, I chose an arbitrary 75 mpg that I tried not to fall below, by DWL. But I realized I was spending valuable eye time on the display that could have been better used watching for critters coming out of the fields & ditches on the side of the road.

Rather than having to watch the SG display, I would have loved something like an audible signal that would have informed me when I was getting close to a pre-set MPG figure. Something pleasant, unobtrusive, where the pitch related to the preset.

Or maybe I just need to put in a vacuum gauge. Analog dials are far easier to monitor at a glance - even peripherally - than numeric displays.

Or a heads-up display with a multi-coloured progress bar - red/orange/green...

[omgwtfbyobbq]

You could so some kind of vibrating dongle... er, you know what I mean. So that way it wouldn't interrupt music, something you could put next to your body.

[rh77]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Spent too much time looking at the instantaneous FE display on the ScanGauge (1) today, and came up with an idea that has probably been mentioned here or elsewhere already ...

On the way home, I chose an arbitrary 75 mpg that I tried not to fall below, by DWL. But I realized I was spending valuable eye time on the display that could have been better used watching for critters coming out of the fields & ditches on the side of the road.

Rather than having to watch the SG display, I would have loved something like an audible signal that would have informed me when I was getting close to a pre-set MPG figure. Something pleasant, unobtrusive, where the pitch related to the preset.

Or maybe I just need to put in a vacuum gauge. Analog dials are far easier to monitor at a glance - even peripherally - than numeric displays.

Or a heads-up display with a multi-coloured progress bar - red/orange/green...

I've realized the same problem -- it's too easy to get tunnel vision on that TPS, FE, or MPH number and not watch the road. My opinion of the perfect guage would be a heads-up display like Corvettes or some other GMs have. It's basically a projection of the LED onto the windshield, by which you can look through and still get the data in your visual periphery.

RH77

[ketel0ne]

I was looking around for something unrelated and came across these for the marine industry http://www.defender.com/fuel_monitors.html

ETA: I did see the prices, it was more the idea behind these gauges.

[GasSavers_Diemaster]

i'm in the process of making a display for the civic. i could add this feture. still only bout 20% done and i dont get much time to work on it.

[ketel0ne]

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...gallon%20gauge

Not sure what to make of this one?

[Matt Timion]

Originally Posted by ketel0ne

http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/P...gallon%20gauge
Not sure what to make of this one?

That one on jcwhitney is nothing more than a vacuum gauge with a pretty background.

[ketel0ne]

http://www.circuitcellar.com/avr2004...05abstract.pdf

Build your own based on the obd-II port.



The one from JC whitney left a lot to be desired in the description department. It is also 3.5 inches arcoss. That is huge.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by omgwtfbyobbq

You could so some kind of vibrating dongle... er, you know what I mean. So that way it wouldn't interrupt music, something you could put next to your body.

Good idea... But not on the dongle! The vibration should be on the gas pedal. (I drive barefoot when I'm seriously working the FE).

[zpiloto]

You might have already done this but I think that the way to go would be to set up the cruise control to work off of load or TP instead of speed. I've found that I get better FE witout the cruise countrol.