Matt -

Thanks for programming this. I think this is the best way to get us all on the same page.

CarloSW2

Matt, your life would be made easier if you add a manual/auto transmission indicator to the garage entries..

that's been discussed and will be implimented as soon as I have time away from the job that pays me.

Yes...
 

I read your full post, but from my dealings with other FE sites, I'm not concerned with how they're handling the situation; I'm more concerned how GasSavers plans to handle it with its current setup.

Also, I'm not sure which sites you have referenced in this discussion, nor how they have planned to deal with the changes. There are concerns presented throughout this thread that need to be managed from this site's perspective.

I see GasSavers as a leader and not a follower, when compared to other "FE Sites". Granted we should learn of others mistakes and/or from our History, but I haven't been convinced of either in this discussion.

Please enlighten.

RH77

I do plan on displaying a disclaimer with every EPA rating explaining why GasSavers uses the new standard. WIth any luck this will eliminate the confusion a little.

Hitler and Napoleon also thought they were leaders. Recently Sirius Radio thought they were being leaders when they hired Howard Stern. Now they are all down the tube. So are Sirius stockholders.

EPA. Like it or not for many years EPA has been the accepted universal standard for MPG ratings and the comparison for measurement of improvement. There is no viable replacement for EPA ratings. GS is about to change to comparisons that are NOT official EPA ratings at this time and may never be so. I am not very sure how onlookers will view this. It may be damaging to our credibility. I hope not, but hope never got me much gas mileage.

CO ZX2, I do think you have some excellent points.

I do wish, however, that you could have addressed them without the hostility and excessive sarcasm. It really makes having a constructive discussion difficult.

I may figure out a way to include both EPA figures.

*sigh* fellas, please, this is about what shows up on a report after the raw mpg top 10 report and what shows up on the in-house signature if you choose to use it, got nothing to do with hitler, or much else for that matter!

since hitler has been mentioned I am invoking godwins law and declaring this thread officially terminated :)

2 Responses
 

Godwins Law: OK -- now this is funny.

Now down to business, as I provoked this response.

Serious Response to CO ZX2:

Martin Luther King, Jr., FDR, and John F. Kennedy were also leaders -- good ones. Open-minded ones. There's no need to compare controversial Historical figures when it comes to the point at hand -- whom frankly could be taken very offensively. This poll was started to get some educated opinions on the subject. So far, in this Democratic society, the people have spoken and have agreed with the new figures. So has Matt -- another great leader. I merely asked for some specifics regarding your post(s) and the topic has been blown way out of proportion. I'm sorry you feel this way.

-Rick (RH77)

don't forget this one, which I find appropriate for this thread:

How to win any argument on the internet

OkeeeDokee...

So in my case how should I proceed? I've swapped the drivetrain from one car into another. I pulled the diesel engine out of a VW and installed it in place of a gasoline engine in a VW. Should I use the EPA (either the old or the '08 modified) numbers from the gasoline car or from the engine donor diesel? I'm presently using the (pre-'08) EPA gasoline numbers for the vehicle as it was built by the factory.
When do modifications to one vehicle make it, for all intents and purposes, another vehicle?

As far as the pre or post '08 numbers go: I'd think that using the EPA number valid at the time of manufacture could be the value entered by a member. That number could then be used to "convert" to an 08 equivalent using a fixed factor. If an '07 "loses" 15% compared to the same, but '08 model, then the factor would be a loss of 15%. A 2000 with an EPA combined of 36 mpg would be entered by the member as 36 mpg, but the value used for comparison would be 30.6 mpg or 15% less.
Yeah, that means a software rewrite to fudge all 2007 and older by 15% but leaving everything after that model year un-fudged. I don't envy you the task.

We decided a while back to stick with the car you bought it as/it was built as. If you go through the trouble to do a tranny swap or such to get better mileage, that should be noted.

Lug_Nut -

What SVOboy said. Now on to muddier waters.

If I were you I would have wanted to choose the EPA numbers that match the new drivetrain, because in my mind, the drivetrain is the dominant factor. However, those numbers may not be available in cases where the new drivetrain doesn't have an EPA equivalent. In that case, I would have done exactly what you have done, i.e. use what is available.

The key is that you have *documented* the origin of your EPA figures and what you have done to the car. Fine by me.

I think that over time there are going to be some cars that are "far out there" in terms of what the EPA can support. What will DaX do about his Honda Beat, and what will ToeCutter do when his electric is finished?

In terms of programming, Matt is already going to issue a "Reset" for all our EPA numbers. I don't have a problem with this, especially if the new EPA mechanism is able to "pull" the numbers from the website. In it's present form it is actually more error prone than what I *think* Matt is proposing.

Imagine if we were an even bigger website of say 10,000 or more members. Now that would be a mess!!!!!

CarloSW2

I was hoping you would do something like that.

I just changed my figures (you can see it in my signature).

This sounds like a plan, lets get started.