The guage I had was called a car computer. I got it from JC Penney's automotive department (when they had one in the 70's). I really liked a lot of their stuff. Remember the JC penney battery with a lifetime guarantee as long as you still owned the car. (I got 5 new batterys over about 15 years). Needless to say I don't know of anyone selling any thing like this anymore. The closest I have seen is the bicycle computers but they don't do mpg just eta's speed, etc. Have fun, RIck

 

Wayne,
I know, and those techniques got me into the 40+ range on my sole Highway trip. The city environment i drive in is very frustrating, and i find that i have trouble concentrating on economy for more than 100 miles or so. I would really like to get a unit that would plug into the OBD-II and give me instant readouts of engine load, rpm, and throttle position. I would also like to set up an ECU that would either replace my current, or piggyback with it that would allow for a leanburn window, i know there are various places along my commute that i would be able to use it, and it would greatly increase my milage (my guess is 1.5 miles of a 5 mile commute). I'm trying to figure out what I'll be driving through college now, so these projects will have to wait.
Cheers,
Steven

 

Hi Rick:

___I knew it was J.C something or other Sorry about that.

___Stevo12886, the only thing lean burn would do to our Corolla ICE’s is burn up their valves, pistons, and probably warp the heads. Lean burn is purposely designed into a few of Honda’s ICE’s with a whole slew of engineering behind it. From the swirl of the fuel air mixture in the combustion chamber before actual ignition to the various non-standard O2 sensors in the exhaust stream telling some Insight’s and some HCH’s ECU to drop out of lean burn to purge the NOx adsorber, all facets of the puzzle were carefully engineered so as to not burn anything up as well as keep the exhaust parameters within an emission specification. Adding lean burn to a std. ICE might be similar to launching an actual rocket into space. You just don’t do it without knowing the how’s and why’s as well as having the capabilities beforehand. In other words, it is not within the scope of a few backyard mechanics with the OEM equipped Heads, Valves, Pistons, CAT, and ECU Map more then likely?

___As for the frustrating comment, you may actually be better off? Sometimes, I think it might be better to be blissfully ignorant of ones instantaneous and or actual fuel economy. Like tonight when I was driving home in 43 - 49 degree F temperatures and have a 3 - 5 mph headwind with a 100.3 mpg tank going, that game gauge makes you a slave to its mystical powers

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Hi All:

___Just moseying around the web for alternate game gauges this afternoon … My 03 Corolla could use one as well Anyway, although not Corolla certified, I came across a number of likely candidates albeit mostly for European automobiles. It is really too bad game gauges were not in all automobiles. Then maybe, just maybe those driving today’s highways and byways would have a relation of driving speeds and habits to $’s at the pump.

http://driveright.as/econen.htm

___This device appears to work entirely off the OBD-II so would be as close to plug and play as one could imagine. Especially the play part

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

 

Wayne,
Thats awsome! :wub: I only wish it had a little more information going for it....but beggars cant be choosers. Anyway...i've decided against the lean burn/autostop...i just dont have the time/resources to tackle such a project right now. I'm going to be focusing on "green technologies" (stuff that would improve the efficiency of your current car) and am thinking of doing a small (err, low key) vynil graphic to draw a little interest...I'm either thinking of starting a website (greenTechnologies.net) or just directing people strait here.
Cheers,
Steven

*Edit: ok, I'm a hopeless romantic...I really need to stop coming up with plans and just carry one out.

 

Wayne,
I knew something like this had to exist out there!
I would love to have this for my minivan, so I could see how to improve my mileage.
As their literature states
I didn't see an exact price quoted anywhere, did you?

 

News people are still writing articles on how hybrids do not get the posted EPA mileage. Few vehicles do. Pack journalism is going after hybrid mileage the way it went after the Dean Scream . :unsure:

 

Wayne,
I found some more info on the Econen here http://www.tekes.fi/opet/econen.htm
Cheers,
Steven

 

Well, actually, I always got better than EPA ratings. :unsure: But all my previous cars were stds and I figured I just knew how to drive more moderately -- no jack-rabbit starts or screaming stops. Most of my cars were Honda Civics, with an old Bug, a Dodge Dart (although that was probably before EPA #s were published....) and a Saturn wagon mixed in. I've always paid attention to MPG, because I learned early (in Germany, when my gas was rationed) I couldn't depend on the gas gauge to tell me when to fill up. But the HCH is definitely a challenge.

Hank

 

Wayne,
Found the "mother site" for the econen. It provides e-mails for retailers. I did discover though that it is in metric...doh!
http://www.paetronics.fi/index_eng.html
Cheers,
Steven