Scangauge: How does it help?
 

For those of you you own and use the scangauge:

How does the product help with driving and economy? What displays can it show and how does each assist you? Would you say it gives a definite improvement when you are able to use it?

Just some idle questions. I'm wondering if it might be worth the cost, and how exactly it helps. Thanks in advance!

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

Since you already own an HCH, you've got all the displays and gauges you need to drive efficiently.

However, for owners of cars with similar instrumentation, the ScanGauge can expose many additional details that can be used to further one's fuel economy performance - for many hypermiliers a scangauge is a biblical MUST HAVE. Anyway, on the HCH I set the scangauge to display the following gauge readouts (*=favorite):

cAI- air intake temp *
cWT- engine temp *
IGN-ignition retard or advance reading
LOD-engine load *
LPH- consumption rate *

On the Prius, I use:
cAI- air intake temp *
cWT- engine temp *
RPM=Engine RPM reading *
IGN-ignition retard or advance reading *
LOD-engine load
LPH- consumption rate

There are many other benefits to using a scangauge, such as using it as an OBD-II code retriever, and also as a very good trip computer - just to mention a couple more. ;)


Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

Those are some of my fav's also.

Except for load. I find load useless in a Hybrid with a CVT.

With a CVT, the car purposely tries to keep the ICE at near maximum load.
In the Escape, unless I'm not moving... my ICE is always in the 80% to 99% range, no matter my speed or pedal pressure.

If the demand for HP goes down, since the road slopes down for example, then RPM's go down, even if wheel speed goes up, hence the LOAD stays above 80% because that is where engineers have found it is most fuel efficient.

So I'm curious what you get out of watching load... in my car, I think it is pretty useless. -John

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

Perhaps so in FEH, but certainly not so in other hybrid vehicles. ;)

For instance:

While I do not fixate on the LOD for the Prius as I prefer the IGN reading instead, observing the LOD on the HCH-II does allow for fine tuning one's "driving" further because certain operational modes "kick in" at different LOD levels.

For example, the HCH-II engine operates under 3 different profiles, cylinder de-activation, low speed (Atkinsonized profile) and high speed operation. The load varies widely and flexibly from 19% to rougly 65% when operating below 2500 RPM.

Furthermore, the HCH has several regen modes as well. One of which is known as the "hidden regen", and the only way to trigger it ON and keep it there is to observe the LOD range. Doing so, enables one to slowly charge the pack with a minimal impact on FE.

So as you can see, hybrid implementations vary quite a bit don't they?
... really fun stuff. ;)

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

Just curious, what is the definition of "LOD?" Torque? Shaft power?

Bob Wilson

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

This is the formal definition for LOD (or engine loading):


"... a percentage of the maximum power available currently being generated. In some vehicles it is the maximum available at the present RPM..."

Cheers;

MSantos

Re: Scangauge: How does it help?
 

Thanks!

It sounds an interesting number since some vehicles might not have a 'torque' metric to calculate the power. The ICE rpm is easy but torque can be a challenge. I know it took observing Prius torque before I could really understand 'heretical' or what Toyota calls "energy recirculate" mode.

Bob Wilson