New owner - question about mpg averages

you get 4 averages? cool! i would have to think the one with the odo is lifetime, but idk.

 

The odometer average is reset on the History Screen, if you never reset History, it is a lifetime average.

 

I'm getting better milage when I run the air conditioning unit? In the 60 mpg range. Is it calculating correct?

 

if you turn off the a/c and open the windows, the aerodynamics drop, to the detriment of gas mileage.

 

Depending on how fast you're going. Plus, you can just crack the windows an inch or so, at higher speeds.

 

and get rain gutters.

 

Correct, no lifetime average unless you never re-set history. Keep in mind that the average displayed is calculated by distance traveled. Assuming you use a trip meter for each tank and watch the average for that tank, expect to see what I call "average creep" from day to day. That is, driving the same trips every day the tank average will creep up or down as you progress through that tank. The only average that really counts for anything is the one you see just before you fill up again. Expect that to be ~2-3 mpg higher than the actual mpg.

 

so is the one with the odometer a third resettable average?

 

I always felt the instantaneous display was the most useful. It shows how you are doing and gives you feedback about your driving style. I leave the display set to that mode. Most of the other display settings seem to have a imprecision when compared to the simple math of miles driven divided by gallons consumed.

For an accurate average, use an app like fuelly.com and maintain it fanatically with every fuel up. The each-tank numbers aren't nearly as important (as they can vary 20 MPG with the fuel shut off variances or they have for me) as the long term trends and, as you put on the miles and fill the tanks, the numbers start to be even more meaningful.

I don't drive to achieve the max mpg. I just drive at generally moderate speeds and rates of acceleration. I use ECO mode, auto for the HVAC and cruise control where I can. My tires are 38 in front and 36 in the rear. I achieve EPA averages or so close it matters not. That others do better, more credit to them. I attribute their better numbers to some combination of climate, terrain, and driving style.

 

Just like to comment: the "fuelly app" is not a necessity to calculate mpg. Yes it can do the job, but a bit of simple arithmetic is all that's needed.

You can use pencil and paper, a calculator, a spreadsheet, or fuelly.

I do agree: the main thing is to stick at it, log distance travelled and gas consumed, consistently.

 

i'm not sure you want them to be the same. maybe it's different info. as far as gas pumps are concerned, you're overthinking things.

 

Welcome...I always liked the dark blue color

 

For my calcs I record the odometer at every fill up. I do reset a trip meter, but purely for feedback and as a check. If anything screws up the odometer is the one constant.

With the odo reading and the gas pumped on your receipt you're set. As far as pump variables, ANY ups and downs are quickly cancelled out, from one fill up to the next.

 

While fuelly is not a necessity, the fact that I want a record, that it is free and it provides lots of interesting displays, histories, and comparisons motivates me to record the odometer reading on the receipt before I pull away from the pump. I actually enter the data on my home computer before handing the receipt to the accounting side of the family. I don't even use the mobile app though that is something I could use. fuelly also provides the updated data to go in a signature here.

Without that routine, I doubt I'd have the complete record back to my first tank.

Tank variability is something I've experienced twice very obviously when a premature shut off gave me wildly optimistic MPG on that tank while the average was regained when the next tank gave atrocious MPG. The variation can be caused by the nozzle being inserted in a variable way or a variable in the fuel shut off itself. That is why I don't pay too much attention to a single tank reading as I tend to fill at the half full point and even a slight variation in so small a sample can give wildly differing readings. I focus on the long term multi-tank trends. I thus grab the first pump available, who cares because the reality will sort itself out.

 

Pretty much all the displays have changed in 2015, so prev years' meters don't relate. Presumably the manual covers all this.

 

All true, and yeah as you can see from my signature, I'm using Fuelly as well. I started out with a spreadsheet, missed maybe the first 2000 kms, before I started taking records. After doing just the spreadsheet for a year or two I signed on with Fuelly, as a back up, and for the icon. I found a way to make a restructured version of my spreadsheet, and import all my previous entries in one pop. Now, I update the spreadsheet, then enter the same data on Fuelly.

When I started I think my stat was somewhere around 5.2 (liters/100 km). Currently at 5.0, my goal is to make it 4.9. With over a 100 fillups it takes a while. Currently at 4.96, so it still rounds up.