First 50 miles or so sets the average MPG for the rest of the tank?

Living in East Tennessee I find my MPG changes even after the first 50 miles because of the dang steep hills our little Prius has to climb.

Probably will get something like the ScanGuage II soon, just have to get the $$$ for it.

 

That's how math works. There is no sticking point at which you're "locked" into MPG during the first 50 miles.

 

I can imagine that cutting power would certainly run the risk of cleaning out the data (or a battery failure). Good mention. Already eying the ScanGauge, and indeed ~$175 is steep for such a gadget.

 

It isn't quite that bad. The PriusChat Shop currently lists ~$160, though I'm not sure that is Danny's current best price. CleanMPG.com lists the same on its homepage, but the price falls $25 if you click deeper. Several years ago both sites had the same best price, but I'm not sure where to look for it now on PC.

Another thread pointed to a temporarily lower price on Ebay this morning. With patience and quick reflexes, you may get a similar deal at Amazon.

If those are still too high, look for the ScanGauge-e, a smaller version for under $100. CleanMPG used it for a Ford trip last month, but I don't know when it will be carried on these sites.

I paid Linear Logic's full web price before discovering these sites, during 2008's peak fuel prices. But it arrived just barely in time for a major road trip in my old gas guzzler (which had no OEM MPG display), and paid for itself very quickly.

 

Can you vouch for the group buy legitimacy @ CleanMPG, Fuzz?

 

I purchased my second ScanGauge through Wayne's CleanMPG group buys two years ago, when acquiring this Prius. Delivery was slow because no one was home to mind the store while he was traveling on business, which happens often. My original unit, purchased direct from the manufacturer three years ago, normally stays in the old guzzler but was shifted to the new car while I waited.

I used CleanMPG mostly out of loyalty. He and Danny (PC Shop here) had the same price then, but I was more active on that site than this one. Now having a Prius, my usage has mostly shifted over to here. But Wayne's price has dropped, while I haven't noticed whether Danny's price has done the same.

The model has changed a few times. Three years ago, he collected orders until they exceeded about twenty, then submitted a batch order to be drop-shipped from the factory. By two years ago, he kept some inventory on hand, customized units before shipping (put his favored X-Gauges into mine, but GenIII-specific gauges were not yet known), and shipped them himself. I haven't kept track of process changes since then.

 

Yes, I don't have trouble waiting, just wanted to make sure the operation at CleanMPG was on the up and up. Their purchase price is unbeatable at the moment...there's only one lower priced unit on Ebay, and it's used.