What do you use to monitor MPG and engine conditions?

Alright, I'm sure this has been talked about a lot but @Jeffch got me curious with his insane MPG and said he uses dash command. What does everyone else use? Dash command? Scangauge? Bluetooth OBD2 reader? Do you use your iPhone every time you get in the truck or leave a dedicated older one set up all the time?

I feel like if I were able to monitor my instant MPG I could optimize shift points and really improve my overall MPG. Also, the other scanning features would be nice should I ever have a problem.

 

8 dollar OBD ELM327, spare old android phone, and torque pro.

More customization, more readings than scangauge or an ultra gauge

Total cost.... 8 bucks if you know where to get torque pro for free. otherwise its a 5 dollar app

 

Do you have the phone set up to turn on automatically or do you need to do anything with it when you get in the truck? Just run a dedicated charger to it and mount it somewhere?

 

I have SCIIs in both vehicles. Not because MPG, but all the other features, like actual coolant temps, volts, etc, that the dash doesn't really tell you. And of course if any CELs ever went off, I can find them out immediately.

If you want to tinker with driving style and shift points, a plain old vacuum gauge will give you just as good a guidance. I've come up with an older SW unit I may see if I can mount discreetly in the Tacoma.

 

Another SCII in every vehicle guy here..
How else am I supposed to monitor transmission temps to a decimal degree??

 

torque pro has options for "dash install". I have a USB charger in and when the truck is on the usb is powered, which wakes the phone then the options in toque pro take it out of airplane mode and start up the realtime information. its pretty sweet.

 

My cell phone's calculator

 

Scan Gauge II!

 

Scangauge 2 for temps........

As for mpg...... It's smiles per gallon

 

To each their own!
This was simple and offered lots of different options. Yes I have to turn it all on and shut it off it is a routine. I also use plx kiwi for the obd2 port. Looked at scan gauge but I wanted a speedo. Not sure SC may offer that but seemed to have limited screens, you'd have to jump back and forth maybe? Steering wheel blocks stock speedo and it's whack anyway. I'll check again against a tank of gas. Watching my instant mpg is what helps imo really changed my driving turned into a challenge to stay above my avg and not piss people off. F'em pass me, like no stop and go with lite traffic in the am mild in the pm. Original brakes and clutch 124k I avoid using my brakes. Of course it didn't work well last winter.
You'd think chugging along in 4th at 1k rpm is good but 3rd at 1500 gets better mpg.
2500 and struggling on the interstate at 65-70 bad bad mpg. I don't haul use for work or off road although I'd like to try some freKin time. Deer season and winter is about it. Farmers access roads is all we got unless know you someone.
Most the guys I work with have GM and I'm the lone taco. Talk smack all you want I got better mpg,looks,longevity, and resale.
Although one of the duramax guys truck is pretty amazing as far as power goes.

Sorry I have a spare iPhone 4s I keep in the truck. I can also run dash command on my pioneer DVD head unit but just use the phone on the window mount with a charger cord though the radios face plate.

 

A calculator for MPG and the dash gages and lights for the engine.

 

For all you scangauge supporters- Why scangauge over a cheaper iphone/android with an app that will do just as much (maybe)? Is it a convenience/reliability thing?

 

For me........

Had an SC before Torque was available. My SCs are mounted visually of course, but discreetly. Easy to remove should I feel the need, not obtrusive and not particularly attention drawing.

Nothing wrong with a smart phone option. If you want to mess with a smart phone. The SC is 'always on' when vehicle is in use, regardless of driver. So even wifes car keeps history going, and she'd never mess with a smart phone set up.

Sometimes, in some situations, multiple devices are a better solution than an all in one.

 

So... what app is that? Looks good!

 

1) Fill gas tank. 2) Reset "Trip A" to 0. 3) Drive vehicle until you refuel. 4) Refill with gas. 5) Use calculator to divide Kms driven by amount of fuel you put in the tank. 6) Gives a fairly accurate Mpg rating. I usually get 630 Km per 70 litres of gas. Avg 11 litres per 100 Km. This is equivalent to 21 mpg (US Gallons). No need to spend cash on expensive gadgets or apps. No need to manage shift points while staring at a guage (lol). Enjoy the ride! If you are concerned about gas mileage, buy a prius!

 

Ultraguage FTW.. I bought a scanguage but put it up for sale the next day and got an Ultra. much bigger screen showing more guages at once, multiple pages of guages, its hands down better than the scan IMO. If anyone can tell me why a Scanguage is better than ultra id like to hear it.....

I dont use Phone apps for several reasons:

1. I dont wanna have to break my phone out and open an app/ensure it's connected to the adapter every time i get in my truck. 1/2 the time i wouldnt even do it...
2. I have a deck that uses Carplay on my iphone 6, so my phone is already used for that.

Ultra/Scanguage is great for anyone with aftermarket tires because you can calibrate them to get accurate MPG/ speed/ miles driven. My dash is literally off 10%, meaning i travel an extra 35-40 miles PER TANK than my stock ODO reads. thats a big diff when calculating MPG by hand.

 

Its all about monitoring the instant MPG. Those of us with bad driving habits really need the constant reminder.

 

Your method is well and good unless you have bigger than stock tires, in which case your stock readouts are not correct

 

I agree with all that was said below. I have a SGII. I like dedicated devices for their respective tasks. I don't want to have my phone running as an OBDII reader and get a phone call and then screw around with it. I know there are ways around that like linking the phone to the bluetooth stereo but I don't want to screw around with switching bluetooth on every time I get in my truck. Less steps, less seconds of my life wasted on screwing with a device. Not to mention I'm not using up battery on my phone for non-phone things. Sure I could plug it in every time I get in the truck, but I don't like to have my battery charging up when it doesn't need to be. And in my personal opinion I think the phone apps don't look very clean, sure you can change up layouts and themes and stuff but the look is jut not for me. The utility is definitely there and really awesome, I just prefer the look of the SGII. To top that all off majority of reviews on all the cheap OBDII bluetooth adapters say they are garbage and fail in due time. Yeah I know some people have great success with them, but its luck of the draw. And the better bluetooth OBDII options usually cost enough that you mineswell just score yourself a discounted Scan Gauge on eBay or something (which is exactly what I did).

Only downside to Scan Gauge is its a little rectangle box that really has no area in the truck where it fits in aesthetically. Mine is sitting on top of the steering column like a lot of people do and it sticks out like a sore thumb, but I still prefer that over a phone.