Scangauge update

I've used the Scangauge in my Honda for the past 9 months and now have a pretty good idea of what's the best economy I can expect on my commutes. I was able to extend my range to just a little over 600 miles (35 mpg) by holding right to the speed limits. Before I started using the Scangauge, the best I could do was 550 miles. My goal was to be able to get one week's worth of commuting (about 480 miles) for a tankfull. The commute in was always better than the commute home, but not by much (36 in - 34 out).

As the weather got colder, the mileage noticeably decreased, starting to drop as the temperature dropped below 40. With average temperatures routinely in the 20's during the day and in the low teens at night my best round trip mileage is now around 30.

We had a 2007 Ford Explorer 4x4 for about a week while my wife's car was being repaired, so I put the Scangauge on that, just to see how bad it was. I was pleasantly surprised when cruising on the highway, it settled on a constant 25-26mpg, which is on a par with my wife's PT Cruiser. It helps that it had a 5-speed automatic, so the big V-8 is just loafing along at highway speeds. But as soon as you were off the interstate, you started paying the price for moving that hulk around. I couldn't do any better than 17mpg. I never got to do a day's commute with it, but I could see it averaging a little over 20.