Date:         Sun, 25 Mar 2012 11:20:14 -0600
Reply-To:     Robert Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Stevens <mtbiker62@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Fuel consumption in different gears - how does the energy /
              fuel work?
In-Reply-To:  <001f01cd0aa8$7a987e10$6fc97a30$@com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

On Mar 25, 2012, at 10:58 AM, Daryl Christensen wrote:

> But I DO have an OBDII system with the Zetec, and there is definitely less
> throttle used in say 3rd gear at 40 than 4th gear at 40mph...The LOaD on the
> scan gauge is definitely lower at higher rpm in 3rd than it is in 4th at the
> same speed.
> Have not tried the MPG or average MPG in addition to the LOaD factor with
> the scan gauge to see how much difference there is, but it sure seems that
> over 3K it requires less fuel..

On my Jan/Feb '12 3-week trips over to CO, I left the Scan Gauge on the MPG
setting to see just what Daryl is mentioning above. Only in towns, on surface
streets, did the gauge indicate I was getting higher, much higher MPG in 3rd
than in 4th, but it was so consistent that it was obvious that was the case. The
exception to this scenario is going up and over Vail and Eisenhower on I-70.
I can't begin to go over those in 4th, and using 3rd gives me about 13-14MPG
while maintaining 60-65MPH at about 4200RPM.

It would almost always jump from, say, 18-19MPG up to over 24, sometimes
to 34. I've decided to use that same gauge-function area for Intake Air Temp.
and that is VERY interesting to watch. I'm sort of keeping track of the difference
between ambient and that IAT number to check out the effectiveness of the
snorkel, keeping the intake air point OUT of the engine bay.

Bob