by "Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
Published 12/19/2017 at 18:02
by "Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
Published 12/19/2017 at 18:02
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STARS: 5
No gauge, be it factory or aftermarket, is more beautifully, consistently, and deliberately garbage than the fuel economy gauge in U-Haul vans. Meant to encourage economical driving, nearly everything it ever tells you is wrong. When you’re accelerating, be it slow and gradual or hammer down, the gauge shows the fuel economy gets dramatically worse every time the van upshifts and gradually improves as the RPMs rise. Conversely, if you’re cruising/coasting in a high gear and get on the throttle enough that the transmission has to downshift the gauge will indicate am improvement in fuel economy. And you will never, ever see better indicated economy than when you’re stationary. The only thing the gauge gets right is that more throttle is less efficient than less throttle. It is crap.
"Sovande" (sovande)
12/19/2017 at 19:09, STARS: 3
It’s a manifold vacuum gauge. It is actually a useful tool if you understand how to use. When you take your foot off the gas the vacuum increases and therefore fuel economy increases. As rpms increase, so does fuel consumption. Sounds like the gauge is working just as intended.
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
12/19/2017 at 19:10, STARS: 0
Except it’s saying the opposite. It indicates that as RPMs increase fuel consumption
decreases
"Sovande" (sovande)
12/19/2017 at 19:20, STARS: 0
So as rpms increase the needle is dropping to the left side of the gauge? What happens if you floor it?
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
12/19/2017 at 19:23, STARS: 0
If I floor it it’ll initially go towards the red (the further you press the throttle the deeper into the red it goes), but it’ll start walking its way back toward the green again as the revs rise. Then the engine will shift up, the needle will drop into the red again, and the process will repeat.
"Sovande" (sovande)
12/19/2017 at 19:39, STARS: 0
And if you ease into the throttle? It sounds like it’s working like it should.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
12/19/2017 at 19:48, STARS: 2
I have one of those. The only time it’s right is when it plummets from 40 to zero on the gauge as it, for one fleeting moment, aligns with 20.
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
12/19/2017 at 19:53, STARS: 0
But actual fuel economy gets better after upshifting, not worse. And worse in higher RPMs, not better.
"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
12/19/2017 at 20:32, STARS: 0
It should just say VACUUM really big. Because their trucks suck.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
12/19/2017 at 20:36, STARS: 0
Sounds about like the stupid MPG gauges in my Subaru’s.
"Sovande" (sovande)
12/19/2017 at 21:58, STARS: 0
The gauge is simply telling you what the manifold vacuum pressure is. I just drove my car which has a boost gauge. For shits and giggles I eased into the throttle and after the initial decrease in vacuum from 22" to about 10" under light throttle as the rpms climbed, the vacuum increased back to about 20" until I shifted at which time the vacuum again decreased to 10". If you jump on it it vacuum drops (and in the case of the car I was driving it shoots up into the the boost side of the gauge). Is it a perfect system? No. But the gauge works as intended. Stay in the green and you will have better fuel economy than if the needle stays in the red.
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
12/19/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 0
It works well as a vacuum gauge, sure. But as a fuel economy gauge it’s highly flawed, especially for those who don’t understand cars at all (which is like 95% of the people driving U-Hauls)
"Sovande" (sovande)
12/19/2017 at 22:27, STARS: 0
I have this gauge in my El Camino. Works great for tuning and checking the general health of the engine. The uhaul gauge isn’t flawed and does, in fact, give an indication as to what throttle position gives the best fuel economy.
"cmill189 - sans Volvo" (cmill189)
12/19/2017 at 23:02, STARS: 0
I always thought these were hilarious. They look identical to Autometer. With how cheap UHaul is I wonder how they justified such an expense. $50 a truck adds up, especially considering it only theoretically saves the customer money.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
12/20/2017 at 04:51, STARS: 0
my parents old Commodore use to have an Econometer instead of a tacho
least watched gauge ever.
"jdrgoat - Ponticrack?" (jdrgoat)
12/20/2017 at 16:23, STARS: 0
I like how the transition from green to red is by alternating. So if you hold it just right you can stay in that top green zone, and it must be as good as the bottom green! Great design there, bubs!
Yeah, it’s just a vacuum gauge.
"94_xj" (94-xj)
02/19/2019 at 10:46, STARS: 0
It is a vacuum gauge but it doesn’t work well on modern computer controlled engines (which try to reduce pumping losses by opening the throttle wider and leaning out the engine while cruising) like the LS in the van I rented. With cruise control set at 55 and the computer reading a respectable 14mpg, the needle is right at the start of the solid red...about the same spot it sits when accelerating away from a light. It only pulled enough vacuum to be in the green if I was coasting or sitting still.