I have discovered a great new automotive tool and have been using it for over a week now with excellent results. The device is called the Scangauge 2 and its available online for about 170 bucks including shipping. This device is menu driven and has customizable displays. It plugs into the OBD2 port that most 1996 and newer cars have and is ready to go out of the box.
The Scangauge can be used to monitor engine performance, trip economy and trouble codes that light up a check engine light. Since its menu driven, even someone like me with questionable computer skills can learn to use it in an evening. Some of the gauges that are available include a volt meter, water and intake temp, throttle position, instant economy, miles per hour, load, average and maximum speed, cost per trip/day/previous day/tank, distance till empty, fuel pressure, and more.
This device has become popular among "hypermilers," which are people who try to ring every mile out of a gallon that they can. I have used the throttle positioning gauge and instant economy gauge to obtain better mileage. Unlike a lot of trip computers that come on cars today, this one continually updates the distance till empty function and gives a realistic range. The device is so adjustable that it allows the fine tuning of how much gas the car takes at the station with the ultimate goal being more reliable readouts.
The scangauge even allows users to add gauges as the codes are discovered for them. I currently have horsepower usage added. With this gauge, I can tell how much more horsepower my car needs to generate when I turn on the air conditioning. As gas prices creep over 4 dollars a gallon, this type of tool will become more and more useful.
One final note: The device allows users to figure out how much fuel they burn per hour and how much each trip costs. Its almost like the meter in a taxi....
