So With All This Speak Of MPG, I Have A Question

[DodgeViper01]

With all talk about MPG, is there a secondary device that we can use to see how much gas we are using or that is left in the tank. Hopefully this example will help you understand what I mean:

In BMWs part of their computer tells you how long you have to go in Miles until you run out of gas.

Is there something like this that people sell aftermarket that we can use? Just was wondering since the gauges in these cars ****!

 

[Dimitrios]

not sure tiger but when im on E i usually have 6 gallons left in there

 

[InjectTheVenom]

With all talk about MPG, is there a secondary device that we can use to see how much gas we are using or that is left in the tank. Hopefully this example will help you understand what I mean:

In BMWs part of their computer tells you how long you have to go in Miles until you run out of gas.

Is there something like this that people sell aftermarket that we can use? Just was wondering since the gauges in these cars ****!

I know what you mean, my car has this feature (and a few others) as well. If there would be anything like this on the market, it's got to have a chip with a certain amount of fixed valuables unique to the Viper's V10. To my knowledge, something like this does not exist yet for the Viper.
What kind of valuables I don't know, what I do know is that you can't simply exchange an onboard computer from a Calibra with a different type of engine because doing that would get you wrong readings.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

because doing that would get you wrong readings.

We have the stock gauges for that

 

[ViperTony]

With all talk about MPG, is there a secondary device that we can use to see how much gas we are using or that is left in the tank. Hopefully this example will help you understand what I mean:

In BMWs part of their computer tells you how long you have to go in Miles until you run out of gas.

Is there something like this that people sell aftermarket that we can use? Just was wondering since the gauges in these cars ****!

Tiger, what you're looking for is the fuel guage on your dashboard.

 

[DodgeViper01]

not sure tiger but when im on E i usually have 6 gallons left in there

You are acutally someone I should talk to since you drive in the city and highway a bunch. How much do you usually get on a tank full mileage wise? 200 Miles? More?

 

[DodgeViper01]

With all talk about MPG, is there a secondary device that we can use to see how much gas we are using or that is left in the tank. Hopefully this example will help you understand what I mean:

In BMWs part of their computer tells you how long you have to go in Miles until you run out of gas.

Is there something like this that people sell aftermarket that we can use? Just was wondering since the gauges in these cars ****!

Tiger, what you're looking for is the fuel guage on your dashboard.

Just trying to get a more accurate reading for this fuel problem. I think I might have a problem but I have replaced everything so I might not. Trying to figure out for sure. I can run from 125 miles on a tank to 300 miles (1 year ago) on a tank but I think 125 is VERY low especially since it was on the highway!!

 

[joe117]

My old 96 C4 Vette has that readout.

Must be too complex for a Viper.

 

[SYNFULL]

I must have a problem. I get 100 miles to a tank (gauge say's about 1/8 to 1/4 tank left) and takes 14 gallons. That is about 8 miles per gallon. Granted I do very little hgwy driving but still. I read that it could be the fuel filer so I changed that but the mileage is still the same. I wonder if running rich could cause it to use that much gas?
I have a vec-2 but it has never been tuned. I am just using a mildly altered card. The car feels like it runs great and did a 12.1 on my one and only pass at the track
Gary

 

[AZTVR]

I've done a search on viperclub.org but didn't find an answer to what is the root cause of the accuracy and variabilty problems. Is this a design problem with the gauge, or the sender? The following product would seem to be a great answer for a sender issue, if it is compatible with our systems:
http://www.datcon.com/products/4intelli.htm

http://www.stewartwarner.com/Comp/prel/intel00.html

 

[DodgeViper01]

I must have a problem. I get 100 miles to a tank (gauge say's about 1/8 to 1/4 tank left) and takes 14 gallons. That is about 8 miles per gallon. Granted I do very little hgwy driving but still. I read that it could be the fuel filer so I changed that but the mileage is still the same. I wonder if running rich could cause it to use that much gas?
I have a vec-2 but it has never been tuned. I am just using a mildly altered card. The car feels like it runs great and did a 12.1 on my one and only pass at the track
Gary

Gary, you and I have the same problem and Chad had the same one as well. Dare I say this is becoming a common problem?? There are a few others on here that told me they are having the same problem as well. I spoke with Chad, and he said that he had a INDUCTION SERVICE and it seemed to cure his problem; from 7 - 12 MPG to 12 - 22 now. I am going to have this done ASAP. I hope that is what it is!! I will keep you all updated.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

Try a bottle of Chevron Techron - it will do as well as a garage "injector service." One bottle plus one tank of fuel is probably cheaper, too.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Will that really help Tom or just a temporary fix?

 

[99 R/T 10]

Hey Tiger, are you still using the stock PCM? If you have a earlier one available to you(a friend), switch it out with a 96-98 PCM and see if it makes any difference. Cost nothing to give it a try.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

The additive chemistry in Techron is sold by Chevron Oronite (Chevron's additive company) to many, many other companies. They limit the amount of testing data so that those others can't make quite as many performance claims as the parent company Chevron can.

The induction service hooks your car to an external fuel system and runs the engine on a concentrate (vs. your gasoline+Techron.) The difference is 30 minutes at idle on the machine vs. a few hours driving with your gasoline. Either way, the additive has to do the work.

The additive can only clean the induction system parts that get wet. The induction system "treatment" sometimes includes a spray wand that is poked into the intake manifold. Unless you have tremendous oil blowby, this area isn't going to be dirty, though. The idle air control valve would also be cleaned, and it might make the engine idle smoother, but won't affect your fuel economy problem.

The quality of the gasoline and the engine heat determine whether the deposits are re-formed, so neither approach will prevent the problems in the future. As a preventative measure, a bottle just before an oil change is helpful. About 25% of the additives from the fuel system cleaner get into the oil, so timing it with your oil change will remove them.

 

[SYNFULL]

Sound good tom- it's worth a try
Thanks
Gary

 

[Mister XR]

I don't know about the prob w Tiger's, but in response to the original query...

I bought a mini computer that plugs into the OBD2 port(Just under the dash above the clutch pedal) on my 96 RT/10 - you program a few variables(engine size, tank capacity, etc) and it will tell you the exact "distance to empty". The actual size of the device is about that of a pack of cigarettes and it comes with Velcro to mount it on the dash, etc. It will also read/clear the trouble codes(check-engine-light) and shows some pretty cool realtime data on its LCD. Some cool ones it shows are:
point-in-time MPG/GPH
Engine "load" percent
Intake air temp
water temp
battery voltage

You can program the backlight color as well. All in all, a fun little toy.

I bought mine from here:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/8426/

I mounted it in my 96 but considering the price, I didn't want to have it in plain sight so I removed it - figured someone could just reach in and yank it out. Maybe someone with a coupe would be more comfortable mounting it inside.

The OBD2 plug is fairly universal on most cars produced 96 and after. I can't speak for any 92-95 RT/10's though.... anyone know if they have an ODB2 port?

BTW it will work in your S2000 as well.

 

[Copernicus]

Wow, great find. For not much more than the cost of a no frills OBDII code reader, that unit offers some great extras.

 

[AviP]

Tiger,
Is your car stock? I'll check the live readings off my scan tool this weekend and see what I find. Then we can compare some basic numbers when we meet the next time.

MisterXR,
That product is such a waste of money. YMMV. It shows only 4 out of 12 possible paramaters. For $10 more on Ebay, you get a complete OBDII tool (Equus Innova 3130 scan tool) with all the live info you need in a nice portable format that displays 10 of the about 80+ parameters.

You must be registered for see images

Mis

 

[Mister XR]

Avip: Thanks for the encouraging words

The Equus is a mechanic's tool, while mine is more for fun. Mine fits F355's requirement for the distance-to-empty and it's small enough to be mounted on the dash. Yours is better for diagnosing Tiger's problem. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[AviP]

Avip: Thanks for the encouraging words

The Equus is a mechanic's tool, while mine is more for fun. Mine fits F355's requirement for the distance-to-empty and it's small enough to be mounted on the dash. Yours is better for diagnosing Tiger's problem. They both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Sorry MisterXR, I meant no disrespect. Knowing Tiger, I think he'll like your solution better than mine.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Thank you both. I can not wait to here the data you guys find.

 

[DodgeViper01]

The additive chemistry in Techron is sold by Chevron Oronite (Chevron's additive company) to many, many other companies. They limit the amount of testing data so that those others can't make quite as many performance claims as the parent company Chevron can.

The induction service hooks your car to an external fuel system and runs the engine on a concentrate (vs. your gasoline+Techron.) The difference is 30 minutes at idle on the machine vs. a few hours driving with your gasoline. Either way, the additive has to do the work.

The additive can only clean the induction system parts that get wet. The induction system "treatment" sometimes includes a spray wand that is poked into the intake manifold. Unless you have tremendous oil blowby, this area isn't going to be dirty, though. The idle air control valve would also be cleaned, and it might make the engine idle smoother, but won't affect your fuel economy problem.

The quality of the gasoline and the engine heat determine whether the deposits are re-formed, so neither approach will prevent the problems in the future. As a preventative measure, a bottle just before an oil change is helpful. About 25% of the additives from the fuel system cleaner get into the oil, so timing it with your oil change will remove them.

Tom:

Spoke with Chuck and he gave me that Chevron additive, bottled by Mopar (Mopar Version). So far no change but I am going to run the trip to NYC now and see what happens. Will keep you guys updated.

 

[AviP]

[quoteSo far no change but I am going to run the trip to NYC now and see what happens.

[/QUOTE]
Good luck checking your mileage in NYC!

 

[DodgeViper01]

The additive chemistry in Techron is sold by Chevron Oronite (Chevron's additive company) to many, many other companies. They limit the amount of testing data so that those others can't make quite as many performance claims as the parent company Chevron can.

The induction service hooks your car to an external fuel system and runs the engine on a concentrate (vs. your gasoline+Techron.) The difference is 30 minutes at idle on the machine vs. a few hours driving with your gasoline. Either way, the additive has to do the work.

The additive can only clean the induction system parts that get wet. The induction system "treatment" sometimes includes a spray wand that is poked into the intake manifold. Unless you have tremendous oil blowby, this area isn't going to be dirty, though. The idle air control valve would also be cleaned, and it might make the engine idle smoother, but won't affect your fuel economy problem.

The quality of the gasoline and the engine heat determine whether the deposits are re-formed, so neither approach will prevent the problems in the future. As a preventative measure, a bottle just before an oil change is helpful. About 25% of the additives from the fuel system cleaner get into the oil, so timing it with your oil change will remove them.

Tom, I got the additive from Chuck; the Mopar bottled version and used it. So far not much of a difference; went from about 10 to 12 MPG now. Anything helps right now though. Still getting about 200 Miles to the tank. It has gotten so bad that now I seem to worry no matter when I drive the car. I am very paranoid I know but everytime I drive the car, it is all I can think about. Anyway, thanks for the info. I will hopefully be driving to Florida in the next few weeks and we will definitely see what happens from that.

 

[sdaddy]

When I was a kid, my best friend's mom had a 59 Ford station wagon with a broken fuel guage. Each time she backed out of the driveway, she hit the brake hard so she could hear how much gas was sloshing in the gas tank. This was not very sophisticated, but she had the miles to empty pretty much figured out and never seemed to run out of gas.

I use the gas gauge in my 94 RT/10 and figure that since the window sticker said 14 city and 22 highway, and EPA is in the process of revising all sticker MPG's down about 20% to better reflect real driving conditions, that 10-12 MPG is about what to expect if you have your foot in it at all.

Stop worrying and enjoy the drive!!!

 

[RobZ]

I seem to get decent mileage in my '97 GTS. I did a long road trip up to Alpine, AZ (540 miles). The drive was half highway and half twisty mountain roads and I averaged 22mpg on the highway (90 with the windows down) and 15.7mpg in the twisty stuff and that included a "high speed" blast.

I'm happy with my mileage, I expected it to be much worse.

 

[LETHAL GTS]

Flame me if you want, but I can never understand the logic behind these threads about MPG.
First, when the fuel gets down to around a 1/4-1/8 tank, fill it up!
Second, these cars range so drastically in MPG depending how you drive them. Anywhere from 4 MPG to as much as 24 MPG (about 1150RPM in 6th is about 60mph if I remember correctly).
I bought my car to drive it the way it was meant to be driven and MPG is the least of my concerns.
Why is it that these guages ****? Never had a problem with mine. Never run outta gas once. But then maybe your gas stations are 400 miles apart?

 

[DodgeViper01]

Flame me if you want, but I can never understand the logic behind these threads about MPG.
First, when the fuel gets down to around a 1/4-1/8 tank, fill it up!
Second, these cars range so drastically in MPG depending how you drive them. Anywhere from 4 MPG to as much as 24 MPG (about 1150RPM in 6th is about 60mph if I remember correctly).
I bought my car to drive it the way it was meant to be driven and MPG is the least of my concerns.
Why is it that these guages ****? Never had a problem with mine. Never run outta gas once. But then maybe your gas stations are 400 miles apart?

Yes we bought the Viper knowing that gas mileage is not great on these cars but when I am getting 9 MPG while driving on the highway, I can tell you that is no normal. That is the reason for the thread. Yes these cars get horrible gas mileage but not that bad.

 

[LETHAL GTS]

Flame me if you want, but I can never understand the logic behind these threads about MPG.
First, when the fuel gets down to around a 1/4-1/8 tank, fill it up!
Second, these cars range so drastically in MPG depending how you drive them. Anywhere from 4 MPG to as much as 24 MPG (about 1150RPM in 6th is about 60mph if I remember correctly).
I bought my car to drive it the way it was meant to be driven and MPG is the least of my concerns.
Why is it that these guages ****? Never had a problem with mine. Never run outta gas once. But then maybe your gas stations are 400 miles apart?

Yes we bought the Viper knowing that gas mileage is not great on these cars but when I am getting 9 MPG while driving on the highway, I can tell you that is no normal. That is the reason for the thread. Yes these cars get horrible gas mileage but not that bad.

In 6th at the speed limit?