First Week of Testing
So we installed the WatchDog Fuel Economy Monitor in to a 2005 Nissan Sentra last weekend, ‘installed’ implies there was work involved, and that wasn’t the case. We plugged the system into the ODBII port, stuck the suction cup equipped mount to the windshield, and secured the cable safely out of the way.
We started with a 1.8L Sentra averaging 27mpg and after only a few days of driving we saw an increase in fuel economy.
Initial Install
The system walks you through the initial set-up, entering basic details such as engine displacement, fuel type, and vehicle weight, nothing too challenging. Our set-up involved having to hit WOT for a few seconds on the initial drive to determine engine load, which was easy enough to do via an on ramp getting on the highway, after that it was a case of setting up our target fuel economy.
Fuel Economy
We set a target goal of 30mpg, we didn’t want to be ridiculous and set 50mpg, although the option was available to us. We figured a 10% increase would be a fair challenge to start with. That target was achieved by the fourth day of driving.
This morning we changed our economy goal to 33mpg which would represent a 22% increase if we can reach it. We’ll see where we’re at after the weekend.
Driving Coach
We feel it’s important to point out the system does not alter any preset calibrations within your vehicles ECM, this is purely a system monitoring data from the ECM and making suggestions to help you change your driving habits.
That said, the changes to the drivers habits to increase the fuel economy of the 2005 Sentra by 11% were minimal. The increase was easy to achieve and maintain, even described as “exciting and fun to see how high you can get the average fuel economy number to go”, by the driver.
Real World Results So Far
Working on the 11%, or 3mpg, increase seen so far, this equals out to an extra 39 miles per tank of gas on this vehicle – equipped with a 13.2 gallon tank, that’s more than the equivalent of an extra gallon of gas in the tank, or an extra days commute for the average driver.
The fill up prior to this test the owner paid $2.70 per gallon, so on the basis of the original 27mpg we started with, our math works out that’s 10 cent per mile per gallon – 27mpg divided by $2.70 equals 10 cents. Assuming, for numbers sake, the next refill takes place after 12 gallons that’s a savings of $3.60 per fill up.
Average 15,000 miles per year, divided by the original 27mpg, that’s 555.5 gallons consumed annually. With the WatchDog helping average 30mpg so far, using the same calculations, you would only burn through 500 gallons over the same distance.
The 55.5 gallons of difference equates to $149.85 per year in saving. If you average closer to 20,000 miles per year, as I have for the past few, savings would be just shy of $200 per year.
Check to see how these numbers change next week, and in the weeks to come as we install the WatchDog in a number a vehicles, including SUV’s.
Check out the WatchDog at BullyDog.com (Click Here)
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