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Thread: Throttle limiter for best ECO?

  1. #1
    Nickname: "Rally" MirageRally's Avatar
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    Question Throttle limiter for best ECO?

    Still can't get the hang of keeping my car in ECO while accelerating, thankfully l'm now getting 30mpg instead of 23mpg...does anyone know if l installed a throttle limiter...would that be better? Pros?...Cons?...Don't care about warranty...wish l had an ECO button that l could press and it would limit the throttle for me l would either install a pedal block that would wrap onto the back of the accelerator pedal and hold it in the ECO range...OR...l would install a limiter spring/screw that would limit how far the accelerator pedal goes down, basically not being able to go Wide Open Throttle. Thanks



  2. #2
    Still Plays With Cars Loren's Avatar
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    A throttle limiter could be a safety problem. There are times when you need all available power (which ain't much in a Mirage) to get out of someone's way. Or to get up a hill, even.

    Just learn better throttle control. You opted for the manual transmission. Learn to drive it!

    As I tell many of my driving students, a lot of driving is learning the "feel" of the car. To do what you're trying to do, you need to learn to "feel" the slightest amount of acceleration. If you want to keep the ECO light off and accelerate as efficiently as possible (and you're not in the way of other traffic!), you want to give it just enough throttle to barely accelerate. If you're used to goosing it and having fun feeling acceleration, this will be a drastic change for you. But, with practice and patience, you can do it.

    However, there are those who will tell you (I've never tested it, but I somewhat believe them) that "moderate" acceleration (ECO light be damned) will still get you good fuel economy because you spend less TIME accelerating, even though you're accelerating a little harder. Just get up to speed, drop it in the highest appropriate gear and cruise.

    I drove my Mirage the other day. Made about an 8 mile round trip with the AC on. Speeds typically 30-40 mph. Netted 52 mpg for the trip. No throttle limiter. And I didn't even look at the ECO light. I just shifted at 1800-2000 rpm mostly, got as much DFCO as possible when slowing or stopping, did a little bit of neutral coasting here and there, and that was it.

    Now, add in some typical city traffic and speeds more like 40-50... I'd be struggling to keep 48 mpg. And if I had to get on the highway and cruise anything over 55, it might dip down to as low as 42.

    But, you don't need to mess with your car. The car is fine. It's capable of doing what you want it to do. You just need to learn to do it.

    I could be persuaded to video one of my little drives for you if you think it would help. I've often thought about doing that, but didn't really think anyone would ever watch it if I did.
    Simplify and add lightness.

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    The nut at the wheel makes the biggest difference when it comes to economy!

    You may want to look at:

    https://www.ecomodder.com/

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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    A throttle limiter could be a safety problem. There are times when you need all available power (which ain't much in a Mirage) to get out of someone's way. Or to get up a hill, even.

    Just learn better throttle control. You opted for the manual transmission. Learn to drive it!
    This.

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    Nickname: "Rally" MirageRally's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Loren View Post
    A throttle limiter could be a safety problem. There are times when you need all available power (which ain't much in a Mirage) to get out of someone's way. Or to get up a hill, even.

    Just learn better throttle control. You opted for the manual transmission. Learn to drive it!

    As I tell many of my driving students, a lot of driving is learning the "feel" of the car. To do what you're trying to do, you need to learn to "feel" the slightest amount of acceleration. If you want to keep the ECO light off and accelerate as efficiently as possible (and you're not in the way of other traffic!), you want to give it just enough throttle to barely accelerate. If you're used to goosing it and having fun feeling acceleration, this will be a drastic change for you. But, with practice and patience, you can do it.

    However, there are those who will tell you (I've never tested it, but I somewhat believe them) that "moderate" acceleration (ECO light be damned) will still get you good fuel economy because you spend less TIME accelerating, even though you're accelerating a little harder. Just get up to speed, drop it in the highest appropriate gear and cruise.

    I drove my Mirage the other day. Made about an 8 mile round trip with the AC on. Speeds typically 30-40 mph. Netted 52 mpg for the trip. No throttle limiter. And I didn't even look at the ECO light. I just shifted at 1800-2000 rpm mostly, got as much DFCO as possible when slowing or stopping, did a little bit of neutral coasting here and there, and that was it.

    Now, add in some typical city traffic and speeds more like 40-50... I'd be struggling to keep 48 mpg. And if I had to get on the highway and cruise anything over 55, it might dip down to as low as 42.

    But, you don't need to mess with your car. The car is fine. It's capable of doing what you want it to do. You just need to learn to do it.

    I could be persuaded to video one of my little drives for you if you think it would help. I've often thought about doing that, but didn't really think anyone would ever watch it if I did.
    l thought about that as well...l probably would get into an accident if l obviously couldn't speed up. Cool, l will just continue practicing.

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    Nickname: "Rally" MirageRally's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by foama View Post
    The nut at the wheel makes the biggest difference when it comes to economy!

    You may want to look at:

    https://www.ecomodder.com/
    Well this nut (me) does have moments of fast acceleration, lol.

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    How Far can you go on the tank with the Mirage? l was told that below 2 squares your fuel pump has to work harder. l fill up when l have 2-3 squares left. That is also why l'm not getting good fuel economy.

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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Your ultimate throttle limiter is between your ears.

    Consider a ScanGauge. It will tell you what your "instant" fuel economy is and will give you real-time MPG feedback on how you are driving. Drive with a ScanGauge for a while and you will quickly figure out how a Mirage needs to be operated for optimum fuel economy.

    The Mirage's "instant" mpg only updates every 30 seconds (?) so it's not terribly helpful.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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  14. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Top_Fuel View Post
    Your ultimate throttle limiter is between your ears.

    Consider a ScanGauge. It will tell you what your "instant" fuel economy is and will give you real-time MPG feedback on how you are driving. Drive with a ScanGauge for a while and you will quickly figure out how a Mirage needs to be operated for optimum fuel economy.

    The Mirage's "instant" mpg only updates every 30 seconds (?) so it's not terribly helpful.
    I went to the site and can't find one for the Mirage. l'm guessing the ScanGauge E is the one l should get.

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    Senior Member Top_Fuel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MirageRally View Post
    I went to the site and can't find one for the Mirage. l'm guessing the ScanGauge E is the one l should get.
    The ScanGauge II or the ScanGauge E will work. I prefer the ScanGauge II because I can set it up to show other engine parameters and it can read/clear OBDII codes.

    I have mine set up to display...

    1. instant fuel economy
    2. volts
    3. coolant temperature
    4. intake air temperature


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        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 52.2 mpg (US) ... 22.2 km/L ... 4.5 L/100 km ... 62.6 mpg (Imp)


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