Ambient Fuel Usage Indicator (blue/green lighting) around speedometer
I mean, not really accurate, but not totally inaccurate I guess. Depends how you're driving.
I have the M/T and those lights just have to be ignored. They seem to ALWAYS be blue unless you're in 6th gear. Shift to a higher gear, lights turn green, then quickly turn to mid blue, then turn dark blue, no matter what the RPM is or how open the throttle is.
For example, say you are going at a steady 25mph in 4th, which is like 1.5k RPM. I find that 2k is sort of the lowest RPM can be before the engine sounds like it's working too hard, so I'm usually in 3rd at 25mph (I know that's just my driving style and others will disagree). So you're going slow at a low RPM in a good gear and the freaking lights are blue! I do not believe you are in any kind of VTEC range at 2k, and yet the lights are blue.
I find the only time they are steady green is when I'm cruising in 6th.
I am very curious to know if I am interpreting this incorrectly.
I have the M/T and those lights just have to be ignored. They seem to ALWAYS be blue unless you're in 6th gear. Shift to a higher gear, lights turn green, then quickly turn to mid blue, then turn dark blue, no matter what the RPM is or how open the throttle is.
For example, say you are going at a steady 25mph in 4th, which is like 1.5k RPM. I find that 2k is sort of the lowest RPM can be before the engine sounds like it's working too hard, so I'm usually in 3rd at 25mph (I know that's just my driving style and others will disagree). So you're going slow at a low RPM in a good gear and the freaking lights are blue! I do not believe you are in any kind of VTEC range at 2k, and yet the lights are blue.
I find the only time they are steady green is when I'm cruising in 6th.
I am very curious to know if I am interpreting this incorrectly.
Therefore for me blue = vtec lol.
I meant my first post was a joke but Internet comedy doesn't translate well
Last edited by JN2k108; Nov 14, 2014 at 11:33 AM. Reason: Add more
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 334
From: Florida, USA
Well with my driving style, I'm always WOT and according to Wikipedia, these new ivtec will switch to vtec at wot regardless of rpm. I also have the manual and I can feel the car pull harder when it hits 5k which from the dyno graphs (from others) is when the car makes peak hp
Therefore for me blue = vtec lol.
I meant my first post was a joke but Internet comedy doesn't translate well
Therefore for me blue = vtec lol.
I meant my first post was a joke but Internet comedy doesn't translate well
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 334
From: Florida, USA
At about what RPM do you hit the rev limiter? I have hit the red line, but I didn't push it far enough past to hit the limiter. Somebody on some post in some thread said it's ~300rpm past the red line. Thoughts?
New Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 11
From: Jackson, MI
I don't understand why the ambient meter doesn't match the mpg gauge. Are they supposed to be measuring something different? Like if I'm coasting down a hill pressing the clutch, the mpg gauge shows max (90 mpg), but sometimes the ambient meter shows blue. Makes no sense. Or sometimes as you're slowing down it will cycle from blue to light blue to green and back to blue. Frustrating. In the lower gears, the only times it hits green is if you're in the bottom range recommended for that gear (like 30 mph in 4th gear).
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 254
From: Massachusetts
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 269
From: Falls Church, VA
redhausman,
I find that the eco coaching ambient meter correlates heavily with throttle position. If you press down the accelerator pedal further, the gauge turns turquoise then blue, regardless of MPG. I measured this correlation with an OBD reader and the Torque app for Android.
Below 20 MPH
Green = throttle less than 25%
Turquoise = throttle between 25-30%
Blue = >30%
Above 20 MPH
Green = below 20%
Turquoise= 20-25%
Blue = >25%
I find that the eco coaching ambient meter correlates heavily with throttle position. If you press down the accelerator pedal further, the gauge turns turquoise then blue, regardless of MPG. I measured this correlation with an OBD reader and the Torque app for Android.
Below 20 MPH
Green = throttle less than 25%
Turquoise = throttle between 25-30%
Blue = >30%
Above 20 MPH
Green = below 20%
Turquoise= 20-25%
Blue = >25%
New Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 11
From: Jackson, MI
simonx314, thanks for your reply. I'm not very "mechanically inclined." Would you say the throttle position that it measures is something worth paying attention to, or should I basically ignore the ambient meter?
Member
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 342
From: Modesto, CA
It's just giving you heads up that the engine is working harder to get the car up to speed until it reaches that point.
You can glance at it once in awhile to see how you are doing.
Member
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 360
From: IL
This is what the owner's manual says:
Changes color to reflect your driving style.
Green: Fuel efficient driving
Blue green: Moderate acceleration/deceleration
Blue: Aggressive acceleration/deceleration
● The ambient meter color changes in accordance
with your brake or accelerator pedal operation
So if you decelerate too fast it must think you're not coasting efficiently. My Corolla is a 3 speed and as soon as I let of the gas the car is already engine braking to an extent. But if I leave just a little pressure on the gas pedal it coasts pretty good with minimal fuel consumption.
Changes color to reflect your driving style.
Green: Fuel efficient driving
Blue green: Moderate acceleration/deceleration
Blue: Aggressive acceleration/deceleration
● The ambient meter color changes in accordance
with your brake or accelerator pedal operation
So if you decelerate too fast it must think you're not coasting efficiently. My Corolla is a 3 speed and as soon as I let of the gas the car is already engine braking to an extent. But if I leave just a little pressure on the gas pedal it coasts pretty good with minimal fuel consumption.
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 178
From: GA
I don't understand why the ambient meter doesn't match the mpg gauge. Are they supposed to be measuring something different? Like if I'm coasting down a hill pressing the clutch, the mpg gauge shows max (90 mpg), but sometimes the ambient meter shows blue. Makes no sense. Or sometimes as you're slowing down it will cycle from blue to light blue to green and back to blue. Frustrating. In the lower gears, the only times it hits green is if you're in the bottom range recommended for that gear (like 30 mph in 4th gear).
See, the eco guide isn't as dumb as it seems. But I still wish we could turn the damn thing off.
New Member
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 11
From: Jackson, MI
Thanks for your reply, NotBlake. I read a few debates online about whether it's better to slow down by braking or by down-shifting. Some of them say brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutches. Others say it doesn't cause extra wear on the clutch or other parts to slow somewhat by down-shifting. The ambient meter seems to favor down-shifting over braking, and it consistently goes green when I let it slow in gear instead of "clutch-in coasting."
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 269
From: Falls Church, VA
This car gets great mileage no matter what, but if you try to keep the ambient meter from turning blue, you will get even better mileage, but if you'd rather just drive and not pay attention to it then that is fine, because you only save a few cents at the pump by hypermiling. The ambient meter is just encouraging you not to press the pedal down too far.
Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 84
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Fuelly Tag Lines ???
Sorry a little off topic but there are a number of people with their Fuelly data being displayed in their tag line seemingly real time - it must have been posted before but I cant find it sorry, could someone show me how to do it ?
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 269
From: Falls Church, VA
Go to your vehicle's page on fuelly.com, then scroll down a bit and on the right you will see a white box that says "Share your MPG". Follow the link and on the next page you can copy and paste that code into your forum signature.
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 178
From: GA
Thanks for your reply, NotBlake. I read a few debates online about whether it's better to slow down by braking or by down-shifting. Some of them say brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutches. Others say it doesn't cause extra wear on the clutch or other parts to slow somewhat by down-shifting. The ambient meter seems to favor down-shifting over braking, and it consistently goes green when I let it slow in gear instead of "clutch-in coasting."
