Don65Stang's Comments | Fuelly Forum

Don65Stang's Forum Comments

Showing all comments by Don65Stang.

Log Book vs. Fuel-up Log data

Just start off each fuel-up note with the odometer reading...that's my work around for this issue that allows me to see the odometer reading as I scan the notes.
posted by Don65Stang September 27, 2012 at 6:11 AM

Bad MPG during new car break-in period

I heard this statement too about after break-in the mpgs will increase. It is very hard to get any true results from one car because of the many, many variables that affect any one car's mpg. You may be able to see results if you drove the same trip repeatedly but then your odometer has clicked off more miles than the break-in.

The only way to know for sure is to analyze a large number of cars that are the same make and model where fill up data is available since new. Fuelly has that data available as long as the car is a popular car on on here with lots of data from day one.

In my case I bought (now sold) a new 2010 Jetta TDI. On the VW forums it is frequently said that after a good 10k mile break in the mpgs will increase and even more so after 20k miles. So I called their bluff and plotted the mpgs of something like 50 or 60 new Jetta TDIs from initial dealership miles when purchased to 20k+ miles. Guess what? No real difference from 0 miles to 20k+ miles. The graphed mpgs for each car and the graphed mpgs for all cars averaged together was a level line that did not increase over time. There was some city/hwy wiggles on each car's mpg graph but the overall line from first data point to last data point was flat and did not creep upward.

I wish I had saved that spreadsheet but when I sold that car I deleted it's folder on my computer and that spreadsheet was in that folder.

One may possibly see a very, very slight bump from 0-500 miles but based on my research it is negligible. Let us know if you do a similar comparison with the Subaru Foresters. BTW, I think that is a good car choice. If I weren't a VW diesel fan that would be one of the cars I'd consider. Good luck! I think the 30 mpg goal is doable consistently if you do your part and don't go any faster than 70mph on the highway.
posted by Don65Stang March 27, 2012 at 7:23 AM

Price/Mile is very useful data

Mathowie, I saw that -excellent work. I requested elsewhere to add a "per tank" option to that custom stat to make it even better.
posted by Don65Stang May 17, 2011 at 8:31 AM

Also, the Price/Mile is the Great Equalizer in that it doesn't matter if the car uses Gasoline, Diesel or whatever fuel...it always tells the user how much money it takes to drive one mile.

We may use different fuels but money is common ingredient we all share. For example, I have both diesel and gas cars. The Price/Mile lets me know which ones are the least expensive to drive...I don't care if it's diesel or gas, I know how much it'll cost per mile to drive it. Lower numbers are better. ;)
posted by Don65Stang May 17, 2011 at 8:28 AM

Organize searched vehicle data

I like xlibelle's request too in that it is difficult to weed out users with only a few tanks...that tells us nothing really. The default setting could be just as you have now but how about adding filters to sort the data like on a spreadsheet? Actually that's what I do now...I copy all the data for a particular vehicle type and paste it into Excel so it then can be sorted.

This site is an excellent tracking site and not so much a community. I use this site as a way to improve my mileage by comparing stats in many different ways like Price/Mile and comparing my cars to the high MPGs cars like mine that have many, many fill-ups. It would be useful to me and apparently others if the data could be sorted and viewed by both # of tanks and MPGs.

If you don't like that idea, then how about the default display being the # of tanks instead of alphanumerically? That would, as a side benefit, reward people to enter every tank for their cars making this site get more hits for you and your (new) advertisers and more useful for members like xlibelle, myself and others to get what we want from it.

What are the incentives now for accuracy? How about giving users the ability to sort the data for themselves when browsing vehicles? That's a win for the users, a win for the site that'll draw more users and hits, and a win for advertisers who want high the high hit counts.

BTW, I'm being a little facetious but I can edit all my individual car names to have a "1" out front and be at the top of the list for each of the Browse Cars page for the individual car makes. If people want to cheat they'll find a way. I personally don't care what list they are at the top of & think those people are few in number. Just my thoughts.

Thanks for a great site.
posted by Don65Stang May 17, 2011 at 8:20 AM

A preview of our new site for Earth Day!

I've tracked 134,028 miles using fuelly and think it's a great site! There are a lot of things to like about the new version. The cost analysis tool is cool. The ability to track city vs. hwy is useful. Custom stats is very useful.

However, I have a few dislikes with the new version followed by recommendations to make it even better:
The Basic Stats graphs are HUGE. I like that Basic Stats are shown but I'd much prefer a smaller size that doesn't take up so much acreage on my screen. It's like the stats are shouting at me! The Total Fuel-ups icon looks like an octane rating. I don't like each item having it's own huge icon.

Are the new Advertisements needed to cover the cost of these improvements? I'd rather not have the improvements. :/

Note: I quit using other fuel tracking sites because I liked the SIMPLICITY of fuelly.com site. Now the new interface is getting too complicated like the ones I left in that you have to use mouse overs to see some data or have to click to see other data and some data is gone. The eye candy icons are ok but I like more of a no frills type of data display or at least more compact if going to keep the icons.

Recommendations:
1. Please display smaller graphics/icons for the Basic Stats. Or better yet see #2 below.

2. Use the CURRENT Basic Stats 4x3 table and give it a face lift with some color or add icons like a small odometer in the Total Miles Tracked cell for example. I like the compact size of the current Basic Stats and seeing all the data right there in one nice organized place...no clicking or mouse overs just Bam, there it is. The Cost Analysis tool and City vs Hwy icons can be right there too, but again, please make them smaller.

3. If going to use the new huge basic stats, provide a way to remove or hide them much like the way one can add a custom stat. My custom stat would be to NOT see the Basic Stat due to it's size and/or the missing data that the 4x3 version has that the new version doesn't.

4. Have the site remember my preferences so that I won't have to turn off the Basic Stats each time I login.

5. Show the notes as readable text on the Log Book on the front page (like currently is displayed on the existing version) instead of having to mouse over the icon to read the note. I like seeing the info in the notes all at once to compare to the other fuel up entry notes I made.

6. Add the number of miles tracked for the selected time frame in the Cost Analysis Tool. Currently it shows Ave Price/Gal, Ave Price/Fuel-up, Ave Price/Mile, and Total spent. It would be useful to also know how many miles driven for that same time period.

7. Under the Custom Stats selection page, Add "Last Tank" to second column drop down box. I like knowing my Ave Price/Mile for my last tank. That particular piece of data relates my driving habits AND the rising price of fuel to let me know how much it's really costing me to drive each mile. It's kind of a GOAL for me to keep it at a particular number by adjusting my driving habits to account for gas price fluctuations.

8. Add Price/Mile column to the fuel Log Book so users can see the Price per Mile for each tank. The Price/Mile data is VERY useful information that most people don't consider.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to the new version with a few tweaks. Keep up the good work with the site!

V/r,
Don
posted by Don65Stang May 17, 2011 at 6:46 AM