yeah, i mean my method of testing was by no means scientific. there is just a batch of long stretch of roads that are strait for miles and i would just set cruise and reset the MPG counter and drive 2-3 miles without hitting the brakes or throttle, just letting the computer do its thing. I work on alot of big boats, ships really, we call them cutters, but they have a sweet spot that it is the most effecient as far as rpm's vs speed vs consumption. Every cutter has a chart for the navigator so they can chart it out and manage fuel. I would thing that in 8th gear going under a speed of lets say 50MPH that the car would work harder and burn more fuel to maintain that speed. Also, I really dont think Eco really does a whole lot on long trips. I used it all they way back and it didnt really have an improvement. It was actually a bit less coming in at 31MPG. there are alot of mountains that you cross on the trip but I started out at sea level and close to vegas just on the boarder is sea level again so i think it would cancel elevation out.
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