Mileage calculator and fuel economy tips
A handy tool to quickly and easily calculate your fuel economy in either miles per gallon (MPG), kilometers per gallon (KPG), or kilometers per liter (KPL)
Contents:
Tips to improve your fuel economy
Tips to improve your fuel economy while fueling your vehicle
How to properly check your fuel economy
Mileage calculator / fuel economy calculator tool:
Tips to improve your fuel economy:
Maintain your vehicle - Observing regular maintenance and service intervals recommend by your manufacture
Upgrade your oil - You can save gas and improve performance by as much as 5% by switching to a high performance synthetic motor oil and increase time between oil changes
Drive sensibly - Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) can lower your fuel economy by 33% at highway speeds
Maintain proper tire inflation - Under-inflated tires require more fuel to get you down the road, up to 4% more fuel AND increasing the air pressure up to the maximum rating, makes for a rougher ride, but will increase your fuel economy even more
Keep your vehicle clean - Keeping your car washed and waxed improves aerodynamics and therefore affects your fuel economy
Observe the speed limit - For each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.26 (at $3.00/gal) per gallon of fuel
Use your cruise control - Using cruise control on the highway (excluding climbing grades) will maintain a constant speed and save fuel
Use overdrive gears - When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down saving your fuel and reducing engine wear
Remove excess weight - An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle can reduce your fuel economy by 2%
Avoid excessive idling - Common sense, at an idle you are getting 0 miles per gallon
Tips to improve your fuel economy while fueling your vehicle:
Fill up early - All storage tanks are underground, the cooler the fuel when filling up the less expansion of the fuel is occurring in the storage tank
Use slow setting - The faster the tank is filled the more vapors are created, meaning fuel you have already been metered for is re-cycled back into their storage tank through the vapor recovery nozzle
Avoid filling-up when a tanker truck is onsite - A pumping tanker truck tends to stir up the dirt and grime in the bottom of the storage tanks increasing the filth transfered into your fuel tank
Do not drop below 1/2 tank - More air in your fuel tank creates more evaporation of your fuel vapors
How to properly test your fuel economy:
Caution - DO NOT use your cruise control on wet or icy pavement!
The Orange test outlined below compares oranges to oranges and is the only way to accurately measure your fuel economy.
Find a freeway (or non-congested stretch of highway) with at least three lanes going in both directions and an entrance and exit ramp on both sides (or a designated u-turn area). It should be the straightest and most level strip of roadway available to you. There must be a filling station at your chosen starting point.
Stop at your start point and fill-up your vehicle on the slow flow setting until it clicks off the first time (this could be anywhere from 90-95% of capacity depending on make & model but will be the same every-time with the same pump).
Travel at least twenty miles or more to a designated u-turn and head back to your starting point. Use cruise control to maintain a constant speed of 55, 65 or whatever mph in both directions.
Return to the filling station you filled up at and re-fill your vehicle at the same pump exactly as before.
The amount of fuel used to travel your chosen distance (must be a minimum of 40 miles or 65 kilometers) will determine your fuel economy under controlled highway conditions.
Divide the total distance traveled by the amount of fuel used to calculate your miles per gallon, miles per liter or kilometers per gallon/liter (or use our easy fuel economy calculator tool).
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