These days when people go to the car lot to buy a car they are always looking to see how many miles per gallon they are going to get from the car they are considering to buy. With gas prices as high as they are this is a valid thing to consider when making your decision. Most people will just look at the stated information on the window and see if that fits with what they expect.
But what happens after you've had the car for a few years? Has your gas mileage stayed the same? Has it gone up or gone down? Most likely the fuel efficiency has decreased since you bought the car.
Keyless Chuck
There are many things that can happen over even the first few years of the life of a car that can impact its fuel efficiency. So let's talk about how to check and see what your current fuel efficiency is so that you can get an idea of what your current miles per gallon ratio is.
Here are some simple steps you can follow to check how many miles per gallon you are currently getting:
Fill up the tank
This is probably the most obvious step, but that's also why it's the first step. Fill up your tank.
Reset the trip odometer
If you car has a trip odometer, go ahead and set it to zero. If your car doesn't have this option, then just write down your current mileage on a piece of paper that you can keep in the car.
Drive until you need to fill up again
You don't have to drive until your tank is on empty. Just drive until its time for you to gas up again.
Fill up the tank again
So far we've probably followed your normal routine, only I put in the step to reset your odometer.
Write down the amount of gas you put in your tank
Don't throw your receipt away just yet. Take note of how many gallons you just put in your tank.
Make the calculation
You now have enough data to calculate your miles per gallon. Remember that this number is just a ratio. That's why you don't have to until you're on empty to checking your gas mileage. To get the calculation, just take the number of miles on your trip odometer and divide that by the amount of gas you just put in your tank. That will give you your current miles per gallon.
I would recommend that you follow this process for a few weeks in a row to make sure that you are getting a consistent number. It may fluctuate a little bit, but overall your ratio should stay about the same. Now, go and check with some online source to see how your current gas mileage compares with when the car was manufactured.
If there is a considerable difference, you may want to consider using a proven fuel additive such as DurAlt to help clean out the engine a bit and make it run better. You also might want to consider taking the car in for a tune up to also help it run better. If you take better care of your car you'll get much better results from it.
I hope this tip helps. Happy driving and be safe out there!