The first step to cutting your gas expenses is to figure out how many miles your vehicle can go on a gallon of fuel.

If you’re like many people, you probably don’t know this information even though you have been driving for decades.

You’re about to learn a simple formula for determining the gas mileage of your car, van, truck, or SUV. In later chapters, you’ll discover how to use this crucial data to make your automobile run more efficiently, allowing you to drive up to 20 miles farther on each gallon of fuel.

The formula for calculating your vehicle's gas mileage is:

MPG = M / G

MPG stands for Miles Per Gallon.

M is the difference between the previous odometer reading and the present one - in miles.

G is the number of Gallons consumed to travel the distance - M.

Follow these simple steps to work out your gas mileage:

1. The next time you go to a service station, fill up your tank and reset your trip gauge to zero (or write down your odometer reading if your car doesn't have a trip gauge).
2. When you fill up your tank the second time (preferably at the same gas station and using the same pump), you'll know the amount of fuel used, which is the G in our formula, and the distance traveled, which is the M. Let's say they are 14 gallons and 279 miles respectively.

Plugging the above numbers into our formula, we'll get:

M / G = MPG

279 / 14 = 19.93

For our example, we'll round it up to 20 mpg.

If the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.36, you would have paid $47.04 for 14 gallons of gas. Each mile you drive would cost $16.86 cents. If you travel an average of 15,000 miles per year, your annual gas expenditure would be $$2,529.00.

Let's figure out how much money you can save by improving your mileage by just five mpg:

If you drive 50 miles a day to and from work in a 20-mpg vehicle, your cost would be $8.40 a day (at $3.36/gallon). If you increase your mpg to 25, just five more miles to the gallon, the same trip would be only $6.72, saving you $1.68 a day or $436.80 a year. (There are about 260 working days per year.)

If you can optimize your vehicle and increase its mileage to 30 mpg, your daily commute to and from work would cost just $5.60, saving you $2.80 or $728.00 annually.

Fuel Cost To Commute 50 Miles Each Day At Different
Gas Mileages And With An Average Price Of $3.36 Per Gallon:

GAS MILEAGE (MPG)	DAILY	YEARLY
20	$8.40	$2,184.00
25	$6.72	$1,747.20
30	$5.60	$1,456.00
35	$4.80	$1,248.00
40	$4.20	$1,092.00
45	$3.73	$969.80
50	$3.36	$873.60
60	$2.80	$728.00

If you consider the thousands of additional miles you drive for shopping, leisure, and vacation each year, improving your vehicle’s fuel efficiency can save you even MORE money.

You can use the table below to figure out the gas mileage for your vehicle(s). Even if your car, van, or truck has a computer that gives you instant gas mileage, I suggest you do the exercise anyway and then compare the value against the computer’s figure.

It's important to fill your gas tank all the way at each fill up. If your vehicle has a trip meter, you can omit steps A and B, just remember to reset your trip gauge to zero before you pull away from the station after your first fill up.

VEHICLE #__:_______________________________________
Odometer reading at the first fill up (If your car has a trip meter, reset it to zero.)	______________ 1.
Odometer reading at the second fill up	______________ 2.
Distance traveled between the two fill ups (If your car has a trip meter, use that figure)	______________ 3. (2 – 1)
Gallons of gas purchased (look at your receipt)	______________ 4.
Your vehicle's gas mileage is	___________ MPG (3 / 4)

To make it easy, print this page and keep it in your vehicle. To obtain the most accurate gas mileage reading, do the following:

1. Purchase fuel at the same station and use the same pump every time. Because each pump has an automatic shut off when the tank reaches a certain pressure, using the same pump every time allows you to fill your tank to the exact same level.
2. Perform the above calculation at least twice and then get the average of the two figures.

The next time you pull into a gas station, start calculating the gas mileage for your car, van, or truck. After you've used some of the ideas and suggestions from this book, you'll be able to see the improvement and the amount of money you've saved.

Keep track of your mileage for at least seven days, or for one full tank of gas, before implementing the next steps. Once you know what your mileage is, you can then begin using the gas-saving tips you're learning.

Another good reason for tracking your vehicle's gas mileage is this: If you notice a substantial decrease in your fuel economy (5 mpg or more), it could be an indication that your vehicle is experiencing problems. By fixing the problems early, you'll avoid costly repairs later on.

You can record your gas purchases and mileage in the following table:

Date	Price	No. of Gallons (G)	Distance (M)	Mileage (M/G)	Comments

In Chapter Three, you'll discover...

How To Slash Your Gasoline Consumption
By Planning Your Trips Carefully

Do You Want To Read The Book In PDF Or To Listen To It On Your iPod Or MP3 Player? If so, click here to get the files absolutely FREE.

Here Are The Other Chapters:

Chapter 1: How To Cut Your Gas Expenses Significantly And Help Reduce Air Pollution

Chapter 3: How To Slash Your Gasoline Consumption By Planning Your Trips Carefully

Chapter 4: How To Lower Your Fuel Expenses By Keeping Your Vehicle In Good Condition

Chapter 5: How To Have Extra Money To Spend By Driving Economically

Chapter 6: How To Save Money By Purchasing Gas Strategically

Chapter 7: How To Reduce Your Gas And Other Auto Expenses To A Minimum

Chapter 8: How To Benefit The Most From This Book

If you live in Canada (or a country that uses the metric system), see the Canadian version.

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