Tracking your Fuel Consumption
May 25, 2012
Photo: iStockphoto
As you can imagine, getting the best mileage from our vehicles is a passion here at PumpTalk. And one of the best ways to monitor your vehicle's fuel economy is to consistently take the time to track your fuel usage. Tracking your fuel use may require some initial planning and discipline to get started, but - like getting used to a good exercise program - it's a great habit to cultivate.
Why take the time to track your fuel consumption? Here are just a few benefits:
- Keeping track of how often you fill up - and how much it costs - makes it easier to accurately budget for gas.
- Charting your kilometres per litre makes you more aware of how your driving habits (driving speed, time spent idling going through drive-through’s, lugging potting soil around) affect your fuel consumption.
- Getting the big picture on your weekly fuel consumption helps you evaluate your vehicle's fuel economy over time - so when you're ready to buy a new vehicle, you'll know what kind of fuel economy you can expect.
- Date
- Odometer reading
- Km travelled
- Litres of fuel
- Fuel cost ($)
Then, you can transfer this info to an Excel spreadsheet to get the big picture of your car's fuel use over time.
In this modern age, however, there are also several easy tools - online and for your smart phone - to help you keep tabs on your fuel and share that information with other fuel tracking enthusiasts.
Fuelly is a website that lets you track, share, and compare your gas mileage with other drivers.
Similar to Fuelly, MyMileMarker is a free service that lets you track your mileage and fill ups, giving you a clear picture of your distance traveled over time and your fuel economy.
The Mileage app for Android is free and lets you track your mileage and fuel economy for multiple vehicles. You can also export the data into a spreadsheet on your desktop.
For iPhone users, AccuFuel is a popular fuel tracking tool that helps you chart your fuel use and monitor fuel economy for all of your vehicles. It's not free though - AccuFuel app costs $0.99 in the app store.
These are just some of the most popular fuel tracking tools - but we're always on the look-out for the best way to keep tabs on our fuel use. Do you use an app or website to track your fuel consumption? Or do you kick it old school with a log book? Let us know in the comments.
- Rose R.
The most common cause would be reletad to the check engine light being on. Once the check engine light is illuminated the computer compensates for the failing part/sensor and uses a preset number(parameter) to allow the engine to still operate. These preset parameters will allow the engine to run but will not be able to give you the good fuel mileage you were used to getting when everything was working properly.
Posted by: Pipe | July 10, 2012 at 10:39 PM