I know what your thinking, "another blog about gas and mpg numbers?". My answer is yes, yet another blog about fuel consumption and such. Many of you have been calculating this figure for years, while to others it's a whole new concept. This post is more so for those not "in the know".

The reason I wanted to talk a little more about mpg is this; I am meeting people that still don't know what kind of mileage they get per gallon. I think this knowledge will make many think twice about two trips to the store, or letting the car run with the A/C on while waiting for the kids.

It's simple to do if you follow these steps;

1. When filling up your car , reset your odometer
2. Save your receipt from your fill up.
3. Own a calculator or use the one you didn't know you had on your cell phone.

Take the mileage from your vehicles and divide the amount of gallons you just put in your tank.

Some cars do the math for you in the OBC (On Board Computer)

Example; My last mileage prior to fill up was 293 miles. I added a total of 16.5 gallons of fuel to the tank. Simply divide the mileage by the gallons and poof...my mpg was 17.75.

getting near 18mpg out of a mid-sized truck isn't bad. Also unlike many Toyota trucks, I don't need to use 91 octane. With prices today the difference between 87 octane and 91 octane can mean $5 per tank! I trend even better on road trips coming in at about 20mpg.

The things I did to get the best possible mileage out of my little 5 cylinder was; add a high-flow air filter, open up the exhaust a little and keep the tires at proper inflation. Those little things make a difference in the long run.

Take a minute next time your at the pump and do the math. You may find that your mileage is considerably lower than expected. Feel free to send any questions you may have in reference to improving your mpg.

Happy motoring,

Lance