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Guides, tips, and in-depth articles about fuel economy, gas mileage calculation, and saving money on fuel.
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Showing guides 61-75 of 87 (page 5 of 6).
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How to Calculate Driving Range on a Tank (and Add a Safety Buffer)
Driving range on a tank is a simple formula: tank size × MPG. The hard part is choosing a realistic MPG (because speed, traffic, weather, and maintenance change it) and deciding on a...
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How to Download FuelEconomy.gov Data (CSV) for Research
FuelEconomy.gov (DOE) provides downloadable fuel-economy datasets (CSV) covering vehicle MPG, MPGe, fuel type, and related fields. It's a strong source for building comparisons,...
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How to Use FuelEconomy.gov to Compare Cars (MPG, Cost, and Labels)
FuelEconomy.gov is the U.S. Department of Energy’s official consumer site for fuel economy information, including MPG ratings, estimated fuel costs, and printable fuel economy labels for...
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Idling Fuel Use: How Much Fuel Can Idling Burn?
Idling burns fuel while you get zero miles per gallon. DOE’s fuel-economy guidance notes that idling can use roughly one-quarter to one-half gallon of fuel per hour , and it provides a...
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kWh per 100 Miles Explained: The EV Metric That Maps to Cost
For electric vehicles, kWh per 100 miles is a fuel-consumption metric — just like gallons per 100 miles for gasoline cars. Lower kWh/100 miles means the vehicle uses less...
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Motor Oil and MPG: Viscosity, Labels, and What Matters
Motor oil affects internal friction, and using the correct viscosity is part of keeping a vehicle running as designed. FuelEconomy.gov states you can improve gas mileage by 1–2% by...
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Planning Refuel Stops on a Road Trip: A Simple Method
Fuel-stop planning is easier when you separate trip cost from trip logistics . Cost is based on total gallons used and fuel price. Logistics is based on your realistic range on a tank,...
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Roof Cargo Box vs Rear Cargo Carrier: Which Hurts MPG Less?
Roof-mounted cargo (racks, boxes, baskets) can reduce fuel economy because it increases aerodynamic drag. A rear cargo carrier can also hurt efficiency (it still changes airflow and adds...
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Roof Racks and MPG: How Drag Impacts Gas Mileage
Roof racks and roof-mounted cargo boxes can reduce fuel economy because they increase aerodynamic drag. DOE’s fuel-saving guidance provides ranges for how much roof racks and cargo boxes...
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Short Trips vs Long Trips: Why Cold Starts Use More Fuel
Short trips often have worse MPG because engines spend a bigger share of the drive warming up and running less efficiently. DOE’s fuel economy guidance notes that taking several short...
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Smog Rating on the Fuel Economy Label: What It Measures
The EPA fuel economy label includes a Smog rating on a 1–10 scale. It summarizes tailpipe pollutants that contribute to local air pollution (often called “smog-forming emissions”)....
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Speed and Fuel Economy: What Happens Above 50 MPH
Speed has a measurable effect on fuel economy. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that gas mileage typically decreases rapidly at speeds above 50 mph and that speeding can reduce fuel...
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Stop-and-Go Traffic and MPG: What You Can (and Can’t) Control
Stop-and-go traffic often lowers MPG because it involves repeated acceleration and braking and often increases time spent idling. DOE and AFDC fuel-economy guidance highlights that...
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The MPG Illusion: Why MPG Isn’t Linear (and What to Use Instead)
MPG is a useful number, but it’s not linear. The same “+10 MPG improvement” can mean very different fuel savings depending on where you start. That’s why EPA includes a fuel consumption...
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Tire Pressure and Fuel Economy: What Agencies Say (and How to Estimate Cost Impact)
Tire pressure is one of the most practical "small levers" for fuel economy because it's easy to measure and correct. FuelEconomy.gov summarizes the impact of underinflation on MPG and...
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