Have you ever been driving your car and wondered what DTE means on your dash? Well if you want to be sure you make it to your destination you must have enough fuel to get there.
What does dte mean for cars? DTE stands for Distance Till Empty. This counter shows you how many miles you can drive before you run out of fuel. Most new cars come with this indicator. It can be a huge help when you want to know if you need to stop by the gas station or not.
How does your car calculate DTE
Your DTE is calculated by a few different variables. Things like fuel grade, your driving style, and how much fuel you have determine your DTE. If you don’t have much gas left in your tank you will have a lower DTE number. You might only have 10 miles left. If your gas tank is full you could have 200 or more miles depending on your vehicle.
A higher grade fuel can increase your cars DTE. If your car is tuned or can run a premium type fuel you could actually get better mileage than if you were to use a low grade fuel. In addition, using a lesser grade fuel in your car can actually hurt your engine in the long run. With better fuel you can get more miles for your gallon.
Your driving style will greatly affect how the DTE is calculated. The formula which calculates the DTE uses your MPG or miles per gallon to show you how many miles you can drive. If you have a lead foot and drive with the foot to the floor your miles per gallon will drop significantly. If you’re lighter on the gas you can actually have a larger DTE.
What does MPG mean
MPG stands for miles per gallon. When you drive your car’s computer is always adjusting things so you can get the best performance. Miles per gallon lets you know how quickly you’re burning through gas. If you are speeding up a lot your miles per gallon will lower. If you are more conservative with the pedal your MPG will be higher.
How to get the maximum amount of miles per gallon
To increase your DTE and MPG there are a few things you can do. Be gradual when you press the accelerator. The more you press the gas pedal the faster you go through the gas. If you can slowly get up to speed you’ll get more miles out of your gas than if you speed up quickly.
Regular maintenance will help you get the most MPGs out of your car. Oil changes, air filter replacement and tune-ups are some of the services which will help you get more miles per gallon. Checking your tire pressure can also help you get more miles. Make sure that your tires are at the recommended pressure.
Lowering the weight in the vehicle will also help you get more miles. The heavier your vehicle is the more the engine has to work. If you can go without carrying around luggage or things that will add weight to your vehicle you’ll get more gas mileage.
Are DTE counters accurate
DTE counters are pretty accurate. Although, you should never expect them to always be correct. If you have to drive 5 miles and your DTE says you have 6 miles worth of fuel left you may be out of luck. Different variables can affect whether you get that full 6 miles out of your tank or not. If you’re driving uphill your DTE might decrease.
It’s always best to treat the Distance Till Empty as more of a guideline than something set in stone. You don’t want to have to call AAA and ask them to bring you gas. Especially If you’re late for work. It is a good practice to keep your car above a 1/4 of a tank.
Does every car have a DTE indicator?
Not every car has a DTE indicator. While the DTE counter is fairly common in new cars older models just had standard gas gauges. If you wanted to figure out how many miles you had left you’d have to do the calculations yourself.
In closing,
If you’re lucky enough to have a car with a DTE indicator you can see how many miles you have left. While this counter is helpful it shouldn’t be completely trusted. They are more of a guideline than they are exact.