Trip meters are pretty much standard in most modern cars. Their main function is to record the distance traveled between destinations as drivers can make inferences from this information. Most trip meters are able to show two readings which are labeled as Trip A and Trip B. If you don’t know what Trip A and Trip B mean in your trip meter, we’ll be discussing them in this article.
Trip A and Trip B are two independent and respectable trip meters that come in most modern cars. Having two meters allows drivers to use the two meters for different purposes.
It’s worth mentioning that Trip A and Trip B are different from the odometer in your vehicle. The odometer is there to record the total mileage of your vehicle, while Trip A and Trip B are generally used for measuring shorter distances. More information will be provided about the difference between the odometer and trip A and trip B below.
Trip meters Vs Odometer
The odometer of your vehicle is there for just one purpose, and that’s to indicate the number of miles on the engine. It cannot be reset, and the reading on the odometer comes in handy when one is buying a used car. The number of miles on the odometer tells you the intensity of the work the engine has performed. Ideally, you would want to buy a car with lower mileage.
It’s a crime to tamper with odometers, but this hasn’t stopped some fraudulent people from doing so. By tampering with the mileage of the car, they can make a car look as if it’s been used more than it actually has. And they get to receive more money for a car that isn’t worth it. So, you should consider having a mechanic inspect any used car you intend to buy.
A trip meter, also called a trip odometer, is a resettable meter. Drivers can always reset the trip odometer to zero whenever they wish. So, the main difference between a trip meter and an odometer is that a trip meter is respectable while an odometer is not.
Understanding Trip A And Trip B On The Trip Meter
Many trip meters tend to have two independent meters. The first meter is labeled Trip A, while the second meter is labeled Trip B. Drivers usually take advantage of having two independent and resettable meters by using the two meters for different purposes. For example, Trip A can be used to track the total distance traveled in a day. By the end of the day, Trip A is reset after taking note of the distance traveled.
On the other hand, Trip B can be used to track the total distance traveled since the last visit to the filling station. This allows the driver to know how far they can travel on a full tank or a particular amount of fuel. It can also let drivers know whenever they get a lower quality fuel if they are able to travel less on the same amount of fuel, especially if the fuel is obtained from a different source. So, as a car owner, you can decide how you want to take advantage of the two meters that some trip odometers have.
How To Reset A Trip Meter?
The owner’s manual will contain step-by-step instructions for several processes, including how to reset the car’s trip meter. However, for most car models, the trip meter can be reset by long pressing the reset button, which can be found on either the left or right-hand side stalk switch. When you reset your trip meter, all recorded information is erased, and the trip meter is ready to start from zero.
A long press is needed to reset all information in the trip meter, such as mileage, average speed, and average consumption, especially for trip meters that record this information. A short press on the reset button will only reset the mileage. But for trip meters that only record mileage, a short press is all you need to reset the mileage.
Do All Cars Have Multiple Trip Meters?
You are likely to find multiple trip meters on newer car models. Older cars are unlikely to have multiple trip meters as it’s a recent addition to modern cars. Also, modern cars may have digital trip meters in contrast to analog meters, that’s dominant in older models.
What If Your Vehicle Doesn’t Have A Trip Odometer?
Some vehicles don’t have a trip meter, and if your vehicle falls into this category, there are still ways you can know the information provided by trip meters. And this depends on using your car’s odometer, as you may have already guessed.
Your car’s odometer is always recording the distance traveled and can’t be reset. To use the odometer to calculate your mileage, follow the instructions below.
Step 1: Before you start your trip, note the current reading on the odometer. It’s recommended you write it down so you won’t forget. Depending on the type of odometer in your vehicle, the distance may be recorded as tenths of a mile traveled which can be seen in the decimal points. Some odometers don’t have decimal points but if your odometer has, be sure to record the whole figure.
Step 2: Start your trip. Unless you are diverting from your route or wish to exclude a part of your trip from your mileage, you don’t need to take any additional reading on your odometer. If you wish to exclude part of your trip, note the reading on your odometer before and after you embark on the trip.
Step 3: When you get to your destination or at home (if you want to know your mileage for the day), write down the odometer reading. It’s now a matter of simple addition and subtraction to know your mileage for the day or trip.
Step 4: In case you embarked on a trip you want to be excluded from the calculation, it’s just a matter of deducting the mileage of said trip after obtaining the mileage for the day.
