embarrassingly bad mileage... REALLY

[Woody_Woodchuck]

Dccurrent: For the gas used I record it when I fill up the tank. For the miles driven I use the difference between the last odometer reading and the present one.

Example: Friday I filled up using 6.181 gallons US (number right from the gas pump). The previous Odometer reading was 8,873.7 miles, when I filled up it was 9,172.9 miles, the difference is 299.2 miles. Dividing the miles by gas used: 299.2 / 6.181 = 48.406 miles per gallon US.

This is actually an approximation for the tank due to the actual amount of gas pumped. Did I fill to exactly the same amount as last tank? Most likely not even though I use the same pump at the same station. But, it all averages out over several tanks so if you are consistently getting about the same mileage it all good.

And yes, I work very hard to get this mileage! Light touch on the gas (drive like grandpa), no speeding, plan trips, use momentum up the hills-coast down them… It all adds up for me. I WISH I could get to the magic 50 mpg by driving like a nut but it isn’t going to happen. I believe anyone getting 40 mpg or better has modified their driving habits to get better mileage.