37 mpg?

[vegfuel]

So Monday I had business in a town about 190 miles northeast of Ellensburg. I filled up on Friday but noticed that when that when I reached 10 gallons at the pump (and about 45 dollars later  :x ) the nozzle didn't click and I could also tell by the sound in the hole that it could maybe hold more. So I stopped there and payed. When I started the engine i noticed that the fuel gauge stopped shy of the full line (maybe eigth of an inch). It has done this before so I wasn't too concerned.

I started off Monday morning with winds from the north maybe 10 mph. I got out on the highway and really felt the wind take the snowboard racks on top (should've taken them off). My little Golf was really bucking it at 45 mph while I was trying to go 65.

The trip went over a pass and a few hills but was fairly flat. However I when I reached my destination the fuel gauge was almost at midpoint. I found this odd as I normally get about 48 mpg highway and lower 40s in town. When I got back my fuel gauge read just about empty and the tripometer read about 372 or ball-park.

This kind of pissed me off. I'm just wondering what happened. I drove about 55 to 65 average with the occasional black puff when shifting out of second. Would this have anything to do with foamy diesel?

[jtanguay]

i don't know if i would use the fuel gauge as a reference point of how much fuel is left... as my gauge will give me nearly 200km's in the first little bit of movement  :shock: then start to creep down to half way, and then from half way to the red is about another 200km's.  very weird indeed.

i think the wind might have had lots to do with your mileage...

[Op-Ivy]

Yea, the fuel gauge in our cars are not linear.

If you know that the fuel tank is about 55 litres, you can base calculations on that.

[jimfoo]

Wind will make a huge difference in mileage.