does anyone know the formula for figuring out mpg? i knew it at once but i cant think of it. cause i feel like im going through gas a lot faster than i should be. and i dont drive that hard. thanks.

 

What I always did was go through three FULL tanks of gas and average the mileage of the three. I don't know if this is what you're after, but I hope it helps.

 

Drive your tank to empty (or more preferrably 1/4 which is equal to 4 gallons) collect your trip meter reading and divide it by 8. Repeat about 3-5 times and average them. This will give you a good idea.

 

fill your tank, and reset your odometer. then when you refill it, divide the miles by the gallons it takes to refill it. and like they said, a 2-3 tank average is best.

 

Since you never empty it the same amount every time, you will get different readings each time.

For a bit more accuracy, here's what I tend to do (basically what Chimera and sacs said, but with a definitive distance instead of guessing when you're close to the same empty point every time):

1) Find a number of miles that's nice and round, and definitely attainable in your car on a single tank (for Civics, 300-350 tends to be a good one)
2) Fill 'er up all the way and reset your trip odometer.
3) Drive the car until you hit that magic number named above.
4) Fill your car back up and write down how much gas it took.
5) Repeat a number of times, then find the mileage for each and average them. This way, you can also easily figure out what kind of mileage you get doing different types of driving.

 

i used to always right my mileage down from tank to tank..on the credit card slip then i would figure out how many miles i drpve since the last time i got gas... then divide that out by the exact gallons.... i found my escort would run up around 35 highway...but like..26 city...not even...i used to race around in allentown alot though soo probably why i lost soo much there..nothing nicer then lil expressways between ur g.fs work and the mall...and hitting 110 while ppl are trying to get to work and ur weaving in and out...all..safely with distances between them of course..

 

The methond Sacicons noted is the same way I do it.

 

thanks! that was exactly what i needed to know