Why is it that when the tank is full to the brim, the gauge arrow is loath to move. You can go 50 miles without the line moving.
Running on empty...
But once you get into the no-man’s land of a quarter tank of gas it appears that every mile is taking more fuel than it should. Suddenly, a ten-mile distance leaves you near the line of emptiness, wondering just why the gas station is not in sight yet.
As much as I love my mini-van, this is the one thing I hate about it.
What do you wonder ?
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
I always wonder how much gas I have left, because my gas gauge is broken. It’s pretty tricky driving in my car, but so far we’ve managed to guess right.
you are so totally right. and yes – why?? i have actually gotten into the habit of never putting in more than $20 at a time. drives my boyfriend crazy, but for some reason makes me feel more in control. consequently, my “check gauge” light is pretty much always on, though.
I had a car with a broken gas gauge; wasted too much money on gas worrying and wondering when it was going to leave me stranded by the side of the road. That car was cursed because both power windows went out shortly after purchase. Thanks for sharing your wonderment!
So weird! We had a minivan I just loved…it had minor issues, but I could get past those – until the gas gage started doing tricks – like not moving – after hours and hours of driving…we found it didn’t work and worried our way across desolate areas of the vacation route. When we got home, we got it fix. But it did it again. …of course in bumper to bumper traffic stalled by a wreck followed by long desolate drive. I can deal with a lot – but not a gas gage that doesn’t work. Sold that one.
it is one of those strange things about cars and women. I have the terrible affliction of never even looking. though i don’t go terribly far. No lambies yet over here but when they come i will let you know in case you want to drive your ailing van over here stuffed full of kids! I will have lots of tomato plants this year too, in case you want some.. c
I never let my tank get below a quarter tank. If the light comes on … it’s too late!
What do I wonder? I wonder about almost everything. I often look at my dog Scrappy and wonder what hi’s thinking. I wonder what happened to earring I lost yesterday. I wonder who gave me the set of those earrings (they appeared mysteriously in my mailbox a week or so after my husband left me–no note, no way to thank the anonymous generous person). I wonder how can I keep up with all the wonderful blogs I’m subscribed to when I have to start working on my memoir manuscript. I wonder why we don’t have any snow on the ground in February. Need I go on?
Our car has this digital readout that tells how many “miles to empty.” When it hits the number 50 it says “low fuel”. This has made me completely paranoid that I will run out of gas immediately. I don’t even trust the actual gauge any more. Drives me crazy.
Fuel gauges…The one item in our vehicles that likes to mess with us at the most inconvenient times. I once drove a company vehicle that had what I called a floating gauge. The stupid needle would slowly move from full to empty until it found its comfort zone. I never really knew how far I could go on a tank. I’ve learned to gauge my tank on how many miles I travel rather than trust the gauge.
Excellent point! I also wonder why I wait until the very end to refill my tank.
My goal is to put gas in the tank when the arrow is at the half-way point. I always remember at 1/8 of a tank.
I’ve been told although it makes no sense to me, that cars burn gas more efficiently when the tank is full. I’ve noticed the same thing you see :). They gave me a technical response and I sort of glazed out, not a car girl what can I say lol.
Right now, I am mulling over whether there is any truth to the scary predictions of Nostradamus, if this tepid version of winter will give way to March Madness and vicious storms, and why my cat only wants to lay under me when my significant other is in the room. It’s Monday, I am sure something else will occur to me lol.
I hope that Nostradamus is completely wrong.
It’s always good to wonder! 🙂
Somewhat unrelated, but for YEARS when driving someone else’s car, I always had to get out to find out what side the gas tank was on. I just noticed last year (at least speaking for the U.S.) there is a triangle beside the gas pump icon. If it is on the right, your tank is on the right … If it is on the left… You get it. But wow. Totally awesome discovery.
That is awesome.