Cld engine kills my mpg

[GeekGuyAndy]

So there's been several times now that I've driven to one destination, say 5 miles away, then drove 30 miles more to another destination, but the "Current" trip on the scangauge resets for the second trip. That whole second trip average could be as high as 40mpg, but my last fill was ~32. Does the first part of the trip with colder engine temps really hurt the tank that bad? I typically don't drive more that 8 miles at a time during the other 3 seasons, so I think my MPG averages will drop once my longer trips end this summer.

I think I need to be MUCH more conscious of my driving for the first few miles when apparently it matters the most.

Edit: I meant for that to say Cold in the title.. oops

[Bill in Houston]

Sooo, what does the mpg reading say at the end of the first leg, the cold leg? And does the average make sense to you?

Remember to average by gallons, not miles.
5 miles at 10 mpg
plus
5 miles at 40 mpg
does NOT equal
25 mpg average
but rather
16 mpg average