TankonEmpty

[GumbyJarvis]

Heard about this site on the radio this morning

TankOnEmpty

"Help solve a mystery that has puzzled mankind for years...
How far can you go after the gas light in your car comes on?"

 

[Rick in PA]

I use to know how far I could go when the needle hit "E", but that was when I was young and foolish.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
I use to know how far I could go when the needle hit "E", but that was when I was young and foolish.

Exactly, I freak out when the tank is below 1/4 LOL

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis

How far can you go after the gas light in your car comes on?"


There was an episode on Seinfeld where Kramer took a car salesman out for a drive with the needle below the red. I'm pretty sure they eventually ran out of gas. So "30 minutes or less" would be my answer.

 

[opus1]

Originally Posted By: GumbyJarvis
Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
I use to know how far I could go when the needle hit "E", but that was when I was young and foolish.

Exactly, I freak out when the tank is below 1/4 LOL
This is me.

But one time I did let the low-fuel light come on in my Dakota, and when I filled it up I was able to put 16 gallons into a tank that the manual claims has a 22 gallon capacity. So with my current mileage, I'm guessing at least another 130 miles.

 

[Astro14]

Cars vary. In my Volvos, they say 2.5 gallons remaining...and the subsequent fill-up supports that precisely. I have found that Mercedes is very accurate when they say that the fuel low light comes on at 2.5 gallons. Toyota won't say, but from experience and measuring, it's about the same.

You can try it yourself (buy a decent sized gas can...often cars won't start if they get only a gallon)...but I wouldn't bother...

 

[heavychevy96]

Be careful, fuel level senders can and will go bad. Before I replaced the sender on my Caprice, I didn't make it two blocks before my gas ran out. I can go much further now, but I don't push it.

 

[Nick R]

I know that even when my car says 0 miles remaining, I still have anywhere from 1.5-2.5 gallons left. And the light comes on at 30 miles to empty.

 

[AuthorEditor]

In the past I have had cars that ran out before the needle reached E, so watch out. I try to refill long before then.

 

[hypervish]

I'll let you know, as there is a shortage of fuel in NJ as of now. I can't get fuel without waiting in line for 3 hours, it's terrible.

 

[Clevy]

My mustang has 100kms left once the fuel light comes on. 60 kms left from empty on the needle. The truck has 100kms left from when the needle hits empty. My Harley has 2 gallons left when the low fuel light comes on.
I had an 89 dodge ram. That truck would go 200kms once the needle hit e. It would go about 1/4 inch past the e in that truck.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I don't understand how some of you guys can express it in terms of distance (miles, kilometers to empty). How far you can realistically go will depend on the type of driving you do. If you're in heavy city traffic you won't travel anywhere near as far as when leisurely cruising on the hwy, unless you drive a hybrid.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I don't understand how some of you guys can express it in terms of distance (miles, kilometers to empty). How far you can realistically go will depend on the type of driving you do. If you're in heavy city traffic you won't travel anywhere near as far as when leisurely cruising on the hwy, unless you drive a hybrid.

How else would you express it. How is it difficult to understand. Note when needle hits E,note mileage,drive til empty,note mileage.
Pretty simple to be honest.
People will express their mileage from empty,driving their vehicles,observing their usual driving habits.
How else would you measure it. Drive til it hits empty on the gauge,then drop the tank and measure how much fuel is left. Not really practical. Noting mileage from when the gauge hits empty,til is stop running is practical. I do it in every vehicle I own so I know how far I can push the envelope.

 

[Quest]

Well, let's put it this way: both my wifey's camry and my fit all have reserves (wifey's about 11L, mine around 8L) when the light comes on and needle points to "E".

To me this is a sign that it's time to pull into the nearest gas station to fuel up (to full, my usual practice).

I don't understand why someone would "push" their luck when needle hits "E" esp. with electrical fuel-injection automobiles where the fuel pump will burn out (or service life severely shortened) if the tank is to run bone-dry.

In short: I don't see the point in this link/website. Does this means/encourages drivers to push their luck when needle hits "E", or?

Oh well, I will never understand how avg automobile driving joe/jane thinks ...

Q.

 

[Smokescreen]

Originally Posted By: Quest
...
I don't understand why someone would "push" their luck when needle hits "E" esp. with electrical fuel-injection automobiles where the fuel pump will burn out (or service life severely shortened) if the tank is to run bone-dry....


This^^

I have never, ever run out of gas...not even when I was a teen. The first time I ever heard of someone running out of gas I vowed it would never happen to me, what a waste of time and it just makes you look inept to run a motorized vehicle. Now, with a family and no time for silly errors the last thing I would want to spend my valuable time is sitting on the side of the road because I ran out of gas..LOL

 

[MarkStock]

On my Mercedes, the Empty / Zero mark means just that. So when it says x miles to empty, that's the truth (if you keep driving the way you have been).

On my Ford, the Empty / Zero mark means before reserve. So there is actually 2 gallons left at that point. So the x miles to empty is misleading.

In any case, some folks say don't drive when too low since you may send more settled contaminants through the fuel line, which I am not so inclined to believe. The better reason would be that on an incline, you may experience an issue with fuel actually pumping to the engine. I know that on an uphill slope, my Mercedes flashes low fuel when previously there was an 1/8th of a tank left, and then on the downhill part of the same slope, it corrects itself.

More importantly, in CA, the advice is to always have half a tank in case of earthquake. I don't do that nearly as often as I should, but think I will begin to seeing what has happened on the East Coast.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
How else would you express it.

In gallons remaining.

If you know the light goes off when you have 2 gallons left, then you can figure out how far you can go based on the driving that you'll be doing. If you'll be driving in the city and you know that you get 15 mpg in the city, this means you can go roughly 30 miles. If you'll be driving on the hwy and you get 25 mpg on the hwy, then you can roughly go 50 miles in that case.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted By: Quest
I don't understand why someone would "push" their luck when needle hits "E"

In short: I don't see the point in this link/website. Does this means/encourages drivers to push their luck when needle hits "E", or?

Oh well, I will never understand how avg automobile driving joe/jane thinks ...
Q.



LOL, I am laughing as I read this. I am notorious for "pushing my luck" and driving on or near E. I hop in and see little or no gas left, but think "Oh I’ll make it OK", and zoom away. After 10 miles or so, I regret the decision and start sweating it. I have literally coasted up to the pump several times. I have pushed my car up to one mile (at 5AM) down a highway, and walked for gas at least 3 times. It’s a bit of a thrill to gamble like this on occasion, but now I don’t roll the dice so much. I am now nearly 50, and the car I pushed one mile weighed over 4000 lbs. and gave me a sore back and feet, LOL!

 

[yesthatsteve]

The light in the xB comes on with 2.5 gallons remaining, and it's pretty accurate.

 

[morris]

TO:Astro14 "cars vary" if you drive a chrysler vary is an under statment.