A Question for those of you who run on Empty gas tanks? (page 6)

PEC

For the record, I have NEVER ran out of gas, not even close.

Philip

I run my car on a fourth to empty a lot. It's a very bad habit of mine. It drives my fiance crazy when he drives with me. But he does the same thing. It drives me crazy when I see him do it too. LOL I haven't ran out of gas since my early twenties. "Knock on wood."

When his mom is here visiting after . . . "Let's put on our seatbelts" She asks "Do we need gas?" LOL It's a little annoying (that and all the other little ways of hers that make you feel like a five year old). But since she lives on the East Coast and we only see her twice a year it's easy to let slide off the back. Maybe I should start a thread and call it mother-in-law. LOL

mkr32208

When I have money I fill up. My owners manual says that my vehicle gets BETTER mileage full (I've never really figured that up myself) Maybe cause it's a pickup? I dunno! Anyway I fill up when I have the money and drive till I get under a quarter of a tank or until the low fuel light comes on then I fill up again!

Unfortunately with money the way it is now I normally can't afford the $70 it takes to fill my tank and only get a bit at a time.

oldflame

Actually I try not to go lower than a 1/4 tank as it is not healthy for your car.

jgnat

Well, I break the pattern then. I'm the one who likes to ride the line, and my hubby is the opposite. He breaks a cold sweat as soon as the tank passes halfway.

Yes, I know it is better to keep fuel in the tank. I understand the dregs might have water on top, and you don't want THAT going through the engine.

DJK

I ran my truck very low until Friday. When I filled up it took 26 gallons to a 27 gallon tank.

When I started up to leave the station, my gauge was stuck on empty and it stayed there until last night. It came up to 3/4s because of the miles I put on it since the fillup.

joebin

A vehicle doesn't run any better on full than on 1/4 tank. I agree that running the tank on low is not good for the system. But most of us guys know how far we can go if we want to push it.

You mention that you do it in case of emergency, that your vehicle can always be counted on. My question is, how far do you need to go, in case of emergency that requires 1/2 tank. The only emergency requiring a non stop travel, can't stop for gas, that I can think of would be a medical one. So then, enough gas and a little extra to get you to the closest medical center should be your reserve.

Or maybe the emergency is that your daughter broke her nail during cheerleading practice, and you have to drive two towns down to get it fixed immediately, can't stop for gas, sure you should keep at least half a tank, or keep it at 3/4 to be on the safe side. But then, your car could just stop working for some other reason, ex: flat tire, which will make it impossible to resolve the emergency with your vehicle.

Chap

We have been buying used Nissan's. I drove my 1993 Sentra to the scrapyard because it needed too much work in order for it to pass inspection. I think it had over 230,000 miles on it and it burned about a quart of oil for every 7500 miles or so. The engine still purred like a kitten. My wife and I both let the tank run empty and fill up every time. My wife has the "good" car (the one with automatic transmission, a/c, and an idiot light). We both reset the trip odometer when we fill up.

: "My owners manual says that my vehicle gets BETTER mileage full"

I can see that being possible because it seems my needle drops quicker between half and empty than between full and half when comparing with the trip odometer. I haven't filled up at half empty because I don't like doing things twice as much as necessary but I might do it just to compare MPG's.

I get better MPG's in the warmer months.

DJK

needle drops quicker between half and empty than between full and half

This could occur because of the shape of the tank itself. Your gauge is a level detector measuring top to bottom, not a gallonage meter so if the bottom of the tank is slanted or narrower than the upper half, the quantity of fuel in the upper HALF would be more than the lower HALF.

Jim_TX

(I just read the first page of this - good thread, by the way...)

I remember - many years ago (it may not still be true) - my older sister... and my mom, too - only putting in a few dollars of gas into the big gas-guzzler cars that they drove.

Of course... that was when gas cost only 40 to 50 cents per gallon, too. (Which only begs even more... WHY??!!??!! - just fill the durn thing up!)

It used to always frustrate me - cause - it seemed that any trip that we took - involved a trip to the gas station. (Back then - full-service was still around... perhaps they were flirting? )

Personally - I fill up - totally - each time I fuel up. I usually let it get down to 1/4-tank before I get serious about filling up - of course - I get over 450 miles per tank... sometimes over 500 miles. It's a diesel VW - and gets real good mileage.

On occassion - the 'light' and buzzer comes on - but I usually refill before that annoyance occurs.

Regards,

Jim TX

P.S. The way I look at it - I like to have a 'buffer' of fuel in the tank - one never knows when they may need to make an 'emergency run' to some location - for some reason or another. Having an empty tank - is not welcome when an emergency occurs.

A Question for those of you who run on Empty gas tanks?

PEC

sandy