jsarms1

Pretty interesting story from Yahoo, I have heard people say 50 miles but did not want to ever risk that as I normally fill up at a 1/4 tank.


http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoram...163806598.html

Whether slogging through commuter traffic or cruising on a picturesque highway, nobody enjoys stopping for gas. Hence it's easy to play a Kramer-quality game of chicken with the gas gauge — and seeing how deep you can get the needle into the E before the car sputters out. Automakers discourage that procrastination with a low-fuel light, which warns you when there's a few gallons left to spare; but those couple dozen extra miles aren't lost on motorists who want to hold off for a few precious freeway exits. What's left people guessing, however, is exactly how far you can go when the gas light comes on, and since there's no established standard for reserve fuel capacity, it varies with each automaker and model. But thanks to the website Tank on Empty, which has a searchable, user-submitted database, you can have a better idea of your on-empty range.

According to the site, there are some surprising low-fuel winners: the mammoth Ford Excursion may guzzle gas like a cargo ship, but it also boasts one of the longest ranges, averaging 85.12 miles. That beats the eco-conscious Prius, which can run for 55.12 miles, or a Porsche 911 Carrera, which could quickly leave you stranded on the shoulder with its average of 23.82 miles.
But don't get emboldened by the data to run your car on fumes, because continuously doing so can wear out the fuel pump. Most modern vehicles use an electric fuel pump, which is inside the fuel tank and relies on the gasoline to keep it cool; hence you'll want to keep the tank at least a quarter full to prevent premature wear.
Plus, there are some imitations to the tool. The data doesn’t distinguish between different model years, so an aging Toyota Corolla with a bad oxygen sensor could skew the results against a new one that just rolled off the dealership. And since the data points don’t reflect how much further the cars could’ve gone, they’re more an insight into driver refueling habits than a reflection of a car’s on-empty range.
Such crowdsourced data may become obsolete as manufacturers use trip computers that indicate the miles left — it’s already not only in luxury BMWs and Audis, but also in entry-level compacts like the Subaru Impreza. Whether there’s still some padding in the trip computer’s range or not, that only means drivers can push cars further into empty.

walc

Very interesting.
I used to try to see just how low I could go, until a mechanic told him about the fuel pump wear.

HoustonRider

some cars may have E or "low fuel" set at 2 gallons, some at 6 gallons (I think its 6 gallons on the F150).. I start watching when it hits low, but KNOW on the 6.7 or Ecoboost I can go another 50-60 miles any day of the week.

XxGodsavemexX

I've never let mine get under half a tank lol. I can't stand the thought o it costing me $140 to fill the tank from E. And yes it's harder on the fuel pump and you'll stay out of the "crap fuel" that usually sits on top of your "good fuel." Meaning, all the trash that floats on top of the fuel.

Papa D

So, do the miles remaining on my dash reflect actual miles remaining, or is it how many before E, while still having the 38ish miles after E?

I haven't (nor would I be willing) run it low enough to know if E equals zero miles remaining. Just curious.

CoreyMS

When it says zero..you have about two gallons. I don't suggest pushing it...go get some gas already.

scross86

Due to a lapse in foresight on a road trip I made it 5 miles past the 0 miles to empty on my 2012. Hope to never do that again but when I filled the tank up there was around a fifth of a gallon left over. So the DTE turns out to be pretty accurate. I was apologizing to my truck pretty bad after that.

sullyman

Ran mine down to 6 miles left, and put just a smidge over 34 gallons. Based on that, you're not driving much past when the indicator tells you that you're out. Maybe 10 miles, at best.

CoreyMS

The gas tank capacity does not include the reserve.

Papa D

Good to know just in case. I drive the east coast now and then and if it happens to be late at night, it can be a while between open gas stations. I doubt with the fuel monitoring in this truck I would ever run low but if I happen to push it, I'll have a little comfort.

I've never ran out of fuel.....