Car Talk

[scotchandcigar]

This is my first car that gives me a digital readout of how many miles to empty so my goal is to get it to 1. So far 6 is my record.

It's based on extrapolating your recent consumption as a factor. So it can go to zero when going uphill, and then it goes back up when coasting or going downhill. Therefore, you won't know when you actually stop getting gas in your fuel line until the engine stalls. So good luck with that.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I think the lowest I have let mine go is about 35kms (20ish miles).

 

[Aaron]

He’s in Florida so there are no uphill or downhill moments (except overpasses) but I get it, there’s a risk. I usually go as low as I can also before tanking up.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I got the remaining miles down to 6 before empty. I can do better. I get a kick out of getting it as low as possible. This is my first car that gives me a digital readout of how many miles to empty so my goal is to get it to 1. So far 6 is my record.

You will achieve success when you run out of gas and you roll up to the pump stopping perfectly.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

He’s in Florida so there are no uphill or downhill moments but I get it, there’s a risk. I usually go as low as I can also before tanking up.

Highway/city driving also affects the calculations.

 

[goreds2]

Same here in SFL. A little more, I think I paid $2.68 last time I filled the Venue.

I got the remaining miles down to 6 before empty. I can do better. I get a kick out of getting it as low as possible. This is my first car that gives me a digital readout of how many miles to empty so my goal is to get it to 1. So far 6 is my record.

Watch out, that can cause your fuel pump to prematurely break down. This is from search assistant via Duck Duck Go:

“ Yes, letting your fuel get close to empty can be bad for your fuel pump. It can cause overheating and premature wear because the pump relies on gasoline for cooling and lubrication. “

 

[sadchild]

My fuel gauge has 10 dashes (10 meaning completely full). I usually fill up when it's at 2.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Highway/city driving also affects the calculations.

Stopping for traffic lights/ intersections (of which there are plenty in FL) and then accelerating will have a similar effect.

Watch out, that can cause your fuel pump to prematurely break down. This is from search assistant via Duck Duck Go:

“ Yes, letting your fuel get close to empty can be bad for your fuel pump. It can cause overheating and premature wear because the pump relies on gasoline for cooling and lubrication. “

Agree, running your fuel pump dry seems like a bad idea.

 

[goreds2]

37 second video

 

[HecticArt]

When I was in college, I coasted my old car up to the pump. It wasn't a great feeling.

The lowest that I've gotten my current car was 12 miles. I usually don't get lower than 25 or so.
My worst winter mileage is 29 mpg and my summer mileage is closer to 39 mpg, so I figure that I've usually got more than 3/4 of a gallon left.

 

[JHDK]

You will achieve success when you run out of gas and you roll up to the pump stopping perfectly.

Exactly! That was the goal. Until I read gored's post.

Watch out, that can cause your fuel pump to prematurely break down. This is from search assistant via Duck Duck Go:

“ Yes, letting your fuel get close to empty can be bad for your fuel pump. It can cause overheating and premature wear because the pump relies on gasoline for cooling and lubrication. “

Oh shit, that's good to know. Thanks.

I guess 6 miles from empty will remain my record forever.

lubrication

Also, hehehehehehehehehehehe.

That makes me think of sex things.

(I'm 42 years old.)

 

[Channel98]

Koop, you will be glad to know they've released four albums and they have a YouTube channel.

Six Miles to Empty

Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

www.youtube.com

 

[HecticArt]

Running almost dry also siphons sediment from your gas tank through your gas filter into your engine causing blockages.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I've mentioned this before. On one of our first dates, I was driving to Mrs. Scotch's house with my aging '92 BMW, and my fuel range reading was low, because I was late and in a rush. But it was at 50 miles, which isn't too critical. However, I was halfway to her house, and my car died in front of the Salem NH library. She had to meet me there and take me to a gas station, so I could get a can of gas to bring to the car. Needless to say, it didn't present me in the best light.

As it turns out, my fuel-level float was getting stuck at a certain point. So every time I got down to a certain range - like 45 or 50 miles - it just stopped there. For the remaining time I owned that car, it was just something I had to be aware of.

 

[HecticArt]

The same car that I coasted up to the pump with, had a similar problem.
It read wrong after about a half tank. I just had to watch the miles on the trip meter to make sure that I didn't run out.
It would say I had a half a tank left, but if it would take 10 gallons when I'd fill up, I'd know I only had 2 left. It had a 12 gallon tank, so it was easy to keep track of.

 

[sadchild]

my fuel-level float

Back when I used to drive a vending route, one of the company trucks would go from full to 7/8 to 3/4 to 5/8 to 1/2 to 3/8 to COMPLETELY FULL AGAIN. Always had to remember this when I took that truck.

 

[scotchandcigar]

We were in NJ this weekend to visit our niece and family, and brought the dogs. As we usually do, we got a rental for the trip. They gave us one of those very trendy Ford Bronco SUVs, and overall, it was good. Integrating Android Auto was a snap, and it easily reconnected for both maps and streaming SXM, whenever we got back in. It had a nice backup camera, and it drove well. The only annoyance was that several things kept defaulting on restart. The A/C would turn back on. The lane detector would go on when the cruise control was first set (but it could then be turned off). And it occasionally told me to "Take a break, and have a cup of coffee".

Amazingly, you still can't pump your own gas in NJ. It's not deemed safe for the general population. Apparently, these are all perfectly safe:





But this will never happen:

 

[scotchandcigar]

To be clear, my niece lives in a lovely part of the state, nowhere near any of the crap above. This was the general neighborhood

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

In 2023 we stayed a night in NJ before boarding our cruise ship. We drove from Toronto entering the NJ welcome centre on I80 on the PA/NJ border. We got there about 3:45PM. It was already closed. Everything. Even the washrooms. What is the point of having a rest area/welcome centre that operates 10AM-3PM daily? They did provide some porta-potties for after hour use. The state was pretty but I think it is run by crazy people.

 

[scotchandcigar]

Did you at least check out the Delaware Water Gap?