How low do you let your gas tank get before filling?

[cleadus_fetus]

Anything under half and it's all I can think about while driving.
But the absolute lowest is when I see it reach an 1/8 tank the next place I am stopping my car is the gas station... or a red light.

My car is brand new, but back when I was 20 and driving a car that was 2 years older than I was.('87 olds. Cutlass Supreme.)
I was told to never let my tank go below 1/4 as build up of something (I'm guessing imperfections in fuel adding up over time) would get sucked into the fuel injectors and clog them.

[Fummins]

I often run mine down til the last bar blinks. Then keep going a little bit if I'm heading somewhere there are gas stations withing pushing distance. Typically takes 31 liters to fill. My previous car would only take 28 liters when the last bar blinked.

[Atras]

I often run mine down til the last bar blinks. Then keep going a little bit if I'm heading somewhere there are gas stations withing pushing distance. Typically takes 31 liters to fill. My previous car would only take 28 liters when the last bar blinked.

How many litters is per bar?

One thing I don't really like about the Mirages instrument cluster is there is no analog style fuel gauge

[tomrad]

I usually run mine down until the 'miles to empty' number disappears and the displayed characters flash. That means I have about two gallons left. That's about 336 miles on 7.2 gallons, works out to 46.6 mpg.

[Mark]

I usually run mine down until the 'miles to empty' number disappears and the displayed characters flash. That means I have about two gallons left. That's about 336 miles on 7.2 gallons, works out to 46.6 mpg.

A Mirage has a listed 9.2 gallon gas tank capacity. Just take note of many gallons it takes when filling up. If you really want to test the limit (like Kramer on Seinfeld), I would take a full gas can along.

I think of the 8 bars as being approximately 1 gallon each, but that's just a crude estimate. I don't think I've ever done 8 gallons or more at the pump.

Fuel pumps are meant to be submerged. The gas is the coolant for them, but I don't know how important that is? Some claim it's not (some do), but I don't have plans to actually test that. I also don't think running out of gas a few times is going to kill it.

[Johnny Mullet]

I try not to let my tank get too low. Keeps the fuel pump happy.

[Fummins]

Attachment 24862 I used to hear the old gas is a coolant thing and believe it. Now I’m skeptical. It’s one of those things nobody actually knows but it sounds right. I’ll be sure to post when my fuel pump craters. It’s only been 2 years but pretty much every fill up is at least 8 gallons.

Better to error in the side of caution if you’re worried about wearing stuff out though.

[Mark]

Attachment 24862 I used to hear the old gas is a coolant thing and believe it. Now I’m skeptical. It’s one of those things nobody actually knows but it sounds right. I’ll be sure to post when my fuel pump craters. It’s only been 2 years but pretty much every fill up is at least 8 gallons.

Better to error in the side of caution if you’re worried about wearing stuff out though.

It's probably designed to be OK when relatively low. Otherwise, there would be warnings for a car that has a 5-year/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper warranty. One gallon in a Mirage gas tank would still seem like a lot compared to a Chevy Silverado that has a gas tank almost 3 times that size.

[klroger]

I have no problem running the Pumpkin till the entire display is flashing, And then some. I usually put 31ish liters in at a fill,

[7milesout]

When I did the Top Speed Research Project, I wound up driving right at 49.6 miles with the whole dang fuel symbols flashing. I usually wait until it's down to 1 bar or the fuel gauge flashing until I fill it. But if it's somewhat close and I'm near my fueling station of choice, I'll stop early.

But here's the story on the Top Speed Research Project refueling. I had a fuel tank as I left to go to the Research Facility. The Research Facility is not near my house, but I sacrificed my time and gas for this incredibly important research. I probably put 10 miles on it at full throttle. Maybe a bit more.

When done I had 4 of 8 bars remaining. I thought, maybe I can make it all the way home. So I put it on ~72 indicated / 70 mph gps cruise control, left 2 windows down, no A/C, just pure cruising. Dropped 2 bars quickly heading toward Macon ... I slowed my cruise to 65 mph (in an effort to extend my range to still try to make it home). Dropped to 1 bar before Macon. Started blinking just the fuel gauge symbol inside Macon city limits. I started researching locations for my fuel station of choice along the interstate on my way back. Nothing until McDonough. Thought I'd *try* make that.

On the north side of Macon, the 2nd level of blinking started, fuel pump symbol and the bar area. I thought, I'll backer down to 60 mph and just see what I think, I can always bail out if I get too chicken. At that speed, I thought, 1 friggin gallon should get me about 50 miles, and I have a bit less than that to make it to the fuel station of my choice, and surely there's more than just 1 gallon left. So I held my breath, stayed in the far right lane and ran 60 mph for that last 49.5 miles and thought the whole time, "what if it won't pick up every last ounce of fuel." Once I got to 7milesout from the gas station of choice, I thought "F-it, I ain't chickening out now." The math worked out. It was still running when I pulled into the gas station. It took about 8.74 gallons when the pump clicked off. I added enough to make it 9.000 gallons. AND THEN!!!! I went home.