What's the most gallons of gas you've filled

The 1400 mile marathon team used up 12.78 gallons in summer.
http://hybridcars.about.com/od/news/a/100mpgrecord.htm

Ken@Japan

 

Ken-
That's the most I've ever put in but I didn't run out. Of course, I only went 818 miles, a far cry from 1400. I wish I could have taken part in the marathon. I never did get enough info from those guys on what the exact strategies were except for what was posted here on PC. I guess they were pretty tired of the whole thing by the end.

 

Ray,
The strategy was Pulse_And_Glide .
The whole story was reported at...
http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/prius-i...dates.3041.html

Ken@Japan

 

Nomally 8 gallons. 9 gallons a couple of times.

 

The most I ever was able to put in was 11.888 gallons.
Most tanks have been between 9.4 and 10.5.

I live in FL, where it is pretty darn warm all year round -- no freezing temps.

I do have the problem of premature shut-off when filling my tank.
If I stopped when it first shuts off, I'd probably only be able to put in about 7 gallons!

So I am guilty of topping off...



-Vikki

 

Today, while driving 71 mph on the Interstate, I heard a beep and noticed that the fuel bar light was blinking. MFD said, "Need Fuel" or something like that. I have never run out of fuel, and did not want to today. I then continued another 10 miles, exited, and fueled up at a Citgo that was near the ramp.

Before I continue, I wish to add that the consumption screen was showing higher bars, and as I pulled into the Citgo, I had to do it uphill, and the ICE came on for a moment, so I guess there was still some fuel in the system. Comforting, for I was very, very nervous about running out.

Without spillage, the Citgo fuel pump read 12.392 gals @ 2.239 = $27.75.
Consumption screen said, 49.5 mpg, 576 miles since reset, it was currently 54 deg outside.

I know that the owner's manual says that the tank is only 11.9 gals big. I can't account for that. Maybe the Citgo pump measured wrong.

 

I guess its not a big deal, but why does Toyota have to use a funky plastic gas tank that changes capacity with temperature?
Are they trying to keep air out of the system or something?

It would sure be nice to be able to put the exact amount of gas in every time and not have to guess when I drive away if my tank is 80% full or 100%?

 

We haven't managed more than a little over 9 gallons, and generally fill up just as the "Add fuel" warning comes on.

 

I generally top of the fuel tank, that is, carefully add till I can see it. Ok, I know that fuel expands when heated, like during an afternoon, and I hate to waste fuel, so I generally choose to fuel when I will be driving far enough to burn off that top 10% before parking the car.

Fueling the Prius has become a practiced art, since I found that if one is not careful, they can get a gasoline bath with blowback, not to mention the waste and pollution and what it might do to the appearance of the paint on the car.

 

Over 9 a few times. The most was 9.8 in December (but in California).

 

The Prius Beeps, the lowest bar on the fuel gage flashes and the MFD reads something like Get gas now when you are low on fuel, I think a lot of these people live far from gas stations or something, if that is the case I would suggest carrying one of those things that you can add to your gas tank if you run out of gas.

There really is no excuse for not knowing you are low on fuel and I have gotten about 20 miles out of the car after the low fuel notice comes on (I wasn't near to a gas station at the time).

And I usually put in between 8-9 gallons at a time.

 

With the auxiliary wing tanks I installed, I can go all year without a fillup! B)

Oops, this may be the wrong forum. :huh:

 

Is it possible to damage anything by overfilling when topping off, such as the fuel-level sensing or the bladder itself? Just feeling paranoid here...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Student @ Apr 6 2006, 09:59 PM) [snapback]236189[/snapback]</div>

Don't thinks so... but you have to be careful or it will accept pressure as the rubber expands and when you pull the nozzle out, it will regurgitate out onto your paint... Don't get too crazy about it.. take it easy.. I like to top off until it gets persistent, its not worth it after that... what am I going to get another quart or so?

 

I normally refill and get about 8.5 to 9 gallons.

I ran the car way down once to one pip and got 10 gallons in. However I have never seen the low fuel warning. Primarily because I don't believe in running a tank that low before filling up (sediment in tank pulled into fuel system, fuel is coolant for pump, don't trust onboard system to tell me about low fuel in sufficient time to get me to a gas station, etc.).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(driveprius @ Feb 5 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]204121[/snapback]</div>

I regularly drive my prius 10k+ miles per month, because I work in computer warranty logistics. From reading about the prius, the gas tank is an inflatable bag. From the factory it is designed to hold 11.9 gallons of fuel. I have personally filled mine up to 11.4 gallons, but generally fill it to 9.5-10.5. Since the "bag" is flexible, the heat/cold can affect capacity. That is also why it is recommended that you don't overfill the bag. If you stretch the bag, the computers calculations of MPG will be off, since is measures how much fuel you have left, by weighing the gas "bag".

BTW - My best MPG for long distance miles is 58.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(faith2walk @ Apr 11 2006, 05:38 AM) [snapback]237976[/snapback]</div>

hmmm... i dont know about that. couple things we have to keep in mind.

1)stretching the bag may change its interior size, but does not change its weight.

2)whether the capacity is 11 gallons or 20 gallons, when it has a few gallons left, the gauge should read the same no matter what right??

3) the recomendation to not over fill goes for EVERY car. this is not a Prius-specific request.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Student @ Apr 6 2006, 09:59 PM) [snapback]236189[/snapback]</div>

Not the sensor; not the bladder; just the surrounding eco-system.
Anyway, I got 9.1 gallons into the tank once; usually 8.5 gallons.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Apr 11 2006, 10:38 AM) [snapback]237999[/snapback]</div>

I read somewhere (not sure if it is true), that the bladder weight sensor is kinda like a scale and will only allow a maximum weight designated/set by the on board computer, so putting more fuel in the bladder will make the computer think that you are getting better MPG than you really are, and it will begin to compensate the fuel mixture for the better "perceived" mileage.

It would change how I drive it that is wrong, and I have no way to check that validity, because most Toyo techs are clueless about our prii.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(faith2walk @ Apr 11 2006, 09:23 AM) [snapback]238036[/snapback]</div>

sooo, what yer saying is that the amount of gas in the tank determines the mpg??

hmmm...interesting theory