im on my last bar but it has not started blinking yet and i need some advice. i am at 540 miles on this tank of gas and would like to reach 600 for the first time. do all prius' have an 11.9 gallon tank or does it vary? i have been keeping receipts from fill ups. watching to see how many miles i put on after the last bar starts to blink. and trying to figure this all out but wanted to consult the board for advice before trying it. thanks.
What varies is the level of fillup. I put in 1-1.2 gallons after it clicks off. I went 198 miles on my last tank before the first bar disappeared. I went a total of 768 miles @ 61.8 MPG including 107 miles on the last flashing bar. I have gone as far as 134 miles on the last flashing bar. My wife's car seems different. Based on the math, her last bar starts blinking later than mine, leaving fewer reserve miles after the blinking starts. Put 600 miles on the tank and be done with it. If you multiply your current mileage by 11 you will arrive at a safe range, unless you are one of those that can't seem to get a proper fill. I multiply my current mileage by 12 but that's just me and I used to use 11 as the figure. My fillups range in the 12-12.5 range. Some here will disagree with much of what I have stated here and will warn of the dangers of running out of gas and burning up the fuel pump and flooding the charcoal canister and it's all been debated before, but if it feels right do it. There is something really right about not remembering the last time you filled up with gas.
Depends on how much you've filled last time. Do a simple calculation with the MFD readout and the amount of fuel you pumped to get a rough estimate. Give, say, 10 or 20 miles as a buffer. Anything above that is anyone's guess. I think you might reach ~580 or 590 before the blink starts so you *should* be okay but I'm not writing anything in stone, just a rough guess.
Also - if you really want to push the car, do what a few people here have done - take a small gas cannister with you with just 1 or 2 gallons. This way, if you do run out of fuel before you can hit the mark you're looking for, you can quickly pull off to the side of the road before any worries about driving too far on battery only. Most importantly, only push this subject as far as you are comfortable with it. And *have fun!!!* -m.
The bars re-calculate the amount of fuel that each bar represents 'everytime' you fill up. Becasue the car rarely ever takes the same amount of fuel for the miles driven due to the ever changing bladder. I have found that once you get to the last bar, the blinking last bar begins when you have as much fuel as you had when the bars dropped from two to one remaining bar. So that can give you a much more accurate feeling as to how much fuel you have left. As awalys driving conditions can affect consumption.
