I need to run out of gas...

Just think of all the times you had a 2 hour flight and a one hour bladder!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(twdusa\";p=\"107988)</div>

:iagree

hahaha.... after running out of gas (or at least) having the dash light up like a Christmas tree and feel the car just DIE ... I could see the station about 1/4 mile away and the outside temp 105... I don't need to know how much the tanks holds... I WILL now stop at two bars...

I think, Sherry laughing... more like ROFLAO (when we got to the station) was really worse...

Bob Andersen

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusham\";p=\"107978)</div>

Excellent question, and it's one I have not seen the mega-distance drivers answer properly. Until I read a convincing answer, I am considering all such reports as fiction, along the same line as the owner who forgot his fob at home, called his wife with his cell phone, she pressed the button and the car opened.

 

Priusham-
I think the last bar starts blinking with about 3 gallons of fuel left. You could have gone another 100 miles or so at that average if your car is like mine. Also if your car is like mine you could have squeezed in another .6 gallons in your tank at this latest fill. That's another 2.5 gallons or so on top of the 10.5 that you pumped. You just have to stretch the tank at both ends. (the fillup and the miles driven on the flashing bar) Of course, this only applies to those that want to get the most miles on a tank that they can. Many here find that to be silly and that's fine. At least on this site they refrain from insulting those of us that do.

Jamarimutt- I have explained this numerous times. My wife just ran hers out in front of a gas station. She pumped 12.25 gallons and said she was in a hurry so she didn't keep topping it off as much as she has in the past. She now has a very good idea of how far she can push it if she chooses. I accept your cynicism. Do you at least accept the remote possibility that we're not all bald faced liars? It's OK if you doubt me. Hell, when I saw tdwusa's 800+ mile tank, I had a gut centered doubt that I quickly dismissed, even though I had an 800+ mile tank just a couple of weeks ago. We don't really have any reason to make it up. I suppose we could all be photoshopping the pictures but that seems a bit of a stretch.

 

To answer your question jamarimutt, the most I have ever gotten on a refill is 11.2 gals. Most of the time my fill-up is somewhere between 10.4 and 10.9 gals.

I believe that Ray and others are being very, very patient by getting the extra fuel in by going very, very slowly and pushing the (warm) bladders to the max (warm rubber will stretch some) and also filling the stand pipe to get the additional 1.0 to 1.3 gals they are getting in. It can be done. It has been done. Ray has done it and others too.

You must also remember that one of most important factors in mega-milage IS NOT THE FUEL or the ELECTRICITY but FEATHERING and COASTING as these modes are not consuming fuel or electricity as the odometer rolls up miles!

The higher your percentage of "feathering & coasting" you have in your total milage, the more ground your vehicle is covering without using additional fuel or electricity, the higher your final total milage will be. You were not consuming fuel or electricity while in either of these modes but were accumulating total miles while in these modes. This is not something we normally equate with mpg in an car because of the historical way cars operated, ie. tied to the powertrain, ect. ect.

But hey, this is a whole new car and people are learning and will continue to learn new and more effective ways to manipulate the car into the most productive modes of operation.

Mega-milage is not just a ramification of fuel stuffing (the math just will not add up) but rather people learning to manipulate the machine into it's most efficient modes of operation which includes "feathering and coasting" for a new measurement of TOTAL MILES TRAVELED on a tank. Plus it sure helps to have all the fuel you can get in!

Good Luck to you jamarimutt and your mpg.

 

Excellent question priusham!

Try to imagine a huge 11.9 gal rubber bladder with a small to medium stand pipe attached to it just sitting on your den floor priusham.

Now try to imagine just how much stretching of that 11.9 gal rubber bladder would be required to allow it to "stretch" to the incredible proportions required to accept (along with the stand pipe) a puny 8 tenths of a gal more fluid. That would be 12.7 gals. total.

Allowing it to "stretch" to incredible proportions Good Grief priusham, do you have any sense of proportion? You must realize that to go from a 11.9 gal tank to a 12+ gal tank IS ONE TENTH OF A GAL! To go to 12.7 gals is 8 tenths more. Geewiz, the stand pipe should take 4 tenths of that, so another 4 tenths into a 11.9 gal rubber bladder!

With a cap on the pipe, I don't think you could stand there in your den with two bladders on the floor right in front of you and pick out which one had the extra vs one that was @ 11.9 gals.

Allowing it to "stretch" to incredible proportions Good Grief, priusham, slow down on the typing.

 

Again as one post said the feathering and coasting will give you the mileage, does not matter if you put 12 gals or 6 gals in, just fill up the same ways each time, and measure the distance and quantity used. I try and get the gas from the same station and same pump whenever I can, that way I maintain UNIFORMITY. In Texas, I do know that if you rock the car, at the end of the fill up, the bladder actually spits out excess gas if you really push it hard and try to fill it up 100 % full + the standpipe. PAY attention to the mileage..that is the important factor. I also note that if you fill up early AM or late PM when COOL, and get home and park, that in the HOT PM gas will come out of your tank, even with the cap on, the gas expands!!

 

Ialtmann- Although I have seen this happen in other vehicles, I have never experienced it in the Prius. Have you experienced this in the Prius or only in other cars?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(twdusa\";p=\"107988)</div>

Been there done that. Just once, around 15 years ago, on an ancient DC-9.

They claimed the Head was SNAFU, so naturally I used the Head at the airport before boarding. It must have been all those coffee's or something, I was ready to have them depressurize the cabin and open an emergency exit.

Never again.

 

Ray Moore: I has happened on the steel tanks in older cars, not often, but it has happened TWICE already in my Prius, when I was highway driving and trying to get MAX gas in, I never push like that when home, fearful of expansion causing problems, on trips though I use the gas immediately so I tend to get as much gas as I can so as to go farther,

 

So when do you fill up with gas on these prius? do you wait for the last bar to show??? I just bought my new car on sunday and I drive alot. I have 3 square bars showing on the gas indicator. Still have gas in it from the dealer. I hear that you have to drive it alot to get to the good gas mileage.

Thanks,
Dionna

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dionna M House\";p=\"108971)</div>

when you see cheap gas and are under a quarter tank. Other wise when the last bar starts to blink you should have at least 10 miles to get to a gas station.

 

I've got the best answer as to "When do you fill up?" - and that is, When you feel comfortable in doing so. If you want to really push it to see if you can beat someone like Ray, then be prepared for running out of gas.

It definately takes patience to fill up to 12+ gallons. My last three tanks have been over 12 gallons, the highest being 12.4. The last station I stopped at had a pump problem, because I was running on fumes when I got there, yet the auto-shutoff kicked in at 6.1 gallons. I was able to fit another 6.1 gallons in there, but it probably took 10 minutes. Usually though, the pumps will kick off around 11 gallons for me now, and I've regularly been able to fill up an extra gallon or so after the kick off.

I usually fill in the afternoon or evening, and in the summer that means the car has had warm temps on it all day - I suspect that might help, but I'm not sure. Also, I'm now running until at least I've hit MPG x 12 before refueling, since I know I have at least 12 gallons in there.

If you think I'm lying about getting in 12 gallons, no sweat off my back. And I'll catch up to Ray yet, 704 was my best tank thus far.

-m.

 

Good mileage RFlagg., the max listed in the owner's manual is 11.9 gals, so the 12 gals is not out of the ball park. Filling up under warmer conditions in the PM is a good move. Yea if you think you will out do RayMoore, you will run out of gas a few times for sure!