Ran out of gas.

The last time I ran out of gas was in rush hour traffic on a hot Friday in Dallas, TX. I ran out on the interchange between I-35 and highway 75. I was driving a 1989 Honda CRX. It ended up killing the fuel pump.

Yeah, I learned.

 

Some folks need to be reminded--there ARE cases in which mathematics simply DO NOT MATTER. Gassing up the Pri is one of these.

"I SHOULD be able to get X miles before my next fillup in this car" is one of them.

As has been noted in more than one thread on this board, the car's computer is smarter than you are. Get over it. One bar--you have some wiggle room to find a preferred gas station. Blinking last bar--ADD GAS NOW.

Pretty simple, really. As I've noted before, much testing in MY car, with MY habits, and MY obsessive "topping up" of the tank, I KNOW that, when that sucker starts blinking, I have about one gallon of gas left in my tank, regardless of how many miles I've run.

Bottom line--forget the numbers: pay VERY CLOSE attention to the bars.

 

Let me say this loud and clear. If I offend anyone, maybe you will remember this, and running out of gas will not happen to you. First of all, it is absolutely not good for your engine and other vital parts of your car, to operate on a nearly empty gas tank. SECOND, I have no sympathy for anyone that runs out of gas. The excuse that I am too busy to get gas, does not cut it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Mar 18 2007, 04:52 AM) [snapback]407814[/snapback]</div>

Perhaps so, but just because you have a gallon left when it starts blinking doesn't mean everyone does.

I've gone over 40 miles after it started blinking without running out of gas. OTOH, I've gone less than 12 miles after it started blinking and it did run out of gas. That was after just passing one town and telling myself that there's no problem. I know I can get 15 miles to the next town. I don't trust it at all to get me past the last bar now. As soon as the last bar shows, I'll get gas no matter what.

I had been getting 52 mpg (by the MFD) up until then on that tank of gas.

Dave M.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donee @ Mar 13 2007, 03:14 PM) [snapback]405042[/snapback]</div>

Hmmm, well it's not illegal everywhere; here in sunny CA it's legal to lanesplit. I don't think it's very smart. One of the hazards of the carpool lane is the idiots on bikes running down the lane line separating the carpool lane from the other lanes, and going MUCH faster than traffic, and being barely visible to someone who wants to exit the lane. Buncha 'tards, if you ask me (which you didn't, I know).

Sorry for the off-topic rant. On topic: I fuel up at 2-3 bars (I let it get down to 1 once); I've not run out yet.

BTW: when it's cold, you not only have less gas in the tank, but you get lower mileage as well. During the Summer I only need to refuel every 2 weeks with a comfortable margin, but in the past Winter (my first with the Prius) it was touch and go whether I could last two weeks between refuelings.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Mar 18 2007, 03:52 AM) [snapback]407814[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dmckinstry @ Mar 18 2007, 12:28 PM) [snapback]407968[/snapback]</div>

You are correct about what I said not applying to others--note, please, how I said what I said, or, more importantly, where I added my emphases: MY car, MY habits, MY obsessions.

Also, please note, I did NOT recommend counting miles, but to WATCH THE BARS. (See, in particular, my second paragraph in my original post.) I did NOT say, oh, I have a gallon left, I can go X miles, because X miles is what my calculations tell me this car gets. I said--blink=FILL THE TANK.

For *ME*, what works, is, if I am on a roadtrip, once it hits 2 bars, I ask the GPS to tell me about gas stations within about 60 miles. Having figured out and used that rule of thumb for most of my 8k mile roadtrip (from late Oct to mid-Dec last year), I found I mostly hit the stations before the last one started blinking or not very long after. If I am just around and about, I'll try to get it before it starts blinking, and will DEFINITELY get it if I'm going anywhere beyond my normal VERY few mile jaunts, but don't mind it blinking for a couple of miles if I know there's a station I like not too far away and more or less en route. If the next town is 15 miles away AFTER I've started blinking, I know I could get upset and damage my car, so, no matter what the rest of the tank/lifetime average/whatever may or may not be...I'm gonna stop. You pays yer money and you takes yer chances.