When to fill up

The low gas warning is when the last bar starts to blink. I usually fill her up when it gets down to 1 bar.

 

Are those 30-40 miles the "miles to empty"?, if so I never pay attention to that number, I always go with the odometer and fuel gauge. I reset trip A every time I fill her up.

 

The blinking starts when there are 24-26 miles left to empty. As it happens, I just finished watching a news segment talking about running to empty and ending up having to buy a new fuel pump. I would assume most fuel gauges/tanks are calibrated/designed so there is always enough fuel in the tank for the pump, but I've been warned before not to run out of fuel or risk damaging the injector system and pump on other cars I've owned. But then again, I've gotten the same warning about water pumps for our pond and they run out of water all the time in our hot summers. I imagine fuel pumps are a bit more sensitive though and wouldn't recommend pushing the limit too often. When home, I refuel when the gauge gets to 1-2 bars. On the road, I refuel whenever Gas Buddy tells me the price is right and we need a break, usually at the 300-400 mile point.

 

when you get to the last blinking bar, there are still a couple gallons in the tank. no harm, no foul. it tells you in the manual. if i'm local, i fill up when the bar starts blinking, there is also a small beep. if i'm in unfamiliar territory, i fill up around two bars, when i see a gas station. congrats on your new persona!

 

I never really understood the whole theory of draining your tank down near empty. Unless I'm on a long road trip I just fill up at half a tank. That way if I'm not paying attention or need to jump in the car and just go I'm probably at 3/4 of a tank and my cruise range is thus 400+ miles, no worries about running low at all. Obviously if you're on a long road trip you may not want to stop that often, but even then its hardly likely I'm going to drive anywhere near 600 miles before I take a break. I think the lowest I've gotten in the 5 months I've owned my Prius is 3 bars.

 

I usually start thinking of filling up at 400 miles and there are at least 2 gallons left in the tank.

 

i think those of us who drain it just dislike going to the gas station. imagine if they made a car where you could fill up at home while you sleep?

 

I get a beep and blinking bar if I forget about filling up. I then have to figure out where I need to stop for petrol.

 

I just filled up at 40 miles past zero. It took 10.5 gallons....

 

Imagine , Prius fuel tank 20 gallons ,,,,,, as for real life , two lines I think about filling up
One line , I'll fill up at favorite station ,,,,,, with gas at a dollar point a tenth , impossible
To purchase exactly one gallon

 

On our road trips we generally stop every 2 hours or so regardless, so if Gas Buddy shows gas is cheaper than other places along our route, I fill up. I've gone down past 0 MTE a couple of times, but only because I knew I could make it and gas was over $.20/gal cheaper. I wonder if the folks here who push it to the limit consistently did so with their other vehicles. When I first joined the forum, I started to get caught up on making the 600-mile club. I decided it just wasn't worth it to me because I simply don't consistently drive routes where I could hope to get that kind of mileage. I suppose I could get on the freeway and circle Phoenix at 50 mph to make it, but what would that really prove?

 

I tried to always to fill up at 2 bars as a matter of habit, maybe it is super safe, but it beats super stupid.

 

I've only filled up three times but I tend to do it with 20-30 miles on the fuel remaining gauge. I say go ahead and use it, it's what it's for. I assume it's conservative too. As for running the risk of damaging the fuel pump? Eh these cars see fleet duty among all the other commuter uses, i'm sure these cars will run for a lifetime no matter what you throw at it.

 

Drivers who have never experienced short fuel range cars, oil embargoes, fuel shortages, fuel rationing, tourist trap prices, price gouging when all other stations on a remote route are closed, etc., are not expected to understand why some of us want to know the real range of cars to something more accurate than the two hour uncertainty of the basic fuel gauge.

I don't do it regularly, just occasionally to check out a vehicle's real capability, and practice just enough to verify and remember. This is done in benign conditions where the cost of screwing up is very low. Yes, I've been doing this for decades, ever since the unnerving convergence of several of the conditions listed above.

 

Is that the reason you bought a PIP? If I can buy an inexpensive electric car that goes 150 miles per charge in about 5 years, I will be happy. My 70 mile round trip commute will leave miles to spare.

The Leaf is suppose to go way up in milage in a year or two I think. I do "love" my Prius though.

I fill up at about a half tank. I drive right by the station on the way home from work. It's not a big deal for me.