Low gas warning

In the winter, I never let it drop below 1/4 tank. You never know when a snow storm will roll through and you could be stuck sitting in traffic for awhile. I guess if all you do is town driving in nice weather, running it nearly dry isn't really a risk. But if you get out where there aren't any nearby gas stations, you're asking for trouble.

 

The "debris" is always there thru the whole tank of gas. when you fill up or drive over a bumpy road it "stirs" up the tank so it make no difference when you fill it up .

Thats a a old wives tail that has been disproven many time over many years .. this isn't the 50 and 60's gas station anymore.
and i fill up from 1/4 tank down to -15 miles left / yes under the zero left/ i do it when i am at Sams club most the time as i know i can go about 25 miles past zero. easy . and yes i do try and fill when there is a few gal left to help cool the pump, but i don't make a specal trip just to fill up.

 

If you have a "hole" tank you have other issues.

 

Agreed. When I get to a 1/4 tank I start thinking about filling up. Sure wouldn’t want to get stuck in traffic or weather and run dry. And like my airplane, the fuel gauge can only be trusted when full.

 

Damn autocorrect. All fixed

 

This. I was gonna say same about service station tank quality. This isn't 70s fuel we are running.

 

I just put gas in my truck a couple hours ago and the dash said 32 miles till empty but it only held 17.5 Gallons, they definitely give you some slack with that number.

 

i thought that too until I took 2 long trips to Salt Lake and back.....the truck computer mpg was within +/- .3 every fill up.....i fill my truck up to the cap because then I can get a true reading.....if you stop when the automatic cutoff shuts flow down, depending non how fast you were filling up, leaves a lot of extra room for gas......i have found that when i fill up to the cap, it is about 2.3-3.0 gal more.....makes for a more accurate calculation of mpg IMHO

 

i was a Marine pilot and was constantly scanning gages....fuel left, consumption, and air speed...the same in the truck......i monitor the miles driven, gas needle and speed.....over time i have been able to look at the needle and tell you how many miles i have driven......i can look at the miles driven and tell you where i can find the needle on the gage.....then i can compare my mental calculations with computer mpg.....its has been a very accurate way for me to know how much gas I have and how long I can drive and at what speed.....i try to fill up around 390 miles.....there have been a couple of times I have had over 425 miles before i fill up.....Speed has a lot to do with mileage...but also head winds too....but knowingly going down to “0” is nuts to me unless you have proven out your trucks actual reserve fuel.....but i have always thought when reserve comes on, you have 1,5 to 2.0 gal left......My BMW R1200gs computer is pretty darn good too.....when it start counting down from 15 miles left, you better find gas

 

I do the same, it's Deffinately an aviation thing. But I also keep a full 3 gallon fuel cell mounted in the bed just in case.

 

ha! must be an aviator thing! only time you have too much gas is when your on fire!

 

Most vehicles have this feature built in where 0 miles to empty means there is still a few gallons in the tank. I like that.

It appears that Mazda CX-9 doesn't have this feature. I read C&D and was surprised to find out they ran out of gas two times in the CX-9. Once at exactly 0 miles to empty and second time with 8 miles to empty on the display.

3rd paragraph under what went wrong.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2016-mazda-cx-9-long-term-test-update-review

 

How many miles can one drive on an island in a year? Just kidding.

I’ve been to the Big Island, Oahu, Maui and Kauai. All cool places!