Gas from light to E

Played that game once and won

 

Too many bad things can happen when you push things that close. For daily driving I usually fill-up once I'm below 1/2 tank. If on a road trip, I try to combine gas stops with bathroom or eating breaks. If we stop to eat or pee and if I'm below 1/2 tank I'll go ahead and fill up while stopped if gas prices are favorable. If not, I may drive a little farther to get better prices on gas.

If I'm in an area where there are exits with fuel every few miles I may push things below 1/4 tank, but even that can be a bad idea. I've been parked on I-85 just outside of Atlanta for over 4 hours while a major accident was cleared. In August with the AC running. There were gas stations all around, but you couldn't get to them, and a few people ran out of gas waiting.

 

I don’t like living on the edge, did it when I was young and broke. I’m not young anymore.

 

In the 3 2nd gen Tacomas I have owned the light came on at either 16 or 17 gallons used, so 4 or 5 gallons still in the tank. Assuming a conservative 15mpg on a stock vehicle, you should still be able to get at least 45 miles and still have a gallon left. I routinely run my tank 30+ miles after the light has come on amd have never had a fuel pump issue. Farthest I've gone with the light on was 53 miles.

 

I usually don't go below quarter of a tank. One night i did pull into the gas station as the light came on. Seems I have 4 gallons left when I'm that low.

 

This^^^^^^^^.

And this ^^^^^^^^. End of discussion.

 

I sometimes drive long stretches without gas stations, like in Death Valley or Canyonlands. I carry extra fuel in Jerry cans but am always too lazy to use them. I just keep driving, expecting it to sputter out. I've gone around 70 miles past the light coming on. I typically get 10-12 MPG off road. Have yet to run out of gas on the trail, not for lack of effort.

ETA: Following @BKinzey 's lead, I checked my logs. This summer I put 20.84 gallons in the tank at Monticello, after spending two days in the Needles District. Averaged 9.14 MPG on that tank.

 

I've done 60 miles with the light on. I usually get gas before it comes on. Sometimes on long trips where gas varies over a dollar a gallon I'll drive into the yellow to get cheaper gas.

ETA:
The most I've put in my tank is 20.8 gallons.

 

Lowest I've ever pushed mine was when I was hauling a car up from NJ to ME. Gas light came on earlier than I expected and the hunt for dinosaur broth started, but the station that i could've sworn was "just around the bend" didn't exist or was closed. I was really starting to pucker up after about 20 miles as I knew I was sucking that 4-gallon "reserve" mighty low, getting sub-10mpg while pulling 5500lbs. Finally pulled into the Kennebunk service area and put 20.5 gallons in. I swear I heard it sputter and cough a bit as I made the turn into the pump area, but it may have been my rectum releasing.

 

The light comes on in my '07 when I have 4 gallons left and the light comes on in my '14 when I have 3 gallons left. I don't gas up until I see the light UNLESS I'm planning a longer trip other than to and from work. The gas gauge in my Tacoma's are the most accurate of any of the vehicles I've owned.