How far have you gone after 0 miles to empty??

Just a little curious, a few nights ago was driving around in the mountains on skyline highway 35 near my house with a relatively empty tank and ended up going exactly 33.6 miles after the truck said 0 miles to empty. When i did actually fuel up, i put in 19.623 gallons(been using Fuelly). It was about 6 miles of downhill coming from the mountains after hitting "0" to begin with, so that helped with mileage but i was also in some light traffic on the highway but mainly city driving. Decided to sorta see how far it would go knowing i had 5 gallons in my bed if i did run out. Knowing that the tank is 21.1 gallons, probably could have gotten 50 miles out of it easily. Anyone else gone this far?

I have a DCLB 4x4 sport 3.5L for reference..

 

I driven a good 10 or 15 miles a couple of times past "0". I always felt the gas gauge drains faster than it really seems. I go 340-350 miles on a tank then the light comes on. If I'm averaging 19-20 miles per tank (according to the computer), I should be able to get close to 400 miles on a tank.

 

Much further on a downgrade, than otherwise.

 

When I show 'Zero Miles to Empty', there are at least two full gallons of fuel left in the tank.

Around town, that is 30 - 35 more miles for me.

Frank

 

I don't feel like finding out. Id rather not trash the low pressure fuel pump, high pressure pump, and 12 injectors.

 

The fuel in the tank keeps the in-tank fuel pump cool. Therefore, going with a nearly empty tank, the fuel pump is going to get hot. This is not a good idea to test out. I refuel when I get around half a tank on all my vehicles.

 

I will never see the low fuel light on my truck. My gas gauge never sees the half tank mark before I fill it up.

 

This is good info. I always run my tank pretty low, mostly for convenience but also because it makes your avg. mpg for tank calculation more accurate. Also, being in the western US you aren't always close to a gas station esp. if you are off-road.

Have to LOL a little at those who won't take there fuel level below half tank. The heat from the fuel pump can easily be dissipated in a gallon or less of gas and more importantly the gas running through the pump. Running completely out of gas, that's not good to do on a regular basis. My motorcycle(s) routinely see less than .5gal of gas remaining at fill up. Then again, I live in AZ. Maybe those that live were it gets hotter than 115F only have these problems.

 

The sediment that accumulates in your fuel tank is one reason why I never let it go below 1/4 tank. Granted todays tanks are high grade plastics so the amount of sediment compared to years ago when the tanks were metal is much lower. That being said, I also don't ever want to need to make an emergency trip somewhere and not have enough fuel.

 

A motorcycle has a gravity feed tank and does not have a fuel pump mounted in the tank. I always run my motorcycle out to keep the tank clean. So, this is not an issue on a bike. A car, you will shorten the life of the fuel pump.

 

I went about 20-30 miles past zero. I knew from an earlier tank about how much was left in there once the light came on so I wasn't worried. I've been averaging right around 17.5 MPG (truck is stock). Hopefully that increases once it warms up here. Seems regular highway driving yields better fuel economy than the second gen but interstate at 70+ is worse.

 

THIS^^^^^^^^

I remembered on the Vette beingt told never to let the tank get below half as it has two tanks and the sending units and fuel pumps can and do overheat and go bad. My brother was making trips from Phoenix to Las Vegas in his 11 Vette and burned out the fuel pump letting the tank go too low before filling it. Cost $2000+ to replace Fuel pump and sending units.

I fill my truck at 1/4 tank. In the Summer I fill at half.

 

I believe the manual says you have 3 gallons once it shows 0.

 

You're mistaken - many do - my BMW F800GS is an example. And it's generally recommended not to try and run that bike dry.

 

Of the last 10 or so motorcycles I've owned over the last 10 years, all have had pumps in the fuel tank. A fuel injected motorcycle has a pump in the tank. I don't know of any instance where this is not the case.

 

This old myth about running below 1/4 or 1/2 tank is bad for fuel pump comes up a lot, I'll just cut and paste from last weeks thread.

And no you aren't avoiding sucking up some sludge off the bottom by running too low, since the pickup for the fuel pump is always from the bottom. It doesn't skim off the top as some must imagine.

I'd hate to travel with someone that gases up at 1/2 tank.

No need to worry about your pump wearing out unless you run out of gas.

http://www.autohausaz.com/html/fuelpumps.html

Why Fuel Pumps Fail

Electric fuel pumps run constantly, so after many years of service they can experience wear in the armature bushings, brushes and commutator. Pump vanes, rollers or gears can also wear causing a gradual loss of pressure and flow.

Accelerated wear may also occur if sediment or rust gets past the inlet filter sock. In some instances, a pump will fail because contaminants entered the pump and jammed it, causing the motor to overheat and burn out.

Your fuel pump relies on fuel passing through it for lubrication and cooling.Consequently, fuel starvation can be another factor that accelerates wear and may even cause pump damage under certain operating conditions.

1/2 gallon or 3 gallons or 1/4 tank are all the same since none causes fuel starvation.

Don't run out of gas.

 

Which is why I never go below 1/4 tank

 

I ran one tank to 0 miles remaining showing to satisfy my own curiosity. Like most Toyota's I've owned the indicator is a damn dirty liar as I filled up within a mile of reading 0 and only took 17.5 gallons. Same deal with my wife's Prius except that 3.5 gallons remaining is good for nearly 200 miles. My last Subaru on the other hand, if it said 60 miles to empty it wasn't joking, there was 2 gallons in there and if you had a heavy foot you'd be dry in 40.

 

Mine rarely sees a quarter tank...only for weekend trips that are around 300 miles. For the most part half a tank low is my limit for the simple fact that $30 a week is an easier pill to swallow than $60 every two weeks. No different in the overall cost per month...just a preference.

I fill up every Friday...it's been a routine of mine for years. For the times I'm on the low end it seems to take forever and a day filling the tank.

 

Traveling is a a different story. If I were lucky enough to get to travel, I would fill up at close to an 1/8 tank. I fill up close to a half tank because I can do it for under $20.00.