Rules of when to fill up w/ gas.

Interesting article from google news. “How to keep from running out of gasoline.” This person recommends filling up gas when half empty. If you have emergencies you will gas to spare.
Other articles suggest to is always fill up when you reach 1/4 tank.

How to never run out of gas? For my self I always fill up when I am at 1/2 tank of gas. Cheaper to refill. And retired. Not so much driving.

Never carry gas containers with gas inside!

What is your preference?
Big island Costco Octane 87 today July 14, 2022, $4.95 , Yesterday was $5.05, last week was at $5.52

 

I stopped checking gas prices here in Los Angeles even at Costco because it's too depressing. I tend to fill up 1/4 tank but I filled up at half today and think I'm going to start from now on.

 

It depends... I don't need to drive daily. I WFH or drive <1 mile to a train station parking lot; run errands. I might buy gas once a month.
I buy when I get below 1/4 tank, but only when I know I am going to make a 150 mile trip the next day.

 

I keep multiple vehicles. The VW is the daily.

 

Gas hit 3.99 here today at Costco in Oklahoma but it’s over 100 degrees so most folks are hiding indoors

 

I have been filling my tanks when they reach the half way point for decades. It costs the same amount to keep the top half full as it does the bottom and I know I always have a decent amount of gas in all my tanks.

 

I fill up at 1/4 down... it hurts less.

 

My target is 0 miles remaining on the indicator. Will push it to 10 past that if necessary. I know my routes, with a preferred station within 1/2 mile of each end. Metroplex driving means it’s unlikely I’m ever more than 1 mile from a station. I fill up ~weekly, so doing it at 1/4 would put me at 5 times a month (not counting the 30/28 adjustment).

I don’t hate gassing up, but it’s a damn annoyance.

 

I always fuel up the moment low fuel light comes on and pour a bottle of upper cylinder lubricant, aka snake oil
that stuff needs fuel to dilute and I don't want that concentrated detergent to run in the engine so always full tank fuel up, no partial.

 

Tank has never been under 3/8 to empty.

 

I don’t have a DTE on my second gen, but I go 20-40 miles with the light on.
I know my routes and drives though, and have never ran out of gas or filled more than 19 of 21 gallons. Y'all do what you wanna do.

 

I'm retired also. I use to carry a gas can when i filled up putting a gallon or 2 for my mower. Now can't even fill up for $75 now. Poor husqvarna tractor has been starving.

 

I do anywere for 1/2 to 1/4, depends on how the week is going. On road trips I push it a little farther if I know were stations are along the route, sometimes I even get were I'm going before the next fill up that way.

 

Target is ~1/8 to 1/4 but really just depends.

 

I usually fill up once a week at my Costco run. It doesn't matter if I'm at 3/4 full or 1/4. My truck rarely sees below 1/2.

 

I fill up at 3/4 of a tank.

even if I take long trips I have to pee and will stop and fill up anyway

 

When it’s down to 13/256ths.

I’m kidding. There’s no rhyme or reason to it. Depends on how much gas is left, what I’m doing and where I’m going etc.

 

This is really a thread about how not to run out of gas? I believe the correct technique is to fill up before running out.

 

It depends. If I'm on a road trip through populated areas I might run the tank near empty. In more rural areas where there could be 50-100 miles between fuel stops, I fill up more often. But generally speaking, I fill up when it is convenient for me. If on a road trip and I'm anywhere under 1/2 tank and if I'm already stopped, I'll top off. Especially if I find a good price on fuel. One thing I really like about my F150 is the 36-gallon tank. When driving that truck, I can often just keep driving through areas with high fuel prices and fill up where prices are better.

Around town about 1/2 tank. It is foolish to try to run things much below 1/4 tank. Too many bad things can happen. It doesn't help you if the fuel station is 1/2 mile away when a storm knocks out the power and the closest station with power to pump gas is 30 miles away. Or the internet is down, and the card reader isn't working. Not everyone carries $100 in cash to fill up their truck in case that happens. I do BTW.

Learned that lesson on 9/11/01. The 30-gallon tank on the truck I owned was nearly empty. The internet was down, and gas was cash only all over town. No credit cards, no ATM's working. I had to drive to the bank, get cash, and pumped the last gallon of gas out of a stations tank. I was only able to pump about 20 gallons before they ran out. And it took several days after that to get back to normal.

I've also sat parked on an interstate for 4 hours in 100-degree heat while a multi car pile-up with 5 deaths was cleared just 1/4 mile ahead of me. I could see gas stations all around but couldn't get to them. I had plenty of gas, but several cars ran out before traffic started moving. Which created another traffic jam.

Another time I was 5 miles from home when a construction crew broke a gas main alongside the road. Traffic was turned around. What was a 5-mile drive home with 5-6 gas stations along the way turned into a 30-mile detour with no gas along the way.

 

Like you Lava-road, I am retired and don't drive very much in my Tacoma anymore. So, I have been topping the tank at half-full to 1/3 full so the cost shock is not too severe! I bought gas at the Costco in Kona after visiting my friend (5 years ago) who moved from San Diego to Kona Coast, over 35 years ago. We were in the landscape & irrigation industry. He was the plant expert and I was the irrigation expert. I almost moved to Captain Cook in 1992 or so. Growing bananas and papayas is easier in Hawaii than it is in California!
Anyway, still in the San Diego area, gas at the local Costco had reached $5.85 but dropped to $5.79. I found it for $5.49 at a station in Oceanside when I last topped... wow hoo!