Trust low fuel light or miles to empty?

You guys are brave. I get uncomfortable at 1/2 tank and fill up.

 

Seems when i get just below a 1/4 tank on the gauge it takes about 15 gals. to top off. which i usually see 378-381 miles.

 

My MTE calculation almost comically overestimates my consumption. It usually says 285 miles remaining after I top it off. When I'm in town I usually put in 16-18 gallons after going 300-350 miles. When I'm pulling the trailer cross country I usually stop right at 1/4 tank, X̅=~250 miles since last fill. I thought about running it down to empty to see if I can reset it, but it isnt all that important to me.

 

If you run out of gas the trucks stops, the pump is cooled with fuel flowing through it not the fuel around it so it stops running as does the truck. When there is no gas the pump will not continue to run it will cycle with the key for a few seconds that's it. The pump is in the bottom of the tank whatever is on the bottom goes through the pump every thing it can pump so sucking up junk is a daily occurrence if there is any thing to suckup. The bottom line if you are determined to run out of fuel it will still be there when you return with the gas can and it will restart.

 

LMAO!!

 

About 15 years ago I ran out of diesel, while waiting to turn left into a truck stop, in a Chevy Silverado 2500 HD towing a race car trailer. Even with a Semi driver loaning me a fuel can, the whole thing took me about an hour (Filling the can, dumping the fuel into the truck, priming the fuel system by hand, then driving to the pump and filling up, etc...) and I was in the way of the truck stop entrance for a good 45 mins. Funny enough it was only car and pick up drivers giving me the stink eye. All of the truckers were friendly and helpful... they seemed to "get it".

Since then I haven't even gotten close to running out of fuel because it sux.

 

Tank three. 352 miles and said 18 miles to empty EXACTLY when the low fuel light came on and I literally pulled into refuel. It took 18.2 gallons until it clicked off meaning I could have gone +/- 50 more miles to around 400 total. 19.2 tank average.
Roughly speaking each 1/4 tank equals 100 miles.
Good to know!

 

The fuel light on my tundra was pretty accurate. It use to come on when i had about 50 miles of fuel in the tank. I could remember it came on once about 50 miles from the closest gas. When i filled up i think my tank took just a hair over 26 gallons which meant i was on fumes.

 

I personally don't care to fill up until I need to. The less trips I can make to the gas station, the better.

That said, I trust my light, gauge, and DTE reading. It hasn't let me down. And besides, I have a 2 gallon can in the bed at all times anyway.

 

I saw 44 miles left to empty. Drove 24 miles I should be damn near empty with 1 gallon left. (20 miles left on the computer, I average 17 mpg). Pumped 17.5 gallons which means 3.6 gallons left in the tank when the computer reading suggested about 1 gallon left. I would assume once the range says zero you would likely have 2 to 2.5 gallons left in the tank before you're completely dry.

 

This is generally what I have observed, based on many trips below the zero DTE range.

 

There is nothing wrong with collecting data and understanding in good detail what the truck is telling you.

So here is another data point. I just did this experiment with my 2018. My commute is well defined and I have driven it many times. The "Miles to Empty" said I had another 4 miles to empty when I pulled into the gas station. I had a bit over 400 miles on the trip odometer. It took 18.7 gallons to fill it to the automatic click off. So I had a touch over 2 gallons left in the 21 gallon tank.

If I drive it using mild hypermiling techniques and there is no towing, I beat 24 mpg every time. This particular tank had some towing, so it was a bit better than 22 mpg.

 

My bad I thought only women ran the tank until empty...all women kind please for give me...its not a gender issue

 

Ordinarily I don't run it below 1/4. But I wanted to know how much "emergency reserve" is still there after the Miles to Empty says zero.

 

Do you do the same with bottled beer?

 

Canned.. bottled... Always have a resupply plan.

 

Neither... I trust my ScanGauge to show % fuel remaining and go from there.

 

Read my posts above. Then you’ll understand what a lame quote I’m responding to.

 

Some are brave. I always start looking for fuel at 1/4 tank. Always having more than a 1/4 is good what if you need to make a trip you didn't plan in a hurry to the next town for some reason or emergency.

The other thing is that I was driving a diesel for years. Run out of fuel in them and you have to prime and bleed air from the fuel system to run again.

 

I think it all has to do with where you live, how far away is that gas station, how far away is that town. I drive about 20 miles a day, pass 3 to 5 gas stations on that trip, depending which streets I take.

knowing the zero miles left starts at about 3 gallons left has let me skip the gas station for a few days.