Gas light on, only 25 mile range?? How long can you drive on empty?
02-16-11, 09:47 PM
#16
The fuel pump in our cars is designed so that no harm is done when you're running low on gas. That said, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to keep your gas at a minimum level, but if I was at 0, I wouldn't be scared to drive an extra 20 miles to get to a cheaper gas station.
Kurtz?
Kurtz?
02-16-11, 10:28 PM
#17
This. I've done about 45 miles after the 0 estimated miles left in my IS. I've run completely out of gas before in a different car (long story short, was on long trip,wasn't paying attention to gas meter and missed the sign that said next gas 30 miles or something, and ended up about a mile short of the next gas station), so I have a good gauge of how much gas I really still have left. I wouldn't recommend going much further than 0 though, just in case. The gas light turns on for a reason....to remind you to get gas soon.
02-17-11, 05:39 AM
#18
Thanks for all the responses. Just to be clear, I definitely don't intend on doing this all the time - I'm new to the car and it has a much smaller tank than my previous cars, so I wasn't expecting to run out so soon and got stuck. From now on I'll be refueling before I get to empty.
I did however answer my own question. Coincidentally I pulled into the gas station as the range indicator said 0 miles. I then filled up with 15.4 gallons, meaning I had 1.7 gallons remaining when the range hit 0 miles. This is about in line with the 2-2.5 gallon reserve people are talking about.
Here's a new question though. I see on the information display on the gauge cluster an "Average" MPG screen and a "Tank Average" MPG screen.
1) The tank average is self-explanatory and appears to reset automatically upon refueling, but does it reset anytime you put any gas in the tank or only when you fill it to the top?
2) What does the "Average" MPG screen measure, MPG since when? I imagine it's not since you bought the car, so there must be a way to reset it so you can track MPG over different periods of time as you choose? How do you reset this?
I did however answer my own question. Coincidentally I pulled into the gas station as the range indicator said 0 miles. I then filled up with 15.4 gallons, meaning I had 1.7 gallons remaining when the range hit 0 miles. This is about in line with the 2-2.5 gallon reserve people are talking about.
Here's a new question though. I see on the information display on the gauge cluster an "Average" MPG screen and a "Tank Average" MPG screen.
1) The tank average is self-explanatory and appears to reset automatically upon refueling, but does it reset anytime you put any gas in the tank or only when you fill it to the top?
2) What does the "Average" MPG screen measure, MPG since when? I imagine it's not since you bought the car, so there must be a way to reset it so you can track MPG over different periods of time as you choose? How do you reset this?
02-17-11, 09:29 AM
#19
Here's a new question though. I see on the information display on the gauge cluster an "Average" MPG screen and a "Tank Average" MPG screen.
1) The tank average is self-explanatory and appears to reset automatically upon refueling, but does it reset anytime you put any gas in the tank or only when you fill it to the top?
2) What does the "Average" MPG screen measure, MPG since when? I imagine it's not since you bought the car, so there must be a way to reset it so you can track MPG over different periods of time as you choose? How do you reset this?
2) It's average since the last time it was reset (which is the life of the car for me so far... 24.3 at the moment, probably 70-80% city driving, 20-30% highway)
The fuel pump in our cars is designed so that no harm is done when you're running low on gas. That said, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to keep your gas at a minimum level, but if I was at 0, I wouldn't be scared to drive an extra 20 miles to get to a cheaper gas station.
Kurtz?
Kurtz?
02-17-11, 10:16 AM
#20
1) The tank average is self-explanatory and appears to reset automatically upon refueling, but does it reset anytime you put any gas in the tank or only when you fill it to the top?
I believe its anytime you fill gas. The light came on once and i filled ~$20 to get me home (cheaper gas at home) and the tank average reset itself.
2) What does the "Average" MPG screen measure, MPG since when? I imagine it's not since you bought the car, so there must be a way to reset it so you can track MPG over different periods of time as you choose? How do you reset this?
Like Kurtz said, since the last time you reset it. so if you never have, than its the lifetime average. to reset it, just go to it and hold down "display" and it will reset.
I believe its anytime you fill gas. The light came on once and i filled ~$20 to get me home (cheaper gas at home) and the tank average reset itself.
2) What does the "Average" MPG screen measure, MPG since when? I imagine it's not since you bought the car, so there must be a way to reset it so you can track MPG over different periods of time as you choose? How do you reset this?
Like Kurtz said, since the last time you reset it. so if you never have, than its the lifetime average. to reset it, just go to it and hold down "display" and it will reset.
02-17-11, 06:33 PM
#21
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Light comes on at 2.5gal remaining
2.5 gal x 20mpg (conservative) = 50 miles remaining
It's been my experience that most car manufacturers size their gas tanks to provide a 350 mile range on a full tank.
2.5 gal x 20mpg (conservative) = 50 miles remaining
It's been my experience that most car manufacturers size their gas tanks to provide a 350 mile range on a full tank.
02-17-11, 10:28 PM
#22
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I'm a new owner of an IS350, so new in fact that today was the first time I'd driven it until the gas light came on. Now, I've had 2 LS400's before this and on those, when the gas light came on I had about 3-4 gallons left or roughly 80 miles. And on my E55, when the gas light came on it said I had about 60 miles (but still had some left after that).
On my IS though, when the gas light came on the range said 25 miles. That's barely enough to get me home! And it didn't seem to fluctuate with driving style (ie. when I floored it, the number wouldn't drop to 10 miles and when I coasted, it wouldn't go up to 40). It just ticked off the miles down to almost zero.
Here's my question: in your experience, how many miles do you ACTUALLY have left on your IS350 when the gas light comes on? And when the gas light comes on and you fill up, how many gallons are left (considering the tank is 17.1 gal)?
On my IS though, when the gas light came on the range said 25 miles. That's barely enough to get me home! And it didn't seem to fluctuate with driving style (ie. when I floored it, the number wouldn't drop to 10 miles and when I coasted, it wouldn't go up to 40). It just ticked off the miles down to almost zero.
Here's my question: in your experience, how many miles do you ACTUALLY have left on your IS350 when the gas light comes on? And when the gas light comes on and you fill up, how many gallons are left (considering the tank is 17.1 gal)?
02-18-11, 09:04 AM
#25
hmm, I think everyone is being overly cautious. I generally will fill up my car when i hit zero or go past it a little. I dont intend to generally but I am to consumed with work among other things and the fact that I abhor getting gas might be another factor to it. There are probabaly all kinds of testimonials and things that should be done that can prolong a cars life, with proper maintence of course.
But for example I owned a brand new 98 LS400 for 10 well, just under 10 years before it was totalled. I drove the car with the same habit of not filling my car up until i hit zero or even went past it. The LS car had over 200+ thousand miles and the car ran like a beast. I never had any mechanical issues with the car. Heck Even the factory stock xenon bulbs were still in the car. Im not talking everday normal headlight bulbs, but xenon HID's, before every car came with projectors.
My point is that, Im sure its beneficial to fill your tank at a certain point on a regular basis, but common its a toyota and they are engineered to be fantastic, realiable, and very long lasting cars. Thats the reason we buy them and we run them into the ground.
to answer the ops question, Ive gone about 50miles after 0.
But for example I owned a brand new 98 LS400 for 10 well, just under 10 years before it was totalled. I drove the car with the same habit of not filling my car up until i hit zero or even went past it. The LS car had over 200+ thousand miles and the car ran like a beast. I never had any mechanical issues with the car. Heck Even the factory stock xenon bulbs were still in the car. Im not talking everday normal headlight bulbs, but xenon HID's, before every car came with projectors.
My point is that, Im sure its beneficial to fill your tank at a certain point on a regular basis, but common its a toyota and they are engineered to be fantastic, realiable, and very long lasting cars. Thats the reason we buy them and we run them into the ground.
to answer the ops question, Ive gone about 50miles after 0.
Last edited by fluxx; 02-18-11 at 09:12 AM.
02-18-11, 12:10 PM
#26
I've hit the 0 mile mark once.
But i have a question/comment....
If everyone agrees there is a 2.5 gallon "reserve" built in so people arent actually out of gas at "0 miles left", whats the big deal about sediment in the gas tank? If you never run down to a low point in your tank, the amount of sediments builds over the years, and if one time you finally do have to run it down pretty low, i would think you have a much larger amount of sediments going through your fuel pump at once which would seem more problematic. Just a thought. Generally speaking, i think everyone is crazy about freaking out to be under 1/4 tank. That is the least of my worries about a car continuing being reliable.
But i have a question/comment....
If everyone agrees there is a 2.5 gallon "reserve" built in so people arent actually out of gas at "0 miles left", whats the big deal about sediment in the gas tank? If you never run down to a low point in your tank, the amount of sediments builds over the years, and if one time you finally do have to run it down pretty low, i would think you have a much larger amount of sediments going through your fuel pump at once which would seem more problematic. Just a thought. Generally speaking, i think everyone is crazy about freaking out to be under 1/4 tank. That is the least of my worries about a car continuing being reliable.
02-18-11, 05:16 PM
#29
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02-18-11, 07:09 PM
#30
I had a loaner for 3 weeks and I did an experiment! You can go exactly 64 miles after 0 and then you run out of gas.. That was in a 2010 IS250... I Imagine an IS350 would be around 50 miles. I had 2 gallons in the trunk to pour in when it died. Funny, it let me re-start and drive another mile and then it died again. It was fun... poor loaners 