The Bars and MPG question

[UncleMo]

Hi. You know how there are 8 bars that show you how much fuel you have? How is it possible that I went 62 or 63 miles before the first bar went away. If my estimates are correct, I should get 496 total miles out of my entire tank if this holds up(62 * 8 = 496 total miles). If you take 496 and divide that by 11.1, which is the tank size for an 07 sedan, you get 44.68 mpg. How is this possible when fuel economy.com told me I would get 29mpg (city)?

[DevilGirl]

EPA estimates are never all that acurate. As far as miles per bar, I'm not positive on how the tank is on the Yaris, but I know on all other cars I've owned, the first half of the tank goes slowly, and the second half runs through pretty quickly, due to the shaping of the tank. I've generally been getting about 350-370 miles to the tank, (refueling when the last bar starts to blink, or shortly thereafter), with an average MPG of about 37.5.

[YarisOwnersDad]

You might be over-filling the tank by topping it off after the pump clicks off. This will give you more miles on the first bar, but it is not a good thing to do. They warn you that you can mess up your fuel tank vent system by over-filling the tank. I used to be guilty of that practice, but now I just stop filling the first time the pump kicks off.

Tom

[Zaphod]

500 miles on less than 10 gallons is totally possible with restraint in the right driving conditions.

Like everyone says, those 8 digital partitions don't necessarily represent equal measures of gas. That's why everyone just waits to do the division when they fill up.

Still, you may have found a car that just really compliments your driving technique.

[UncleMo]

Well I must say I did baby it. I usually drive like I just busted out of prison and there are points to be racked up if I hit pedestrians.

[DevilGirl]

Well I must say I did baby it. I usually drive like I just busted out of prison and there are points to be racked up if I hit pedestrians.

I hear it was 50 points a ped... 100 for babies in strollers... 25 for old farts (they can't move to get outta your way, and they're at the end of their life cycle).... :biggrin:

[b_hickman11]

Hi. You know how there are 8 bars that show you how much fuel you have? How is it possible that I went 62 or 63 miles before the first bar went away. If my estimates are correct, I should get 496 total miles out of my entire tank if this holds up(62 * 8 = 496 total miles). If you take 496 and divide that by 11.1, which is the tank size for an 07 sedan, you get 44.68 mpg. How is this possible when fuel economy.com told me I would get 29mpg (city)?

62 miles on the 1st bar is not bad but you could do a lot better. I average around 80 for the 1st bar. The most I ever got on the 1st bar was around 120 miles. Most fuel gauges are not accurate in the sense that there is an even amount of gas for each bar or for each tick on the old style.

[09box]

I usually don't go more than 30 miles when the last bar starts flashing. I've already learned my lesson after running out of gas. Usually now, I fill up 20-25 miles after the last bar starts flashing. I've been getting about 380 miles on a tank lately.

[jambo101]

Not all bars are created equal just like the old analogue gauges each bar will give differing mileages.. 45mpg should be easily attainable in your Yaris..

[Forrest]

The bars...are only estimates. You will not get the same amount of miles on each bar. They are only an indication of approximate amount of gas you have in the tank and when you need to refill.

[Keith Tinari]

mine has changed since I bought the car and gotten even worse since I have "modded" it. I have a K&N drop in and the TRD axleback and drive fairly conservatively. I went from dropping the first bar at 80-100 miles to last week when I reset the ECU for the filter and axleback and dropped the first bar at 66 and second bar at 89. What gives? I get gas from the same sunoco station I have always gone to for the last say 4 years.

[DevilGirl]

I get gas from the same sunoco station I have always gone to for the last say 4 years.

Always possible that the gas station had a bad mix come in. I've had that. Same place for quite awhile, driving habits hadn't changed, but got either waaaay better or significantly worse. Bad shipment I think.

[SaerinRhoe]

I've gotten 84 miles before losing the first bar so I don't think there's any exact measurement for it. As for fuel mileage, I've gone 440 miles on a tank before the last bar started its slow blink.

One of these days I want to drive it all the way to the end just to see how far I can get on a complete tank but I've not had the time yet.

S.R.

[jtcoop]

If you divide the 11 gal tank by 8 you would have 1.375 gallons per bar. Let's say you are getting 40 mpg. Multiply 40times 1.375 to get 55 miles per bar. Since most are getting 60+ miles or above before the first bar goes out it would stand to reason that the bars are not equal. I have even noticed that I can not double the mileage between the first and the second bars. I doubt I will try and drive 55 miles after the last bar starts flashing.
Is it just me or does the flashing get faster the longer you drive?

[AlexNet0]

If you divide the 11 gal tank by 8 you would have 1.375 gallons per bar. Let's say you are getting 40 mpg. Multiply 40times 1.375 to get 55 miles per bar. Since most are getting 60+ miles or above before the first bar goes out it would stand to reason that the bars are not equal. I have even noticed that I can not double the mileage between the first and the second bars. I doubt I will try and drive 55 miles after the last bar starts flashing.
Is it just me or does the flashing get faster the longer you drive?


yes, it flashes slow at approx 1/8 tank, very fast at 1/16 tank.

[b_hickman11]

If you divide the 11 gal tank by 8 you would have 1.375 gallons per bar. Let's say you are getting 40 mpg. Multiply 40times 1.375 to get 55 miles per bar. Since most are getting 60+ miles or above before the first bar goes out it would stand to reason that the bars are not equal. I have even noticed that I can not double the mileage between the first and the second bars. I doubt I will try and drive 55 miles after the last bar starts flashing.
Is it just me or does the flashing get faster the longer you drive?

So in other words the Yaris's fuel gauge is exactly like the older type gauges. You could drive for miles and miles before the needle would budge even a little but after that the needle would start to drop very fast.

[AVIC-U310BT]

All bars are not created equal.

I tested this a while back. I regularly get over 60 miles on the first bar, and less on the others. I too thought that it should accurately represent an eighth of your tank. That's how I lost the bet with the girlfriend. Luckily, she already knows I'm always wrong. :)

[jtcoop]

OK. I watched my odometer closely after the last fill up. I am proud to say that I got 83 miles on the first bar. And yes, I stopped filling up when the nozzle cut off. Wouldn't it be nice to get 60 mpg....LOL Oh well I will try and catch the next bar disappearing and let everyone know.:burnrubber:

[RUFFSTUFF]

So what you're saying is the gas gauge is a gas gauge and not a gas gauge. Got it, I was worried there for a little bit.

[bronsin]

If you divide the 11 gal tank by 8 you would have 1.375 gallons per bar. Let's say you are getting 40 mpg. Multiply 40times 1.375 to get 55 miles per bar. Since most are getting 60+ miles or above before the first bar goes out it would stand to reason that the bars are not equal. I have even noticed that I can not double the mileage between the first and the second bars. I doubt I will try and drive 55 miles after the last bar starts flashing.
Is it just me or does the flashing get faster the longer you drive?


Not only that but youll never get the mileage out of the last four bars that you did on the first four...I would love to have a flow gauge which accurately measured how much fuel you are REALLY using.

[jtcoop]

140.8 miles and the # 2 bar has gone away. That's 83 miles on the 1st bar and just 57.8 miles on the second bar. It's going faster. I have tried to maintain my driving habits to keep it real.

[elmo]

i think the bars are inconstant at best my car constantly gets 75 to 80 on the first bar, my wife went hypermiling once and got 109 on the first bar

believe it or not i still avg 38 MPG running 205/50/15 tires, i was avg 44-42 on the stockers

[b_hickman11]

all gas gauges are inconsistent

[RUFFSTUFF]

all gas gauges are inconsistent


Nah, they're consistent... just not incrementally accurate... :drinking:

[RUFFSTUFF]

i think the bars are inconstant at best my car constantly gets 75 to 80 on the first bar, my wife went hypermiling once and got 109 on the first bar

believe it or not i still avg 38 MPG running 205/50/15 tires, i was avg 44-42 on the stockers


What were your stock tires?

[YarisOwnersDad]

Isn't the extra mileage on the first bar caused by the gas in the neck of the tank? If a person "tops off" the tank by pumping more gas after the pump kicks off (not a good practice), then this gas fills the neck of the tank and is not "seen" by the gas gauge. Am I on the right track here?

Tom

[elmo]

What were your stock tires?

those bridgestone potenzas i think they were 185/60/15

[b_hickman11]

Isn't the extra mileage on the first bar caused by the gas in the neck of the tank? If a person "tops off" the tank by pumping more gas after the pump kicks off (not a good practice), then this gas fills the neck of the tank and is not "seen" by the gas gauge. Am I on the right track here?

Tom

Thats a small part of the problem but not all of it.

[RUFFSTUFF]

those bridgestone potenzas i think they were 185/60/15


Have you checked vs. a GPS for speedometer error?

[elmo]

Have you checked vs. a GPS for speedometer error?

Yeah not much diff in the tires the 185 is 23.7" and the 205 is 23.9"

i have a Tom tom and i really can't see a diff in speedo and GPS i think the big diff. is in tire width there is MUCH more ground contact with the 205 hence the decrease in MPG


by the way it handles like a friggin go-cart now:burnrubber:

[127.0.0.1]

unless you have a graduated cylinder, and measure the temperature
and specific gravity of the fuel, your gas gauge will vary.

it's a car. you either have more gas or less gas. that is what the gauge is for.

if you want exactness you need to monitor OBDII... and determine, from a full tank,
how long the injectors were held open and by what amount. that is the best
way to measure fuel consumption. scangauge does this.


the only thing that would be a TSB is a situation where your gas gauge jumps around
by large amounts for no reason. that would be a bad combo, or bad sender

[RUFFSTUFF]

Yeah not much diff in the tires the 185 is 23.7" and the 205 is 23.9"

i have a Tom tom and i really can't see a diff in speedo and GPS i think the big diff. is in tire width there is MUCH more ground contact with the 205 hence the decrease in MPG


by the way it handles like a friggin go-cart now:burnrubber:


Werd.

[JohnnoEH]

I must have gotten lucky with my fuel guage's calibration, it seems to drop a bar pretty close to every 80km when driving down the highway. It took around 100km for the first bar to disappear on this tank, with roughly 50-50 city/highway driving. I always fill it to the 2nd click though, as it tends to click off halfway through cause it runs back up the thin filler neck - could be why I get the extra 20km on the first bar.

At the moment I'm at just over 500km and I have 3 bars left - I'd be happy planning to drive over 100km (60 miles) on what's in there, as long as there was a petrol station at the end. :laugh: I really want to see what my consumption will be, I might just get into the 5's (L/100km) for once. I might even beat 40mpg (5.88L/100km). :thumbsup:

[docB]

I think of the gas guage in the same way that I think of a safety on a firearm...don't trust your life to it.
I got my Yaris in the cash for clunkers deal at the end of July. Never even drove one til I owned it. I am over 40.5 mpg so far.(over 2k miles) The first refill was 41.5. Much less thirsty than the 1997 Crown Victoria I was driving. The best tank I had with that was just over 21 mpg. I use the cruise control often. I have seen over the limit speeds. I try to be considerate of other motorists. I hope I can match the 49.9 mpg that I got with the 1989 Subaru Justy ECVT that I had. The ride that got me that mileage was boring. The 1994 Escort wagon I had netted better than 35 mpg for the 8 years I owned. It got autocrossed, hauled enough on a long weekend to break the rear springs, and saw the fuel cutoff in top gear a few times.
I hope this Yaris will easily surpass all of the above. I do reference the trip odometer to pace consumption. 80 miles on the first bar is pretty easy.

[127.0.0.1]

I have been testing this Yaris fuel gauge


it is odd, yet accurate.
---
1) I always fill up to the first click, then stop

2) the first bar, I can go up to 110 miles before it goes away

3) At 4 bars remaining, miles driven vs miles left (scangauge, miles till empty)
are always 50/50. In other words, half a tank on fuel gauge, really is half a tank left

4) When last bar blinks, you have 1.6 gallons, perhaps 50 miles left to go,
scangauge says I have 50 miles or so, give or take

----
so, basically, no matter how long it takes for the first bar to drop, and then seemingly
the bars drop rapidly, the gauge on the Dash is pretty dang accurate once those
bars do start to drop. bars 7-through 1 are dead on match to my scangauge.

2010 Yaris 5 door, US