Gas gauge ?

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by YarisOwnersDad

I just look at the accumulated miles on my trip odometer since the last fill-up (I always reset the trip odometer to zero when I fill-up the tank.), and this gives me a real good idea about the amount of gas left in the tank.

I know I have an 11 gallon tank, and I know what I should be getting for MPG. Based on these factors, and using a conservative number for MPG, it is easy to calculate a realistic range for one tank of gas. When I get near that number of miles, I know it is time to fill-up.

I don't enjoy trying to get every possible mile out of a tank of gas before filling-up. I don't see the purpose in that.

Tom

So you are getting your mpg by dividing your miles from your trip od. by 11?

[YarisOwnersDad]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

So you are getting your mpg by dividing your miles from your trip od. by 11?

No, I wasn't talking about figuring MPG. I was talking about estimating how much fuel is left in the tank rather than depending entirely on the gas gauge.

Just for the purpose of demonstration, let's say I get 37 MPG on my Yaris, but to be sure I don't run out of gas, I use 35 MPG for calculating purposes. Also, I assume that I only have ten gallons of gas available to use after a fill-up instead of 11 gallons. This is another way to be conservative in determining how many more miles I can drive before filling up.

OK, 10 gallons of gas times 35 miles per gallon means that I should safely be able to drive 350 miles before filling up again. I reset the trip odometer to 0 at the time I fill up the car, and when I see that I am getting close to 350 miles, I fill up again. In reality I could go further than that, but I am not one to push the limits. I see no point in trying to drain the tank down to fumes before filling up again. I don't want to run out of gas somewhere.

As far as figuring MPG, the only way that I know of to do that is to divide the number of miles driven since the last fill-up by the number of gallons required to fill the tank on the current fill-up. That's what MPG is by definition.

Tom

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by YarisOwnersDad

No, I wasn't talking about figuring MPG. I was talking about estimating how much fuel is left in the tank rather than depending entirely on the gas gauge.

Just for the purpose of demonstration, let's say I get 37 MPG on my Yaris, but to be sure I don't run out of gas, I use 35 MPG for calculating purposes. Also, I assume that I only have ten gallons of gas available to use after a fill-up instead of 11 gallons. This is another way to be conservative in determining how many more miles I can drive before filling up.

OK, 10 gallons of gas times 35 miles per gallon means that I should safely be able to drive 350 miles before filling up again. I reset the trip odometer to 0 at the time I fill up the car, and when I see that I am getting close to 350 miles, I fill up again. In reality I could go further than that, but I am not one to push the limits. I see no point in trying to drain the tank down to fumes before filling up again. I don't want to run out of gas somewhere.

As far as figuring MPG, the only way that I know of to do that is to divide the number of miles driven since the last fill-up by the number of gallons required to fill the tank on the current fill-up. That's what MPG is by definition.

Tom

Sounds like a lot of stressing for nothing. When it gets to 2 bars left, fill up. It's that simple. Plus if you constantly run it low, your fuel pump will go out.

[YarisOwnersDad]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

Sounds like a lot of stressing for nothing. When it gets to 2 bars left, fill up. It's that simple. Plus if you constantly run it low, your fuel pump will go out.

Well, that's what I said earlier. I don't see the point in running the tank down to fumes.

The only reason I use the method I described is just as a means of knowing approximately how many more miles I can go before filling up. By no means do I use it to try to get the last drop of gas used before filling up. I think it is silly to do that.

I fill up on the way in to work at a gas station near my workplace. I might use that range estimation method to decide if I should fill up today or if I can get home and back to work tomorrow. If I think it is going to be too close, I will fill up today and not take the chance.

Tom

P.S.

I have kept track of every gallon of gas that I have put in my Yaris since I bought it one year ago. The average number of gallons that I have bought per fill-up is 7.822, and the most it ever took to fill it was 9.50 gallons, so I am not trying to run the tank too low.

[sbergman27]

Originally Posted by b_hickman11

Plus if you constantly run it low, your fuel pump will go out.

Slightly off topic. But if this is really true, is there some reason that a modern fuel pump cannot be designed to deal with this common enough situation without failing? You know. Like the fuel pumps in my family's 1956 Cadillac and 1964 Buick did? Like the fuel pumps in my 1968 Cadillacs do? Like my 1970 Ford Maverick? Like my 1988 Chevy Sprint? Why should the fuel pump in my new Toyota blow up if I happen to run out of fuel? Think about that. Do our cars really have such a poor fuel pump design? Or is this just hearsay? Either way, the blame needs to be apportioned properly.

-Steve

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by sbergman27

Slightly off topic. But if this is really true, is there some reason that a modern fuel pump cannot be designed to deal with this common enough situation without failing? You know. Like the fuel pumps in my family's 1956 Cadillac and 1964 Buick did? Like the fuel pumps in my 1968 Cadillacs do? Like my 1970 Ford Maverick? Like my 1988 Chevy Sprint? Why should the fuel pump in my new Toyota blow up if I happen to run out of fuel? Think about that. Do our cars really have such a poor fuel pump design? Or is this just hearsay? Either way, the blame needs to be apportioned properly.

-Steve

I use to have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. The fuel pump went out around 25,000 miles. I use the run the tank dry every time before filling up. When the dealership replaced it(under warranty) they showed me the pump and said it was due to me running it dry. They didn't even have to ask.