How far on a tank of gas?

[wallymn]

This is the question... How far have you traveled on a tank of gas?

I raise this because today coming back from Florida I hit 500 miles on a tank for the first time.

502 miles on 18.5 gallons , trip comp said I had 42 miles till empty.

Average reported was 29.1 real average 27.1 ....


So how far have you gone on a single tank of gas?

 

[STREETS]

514 was my most on a tank.

 

[Stoofpilot]

How many miles do you have on your car. I have a 2010 4.6-one month old and on Premium, I am averaging 25-26 MPG.

 

[wallymn]

43k on my 2009. would be more but it was garaged for 6 months...

generally I get about 400 on a tank for a number of reasons. just wondering if anyone is getting close to the reported max of 560

 

[ttsig]

I've gone over 510 several times, but I guess my driving has become more aggressive over time as I'm rarely getting more than 25-26MPG recently and pretty much ran out of gas around 475 a few weeks ago, had to coast over a mile down a slight grade on the interstate (in emergency lane), but then got one last 5-10 second burst to get around the exit and up and over the overpass to coast it to a gas pump.

I've had tanks on long road trips that got 29.5MPG (calculated, not computer, which was showing 30.1MPG), which is 4.5MPG more than I got on the tank that ran out at 475MPG. 4.5MPG * 19 gallons = 85.5 miles, so I guess my theoretical max on those trips would be right at 560, but I don't believe I'd have the guts to test it unless I had a gallon or two in a container in the trunk.

 

[flyboy2]

Sorry to burst your bubble-- 627 miles! And I only drive it to church on Sundays--

 

[STREETS]

And you drive only down hill!

 

[scottdk]

Sorry to burst your bubble-- 627 miles! And I only drive it to church on Sundays--

Nice job Fly....I usually get around 53 MPG's as well. Usually at full throttle for a couple of minutes, and against the wind and through a farmers market. Only time I don't get over 53 MPG's is when it's parked in my garage.

 

[vitacura]

I get around 400 miles per tank, 75% city and 25% highway.

 

[TJPark01]

I get around 400 miles per tank, 75% city and 25% highway.

This is about right. You shouldn't really let the gas tank get this low. I fill it up when it's pushing 1/4 tank. The theory is that the fuel pump is actually submerged in the gas tank. The fluid helps to keep the fuel pump cool. How this affects the fuel pumps long term is beyond my pay grade, but like I said, it's theory.

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[sandy]

You also want to avoid the pump sucking up sediment when the fuel level gets too low. At least that's what the service manager told me when I bought my first fuel injected car, '81 Saab 900.

 

[ASHDUMP]

Then I've got a problem then.... I basically let the car run on fumes before I fill up. I just can't get myself to fill up before then... Not that I'm lazy, but more of an OCD thing.

 

[scottdk]

Then I've got a problem then.... I basically let the car run on fumes before I fill up. I just can't get myself to fill up before then... Not that I'm lazy, but more of an OCD thing.

Im the same way ash. I dont fill up until the low fuel light comes on. I have always done this with every car, i just cant help it.

 

[ASHDUMP]

Im the same way ash. I dont fill up until the low fuel light comes on. I have always done this with every car, i just cant help it.

Yeah, I don't know what it is with me. Like you, I've done this with every automobile I've owned. My father on the othe hand is the type of guy who will go to the gas station every other day and put $10 in. Maybe its a generation thing...

 

[ttsig]

I think I'm even worse, I don't fill up until I've driven at least 30 miles after then fill-up light comes on, sometimes quite a bit more. I drive around 600 miles a week, sometimes much more, and I don't want to have to stop any more then I have to. I've always done this, almost to a fault as I used to run out of gas too often back 20 years ago.

Having to coast my Genesis for a over a mile and just barely coasting into a rural gas station definitely let me know how far I can push the gauge on the Genesis before I really, really need gas. I put in something like 19.5 gallons on that fillup, while my normal fillup is in the 18.5 gallon range (the official capacity of the 3.8 is 19.3 gallons).

I don't know about the theories regarding keeping the fuel tank 1/4 full (some say 1/2 full) to keep the fuel pump cool, etc. If you feel it's plausible, well, I say go for it as it certainly doesn't hurt. That being said, I drive my cars a lot, I almost never get rid of a vehicle until they're in the 180,000-200,000 mile range, and I've only replaced one fuel pump in 20+ years, and that was on a 1972 pickup with 320,000 miles. That vehicle had an electric fuel pump but it wasn't in the engine so I doubt that it mattered much how full it was.

Of course, now that I typed this my Genesis fuel pump will probably die on the way home but at least I still have warranty!

 

[TJPark01]

I think I'm even worse, I don't fill up until I've driven at least 30 miles after then fill-up light comes on, sometimes quite a bit more. I drive around 600 miles a week, sometimes much more, and I don't want to have to stop any more then I have to. I've always done this, almost to a fault as I used to run out of gas too often back 20 years ago.

I'm not sure what you guys are gaining by driving around with very low fuel levels.
From the owners manual Page 382:
Avoid driving with a very low fuel level.
If you run out of gasoline, it could
cause the engine to misfire and result
in excessive loading of the catalytic
converter.
Failure to observe these precautions
could result in damage to the catalytic
converter and to your vehicle.
Additionally, such actions could void your
warranties.

 

[ASHDUMP]

Well I can vouch that I've never run out of gas. With that being said, my engine should never misfire due to low gas.

 

[ronmort]

I haven't seriously calculated my fuel economy yet...I am new to the Genesis and only have about 600 miles on it... however, I have not seen any arguement in this forum that considers the weight of the fuel. Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds per gallon... therefor a car running on empty is carrying less weight and getting better mileage.

 

[TJPark01]

I haven't seriously calculated my fuel economy yet...I am new to the Genesis and only have about 600 miles on it... however, I have not seen any arguement in this forum that considers the weight of the fuel. Gasoline weighs about 6 pounds per gallon... therefor a car running on empty is carrying less weight and getting better mileage.

The amount of gasoline weight you are carrying around will affect your gas mileage in such miniscule increments, that it will be immeasurable. Your driving behavior is the biggest determining factor on gas mileage. If you drive more aggressively cause you think you're carrying less weight, it's going to erase any and all fuel economy by driving with an empty tank and saving 90lbs of weight.
Ultimately it's your car and this is America, so you can do what you want. By all means, if you really think this is fun or a good idea, have at it. Hopefully the stress you are putting on the fuel pump will manifest during the warranty period. If not, the money you save on gas can be used to replace the fuel pump.

Fuel Pump Tech
Everything you wanted to know about fuel pumps!

 

[PINGGOLF]

Well, I guess I should keep my mouth shut...oh well.

With the Magnaflow installed and my foot weighing in at 210 pounds...over the past month I've been getting maybe 270 miles to the tank. I think my MPG readout is usually hanging out around 13 mpg.

However, on trips I'll usually hold steady at 25 MPG doing 85mph.

Sorry, MPG's dont really mean much to me anymore. A Fitty dolla bill a week is worth it all!