when to fill up?

[bestclimb]

If crud is getting sucked in (as well as water from condensation) it is an issue that should be addressed, regardless of how empty a tank is getting.

[Debonair]

With gas prices still rising do you guys still suggest running it to empty-1/4 tank?

i drove past the gas station and it was a 3.0x, i only used about a quarter tank at this point. I come back the next week or the one after and it was now 3.2x or 3.3x

[Sven7]

If your gas prices vary by 30 cents it might be a good idea to get gas earlier, when it's cheap. However I really don't pay attention to prices because they usually don't vary much from place to place.

I always run it down to the end, and in my Rabbit I've gone down to the last 30 miles or so. That was nerve wracking but incredibly exciting! It was also a big rush to get over 500 miles in the Probe. I see no reason to fill up at 1/4 tank if you have 100 miles left to drive. (My dad keeps a 5 gal tank in the barn for power equipment, regardless. Good for 70-200 miles depending on what I drive)

The red "empty" line is usually not the end, either. Automakers give you a little leeway.

Apparently the Probe tank is 16 gallons. I've never used more than 12 gallons (the 500 mile tank- into the red) so you can see how much room they give you to drive farther. I could have gone 650+ miles at 42mpg.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Debonair

With gas prices still rising do you guys still suggest running it to empty-1/4 tank?

i drove past the gas station and it was a 3.0x, i only used about a quarter tank at this point. I come back the next week or the one after and it was now 3.2x or 3.3x

I do recommend running tanks near empty regardless of what prices are doing. Fuel expenditures average out over time whether you make many small purchases, or less frequent full tank fills.

By making less frequent stops at the station, you spend less time at the pump and waste less fuel driving to the station and waiting in long lines for a pump to become available.

However, I am considering a bulk diesel purchase before those prices spike too high. I can store about 500 gallons at my parents house.

[gone-ot]

...drive as long/far as possible on the lower-cost gasoline you already have, instead of running out and filling-up so you can immediately begin burning-through (pun intended) the higher-cost gasoline.

[nemo]

When I fill is situational. I like to fill before long trips even if is only a couple of gallons, just part of my ritual like checking the oil and tire pressure. Also on long trips if I'm stopping for some other reason I may fill the tank if it is below half. A few years back on the way to see my son, he said if I get to a certain town and its after 10PM Sunday and need gas, fill there because you won't find open the rest of the way. Hurricane in the forecast fill and fill early. The last fill there was only about 1.2 gallon left. So like I said it varies.

But the one thing I do is fill the tank.

[user removed]

Lost probably 14 gallons today when I sold the Maxima, but at least the fine gent who gave me $3300 cash for the car is now getting twice the mileage of his V8 4dr Tundra at 15.9 MPG for the 90,000 miles he has commuted in the last 3 years. That's close to 6000 gallons of gas!

regards
Mech

[gone-ot]

...so, selling cars is NOT really like stock brokering., ie: "...sell LOW, buy HIGH (gasoline in the tank)..." (ha,ha)?!?

[brucepick]

I'm told the fuel is what cools the in-tank pump - so I don't usually drive till the yellow light comes on or till the needle gets down by the lowest gauge line. If my pump will last longer due to running cooler, that's worth a few extra minutes of my time now and then. My two cents.

[Ladogaboy]

I would assume that the fuel running through the pump would provide at least some cooling, and unless your fuel pump is running at a high amperage rate, I can't imagine that much heat being generated.