Fuel Range

[DaveD]

Why running out on fuel could cost you £5,000 fine and destroy your engine

The article mainly focuses on the potential damage running out of fuel might do to your vehicle, (I know, this is not a certainty) but adds:
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy and Research, said:

“We have very little sympathy for drivers who run out of fuel on the motorway.
There is no excuse for entering a motorway with low fuel or if you know something is wrong with your car.
A breakdown puts you and your passengers at very high risk – many fatal crashes on a motorway involve a stationary vehicle.
The hard shoulder, where it exists, is a very dangerous place to be with HGVs often weaving off course and crossing the solid white line.
If you have to be rescued you are also putting the recovery operator at risk and if you don’t have breakdown cover you could pay several hundred pounds for emergency fuel or towing to a safe place."

The same arguments could apply to some degree to most roads.

 

[jimmyjames]

Simple answer to this is to fill up when the warning light appears. It will also stop you drawing any crud from the bottom of the tank too.

 

[Fluff34567]

I like having a fuel guage, and I use it to make sure that I've got enough fuel, and some extra, for my journey.
I like to know that if I don't get to my destination it won't be my fault.
I also don't much like the idea of being hit from behind by a HGV while I'm parked up on what used to be the hard shoulder of the motorway.

My fuel.guage is useless, I have about 800kms range. At 500 tank is showing half then it just drops to quarter after around 600kms.

 

[Skyliner33]

My fuel.guage is useless, I have about 800kms range. At 500 tank is showing half then it just drops to quarter after around 600kms.

Why is this useless?

 

[Salty Spuds]

My fuel.guage is useless, I have about 800kms range. At 500 tank is showing half then it just drops to quarter after around 600kms.

So at a quarter full, you know you have 200kms to go which is 125 miles, so what's the problem? The actual scale of any instrument is largely irrelevant, as long as the instrument is consistent & repeatable.

 

[Fluff34567]

Why is this useless?

Really? Because it's not linear . To go from half to quarter in 100kms is acceptable for you?

I'm clearly used to other vehicles where it remains accurate and linear from full to empty.
The last quarter drops how it wants regardless of quantity, so it may as well not be there at all.

 

[Skyliner33]

Really? Because it's not linear . To go from half to quarter in 100kms is acceptable for you?

I'm clearly used to other vehicles where it remains accurate and linear from full to empty.
The last quarter drops how it wants regardless of quantity, so it may as well not be there at all.

Yes really. All my VAG cars have run like this. The non linear nature of the fuel gauge allows for more accurate reading (so able to judge the range left better) as the fuel goes lower.

In fact, thinking about it, my BMW motorcycles exhibit the same characteristic in their fuel gauge.

 

[Tiger-G]

Simple answer to this is to fill up when the warning light appears. It will also stop you drawing any crud from the bottom of the tank too.

But surely the fuel pick-up is at the lowest point of the tank, so you're always drawing "crud" up ??

 

[Jono]

But surely the fuel pick-up is at the lowest point of the tank, so you're always drawing "crud" up ??

That’s an even better point than the ones I was going to make.

How much crud gets in a tank?
Surely the fuel filter takes care of anything?

I’ve never known anyone have an issue with crudded fuel lines. Ever. Maybe I’ve been lucky, maybe my friends have?

 

[jimmyjames]

I think it’s more a case of blocking the fuel filter than the fuel lines. Water from condensation also collects at the bottom of the tank which doesn’t do injectors much good if drawn through. I’m a mariner and have seen issues resulting from poor fuel and sludge too many times so I play it safe, I realise the fuel is turned over more quickly in a van so it doesn’t have the time to stagnate but there is still a chance of it happening, although it is slight.

That’s an even better point than the ones I was going to make.

How much crud gets in a tank?
Surely the fuel filter takes care of anything?

I’ve never known anyone have an issue with crudded fuel lines. Ever. Maybe I’ve been lucky, maybe my friends have?

 

[Simon Kay]

Nearly got caught out whilst towing caravan, MFD showed 5 miles range left ... pump knocked off at 79.87lt and manged a couple more litres when filling. Question is how accurate is the range remaining and any serious consequence or damage from running out apart from inconvenience! If it makes a diffenence it's a 65 plate euro 5 engine

We got down to zero KM's over the summer...and i ended up squeezing in 82.1 liters....that seems like it's pretty accurate to me. Won't try that again...

 

[Base1388]

Not sure if my gauge is right at all !

Got to zero range, filled up only got 71 liters in it ! Its an 80 ltr tank

 

[dubber36]

15 miles to go today. 68.5 litres in my 70 litre tank. That was proper full. I could see it in the filler pipe.

 

[Skyliner33]

15 miles to go today. 68.5 litres in my 70 litre tank. That was proper full. I could see it in the filler pipe.

Ah so your one of the guilty ones that overfill tanks and leave a trail of slippy derv on the road as a trap for motorcycles

 

[dubber36]

Not normally. I was rounding up to the next whole £. Went over that one, so tried to get to the next one. I don't know why I do that. It's not like I'm paying with cash so will end up with a pocket full of change.

I'll probably go arse over head on it tomorrow on my road bike.

 

[Skyliner33]

Not normally. I was rounding up to the next whole £. Went over that one, so tried to get to the next one. I don't know why I do that. It's not like I'm paying with cash so will end up with a pocket full of change.

I'll probably go arse over head on it tomorrow on my road bike.

Yep, strange but I like to stop on a whole £, unless I fill the tank. Must be from when I used to pay in cash.

Hope not, shiny side up

 

[Tiger-G]

Yep, strange but I like to stop on a whole £, unless I fill the tank. Must be from when I used to pay in cash. Hope not, shiny side up

I always fill up to a full tank and a full litre. Then when I get home I open my "MPG" spreadsheet and input the litres, cost per litre, total miles and trip to work out an accurate MPG...........oh dear, did I just say that out loud !!