[blckz06]

Anotherwards, when the remaining mileage range reaches 0 will the car literally have no fuel left, or is there like a gallon or so of safety reserve that's not accounted for in the 'range to empty?

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by blckz06

Anotherwards, when the remaining mileage range reaches 0 will the car literally have no fuel left, or is there like a gallon or so of safety reserve that's not accounted for in the 'range to empty?

It typically shows fuel reserve when there is just under a quarter left or 50 miles indicated. I usually fill up before then to avoid stressing the fuel pump. I've seen folks indicating about a gallon left at 0 miles so maybe 20 miles driving normally I'd guess. I wouldn't run it that low though.

[blckz06]

Thanks. Starting to supplement with E85, so just trying to figure out the easiest way to get the right mix.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by blckz06

Anotherwards, when the remaining mileage range reaches 0 will the car literally have no fuel left, or is there like a gallon or so of safety reserve that's not accounted for in the 'range to empty?

About 1/2 gallon IME.

[tturedraider]

Originally Posted by blckz06

Anotherwards

In other words

[mfstrby]

I am curious why this question comes up often, why risk to be stuck in the middle of highway with no gas with a relatively expensive car I always refill when there is a quarter left (2 quarter in the winter)

[BMW11]

since so many people said I'm wasting my time filling up (in a similar thread) lol when at half a tank i decided to start waiting till it goes down to zero sounds fun naaa it won't be harmful to my 64k BMW its fun and ill save time LOL

[BMW11]

Originally Posted by colonel_bagshot

I am curious why this question comes up often, why risk to be stuck in the middle of highway with no gas with a relatively expensive car I always refill when there is a quarter left (2 quarter in the winter)

I am curious too...

[rlmesq]

P.J. O'Rourke once said running out of gas is the stupidest thing a person can do.

[BMW11]

Originally Posted by rlmesq

P.J. O'Rourke once said running out of gas is the stupidest thing a person can do.

lol yeah he said a lot of funny stuff . just looked this one up--- "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys". lol

[DHS]

Originally Posted by rlmesq

P.J. O'Rourke once said running out of gas is the stupidest thing a person can do.

Especially true in airplanes.

[LRW70]

Originally Posted by DHS

Especially true in airplanes.

Very true!

[rlmesq]

The Porsche 356 and VWs of the same era had an actual mechanical fuel reserve. Most didn't have a fuel gauge... and the gauges weren't particularly reliable

There was an L-shaped lever on the firewall under the dash. It connected to a petcock (valve) that had three positions: on, off and reserve. In the on position, it connected to a pickup tube that extended a couple of inches up into the fuel tank. If the fuel level dropped below the pickup tube, the engine would start to starve out. The driver could reach for the petcock lever and turn it from the on (down) position to the reserve (90° right) position, opening the outlet in the bottom of the tank. There was about six litres of fuel between the pickup and the outlet, which gave about 40 miles of cruising range.

Of course, those cars had carbs. You wouldn't want to starve out fuel injectors... and trying to reach under the dash while the car was moving was just a little unsafe. Lack of seat belts made it easier.

I prefer the comfort and safety of a modern car, but there's something to be said about driving a car with an engine I could remove myself with nothing but a floor jack.

[kern417]

i hate filling up my tank. i want the frequency to be as low as possible. one of the reasons i got a 4 series over a 2 series was the extra 2-gallons of fuel capacity in the tank. some of us just know that filling up when the tank is low isn't the end of the world.

that being said, if you read the thread, you'll see the OP is concerned about mixing e85. it's also helpful to know how much fuel you have if you're manually calculating mpg, running gas down to a half tank for a day at a drag strip, etc.

[metallicpea]

Well, refilling at half a tank just causes you to stop at the gas station twice as often. I prefer as few pit stops as possible, wish the tank weren't quite so small.

I will say, the amount past 0 is smaller on my F30 than any car I have ever owned. It is less than half a gallon in my experience.

[blckz06]

Good to know.. thx for the useful replies.

[blckz06]

Thats the reserve set up I had on my old zx10r ages ago.

Originally Posted by rlmesq

The Porsche 356 and VWs of the same era had an actual mechanical fuel reserve. Most didn't have a fuel gauge... and the gauges weren't particularly reliable

There was an L-shaped lever on the firewall under the dash. It connected to a petcock (valve) that had three positions: on, off and reserve. In the on position, it connected to a pickup tube that extended a couple of inches up into the fuel tank. If the fuel level dropped below the pickup tube, the engine would start to starve out. The driver could reach for the petcock lever and turn it from the on (down) position to the reserve (90° right) position, opening the outlet in the bottom of the tank. There was about six litres of fuel between the pickup and the outlet, which gave about 40 miles of cruising range.

Of course, those cars had carbs. You wouldn't want to starve out fuel injectors... and trying to reach under the dash while the car was moving was just a little unsafe. Lack of seat belts made it easier.

I prefer the comfort and safety of a modern car, but there's something to be said about driving a car with an engine I could remove myself with nothing but a floor jack.

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by bimmer456

It typically shows fuel reserve when there is just under a quarter left or 50 miles indicated. I usually fill up before then to avoid stressing the fuel pump. I've seen folks indicating about a gallon left at 0 miles so maybe 20 miles driving normally I'd guess. I wouldn't run it that low though.

Ya its an ultra expensive car and a gallon of gas is under $3
why mess around?
just doesnt make any sense

[nozydog]

I used to run my e90 down to zero on fuel gauge regularly... ended up needing a new cat (luckily within warranty) which would have cost me getting on for a grand!!! While it wasn't definitely the cause, on googling the subject I found that running low regularly is a possible cause of cat damage!! So, I suggest not taking that risk!!

[kern417]

that doesn't make any sense. how could low fuel cause a cat to go bad

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by kern417

that doesn't make any sense. how could low fuel cause a cat to go bad

Maybe it's running to lean if it's running on fumes

[kern417]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

Ya its an ultra expensive car and a gallon of gas is under $3
why mess around?
just doesnt make any sense

at what point are you "messing around?" Half tank? Quarter tank? 5 miles to empty?

It really isn't that serious. your fuel pump basket makes sure the pump stays submerged in fuel even when you're low on fuel. If anything it's better the cycle the fuel through the system so you don't have old fuel sloshing around in the tank. that just make your fuel filter work harder.