PSA: Why You Shouldn't Drive Around On Empty

[Deleted User 38384]

My wife is stationophobic, she expects me to know how much gas she has and go get it filled. If I don’t she sometimes drives it until she runs out. Thank god and AAA for bringing her 5 gallons so I don’t have to drop whatever I’m doing fill a can and take it to her. But they bring regular and her GCSRT needs premium, so I have to take it finish filling it. Her Lincoln LS before it also required premium.

My wife will fill up her own fuel tank if left to her own devices. But I pretty much drive the Subaru every weekend so I'll usually just fill it up at buc-ee's using ethanol-free on the way home from wherever we're going each weekend. We both tend to get about a week out of a tank so...

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[2nd 392]

My wife will fill up her own fuel tank if left to her own devices. But I pretty much drive the Subaru every weekend so I'll usually just fill it up at buc-ee's using ethanol-free on the way home from wherever we're going each weekend. We both tend to get about a week out of a tank so...

Would you kindly stop bragging, jeeeez. You brag about being able to do performance upgrades, smog equipment deletes, now yer adding real gas, and you can probably get 92 or 3 octane too. Didn’t think about rubbing that one in too, did ya ?

 

[Deleted User 38384]

Would you kindly stop bragging, jeeeez. You brag about being able to do performance upgrades, smog equipment deletes, now yer adding real gas, and you can probably get 92 or 3 octane too. Didn’t think about rubbing that one in too, did ya ?

 

[tk1700]

I do wish we could set the low fuel warning for 1/8 of a tank or so. There are places where the next station is pretty far away.

Not sure about your Jeep, but both of my JLs have a needle in the fuel gauge that will tell me when I have 1/8th of a tank. With good situational awareness I can look at that needle and plan my next fuel stop.

 

[MARTY J]

I have done the math. It cost no more to run your jeep on the top half of the fuel gauge other than the tiny hit from a little more weight.

 

[Duece McCracken]

My gladiator has a 22 gallon tank, and says Im empty with around 17- 18 gallon fill.

Grabbed a fuel jug, and ran her till she stalled. Went 60 miles hwy after the "low fuel" warning. Talk about a hyper conservative gas gauge.

I have a 65 mile commute, and normally fill at like 30 to empty.

In my experiences, never smoked an in tank fuel pump in any vehicle I've owned. They normally blow up or get wrecked. I have zero concerns about trying to keep the pump completely submerged in fuel for its longevity.

 

[jaymz]

Nonsense.

First, most modern cars use a "returnless" fuel system, so there's no fuel being returned to the tank as it never leaves in the first place unless it's needed.

Second, most, if not all vehicles that do use a return system have the return plumbed to the bottom of the tank, so it won't be creating bubbles when it goes back.

Third, even if they did return fuel to the top and create air bubbles, it wouldn't be nearly enough to negatively effect pump performance as the pump draws from the bottom, and bubbles are at the top. If bubbles were a problem, you'd have driveability issues.

If the fuel pump was "clearly struggling", he'd be able to hook up a pressure gauge and show us the struggle.

You're also not gonna suck up crap from the bottom any more or less with an empty tank vs. a full one. Crap is always at the bottom no matter the fuel level, and that's assuming that there's even a significant amount of crap in the first place.

The biggest concern about driving around on "E" is running out of gas.

 

[NWJeepr]

I always ride the top half of the tank unless I'm on a road trip, let it fall a little farther. Usually it's time for a break by then, anyway.

Gas light on, or "I think we have enough to make it" = not my kind of people.

 

[Jeep Wick]

I've run mine down near empty for years...even run a couple cars to empty where I had to push them. Not saying it isn't bad for the pump, but I've only ever replaced one and that was on a used Chevy truck with unknown history.

 

[Twisted10]

 

[Zandcwhite]

On 39s the Jeep gets 12-13mpg. I'm not fueling up every 100 miles so yes it gets run until the light comes on almost every time. On roadtrips that's several times a day. 36k on this one and 60k+ on the last one, 0 fuel pump issues. The thing only gets like 25 miles from when the light comes on so you can't realistically "drive around" on empty anyway. My commuter cars get treated the same way as I'm not fueling up every other day. 200k+ miles on several of them, 0 fuel pumps. Hell the 00 dodge neon I commuted in back in the early 2000s is the only one I can even remember changing a fuel filter on. I'm pretty sure the pump is actually cooled by the fuel flowing through it so unless you actually run out of gas frequently I think this is a myth.

 

[AcesandEights]

From an emergency management perspective, always good to fill up once you get to half a tank. I fill up twice a day, whether I need to or not.

 

[mishkajb]

I've also been told that running too low on fuel also increases the chance of sucking up any debris that may be on the bottom of the tank. He makes a good point here about heat, which doesn't exactly extend the life of any electric pump!

On a side note - growing up in the Pacific Northwest with long winters and FEET of snow, we fueled up when we were at 1/2 of a tank. I still get nervous when it's between 1/2 and 1/4.

 

[TopWright]

My wife's Subaru is always under 1/4 tank as she hates pumping gas. She will stop, if needed, and put in $10. So she waits until the weekends and if we are both going somewhere together then I always drive so I fill it up for her. After 41 years she knows me.

 

[azjl#3]

From an emergency management perspective, always good to fill up once you get to half a tank. I fill up twice a day, whether I need to or not.

This, I live 10 miles from a street light, 100 miles to closest costco. At a 1/2 tank i fill it, more to help with condensation because of the crazy temp swings and humidity changes we see in the mountains. No issue so far.

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