When to fill up on gas?

[Dave6139]

with the civics is it true that if you wait till the gas is on empty to fill up that you'll be using dirty gas at the bottom of the gas tank?

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[Diversion]

That's is not true at all. Just fill up when the light comes on, like any other car. The only time you *may* suck up dirty gas is if you run completely out of gas but even in this scenario it's very unlikely as there's still a bit of gas left in the tank with a screen over it to protect the engine from debris.

 

[mechatune]

I fill up between 60-20 miles range left. The fuel-up warning is a bit premature, which is a good thing. I've never had to fill up more than 10 gallons and the tank is 12.4 gallons. I'm gonna assume I'm not sucking up any debris with 2 gallons in the tank.

 

[whaaaaa]

all fuel pumps are attached to the bottom of the tank, so whether the tank is full or near empty the lines will be drawing from the lowest part anyway. the fuel also passes through more than one filter before reaching the engine to protect it from any debris. that said, it's a good habit to fill up sometime within the last 20% of your tank, before the warning light comes on and it gets to be an 'emergency.' once reaching that range, start passively thinking about when would be most convenient to head over to a station, and which of your preferred stations are along your current or upcoming routes.

 

[bird]

Somewhat related, I have a question about the fuel range reading. I've gotten down to a remaining distance of 27 miles, which would be well below a gallon of gas remaining, and the "E" indicator never comes on. But it makes sense that it didn't come on, because when I fuel up I realize there were still several gallons of gas in the tank.

The manual says the fuel range "Shows the estimated distance you can travel on the remaining fuel. This distance is estimated from the fuel economy of your previous trips." My fuel economy, even in cold weather, hasn't dropped below 37 mpg. Maybe I just haven't driven enough so its estimate is way off, but it seems to me the range is counting down to when the "E" light comes on, not to when the tank is actually empty. Has anyone else noticed this to be the case?

 

[Mannyp93]

Not sure if true but i hear the worst time to ever fill up is when the truck is refilling the station with gas because as the gas dumps into the underground tanks it kicks up any sediments and materials that made there way to the bottom. Not sure if true or just a folk tale.

 

[mechatune]

all fuel pumps are attached to the bottom of the tank, so whether the tank is full or near empty the lines will be drawing from the lowest part anyway.

Myth...busted?

 

[whaaaaa]

Somewhat related, I have a question about the fuel range reading. I've gotten down to a remaining distance of 27 miles, which would be well below a gallon of gas remaining, and the "E" indicator never comes on. But it makes sense that it didn't come on, because when I fuel up I realize there were still several gallons of gas in the tank.

The manual says the fuel range "Shows the estimated distance you can travel on the remaining fuel. This distance is estimated from the fuel economy of your previous trips." My fuel economy, even in cold weather, hasn't dropped below 37 mpg. Maybe I just haven't driven enough so its estimate is way off, but it seems to me the range is counting down to when the "E" light comes on, not to when the tank is actually empty. Has anyone else noticed this to be the case?

The estimate will hit 0 before you run out of fuel, for the same reason the warning light comes on before you're out of fuel. This is all to protect procrastinators from running out of gas on the road.

 

[bhorn]

Not sure if true but i hear the worst time to ever fill up is when the truck is refilling the station with gas because as the gas dumps into the underground tanks it kicks up any sediments and materials that made there way to the bottom. Not sure if true or just a folk tale.

There are Filters attached to the filling hose. I wouldn't worry about that as long as you are at a reputable station.

 

[whaaaaa]

There are Filters attached to the filling hose. I wouldn't worry about that as long as you are at a reputable station.

Key word reputable. Remember, the owners' manual specifies using 'top tier gas'

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/

 

[Mannyp93]

Key word reputable. Remember, the owners' manual specifies using 'top tier gas'

http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers/

I just find it odd Sunoco isn't top tier.

 

[Jon Snow]

I believe the light is set to come on with 1.8 gallons remaining. So you still have quite a bit and plenty of time to find a gas station, no need to panic.

 

[bird]

Yeah, I was just more curious about what the "range" is counting down to. Obviously it's not counting down to empty, since I still had more than 2 gallons in the tank when it said I only had 27 miles to go. Not that I want to let it get down to "E", but it caught me by surprise the first time and I thought maybe the indicator wasn't working properly.

 

[whaaaaa]

Yeah, I was just more curious about what the "range" is counting down to. Obviously it's not counting down to empty, since I still had more than 2 gallons in the tank when it said I only had 27 miles to go. Not that I want to let it get down to "E", but it caught me by surprise the first time and I thought maybe the indicator wasn't working properly.

I think it's best to think about it like the range is counting down to "the point when you really should find a gas station but are not yet out of gas"

 

[hunter44102]

When I get the gas light, I can only put 9.5 - 10.2 gallons in. So the light is an early warning but you have a good 2 gallons remaining.

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