How far can you actually go...

AznMaverick

Platinum Member
Apr 4, 2001
2,776
0
0
...When the gas tank meter thing in your car shows "empty". I've heard one that you could go around the island of Hawaii once...(altho i think he wuz just joking, i'm so gullible)...
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
there is a margin of error for the poor souls who dont realize it. Mine can go about 25 miles on E
 

Helpless

Banned
Jul 26, 2000
2,285
0
0
I can go about 30 miles once the gas light goes on in my Grand Am Gt...thought the book said 32, but I found out otherwise last year ;)
 

warlord

Golden Member
Oct 25, 1999
1,557
0
0
it depends, quite a few newer cars have a reserve of 2 or more gallons once you hit E. it also depends on the gas mileage your car gets.
 

Kntx

Platinum Member
Dec 11, 2000
2,270
0
71
No matter how little gas shows on the gague, there is always enough for one more errand.
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,938
5
0
LOL does that become addictive? I know for a little while, i use to actually get a high to see how much i can fill up my tank every time i hit a gas station... so eventually i was driving more and more beyond E to see how much i could hit at the fill up station.

Anyways, i've gone past E quite a bit... i don't know if it was psychological, but i could swear my car was 'sputtering' a few times on just fumes or something.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
its not that good to go too low, since it stirs up the bottom of the fuel tank, which can be quite mucky. This clogs up the fuel filter, and allows less fuel in.
 

NeMeSi

Member
Jun 5, 2001
84
0
0
I drive a '93 Bonneville SSE and I run outta gas BEFORE it hits E (just above it)! DOH!

Also, has anyone noticed, if they own a Bonneville, that if your at about quarter tank, if you go around long curves, you'll lose power to your engine?
 

BlackWob

Senior member
Jun 1, 2001
290
0
0
LOL..

Whenever I hit E I can still make it to school and back [26 miles total] and then go to work [8 miles]. On the way home from work I have to fill up though.
 

Viper GTS

Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
38,107
433
136
I don't know, I try not to drop below 1/8 of a tank. Running out of gas is not my idea of fun.

Viper GTS
 

stratusfear

Banned
Apr 4, 2001
232
0
0
In my 2000 Intrepid I've gone about 60 miles after the gas light turns on. I milk that SOB for all its worth! Then bring it back with just enough gas so my mom can get to the gas station down the street! :)
 

blueghost75

Golden Member
Dec 12, 2000
1,086
0
0
hehehehe........when my truck says empty, let me tell you, it means empty!! :D

when I get to about a quarter tank or below, I can see the gas gauge move up and down as i go around corners and up and down hills.... about the time it hit the red part, it will stop doing this. From there, I can drive about 3 miles before stalling. Durring those 3 miles, if you take any left turns, you will stall for a minute untill the gas flows back to the other side of the tank.

mt dad's blazer has a display that tells you how many miles you can drive beofre running out of gas. It is quite handy, i don't even have to look at the guage.

i have no clue about my mom's car, it usually gets filled up before it gets to an 8th of a tank or so....
 

yakko

Lifer
Apr 18, 2000
25,455
2
0
No where. My gauge reads high so it actually stops before it hits the red zone before empty. My last car read low so I could go all the way through the red and past the E before it quit.
 

Pepsi90919

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
25,162
1
81
NeMeSi: I own a 92 Bonneville SE, and I don't find that it loses power around turns no matter how low it gets. However, at low tank level around turns, the gas gauge tends to bounce all over the place between Empty and 1/3 a tank, sometimes tripping the 'DING DING DING' warning system prematurely.
 

zippy

Diamond Member
Nov 10, 1999
9,998
1
0
That's like the Seinfeld episode where Kramer takes the Saab out to test drive and he and the guy from the dealership drive on E for a long time and whatnot. Great episode!
 

spamboy

Banned
Aug 28, 2000
1,033
1
0
It depends on your car, check the manual. Different car have different reserves past the gas light. And of course it depends on how you're driving. I turn off the engine to coast or at stoplights when I'm really low. :)
 

Nick Stone

Golden Member
Oct 14, 1999
1,033
0
0
Nobody answered his question, though. From Kona to Volcano to Hilo then back through Waimea and back to Kona is 4 1/2 hours of driving and 209 miles. Takes about 2/3 tank on a Mercury Sable.