When to fill up?

[Tdbo]

Originally Posted By: Doog
I fill up when I pass a station that is cheaper than in my local town.


This.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: CT8
...I don't let the gas get low enough to be in a position of running out of gas.


This is my philosophy, and when to fill up depends on a lot of factors.

Living in MT, running out of gas can get you killed by weather or wildlife, when you're on a highway 2 hours from anywhere. It's not like urban areas where there is a gas station within an easy walk. In fact when we lived just 25 miles out of town we made sure we had more than 1/4 tank before leaving town during the winter.




Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
I fill up when the low gas warning light comes on. That's what it's there for.



I can't agree. There are plenty of areas in the country that the distance to the nearest gas is outside the range of the gas remaining in your tank at the time the warning light comes on.

 

[bigt61]

Originally Posted By: LX289
I believe that you shouldn't let your car go below the 1/4 mark. That gasoline keeps the pump cool which yields to longer pump life. Contamination of gasoline? You might get some water and dirt but the fuel filter should filter all of the dirt out. There is always some presence of water in gasoline.

I agree on keeping the pump cool. The worst time to run low on fuel is a hot summer day - my last fuel pump failure was due to this - I learned an expensive lesson. I fill up at 1/4 tank now. I don't think water in fuel is a big problem these days, too much mandatory ethanol.

 

[Eddie]

My last two Mazda's suggest in the owners manual to fill up at ~ 1/4 tank which seems sensible so I try to do it. Gads, I think some of us need a constructive hobby. ed

 

[EA82]

Some countries where gas isn't cheap some cars rarely see a full tank, some folks put enough fuel just to get them by for the day so the fuel light may always stay on.
I always wait until it goes 1/4 tank or below, I dont wanna stop and pump gas more often than I need to, unless I'm preparing for a long trip , than I fill up all the way.

 

[Kuato]

Originally Posted By: Eddie
... Gads, I think some of us need a constructive hobby. ed


LOL too true!

 

[kschachn]

I used to think that too, but honestly after nearly a million miles on my current cars, I don't anymore. I let the gas go down to almost zero most of the time, and I know for a fact that my wife and daughters are worse at it than me. Maybe that was true years ago but I just don't see it. Of course all four pumps could fail tomorrow but I'm not sure I could correlate that to my fueling habits...

Originally Posted By: LX289
I believe that you shouldn't let your car go below the 1/4 mark. That gasoline keeps the pump cool which yields to longer pump life. Contamination of gasoline? You might get some water and dirt but the fuel filter should filter all of the dirt out. There is always some presence of water in gasoline.

 

[LX289]

I guess it depends on the type of vehicle and how the fuel pump is situated in the tank.

 

[Bamaro]

Unless you enjoy stopping at the gas station, fill up only when you get below 1/4. Just leave enough in the tank for safety so you can get where you need to in a hurry without stopping to fill up.

 

[TiredTrucker]

I generally consider filling up when I get at 1/2 tank. Two major reasons being condensation issues, especially in winter, and we live rural and having plenty of fuel to meet any need on a whim is a little more of an issue than most folks in town deal with.

 

[silvercivicsi]

I usually let it get right above the point where the empty light turns on. Since I have a consistent commute 5 days a week and know that I get ~320 miles to the tank I usually fill up right around there.

Of course I also live/commute in an are with plentiful places to refuel. I doubt I drive more than 5 miles without passing a gas station. When I go on road trips with the fiancee or family I'll stop and get gas when I'm down to a 1/4 tank. I also carry a 5 gallon jerry can when on road trips just in case.

 

[oldmaninsc]

I usually fill up somewhere around 1/4 of a tank for normal everyday driving but rarely go under 1/4. When going on long trips, I fill up wherever the gas is cheapest. A little time spent on web sites like gas buddy or others can save a fair amount of money.