No offense intended, but that's the sort of attitude that got this country into the economic mess it's in now. I'm not talking just about the Bush administration (although they're a big factor). I'm talking about our loose spending habits and misuse of personal credit, our reliance on government entitlements, to the politicians' misuse of taxpayer dollars on inefficient and unnecessary bureaucracies, all the way up to the massacre of our dollar by the Fed over the last several decades.

The "pretend it ain't so" method isn't working for us anymore.

Plus, really, I mean come on. You do yourself a disservice by not using the tank more to its potential. Having a large tank, like the one in our Gs, provides us with the convenience of visiting the pump less often. I'm not saying wait until your car is sputtering; you probably want refill around 1/8 to 1/4 incase of emergencies. But, when you're looking down at that gauge and it shows 1/2 a tank or more and you're considering a trip to the pump, think about what your time is worth.

 

Also.. just as a conservation standpoint... More fuel means more weight, less performance and less MPG

 

And less fuel means more air leading to more condensation. I guess we just can't win.

 

Ooh I knew someone was going to try to hit it from this angle. My response is then lose 30 lbs of bodyweight! Whether it's fat or muscle. I'm sure we all have at least a little to spare.

Remove your carpet mats and back seats while you're at it.

You gotta draw the line somewhere. Running around with 1/16th of a tank of fuel is a stoooopid place to do it.

 

I was not suggesting to run on empty all the time.. but there are benefits when you have less fuel. Gasoline is about 6 lbs a gallon. That is a lot of weight. so a full tank is a passenger, it is enough to make a dent in MPG. Every little bit helps. Plus every time you stop for gas you are hurting efficiency.

I don't think that condensation in a fuel tank is a major issue unless the car is sitting there for an extended period of time...

To each their own.... but there are benefits to letting the tank go below 1/2 way. On the other hand it is bad for the fuel pump to let the fuel level get really low... causes more stress on it and the fuel acts as a coolant for it.

 

Ohhhhh, see it sounded like you were suggesting keeping the fuel low, but I see now that you meant that in support of visiting the pump less often (and filling up from a low tank) you get the added benefit of less weight while the tank is entering the low fuel stages.

All cool.

 

Mine came on today. It said I have 28 miles. I stopped to add fuel. Pump clicked off at 16.53 gallons. So I would say --- is 2 gal, or the last 2 gal is considered a reserve. That seems consistent with what's been posted so far.

BTW , cost was 71.39. That's a new record for me.