Ive got a 2001 Bug WRX doing 25mpg.

How brave should I be with the fuel light on? I always poo myself when it comes on and fuel it straight away, but how far should I get before it stops?

How far do you get with the light on?

 

Not very far mate, never run on an empty tank, clogging up filters etc..

 

I have always got at least 30 miles; never tried to go more but...

 

Once got 50 miles, (Sunday in France etc etc.) Heart stopping...........

 

Start to use a different concept, fill the car up, and re-fill everytime you get to quarter full (your new empty marker). As said above ^^ your doing more harm than good using the dregs of fuel. If your stuck for cash and your running low on fuel constantly I would suggest you walk more.

 

Yes if the moment arises (emergency situations), but don't plan to run your car in this manner.

I once was on the M6 and there was an accident which caused a tailback, my light came on and I was 20miles from the next service station which took over two hours to get their on-and-off the gas. That was a heart stopping moment, but I certainly will not be putting myself in that position again if it can be helped.

 

fill it up when light comes on,you know how much your tank holds
so you will know how much you have left in tank with light
x miles per liter = distance

i could around 50 in mine 60L tank

 

Ta for the quick replies.

Was just seeing if I had enough to make it to a Shell garage from work or if i was going to have to resort to Tesco fuel

UK300, i got the hint a few months ago when I found that i couldnt afford the fuel so i bought a saxo for to and from work, fancied a treat today tho

 

Ive started filling up with Tesco momentum 99 and TBH my sti seems to be running better than on V Power. I had a thread on it last week... see below.. might save you going out of your way to Shell

https://www.scoobynet.com/scoobynet-...-momentum.html

 

This is how ive run my scoobs for the last for years while they were every day cars. Luxury of a diesel now means i can chuck 20ltrs in when it's under a Qtr. I would avoid £5-10 quick fills as you spend more time on the tesco forecourt than the road.

 

That doesn't make sense to me .. the pump takes the bottom fuel out first .. so technically you're not running on dregs .. my tank isn't damaged or rusty so all the fuel is the same ??

Unless I'm missing something here ?

 

All my local Tescos are crap for choice, i havent seen 99 in any of them, in fact, i cant even get 97 in my nearest Tesco so i got caught once with 95, very unhappy car that day!!

Texaco's Techron gave me a few more mpg when i tried it but Shell is closer (still a few miles tho).

 

fair play fella... I must be luck as my tesco has 99 all the time.. must be different areas I guess..

 

I let my car get to 3 miles left on the trip but then it is a ford mondeo diesel and my run around so I dont care that much


In the scoob once I pretended to my pasenger that the light had been on for over 20 miles and there was only 20 miles in the reserve tank. Did some kangaroo hopping to give the full effect and said we might break down.


Coasted into the petrol station and said god that was close !!!


She wasnt too impressed when I told her I was only kidding

 

I've done over 70miles on the fuel light, couldn't find a Shell. Everyone I went to was shut?! Never again!

 

Wouldnt mind knowing about this actually.

I guess the theory is that the **** is floating on the fuel rather than sitting at the bottom of the tank?

Not sure how true that is in practice though.

 

dont even know if my fuel light works...i aint brave enough to find out!!!

 

You would be surpised what can be inside a fuel tank, especially a derv tank. Any small particles that are floating on top of the fuel will (if run down enough) start to be sucked towards the pump/bag.

Equally any **** at the bottom on the tank will be easily flowing about in the small amount of fuel which again can get sucked in towards the pump.

The pump is kind of hanging in a fuel pump hanger on a newage impreza so its not quite sat at the bottom in the tank.

At the end of the day: lets say you are powering out of a sharp corner on full throttle and you are on the reserve of fuel, it is likely that you will fuel starve (lean out) and can cause serious engine damage. For this reason alone I thinks its a bad idea running on low levels of fuel.

Rob

 

deisels tend to have water in it hence you never run them down low as they are a **** to reprime through

powering out of a corner with less that quarter of a take is a stupid idea let alone running low,,,,, but general driving it aint great but it aint as terminal as you make it sound

 

That makes sense

 

From what I recall, when the light is on, that means you have 2 galons left btw.

 

i've had injectors fooked before cos of cr@p in them - surley this would have been from the tank??

 

Had 45 miles out of mine and then it ran out of fuel, lucky I was at the top of the hill and the shell station was at the bottom.

I can't see it letting crap into in the system as it goes through 2 filters before the engine, beside petrol disolves most things anyway. Your more likey to to make it lean out cornering fast over crap gettin into in the engine

 

Dunno how many miles but the other day I was still going with the needle halfway down the E, that'll never happen again.

 

Well this is a very interesting thread I must say... I get about 168 miles until i get to 1/4 of a tank left.. i can then go on to do 72 miles(if I drive on the very slow side) until the light comes on i never do more than 25 miles with the light on, as i don’t have the B**ls but if the tank gets to 1/3 and i do have a spirited drive i get fuel starvation. Which means I either drive slowly or fill up all the time…

 

I got carried away about fuel economy once in a fairly standard '03 wrx. I had been backward and forward to Norfolk at 60mph then on to motorway at a steady 70mph and got to 380 miles before the light came on - yep 380 miles! Should have filled up then,but had obviously become a bit OCD about it and ran out of fuel at 410 miles. Never got anywhere near that since. Car felt fine once refilled, but I did worry a bit if draining the car dry could cause lasting damage.

 

I always press the trip button as soon as the light comes on and then try to get to a station within 20-25 miles .. ie a gallon's worth .. even if it has to be 97RON (as opposed to Shell or Tescos) and I therefore need to go slower until I can get some proper stuff onboard ..

Got to 32 once and was panicking ..

As others have said .. drive slower when the light comes on as the sloshing/starvation round corners could be an engine killer ... but not very likely

 

Thing is you can't go by what every one is putting as some people have mods and some have non etc.

Personally I change my fuel filter every 10k anyway. I wait for my light to come on before even thinking about filling back up. I give myself between 10-15 miles etc.

I once got away with 1/4 of a tank from Castle Combe to home Junction 1 M3 !!!

I have tested fuels latley and only put in 25ltrs etc. Shame travel use (but the odd driving charactoristics and weather/in take could have been different).
Shell V Power = 112 miles
Tesco 99 = 89 Miles
Shell 97 Ron = 102 miles
Tesco 95 + 2.5 ltrs of meth + 100mls of Octane booster = 105 miles


Steve

 

i did around the 65 mark lost in the highlands that was a bad day

 

I think i made the 50 mile mark before running out uphill at some lights 0.5 mile from the bloody Shell garage! LOL. The wife went mental. Not good at 10.30pm in a suspect neighbourhood. Never done it or been like it since. Fill up like on the light now.