Drivers putting less gas in tank, then running out

I understand the budget issue. But, if the price of fuel is rising, it would be less costly to keep the tank filled as much as possible since any fuel purchased in the future will be more expensive.

I have never and probably will never let my tank run empty. When I hit 3/4 of a tank (and I'm talking about still having 3/4 of a tank) I top it off. Now that may not be great for your tank either, but it surely can't be as bad as running on fumes and filling it over and over. It hurts much less to top it off when you only need to put a quarter tank than it does when you run out and have to fill it.

I consider my tank to be "empty" when it falls below half. That way there is always a safety cushion.

I agree. If you're only going to keep the tank half full, why not make it the top half? And isn't the cost the same (or less) if you fill it up once a week versus twice a week? I know the initial cost is higher, but you're still paying for it.

If you buy say 1000 gallons a year, it is more costly to stop and put 5 gallons in every other day then to just fill it once and ride it out. Making frequent trips to the pump, stopping and starting, wastes more fuel and saves NO money. I understand people who can't afford to fill the whole tank in one shot. So scrounge, fill it once, then don't let it drop below half. 5 gallons costs the same no matter how you slice it. Fuel isn't going down in price anytime soon. And how do people really run out of fuel anymore???? There is a thing called the GAS GAUGE! I'm a contractor and I spend over a $1000 a month in diesel for one vehicle, I have no pity.

I have to admit, I did run out of fuel about 2 weeks ago. It is not a fun thing to have happen. I try to keep my tanks full and on this occation, I had a leak in my fuel line. Fixed it and that is that.

I can understand, how some people can have trouble filling their tanks. My truck would cost $188.00 to fill up on empty.

Take for example, someone working a minimum wage job. How can they fill up their car and pay their bills? Someone in that position can't afford a newer car that gets good mileage. They are strapped.

I do have pity for some of people out there.

Gas costs money, regardless of whether you fill at half a tank, or empty. Pay now or pay later; I've always filled the tank all the way. Better to have it near full than near empty and potentially cause a wreck.

If your tank holds 15 gallons, 7 gallons is not that much fuel weight. But if it hold 40-50 gallons, 1/2 a tank weighs a good bit, and not having to haul it around will improve gas mileage.

Oh please: the US prices are about half what europe/australia pay. Quit your whinging, and next time you're faced with voting in a warmongering republican chimp: think again!

Oh and for peats sake: GET SMALLER CARS or ride motorbikes/bicycles, walk or take public transport like the rest of the world seems to do. You are no more/less of a man for not owning a hummer or a tank like SUV. You may be more of a decent human being for doing so however.

Seriously: you americans are like children as a race. Selfish, ignorant and seemingly unable to learn a lesson.

I am one of those that always runs on fumes. I have an Accord, and I always put in 20 bucks. For me, it is more of a psychological issue. If I have a full tank, I tend to be more free wheeling with the miles, if I know I have the available gas.

I never top off my tank, but that sounds like a nifty idea. I think it's something that I probably won't do, though. That's just extra driving to the service station every few days. As it stands now, I can drive seven or eight days on a tank and I drive approximately 80 miles per day.

As a service person who depends on my vehicle, I keep it full all the time.
Stop and think about it.
3 cents a litre at different gas stations, when you fill up with 60 litres only adds up to $1.80. In Canada we spend $1.30 a litre.
Are you saving any money when you burn 2 litres to drive to the next town to save this money?
Do the math!

I am fortunate in that I am retired and do not need to drive very much. In the past four years I have put a total of about 20,000 miles on my car.

I do not like to let my gas tank get anywhere near empty. Once the gauge shows that I've used about 1/4 tank, I stop by my local gas station and fill up. I will not bother to drive around and look for a cheaper price since the differences between stations are insignificant (I may use a different station if the price is the same/or better and it's on my way somewhere). Right now my local station has regular at $4.19.9 (at least that's what it was on Friday).

While I usually let my gas tank run down until it notifies me that I need fuel, I always fill it to full when I re-fuel. And while a tank of gas on my car will usually last about 2 weeks if I remain in the city - if I am going out of town - I will check the tank before I leave to make sure that I have enough gas in the tank. If I don't, I fill it up. I also sometimes check on websites the price of gas of the city I live in and the place I am going to and make a decision as to whether I buy gas here or there.

A suggestion for those who only put in $10 or $20 worth of gas when the tank gets close to empty, why not take the one time hit of filling the tank, and then when the gauge hits the two-thirds full mark, fill the tank back up. That way, your lack of gas isn't incurring damage on your fuel pump and you always have good portion of gas in your vehicle to make sure you get to where you need to get to without having to call someone for help.

too bad they haven't found a way for cars to run on stupidity; there is plenty of that going around.

I don't know what's the matter here? Here in Europe we always had more expensive gas prices as in USA. And we are not running out of gas. Finally you feel it that the golden times are over. If you need gas than cut corners elsewhere (1 restaurant meal less per month). We stretch our money to reach month's end. We are used to do it this may. And on the other hand a new car, more efficient in gas consumption could cut costs, too. Ok, that would mean another loan for a car, but sooner or later zou have to deal with it.

too bad they haven't found a way for cars to run on stupidity; there is plenty of that going around.

P.S.: Running out of gas due to gas prices is foolish. And so many of them

I always keep my tank at half or under, even before gas prices shot up. Whatever you can do to conserve fuel is smart, no matter how much it costs per gallon. Don't drive with your windows down, don't fill your tank (it makes the vehicle heavier, causing you to get worse mileage) Obviously, watch the gauge and don't run out.... Don't run your ac, use the vent if it's not too hot. Coast to stop signs, accelerate slowly, stay in the fast lane of traffic-the slow lane will cause you to wait behind someone, switch lanes heavy on the pedal and then back over, which totally negates the point of the slow lane and saving gas. Middle lane is unpredictable with people using it as a lane changer. Fast lane usually keeps steady space and you will have no reason to floor it to pass another car.

I don't understand why people have a natural tendency to think opposite of what reality really is. First, If gas prices are going up then the full tank you buy today cost you less than a half a tank at today's prices and a half a tank at an increased price next week. Then people don't think about the fact that gas evaporates and the more air (meaning the less gas) you have in your tank the more the gas in your tank will evaporate. Also the more air in your tank the more moisture gets into your tank because your gas tank is vented and it will bring in humid air. Even if you don't drive your car it heats up in the day and air expands and is vented out your gas cap then at night when it cools down it will draw moist air back into the tank. A full gas tank has no room for this humid air to get in. The water in this humid air will form water droplets in the top of your tank and will cause it to rust. Both the water and rust will ruin your fuel pump and injectors and clog your filters giving you even less gas mileage. Use your head and save a lot of money, Fill it up and never let it get below a half a tank.

This can be a very expensive habit. Fuel injected gasoline cars and trucks have a high pressure pump in the fuel tank and a set of rather expensive injectors on the engine, all of which can be damaged to the point of replacement when the vehicle is operated to an empty fuel tank.

There are two big reasons for this. First, the high pressure tank mounted electric pump depends upon a flow of fuel for cooling the motor. As the tank empties not only is the motor no longer surrounded by cooling fuel, but it looses flow thru it which is its last reserve of thermal transfer. Fire is not an issue with it, but life expectancy of the pump is. After several hot runs it will quit and need replacement. Not only is the pump expensive but there is considerable labor cost involved to remove and replace it which often requires removal and replacement of fuel tank for access to the pump.

The second issue is that there is always some gritty dirt and moisture in fuel. This collects on the bottom of the tank. It tends to stay in place when the tank is filled beyond about a quarter full. When the tank is taken to empty the pump picks this stuff up and sends it on its way to the injectors. Filters may catch the grit if they are in decent condition, but not any water. The grit the filter doesn't catch, the water and any air sucked up by the pump is pushed to those expensive electro-injectors where this stuff will grind and corrode the precision surfaces of the injector's control valves resulting in constant fuel leakage into the engine.

So running on empty can become considerably more expensive than a tank of gas, this is the kind of damage that can get into several thousand dollars to repair very quickly.

RJH

It's a little on the stupid side to let your gas drop so low that you risk running out. I used to work for a towing company and not only would they charge you for the gas you're having them bring you, you have to pay for the cost of sending a truck out to deliver it, which easily doubles the price per gallon. I remember one lady getting charged $55 for a service call on Highway 58 between Mojave and Four Corners, CA. Five dollars for gas and the fifty for the boss sending me out with it. Is saving money at the pump really worth it when you risk being billed more?

No.

Modify your driving habits, keep at least a half tank's worth of gas, and look around for the cheapest prices you can find. Don't have an attack of stupid.

I fill up both cars once a month at Costco. I am retired and so is my husband, so we can limit our driving. We live in a small town and can limit our driving to once or twice a week. We try to run our errands in one go. We don't let our tanks get below a 1/4 or even 1/2. I pity the folks who still work and have to drive to work and don't have mass transit to fall back on.

I almost ran out a few weeks ago. Was driving back from the airport and really wanted to make it all the way. Once I hit traffic I knew it wasn't gonna happen so pulled over and filled up. I take public transit to work and try to limit fuel consumption. It had taken me a month to go through the last 1/4 of my tank, and three weeks later I'm sitting at just under 3/4 full from that last fill up.

PS: I always fill up all the way, like I'm buying futures in gas. I only expect the prices to go up, at least until the end of summer. In winter always keep your tank AT LEAST 1/4 full. Your car will run better that way in the cold.

I ride a bike to work at least twice a week. My commute distance is 17 miles each way. My Dodge Dakota gets 19 mpg, so I consume almost 2 gal each day I drive. When I bike however, I require 6 chocolate chip cookies to fuel my round trip. I can get 3 cookies in the cafeteria for $1, but I get the benefits of cardio exercise, plus I get to eat my fuel!

The downside is it the temp gets up to 110 out here...

"Gas mileage is affected by how much weight is in your car. By constantly keeping your car full, you drive around with 12+ gallons of weight. If your tank is located in the rear of your car and your car is rear-wheel drive, it hurts mileage even more since the weight rests upon the wheels that propel the weight of the entire car. Additionally, it's not a bad idea to let the tank run low so deposits won't develop in your gas tank. "

I've heard just the opposite; don't let the tank run low or you will be sucking up sludge from the bottom of your own tank and clogging up the lines.

I've only used the chocolate chip cookies that are availablel in the company cafeteria. I should try Mrs. Fields or something like that, but there's retail outlets - kinda like sources for hydrogen. Oh well...

My wife has started riding her bike to/from work as well - she has one mile further to ride each way than I do. Out here in Az it gets HOT - like 110 in the afternoon when we ride home!