[spongebob]

Just wondering if anyone has really pushed the limits of the fuel range reading?

I'm down to 2 lights on the gauge, but I'm being told that I've still got 150+ miles in the tank. It went down to 1 light briefly, before I stopped and moved the car a bit later, then it was back to 2.

I've always been a bit 'top it up when you get to half a tank' of a driver - I was going to wait until the weekend on this, but I'm not keen on driving with one fuel light remaining.....unless there really is a good 150 miles, then I'm more than fine!

Anyone who can shed light on the accuracy of the fuel range?

 

[LimeyUK]

2 bars is usually 150+ in mine.

It is surprisingly accurate, i was like you and was very hesitant when i got 'low' on the gauge with 150 miles left.

The gauge stays on 1 bar for ages. You'll know when you're low as it gives out an audible tone and a warning comes up - then the gauge goes red, and the petrol light comes on :lol: My light only came on at about 50 miles left, which is about right for a reserve.

 

[mud4fun]

Yes, it is quite accurate however if traffic conditions suddenly change you can end up in trouble as I have experienced.

I was doing a 500 mile motorway trip, I'd had good traffic conditions with clear roads and sunshine (so no lights on) and the red light came on after 430 miles but showed a range of 160 miles left so I thought I had plenty of fuel to get to the end of my journey. However it clouded over and started to rain heavily so I had all my lights, wipers and heater on so mpg dropped immediately by 5mpg then I hit a really bad traffic jam. Within a few miles of sitting in traffic jam the range dropped to just 60 miles so I had to fillup at a motorway services at sky high cost.

So yes it is accurate but only based on the same traffic conditions. A sudden change can drastically alter the range.

I now always fillup at 90-100 miles left (just after last bar turns red usually) and would not risk going lower unless I was doing very short journeys near fuel stations!

 

[hendry]

I reckon these new fuel computers are pretty accurate as I collect all different cars at work and sometimes Inconsiderate customers leave the cars with like 7 mile ranges and the nearest station which accepts our fuel card can sometimes be over 10 miles away, so driving around on 0 or --- ranges and not broken down yet, generally with Vauxhall when the light starts flashing that's when you really need to worry about it.

I uses to drive my old Astra round town when I did takeaway deliveries on 0 mile range (fuel station a mile away at all times) for several miles and not run out.

 

[LimeyUK]

I found that on my Agila Hendry, at first I would fill up when the light came in, but eventually I learnt that I didn't need to until it started flashing, which could sometimes take a while, it was usually an extra days commute, so was worth it imo

 

[skywhite]

I was driving up and down to Lanark today,you know Lanark the place where Colin Mcrae learned to drive around the twisty back roads? :lol:

Anyway I was giving it a bit of stick up and down the back roads and before I knew it I was down to 43 miles left of petrol with no flashing petrol light / :shock: I did get the obligitory low fuel warning but no flashing light.

So nipped into the Shell and stuck a tenner in and up the range went to 158 miles and then as soon as I drove out the petrol station it dropped to 147 and by the time I had got up the road it was sitting at 135 miles. :mrgreen:

 

[LimeyUK]

I was driving up and down to Lanark today,you know Lanark the place where Colin Mcrae learned to drive around the twisty back roads? :lol:

Anyway I was giving it a bit of stick up and down the back roads and before I knew it I was down to 43 miles left of petrol with no flashing petrol light / :shock: I did get the obligitory low fuel warning but no flashing light.

So nipped into the Shell and stuck a tenner in and up the range went to 158 miles and then as soon as I drove out the petrol station it dropped to 147 and by the time I had got up the road it was sitting at 135 miles. :mrgreen:

It likely starts flashing at 20ish miles left. Obviously goes a little mental when it is low, every time you start the car it reminds you :lol:

 

[Reddaz]

I get roughly 100 miles out of the last light before I fill up. Then about 50 for the other 6 and 70 out of the first.

Twice now I have got 470 miles out of a tank before filling up with around 40 miles left on estimated fuel left. This is with the first 300 miles being on the motorway at 60 - 65 cruise. The rest on Urban roads to work with 2 of the trips (90 miles in total) carrying 4 people.

The fuel range isn't that consistent all the way through the tank though and I could do 50 miles on the motorway and it only goes down by 25 - 30 miles but do an urban drive near the end of the tank and it could all of a sudden drop for one 140 miles left to 125 over a 5 mile stretch. That is why I like to just use the figures i have above. Knowing I have 100 miles left in the tank when last light comes on is what I like, about 60 until the light turns red and orange light comes on.

 

[mud4fun]

Bare in mind that the bars on the fuel gauge are not linked to the actual volume of fuel left. They are generated based on the rate you are burning fuel. I know this because many times my fuel gauge has actually gone up!!! This happens frequently were I've been stuck in really bad traffic jams just after filling up and after about about 40 miles the top bar on the gauge goes out however if I then do a steady 58mph on empty motorway getting near 70mpg the top bar goes white again and the range increases. Last fillup my range stated 550 as I exited the petrol station but after 40 miles it went up to 590.

My red light has come on at various ranges left, typical about 100 but it has remained white down to as low as 90 before or on another occasion turned red at 115 miles. No consistency at all.

 

[Luke Corsa E]

My red light usually tends to come on between 60 - 70 miles left. As my work commute is all in city traffic the MPG can be quite poor at times although i have a 5 mile commute to work and pass 4 petrol stations so can let the tank run right the way down before filling up.

 

[spongebob]

Couldn't reply beforehand as my Broadband has been down for the last 7 days....!

My red light came on at about 80 miles left on the range. I was on the way to the garage, down some country roads having a bit of fun on the twisty stuff!

Good news was it only took £45 to fill the tank back to the top, far less than I thought.

I was a bit scared to take it too low - whether I'd have got the 80-odd miles it said I wasn't prepared to risk!

 

[LimeyUK]

I took my last tank right down to when the light starts flashing and the driver info screen is locked on 'Fuel level low'. I had 28 miles left according to the display before it locked.

When I filled up, I got 44.3 litres into it, probably could have clicked it a couple times more, but even so, that would suggest I had less than 700ml of fuel left!!