Today I really pushed the limit on running out of gas. My trip computer showed 8 mi to empty while I was on the highway, going at a nice steady 60mph with AC off. I was really going easy on the gas pedal. It then quickly jumped to 1 mi to empty and quickly went to 0mi and then "---". I exited quite quickly, went about 1 mile to a gas station, and had no problem. Any idea how much "buffer" I had when the trip computer shows zero? Some car have a full gallon. I ended up putting in 14gal exactly.

 

I've been there too and managed to put 14.2 gallons at 0 miles shown. BTW it's suppose to be 13.2 gallon tank.

 

i think it's a 1 gallon buffer. can't be too good to run it down so low thou...

 

That's getting LOW! It's a 14.2 gallon tank. I put 13.1 in mine and it said I had 55 miles to go. I don't think I could've gone that far on a gallon, so I bet it was off or would have gone down like crazy after that.

 

The number of miles left is calculated based on your driving, so you can't expect it to be exact unless you always drive exactly the same and have the same number of hills and valleys. I wouldn't cut it very close because the manual says that if you actually run out of gas it could damage your engine.

 

I wouldn't let your tank run that low. Here's why. I believe that when you get gas..it isn't always 100% pure. There can be contaminents in that gas. The dirt or whatever settles at the bottom of the tank. It doesn't usually get sucked into the engine. But I believe when you run the tank down to the bottom, you have a better chance of that stuff getting drawn into the engine. I had it happen on a BMW like 15 years ago. Your much better off not letting it go below an 1/8 of a tank. Nothing may ever happen when running to the last drop...but you never know. And a problem like that would probably not be something the dealer would be jumping up and down for..to do under warrenty.

 

We should start a "14.2 Gallon Club". I've put that much gas in my tank twice. My computer read 4 miles to empty.

Has anyone ever squeezed more gas into a tank ?? Do I hear 14.3 ?

 

I know its bad, but I routinely find myself running the tank that low. Never had problems in any of my cars from doing it, so why stop now lol.

Also, I've never run out of gas before :knock on wood:

Managed to put 14.4 gallons in it last night. Was down to the "----" for a mile or so before I reached the station. It's funny with our flower petal light up gauge, because it goes completely black when your down that low, looks funny.

I haven't gone far enough on the R56 yet, but I know on my R53 the dashes would progressively count down the further you went.

 

It can also be hard on the fuel pump since it actually uses the fuel in the tank to help keep the pump cool.

 

I'd like to see some actual data on how it affects the car to run it down that low. I'm not saying that there isn't any truth to what has been said but logical though an argument might be it's no substitute for proof.

I let my driving habits dictate when I fill up not the other way around and I therefore routinely put in more than 13 gallons when I fill up. I've done this on every car I've ever owned, and I've had a few. They all either lasted well beyond 100k or died of other mishaps, not one ever had a fuel related problem. Well there was the Fiero with the hole in the tank, never figured out how that happened.

 

My wife ran her Hyundai out of gas this weekend (could this be a family thing?). I put in a gal or two, let the fuel pump pressurize, it immediately fired up and off she went. I agree that its not something that anyone should do that often, but I don't expect it will hurt anything if done once or twice in a cars lifetime. I've run out of gas twice in my life and have never had an issue with the either cars engine or fuel system (long) afterwards. I don't plan to do this either with the mini, but I will occasionally push it. 14 gallons is my new fill-up record, and seeing how I was really driving "for mileage", I estimate I might have gone another 5 -10 miles before I was walking (0.3 gals X 30 MPG). 14.5 anyone?

 

There was another thread here a year or so ago about people running out of gas with as much as 60 miles to go on the tach. I wouldn't trust that readout. I find that when I'm down just one or twe markers on NAV window indicator that I only have about half a tank left. BMW does not get points for the accuracy of the MINI fuel level indicators.

 

I look at it like this. The gas gauge on the Mini is quirky, just like the rest of the car. For some reason, I find it fits with the character.

I would never trust the OBC readout for miles left to empty. I, consistently, fill Romi back up when she reaches two candy corns.

 

I have frequently been past the '0' into the '---' and never run out of gas, and even at that time I don't think that I put more than 13.2 gallons in.

 

I don't know how many of you watch Top Gear but this past season when the hosts did a run from somewhere in France to Blackpool to switch on their lights. I remember Clarkson saying that even though his Jaguar was showing 0 on the trip computer he could have gone something like an extra 140miles before running out of fuel. I have to imagine most cars are like that, although like others have said it is not good to run your tank down that low.

I typically fill up when I have 2 or 3 bars left on the fuel gauge that way I don't ever have to risk running out of fuel and receiving a ticket (it's illegal here in Michigan apparently).

 

Quote from a website "the largest cause of fuel pump failure is caused by the tank being run low, especially in the winter. the pump has been installed inside the gas tank, in part, to try to keep the pump cool. when a car has been driven on a low tank, the pump will tend to get a little warm, then pumping cold gas on top of it, can sort of "shock" the pump."

The other big killer can be from not changing the fuel filter. A fuel pump can run hot from trying to push fuel through a blocked or partially blocked filter.

Yep 2-3 bars for a fill-up for me too....no less.

 

http://tankonempty.com/viewcar/MINI/Cooper

My CLK I ran 30 miles with the trip computer stating empty one time I was out in the middle of no where. They give a buffer and I have never seen a trip computer be accurate.

 

it got down to 1, then --- it went back up when i got to the gas station, and i put in around 55L which is 14.2 +-

 

Anybody catch this weeks' Top Gear? They drove three cars 750 miles on one tank of gas. From Basel, Switzerland, to Blackpool, England. They were ALL on "0" when arriving at their destination, and they ALL made it! Surprisingly, a Jaguar did really well. He was running air conditioning, going all out, etc., and still made it on one tank!

http://www.topgear.com/us/videos/mor...e-to-blackpool

 

It is a 13.2 gallon tank.

What many people forget is that the fuel filler neck (i.e. the pipe above the tank itself) can hold a gallon or so. The so-called "reserve" of 2.1 gallons is really just the amount of fuel left in the tank when the light turns red.

 

How well do these engines handle running lean? It would seem that as you ran out of fuel in the tank, the engine would begin to run lean and get leaner as the fuel supply was exhausted (especially the turbo/supercharged S). with the compression in this engine, will this short time running lean hurt anything internally? I know for some engines, running lean for any amount of time is a death sentence.

 

Found here. Again, a logical statement but one still not backed up by any real data. Is this a cause of fuel pump death, maybe, but is it the leading or even highest cause?

 

Surfblue says: +1 on 14.2 when I filled it, but I'm not proud of it. I was doing a long day of freeway driving and pushed it. I freaked out when the pump display went red and I realized I was still some miles from a gas station, especially after I stopped in a town north of where I live and BOTH stations were closed for rebuilds! My RULE is to fill the tank when it hits 1/2, no exceptions.Empty tanks = moisture in tank = moisture in engine. I'd guess I was down to fumes. I don't feel running down that low is good in anyway, from the possible contaminants issue to, more importantly, the fact that your fuel pump is in that tank, and the gas COOLS the fuel pump. It won't happen again. BTW, good idea to put a double dose of gas stabilizer in your full tank once in a while and run it through, etc. Or a full bottle of one of those system cleaners.

 

So 14.4 is the record by ThumperMCS? Did you cheat (by that I mean did you add any gas after the pump shut off the first time)?

 

My father in law never let his cars get below half a tank. He never tried to justify it as anything other than precautionary. All he said was ..."the car runs just as well on the top half of the tank as it does on the bottom half".

His daughter likes to go as far as possible between fill ups. Go figure. I keep trying to tell her about water and sentiment in the tank, but it doesn't matter.