I've always wondered just how far I could go on one tank of gas, so I've constantly run the needle down to the "E" just to see if I could get a couple more miles out of it (besides, "E" means Enough, right!).
After two years, I've finally beaten all my other mileage - without running out of gas. Just the other day I managed 366.5 miles before I filled up.
I don't drive nice all the time, but it is mostly freeway to and from work, so that helps. This tank was also coming home from Lutsen, MN and involved lots of passing on the two lane road past Two Harbors

Now I have to see if I can reach 370!

 

I don't have my notebook to reference, but I know I've gotten to at least 375 before filling up. And I haven't consciously tried to run it dry yet. All of my driving is in town... The OBC always says I can go to about 400 miles per tank.

 

To and from work on the highway and some local driving and I am always hitting the almost 400 mile per tank mark! On Local driving only I get 350-370 always.

 

oh yeah. I've got a 2003 S aka "THE M1N1"

 

Sweet!

I guess I have more to go then. Thanks guys.

 

Haven't paid attention to miles/tank. Miles/Gallon is an average 30.1 since brand new. At least that's what the OBC says. At 15.3 gallons that means a theoretical 460.5 miles, down to the last drop.

Unfortunately life ain't quite so theoretical, eh?

I bet on a tollway at 70 mph it would do at least that, though.

 

I just returned from vacation.
My OBC showed 34.5 MPG for the entire trip of 2300 miles, carrying two gals and a couple hundred pounds of luggage.
We traveled to SW Colorado and did lots of mountain driving as well as 80 MPH freeway crusing thru New Mexico.
Actual manually calculated milage was 31.1 MPG. With 15.3 gals, that would equal 474 miles.
The car is a modified MCS NOT driven conservatively. The tires are new 215/45-17's. Since they are oversize, the milage actually traveled should be greater.

Ann

 

15.3 gallons? Which Mini has that?

 

LOL

Isn't it something 13.5? I assumed it was a typo.

50l according to www.mini2.com.
50 x .26 = 13.

 

Book of MINI V:iv

"And the MINI shalt have a container with two distinct bodies and they shall be called Main and Reserve. And Main shall be considered and shall be found to hold 13.2 gallons, and Reserve shall be considered and shall be found to contain 2.1 gallons. And though Reserve may be the lesser in size, still many will find Reserve to be of greater importance in the coming days. Together they shall be considered and found to hold 15.3 gallons, this being a strange and wondrous number which probably makes more sense in metric.

So sayeth BMW."

 

Too funny!

But it was my understanding that the tank is 13.2 and the light comes on when there's 2 to go.

No matter - my goal it to get 370 soon, while tearing up the cloverleafs and beating everyone from the lights!
..except maximusmini and his MACHINE

 

The red light comes on when there's about 2.1 gallons let in the tank. Maybe this is what they call the "reserve"?

 

Ok I have some experience in this area, while racing down the highway at a speed I will not post because if I do I will become an arrested jailperson, I got to the point where the needle was below the, E. Mileage? 452. Yes thats right. But, I do not recomend it because I had to pull out the manual and look at the reserve tank. It occurs to me that the reserve thank kicks in when you are pulled over on the side of the road thinking you are out of gas when you actually have about 20 miles before you do. And by the way, My mini isn't the first off of the light when racing, It's a CVT and it is meant to be on the curves, what it does to is take over the person next to me at 30 mph because I'm still in first when his foot is in the clutch looking for second and then I shift and hit second and then BOOM, gone, no where to be seen.

 

Yes, that is the reserve. If you fill up when the light comes on, you can put in about 11.1+/- gallons. What is the most you have ever needed to fill the tank? Once we needed 12.8 gallons

 

Hmmm....

Why would they list two different capacities if they are overlapping? Seems odd.

I haven't yet gotten anywhere near empty. Maybe it's because I will use any excuse to go for a spin: "uh... I have to go get gas honey... uh... yeah... I'll be back in around 45 minutes... "

 

I don't know how many miles I had on the tank, but I do know for a fact, that when the computer tells you that you have zero miles remaining, it's unfortunately quite true.

 

The most I've ever been able to cram into my tank was 13.8

 

That's the trouble with holy books. They can be interpreted in so many ways.

 

LOL, true there puck, Hmm.....Experiement in mind....

 

I've done 13.3 with 2 miles range hovering... scared to find out what happens when I get to 0 range!

You ever heard of that stable gasoline that you can safely carry in the boot? Might be a good investment if you plan to test the max range....

[size=5]Quick fixes for an empty tank?[/size]

If you've ever run out of gasoline, you know you'd gladly pay just about any price to get to the nearest gas station. Now come two brands of "sort-of" fuel that can keep you from getting stranded on the road. If you're not careful, however, they can cause even bigger problems.

Pennzoil's version, called Rescue, costs $20 for a half-gallon jug, which will take you up to 10 miles (800 248-6688; www.pennzoil.com. There's also Spare Tank from Emergency Solutions (877 772-7382). You get a gallon for $20, which will take you as far as you'd go with a gallon of gas. Both come in plastic containers you can safely store in your trunk.

But there's a trade-off for the peace of mind these gas substitutes can bestow, and the manufacturers note this. That is, you have to use them up or dilute them with gas while the car's engine is still warm. That means getting to a gas station pronto; if you wait until the next morning, your car won't start. Sure enough, when we left our test Saturn overnight with each product in the fuel system, no amount of cranking would start the cold engine until we disconnected the fuel line to remove the gas substitute and replaced the fouled spark plugs. Emergency Solutions suggests using starting fluid in that situation, but that can damage your engine. Pennzoil suggests consulting the car's manual or a mechanic.

With Rescue, expect some stumbling at speeds lower than normal cruising. There was no such problem with Spare Tank.

In our tests, Rescue and Spare Tank worked as advertised, but require careful use so they don't become a cure worse than the disease. A better solution: Fill 'er up when your gas gauge reads a quarter of a tank.