When do you fill up your gas tank?

[maslex]

I know some people won't let their tank go below half tank or even a quarter tank. And I know for me, I wait until my digital display reads "50 miles left".

Are you one of these people or are you one of those that will put gas in when you have $10. LOL

What's your strategy?

 

[MIGrandma]

I fill my tank when my trip odometer says 250 miles.

I can't trust the full/empty display on the dash as it wiggles a lot, so I keep the trip odometer on all the time and reset it with each fill up.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I wait til my gas light goes on. LOL! Apparently when your gas light comes on, you still have 80km to go before the car dies. I guess i like to take risks.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

I fill up at 1/4 tank. I don't trust the gauge to work properly below that, my husband used to wait for the gas light to come on, the one day we ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere because the light never came on. I take no chances

 

[newt2]

I fill up when it's getting low, but more important is when in the day you fill up. If you fill up when it's cool out, like in the morning, you can increase your mileage by 1-2 mpg vs. filling up late in the afternoon heat. Gasoline expands with heat so each gallon has less actual energy when it's hot out than when it's cold.

 

[mamamary]

I usually fill up when the gas light goes on or when it appears that it will go on at any moment. i think I usually have at least 30 mi. left when it goes on.

 

[MrsDuck]

I wait til my gas light goes on. LOL! Apparently when your gas light comes on, you still have 80km to go before the car dies. I guess i like to take risks.

This is me too.. except I panic the entire drive to the gas station.

 

[ashmarie06]

My car must stink! Last time I was running low on gas, and my light came on my car turned off about 25 seconds later. Now i fill up at 1/4 of a tank!

 

[Dreamer7787]

I fill up every other Monday no matter what my gas tank is at.

 

[Straitlover]

The reasoning I have heard about not going below a quarter tank is this: all gas has a little trash/junk in it. When you pump it in yout tank, it settles to the bottom pretty quickly. If you keep the gas level above a quarter, the trash mostly stays at the bottom of the tank and doesn't get sucked into your engine and cause problems there. Whether or not that's the truth or not, I can't say .

My mother doesn't go below a half tank becasue she hates spending so much on gas at one time. It's really just a mind game.

 

[tvguy]

1/4 tank. And I always fill it up completely, no $20 top off.

 

[scrapquitler]

I know some people won't let their tank go below half tank or even a quarter tank. And I know for me, I wait until my digital display reads "50 miles left".

Are you one of these people or are you one of those that will put gas in when you have $10. LOL

What's your strategy?

Once it's about 3/8 I fill it as soon as it's convenient. My FIL is a car guy, and he always says you shouldn't let it get below 1/4 because the sludge can get in the motor or whatever and do damage to the car (I don't know if that's really true, but it scared me because I am definitely NOT a car expert). I also will pass by the gas station if the big tanker is there filling up the in ground tanks. Supposedly that mixes up stuff from the tanks that can get into your car as well. And when I do fill it, I always fill it completely. I don't add just $10 or $20.

 

[newt2]

Once it's about 3/8 I fill it as soon as it's convenient. My FIL is a car guy, and he always says you shouldn't let it get below 1/4 because the sludge can get in the motor or whatever and do damage to the car (I don't know if that's really true, but it scared me because I am definitely NOT a car expert). I also will pass by the gas station if the big tanker is there filling up the in ground tanks. Supposedly that mixes up stuff from the tanks that can get into your car as well. And when I do fill it, I always fill it completely. I don't add just $10 or $20.

There's a filter between your gas tank and the engine. That can get clogged though, but it shouldn't ruin the engine (there's an off chance that it could get so clogged as to cause the engine to run lean and start knocking, but that's a severe case).

 

[tOSU]

I fill up when it's getting low, but more important is when in the day you fill up. If you fill up when it's cool out, like in the morning, you can increase your mileage by 1-2 mpg vs. filling up late in the afternoon heat. Gasoline expands with heat so each gallon has less actual energy when it's hot out than when it's cold.

 

[Meriweather]

Between 1/4 tank and the light going on.
Try to do it at the 1/4 left mark, but it also has to be convenient.

 

[Disney Doll]

I usually try not ot let it get below a 1/4 tank.
I am not always successful and often see the "50 miles to empty" signal on the digital disply.

 

[Swimnoid]

I just switched from a car with a 20 gal tank to one with a 10 gal tank. Even though the new one gets way better gas mileage I have to fill up more frequently than before. I used to do it when ever it was convenient. Now I do it as soon as I can once the light goes on. Otherwise I'd be stopping every other day.

 

[Janepod]

I don't let it go below 1/4 tank. That's about when I fill up, but if I'm in NJ or pass the super-cheap station that's about 15 mins from me, I'll fill up regardless of where the level is.

 

[jen0610]

I usually fill up on weekend, no matter what the guage says. Which day is determined by exactly how much running around we do that week.

My mom on the other hand, she'll put 10 in 7 days a week, instead of just filling up once.

She's also a big complainer that that 10 dollars barley got her through the day. But bite your tounge if you suggest that instead of running her a/c, that she just roll down her window. Even though we have proven that her a/c system sucks down the gas faster than she can put it in, she will not roll down the windows. She doesn't like the noise.

 

[Mrs.Malone]

I used to let it get down to almost empty but not any more. Years ago, we had a sudden natural disaster and power was out for days. My gas tank happened to be nearly empty and no gas stations were open for many miles around since the power was out. It was a scary feeling, like being trapped. Never again. Now I always fill up at 1/2 tank.