Going far on a tank of gas

[ehidle]

On my way back to Philly from Atlanta on Sunday, I stopped at a rural gas station to fill up. I managed to get the tank full all the way to the top of the neck of the fuel inlet.

The result? almost 300 miles on the first 1/2 tank (indicated). I still haven't filled up. It's at about 400 with just over 1/4 tank left on the needle. My guess is I'll get more than 500 out of this tank. w00t!

http://lh4.ggpht.com/eric.hidle/SQbyWx66MiI/AAAAAAAAHDI/Kv8S86yPUdg/s720/P1000894.JPG

[tsunami]

wow... my best was 430.... all highway as well.

[Akaveli]

mines is 400. :(

[ehidle]

Well, in all fairness, I do have the 2.0L engine and a 5-speed. Plus, I am a more conservative driver, so that helps as well. I pretty much kept it at 65 the whole way.

edit: my super challenge now is that the rest of this tank will be driven on secondary roads (30-45mph) so I have to be super careful. I usually get 30-32mpg under these conditions, so we'll see how it works out.

[ehidle]

Right about where I thought - just under 400 miles with 1/4 tank to go.

Will I make 500? Personally, I think it's going to be very very close given how fast the needle takes off below 1/4 tank. I'm going to put a 2.5 gallon can in the trunk just in case I run it dry trying for 500 hah...

[skylar2ups]

I wish I could do this! Thats just amazing!

[ehidle]

You can do it - you just have to get the gas all the way full, as in to the top of the filler. Then, you have to drive like grandma - accelerate as slowly as possible, as this is where cars waste most of their gas.

Update - the fuel light came on at 450 miles, and it's just one tick above E. I know I have about 50 miles left when the light comes on, so man is this ever going to be CLOSE!

I've been shifting at 1800-2000 RPM and just accelerating as slowly as the horn-honkers behind me will permit. :)

edit: If you have a vacuum gauge, you can set yourself a "do not exceed" point and that will save you a TON of money on gas.

[skylar2ups]

You can do it - you just have to get the gas all the way full, as in to the top of the filler. Then, you have to drive like grandma - accelerate as slowly as possible, as this is where cars waste most of their gas.

The snow birds would run me off the road, if I used the interstate ever I might be able to!

[ehidle]

My God, this is going to be CLOSE. 483 miles and running on fumes, I think. I can see the needle swing back and forth when I turn, now, which means there is very little gas left in the tank. I am very very nervous. I need there to be 1/2 gallon left in the tank, and honestly I don't think there is. I am not even sure there is enough to get me 4 miles away to the gas station!

[pimped3]

I'm really going to try and beat that now without being on the interstate all the time, just under normal conditions Go ME! (pullup)

[ehidle]

Bring it! :D

I am afraid to drive it this morning. Haha.. I still haven't gotten a gas can so if I run out, I am screwed. I think I may take my truck around town today and pick up a 5gal can while I'm out. I really want to make 500. Haha..

[tsunami]

do it man just get some little dinky 2 gall gas can and push for 500!

[skylar2ups]

I believe in you!

[ehidle]

500 MILES

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_RX2uz5fR3dA/SQ9QPE42r6I/AAAAAAAAHHk/daZXYxct7u8/s400/500miles.jpg

Not out of gas yet, but that's the first place I'm going! :D

[KZL_99ES]

awesome man! great job!

[skylar2ups]

Woot*Woot!

[ehidle]

So, now the question is... I have a 2 gallon can of gas in the back... do I just keep driving until I run out?

I doubt you suckers are going to be able to beat me, anyway, so maybe I'll just quit while I'm ahead ;)

[icefisher]

So, now the question is... I have a 2 gallon can of gas in the back... do I just keep driving until I run out?

I doubt you suckers are going to be able to beat me, anyway, so maybe I'll just quit while I'm ahead ;)

Congrats, man. That's really cool! (cool) I'd never hit 500. My foot is too heavy. (drive2)

You might want to pull your fuel filter and clean it out. I'm sure you're sucking sediment by now. Just sayin'...

[pimped3]

alright, i'm going to fill the tank today and try to break that mark.
I'm at a little disadvantage though, I have a 2.3L hatch, but i'll try
EHIDLE, I'M COMIN' FOR YA!!! LOL

[ehidle]

alright, i'm going to fill the tank today and try to break that mark.
I'm at a little disadvantage though, I have a 2.3L hatch, but i'll try
EHIDLE, I'M COMIN' FOR YA!!! LOL

BRING IT, FOOL!

I will give you a 10% handicap for the larger engine and the weight of the hatch. So, if you can beat 450, I'll call you the winner. Deal?

My car ended up holding just over 15 gallons for the 500 miles. I have the slip out in the car and will post actual numbers tomorrow.

[flash75]

500 miles on 15 gallons of gas equals 33.3333 mpg. That isn't hard to do, however I wouldn't try to run my tank dry. We recently made a round trip from NC to CO and back to NC covering over 4,000 miles. The car is a 2008.5 Mazda 3 TR VE automatic with 2 liter engine. I kept records of my fuel purchases and and recorded the trip odometer readings for each fuel purchase, I totaled the miles driven and divided by total fuel purchased, we averaged around 34+ mpg for the entire trip. No special effort was made to conserve fuel other than not exceeding posted limits by more than 5 mph.

[ehidle]

500 miles on 15 gallons of gas equals 33.3333 mpg.

It is hard to do when 1/2 the tank is spent on in-town driving. Also, I am pretty sure I got more gas in it on this fillup since I have been 100 miles and the needle is just now at the F mark. I think it's probably I did 500 miles on something more like 14.5, but I won't ever know for sure. There is unfortunately no way to know exactly how much fuel was required for a particular interval.

[skylar2ups]

It is hard to do when 1/2 the tank is spent on in-town driving. Also, I am pretty sure I got more gas in it on this fillup since I have been 100 miles and the needle is just now at the F mark. I think it's probably I did 500 miles on something more like 14.5, but I won't ever know for sure. There is unfortunately no way to know exactly how much fuel was required for a particular interval.

The rest of us think you did a great job!

[pimped3]

That's it, you win! I got to about 380 miles and the neddle was already on the big "E" and I didn't want to risk it. you hear that, you win

[Casey Grubbs]

My MX3 get bad gas mileage and I dont know why and I have the 1.6

[skylar2ups]

My MX3 get bad gas mileage and I dont know why and I have the 1.6

My Turbo PT Cruiser got at the high end 19 MPG no matter how I drove and it took premium gas!

I about shot myself a couple times!

[ehidle]

That's it, you win! I got to about 380 miles and the neddle was already on the big "E" and I didn't want to risk it. you hear that, you win

Haha... ok.. How much did it hold? You only needed 70 more miles. If you had more than about 2.5 gallons left, I think you could have done it!

[pimped3]

I think it took about 13 gal so there was no way and I didn't want to replace the fuel filter or be stupid enough to run it out of gas and have to call one of my buddies because I forgot to put a can in the back. but, dammit, I tried

[blueamcat]

That's awesome. I'm not sure how much mine holds, but its probably close to 14 or 15.

On another note, probably don't wanna run it dry too much like that, doesn't it damage the fuel tank or something?

[pimped3]

What happens is there are small amounts of other molecules in gas that, over time collect and become larger molecules and sink to the bottom of the tank sentiment. As you use the gas, the concentration becomes greater and the sentiment starts to flow through the fuel filter and the filter cleans the gas but there is a possibility that the filter becomes clogged or at its worst, tear, causing damage to the engine. It’s not a good thing, and that's why I always fill up at 1/4 tank.

[aem421]

ehidle...that's awesome! I have gone 465 before filling it up. I was too scared to go any farther. I might have gotten to 500 but I would have definitely needed a gas can (yes)

[ehidle]

I was really sweating bullets for those last 20 or so :)

[jimp]

congrats on the 500 mile tank, I'm averaging 32+ on hwy at 65-70mph

[gettingspeedy]

please!

i got 590 on a tank once
2.0 5speed

from mooresville NC to Paducah KY on 12 gallons.

of couse i drove about 45mph the whole way drafting behind the u-haul my dad was pulling with my truck, he is one of the slowest drivers in the entire world.

and anyone wondering that's approx 49mpg

call me a liar, i left with a full tank, didnt fill up till i got to paducah, and put just over 12 gallons in it...12.2

[skylar2ups]

please!

i got 590 on a tank once
2.0 5speed

from mooresville NC to Paducah KY on 12 gallons.

of couse i drove about 45mph the whole way drafting behind the u-haul my dad was pulling with my truck, he is one of the slowest drivers in the entire world.

and anyone wondering that's approx 49mpg

call me a liar, i left with a full tank, didnt fill up till i got to paducah, and put just over 12 gallons in it...12.2

He wasn't just driving on the interstate though he was driving in his everyday life so all of you haters can stop trying to one up him and just see that he was trying to prove the 3 can get better millage then a Civic or Corola.

[Olestra]

Looks like drafting makes a big difference too.

[gettingspeedy]

im not trying to hate, he asked someone to try and better him....im not sayin im better, just sayin what i got.

im sure that the fact i have the amish version (no power anything) the weight reduction of not having power stuff helps too

[skylar2ups]

im not trying to hate, he asked someone to try and better him....im not sayin im better, just sayin what i got.

im sure that the fact i have the amish version (no power anything) the weight reduction of not having power stuff helps too

Yes but he meant in everyday driving not all highway and you sounded smug in your first post.

[terbow]

You can do it - you just have to get the gas all the way full, as in to the top of the filler. Then, you have to drive like grandma - accelerate as slowly as possible, as this is where cars waste most of their gas.

Update - the fuel light came on at 450 miles, and it's just one tick above E. I know I have about 50 miles left when the light comes on, so man is this ever going to be CLOSE!

I've been shifting at 1800-2000 RPM and just accelerating as slowly as the horn-honkers behind me will permit. :)

edit: If you have a vacuum gauge, you can set yourself a "do not exceed" point and that will save you a TON of money on gas.

Just a FYI. On newer cars, such as yours they have a vapor recovery system. If you top it off (e.g. fill it past where it clicks the first time) you can actually fill up the evap canister and cause problems with filling up (it will stop every few cents like its full).

Just something to consider if your topping it off.

on a side note, if your 1/4 tank and under is anyhting like mine you can almost watch the needle go down in real time lol

[xpretttyinpiink]

Ha. I live in Mass, and everyone drives like an asshole, and I must admit, I'm one of them. I only get about 300 miles to a tank.. Usually a lil over, but wtf.. You people must drive like saints!

[pimped3]

we do take our time out here, at least in west we do. :)

[skylar2ups]

Hahah I think it's cause they are older... NOT OLD, just older... they know how to drive and not Zoom-Zoom all the time! ;)

[skylar2ups]

I'm working on this... right now my trip computer says I'm getting 36MPG... it's taking a lot on my part to try and drive well and not speed.
The hardest is getting going from a red light or stop sign... I always want to floor it.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e337/skylar2ups/IMG00373-1.jpg

[skylar2ups]

So my trip computer is telling me that I have 315 more miles on this tank of gas... add that to the 186.8 miles I've already driven it takes me to 501.8 miles on this tank. I'm getting 36.1 MPG as stated by my trip computer.

I didn't fill my tank up to the rim, I just stopped when it clicked off. And I've only been driving in and around Destin Ft. Walton Niceville and Eglin AFB no highway driving. The fasted speed limit I've driven on is 55.

I'm kind of excited to get such good MPG's and I've noticed speeding really doesn't get you anywhere any faster. I see cars speed past me then I catch up to them at red lights... ridiculous.

[Raymo853]

I managed to get the tank full all the way to the top of the neck of the fuel inlet.


You know that is a bad thing to do? It can cause gas to get into some of the vents/emission controls especially if the fuel undergoes any thermal expansion after the transfer to your car from the relatively cool underground storage tank.

[blue08mz3hb]

I have never got over 400 miles on a tank yet. I have a big trip the beginning of May. Hershey, PA to Cincinnati, OH its about 485 miles one way. all PA/OH turnpike from Harrisburg to Columbus, highway Columbus to Cincinnati. I'm hoping to get to Cincinnati on one tank with the cruise. The highest I've got is 360 miles with just under 12 gallons. The most gallons I've ever put in is 12.38 and that was all in-town driving.

[skylar2ups]

I went to high school around the Nati. Mason, Ohio I make the trip to Ohio a lot it's a 11 hour drive from Florida and I fill up before I leave and in Tenn. Unless I speed. But you have the 2.3 engine and I have the 2.0 and yours is a hatch and mine is the sedan so there is going to be a diff in the MPG's we see.

[pimped3]

amen on the speeding. Those guys gun it everywhere and it's really hard on their cars when "stop and go" driving is already hard on the cars. And they wonder why their cars idle terribly lol The only time I speed is when I'm on the interstate or some county road with no traffic because it really does better on gas but I'd rather draft behind a big rig lol

[skylar2ups]

amen on the speeding. Those guys gun it everywhere and it's really hard on their cars when "stop and go" driving is already hard on the cars. And they wonder why their cars idle terribly lol The only time I speed is when I'm on the interstate or some county road with no traffic because it really does better on gas but I'd rather draft behind a big rig lol
+1

Plus on the back roads it's fun, and thats the time to ZOOM-ZOOM!

[pimped3]

just keep an eye out for gravle patches and (at least around here) deer

[skylar2ups]

We have deer here too and bear. Yes bears, I've seen a Vibe hit one right next to me and I saw a Cadi run one over. The sand on the road is often a problem too. And flooding.

[pimped3]

Flooding! All routes lead down hill LOL

[mikbimdre]

I don't know how you could have gotten good gas milege in Lansdale, PA traffic sucks around there. I'm lucky if i get 250 to 275 miles to a tank in that area.

[pimped3]

Okay... ehidle, it's back on!
I changed the oil in my car last week and cleaned the air filter and to my surprise I was at about 280 miles on the first half without trying. I'm gonna still hold you to 450 miles since I have a 2.3L hatch. It's looking tight though so I'm going to try really hard. I just waxed my car like a little iron butterfly. IT'S ON LIKE DONKEY KONG!!!

[jbarbieri]

That's pretty good. I usually average 400 per tank. I have noticed that if it's all highway driving, I burn more gas then my daily commute to work (which is 18 miles, 16 of which is on 35MPH hilly roads).

I drove down to Boston and back twice this weekend, and burned a bit more gas. I usually do 100miles per quarter, and on the highway I was getting about 75 per. Will see the final result in a couple days.

[lucaspl88]

did 450 miles on 11.7 gallon. Thats like 38.5 MPG.. on a 2.3 hatch... pretty sick. i was surprised when i saw that. I thought the needle for gas gauge got stuck or something.
it was on a trip to tennessee. 75 mpg cruise control on, AC on, and 4 ppl in the car..