9th Gen Civic Forum banner
92K views 173 replies 106 participants last post by  jason.milll  
#1 ·
Since I'm also monitoring fuel economy with a Scanguage II (ScanGauge - Trip Computer + Digital Gauges + ScanTools), I thought some people might be interested in knowing how much fuel is left in the tank when the low fuel warning light comes on. I've gone thought three tanks so far, and it's been pretty consistent.

Low Fuel Warning Light Comes on - 10L remaining
Range goes to zero - 8L remaining
Zero bars left on the gas gauge ~ 7L remaining

The manual states there are 7.5L left in the tank when the light comes on, so my guess is Honda is being a little conservative. Ha!
 
#3 ·
Did similar tests on an Accord a few years ago... gauge data was very repeatable. The low fuel light would vary with temperature from 2.0 gal to 2.5 gal remaining. There were also variances based on how the car was being driven when the light came on. The light would come on with less gas remaining on the highway and more in city traffic.
 
#7 ·
I got down to the 3mi range yesterday before fill-up and it took only 10.5 gallons :) Still had 2.7 gallons!
 
#8 ·
this is good to know, thanks for the info!
i prefer not to let me fuel get that low though, in past experience its not good for the pump and there's times where i have places to go and no time to stop and fill up......i always fill up when i get to about a quarter tank just to be safe. but thats just me
 
#9 ·
Yeah the low gas level can tear up your fuel pump, and its worse on gas mileage
 
#16 · (Edited)
I regularly filled my '98 corolla when it had 6-8L of fuel remaining, and I never had any problems with the fuel pump. I've heard the myth that you shouldn't let the fuel level go below 1/4 tank for cooling and lubrication purposes, but I've never seen any hard evidence to support it. I do know that the fuel pump is cooled and lubricated just by having gas flowing through it, so the effects of gas sloshing around on the outside for cooling are probably minimal.

I agree that more moisture can get into the tank, but like I said I never had a problem over the 13 years I owned my corolla. I'll be the guinea pig and let you know how the '12 civic holds up! :)

I've never heard the "worse on gas mileage" bit...another myth perhaps? Where's Mythbusters when you need them! lol
 
#11 · (Edited)
Anyone ever see that episode of Seinfeld where they keep driving the car and pushing it further and further? That was funny.
This one (its just the parts of it not the whole thing):
YouTube - ‪Kramer test drives car on Seinfeld‬‏

On another note anyone ever notice any better mpg with the brand of gas they use? I try to use Shell 99% of the time. Sometimes I have to use RaceTrac and that seems to burn off a little faster.
 
#12 ·
yes I've noticed the non-ethanol lasts a lot longer in my tank, and its better for the engine apparently
 
#14 · (Edited)
Interesting. I always found Chevron to burn real fast.....at least in my last 2 cars. I wonder if its the detergents they add.

I'll have to see who doesnt use as much or any enthanol near me. Almost everyone has it. I know at one point it was required all gas have it, but this website says otherwise and lists which stations by state dont use any.

http://www.examiner.com/sports-car-in-tampa-bay/list-of-ethanol-free-gas-stations
 
#24 ·
good question but I don't think anyone would like to take it that far.
 
#29 ·
gas tanks nowadays have reserves for the jabronis who test the limit/dont realize how low they are--the reserve is from 10-15L depending on the make, model, etc. Generally speaking, i too have heard a million times that once the gas light comes on you've got 50 miles/80km to go until you're shit outta luck.

i suspect having a reserve tank is also so that the gunk buildup and deposits on the lining of the tank dont make their way into the engine.
 
#33 ·
After the fuel light comes on and I drive till it hits 0 KM went another 30 km before filling up, the fill up was 43 liters to the top, havent taken it beyond that maybe I should keep a full jerry can in the trunk zero the B counter and see how far she will go from the 0 point before stalling out, this will have to be on a holiday when it's not busy don't want someone to kiss me from behind if it's busy.