Tips when your running out of Petrol!

ronan45

Ok so like me your filling up with a tenner here and there.
So When you are on a knife edge distance to the nearest petrol station has anyone any tips to help you get there?
At lights for maybe one minute, should you turn off your engine?
Coasting?
Any tips to get them last few km?

Vince Cable

We'll just drive like that all the time & make our tenners go further . . .

doOh

When reserve light comes up u have around 100km in tank so u can make half way across ireland :P

The Bishop Basher

Reminds me of a guy I used to get a lift home with, kept a litre of petrol in the boot. When he ran out, he'd pull over and top up with enough to get him to the next filling station. Why not just put more in when you're filling up ? It's better for the engine and you'll spend the same anyway.

Wetbench4

Dont do burnouts and try to drive down hill.:D
Seriously though, drive in high gear and not in high revs. turn off ac and rear window defroster. Thats all i can think of.

Solnskaya

Drive everywhere with two big lads in the back, so if you run out, you can just get them to get out and push. As a back-up, keep 5 litres of vodka in the boot- it will keep the 2 big lads quiet on long journeys, and if they get knackered when pushing, you can fire a litre or two into the tank, just to get the last few K's.;) That's my top tip anyway. Hope it helps.

knird evol

If you got a siphon with you then you don't have to worry how far you are from a petrol station, only how far you are from a friendly motorist who will sell you a litre.

n900guy

ronan45 wrote: »

Ok so like me your filling up with a tenner here and there.
So When you are on a knife edge distance to the nearest petrol station has anyone any tips to help you get there?
At lights for maybe one minute, should you turn off your engine?
Coasting?
Any tips to get them last few km?

If it's on a motorway and a bit to the next exit, you can try slipstreaming behind a truck - but you need to judge the best distance to stop the wind buffetting and also to get the sweet spot. This can increase your range a huge amount but only useful really when running out on a motorway.

george tobin

AC makes no difference to fuel consumption its a myth.....

corktina

drive quicker to get to the pump sooner...

Solnskaya

george tobin wrote: »

AC makes no difference to fuel consumption its a myth.....

Buuuaaaarrrp. Oh yes it does, its engine driven(the compressor), as is the alternator, the power steering(if not electric) and any other belt driven services. AC does indeed increase your fuel consumption, as does having a window open(even a little), as does higher revs/lower gear V's higher gear, lower revs, as does carrying around 2 big lads and a wall of vodka.

Edit-to get that last bit from your dwindling fuel reserve, simply whip out a stanley knife and cut the belts to all ancilliaries. Slightly more practically, tyre pressure has a huge effect on fuel consumption, keep em pumped up to the highest pressure reccomended in your handbook-soft wheels eat fuel(increased rolling resistance).

kyote00

AC will increase engine load and reduce fuel economy. However some studies have shown that at low speed, AC off and windows open is not much different than AC on,

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/28960.pdf

george tobin wrote: »

AC makes no difference to fuel consumption its a myth.....

Testament1

george tobin wrote: »

AC makes no difference to fuel consumption its a myth.....

The AC compressor is belt driven so when switched on it puts an extra load on the engine which is naturally going to cause the engine to use more fuel to deal with this. Sit in a car sometime when its ticking over and turn on the AC and you'll note that the engine revs up a bit.

Solnskaya

For anybody interested in wringing the last few K's from a gallon, a quick (down to earth)look at some of the Hypermileing websites will provide good tips and advice-like religion and drink, if not taken to extremes, these techniques can be helpful.

Shane732

Personally I'd recommend you fill up earlier.

Solnskaya

Shane732 wrote: »

Personally I'd recommend you fill up earlier.

A lot of people are finding it hard just to keep fuel in the wagon at he moment, so perhaps filling up is what they want to do, but a tenner is what they get.
Hauliers especially are dyeing on their ar5es at the moment with the price of Derv, and I fully sympathise with their situation, It must be tough.

tossy

doOh wrote: »

When reserve light comes up u have around 100km in tank so u can make half way across ireland :P

Are you serious? the OP never mention the car fuel or engine type!

evolving_doors

doOh wrote: »

When reserve light comes up u have around 100km in tank so u can make half way across ireland :P

Discovered the hard way that the reserve light didn't work in my car.....

anyway here's my 2 bits...

Anticipate any slow downs well in advance so you wont have to move off from stationary position which requires the most energy...i.e. aim to be at max speed when the lights go green (check for light jumpers left and right)

I think the most fuel efficient speed is 55mph.

Always fill your tank full, never mind eddie hobbs talking about buying by the litre (the price of fuel is always going up so the more you wait the more you pay)

The Bishop Basher

Solnskaya wrote: »

A lot of people are finding it hard just to keep fuel in the wagon at he moment, so perhaps filling up is what they want to do, but a tenner is what they get.
Hauliers especially are dyeing on their ar5es at the moment with the price of Derv, and I fully sympathise with their situation, It must be tough.

It makes no difference. If you can't afford to drive from a to b then dont. If you can afford it, happy days. Regardless of all the tips above, you're going to use pretty much the same amount of fuel regardless. Unless your paid daily, learn to budget better and fuel up for the week.

firefly08

Switch off all non-essential electrics - stereo, blower, window heater, AC etc.

Well the stereo won't use much energy but fvck it might as well be thorough.

Whatever you do don't coast (if by 'coast' you mean allow the car to freewheel with the clutch depressed). When you depress the clutch, the engine has to idle to stay switched on, so it uses fuel for that. Whereas if you take your foot off the accelerator but leave the clutch up and leave the car in gear, the car's momentum keeps the engine going, so no fuel is used.

Don't switch off the engine at the lights unless you think you'll be stopped for at least a minute because starting the engine uses a bit of extra fuel.

lau1247

Swanner wrote: »

It makes no difference. If you can't afford to drive from a to b then dont. If you can afford it, happy days. Regardless of all the tips above, you're going to use pretty much the same amount of fuel regardless. Unless your paid daily, learn to budget better and fuel up for the week.

I agree with regards to fill it up more.. saves time and less unnecessary trip down the station..

Solnskaya

Swanner wrote: »

It makes no difference. If you can't afford to drive from a to b then dont. If you can afford it, happy days. Regardless of all the tips above, you're going to use pretty much the same amount of fuel regardless. Unless your paid daily, learn to budget better and fuel up for the week.

Nice one. Cue big row..
Not the most sympathetic post I've ever read there Spanner, a lot of life sadly needs to be conducted on 4 wheels, pesky kids, work, etc. Personally, I run a lot of vehicles and bunker fuel in bulk tanks, so this whole issue does not really arise, but being a sentinent human being, I can appreciate how tough it must be at the moment for a lot of families to keep the wheels turning.

Merch

firefly08 wrote: »

Whatever you do don't coast (if by 'coast' you mean allow the car to freewheel with the clutch depressed). When you depress the clutch, the engine has to idle to stay switched on, so it uses fuel for that. Whereas if you take your foot off the accelerator but leave the clutch up and leave the car in gear, the car's momentum keeps the engine going, so no fuel is used.

Nothing personal but b*ll*x, if that was the case cars would use no fuel, The cars momentum does not keep the engine going, the engine is turning over at a greater no. of revolutions in gear, the fuel/air being supplied to the engine keeps it going!

If used as a form of braking on a downhill, you would use more fuel than if put in neutral.
That said I'm not suggesting it is a good habit, it is bad practice and leaves you with less control over the vehicle, in my opinion particularly around corners.

The Bishop Basher

Solnskaya wrote: »

Spanner

Brilliant. Not the first and I'm sure you won't be the last to come up with that stroke of comedic genius.

The OP's question was about how to get further when running out of fuel. The only logical answer is add more fuel. I appreciate the fact that some people have little or no cash right now. I also subscribe to the fact that €10 will get you only so far, recession or no recession and no amount of reality dodging will change that.

mickdw

Merch wrote: »

Nothing personal but b*ll*x, if that was the case cars would use no fuel, The cars momentum does not keep the engine going, the engine is turning over at a greater no. of revolutions in gear, the fuel/air being supplied to the engine keeps it going!

If used as a form of braking on a downhill, you would use more fuel than if put in neutral.
That said I'm not suggesting it is a good habit, it is bad practice and leaves you with less control over the vehicle, in my opinion particularly around corners.

I think firefly was referring to situations where you would be slowing for a junction etc. Doing in while coasting uses the amount of fuel required to keep the engine started. Driving down through the gears will use (in a modern engine) no fuel. The fuel management systems actually cut the fuel to the engine. The momentum of the car is what keeps the engine running. Even if agressively going down through the gear, there is little or no fuel required as the engine is basically being forced to turn over by the energy of the moving car

Merch

mickdw wrote: »

I think firefly was referring to situations where you would be slowing for a junction etc. Doing in while coasting uses the amount of fuel required to keep the engine started. Driving down through the gears will use (in a modern engine) no fuel. The fuel management systems actually cut the fuel to the engine. The momentum of the car is what keeps the engine running. Even if agressively going down through the gear, there is little or no fuel required as the engine is basically being forced to turn over by the energy of the moving car

I've heard of that alright but, regardless of what peoples in car fuel consumption says, I'd like to see some technical data to back that.

Alanstrainor

Solnskaya wrote: »

Nice one. Cue big row..
Not the most sympathetic post I've ever read there Spanner, a lot of life sadly needs to be conducted on 4 wheels, pesky kids, work, etc. Personally, I run a lot of vehicles and bunker fuel in bulk tanks, so this whole issue does not really arise, but being a sentinent human being, I can appreciate how tough it must be at the moment for a lot of families to keep the wheels turning.

Infraction given for that. Attack the post not the poster people.

mickdw

Merch wrote: »

I've heard of that alright but, regardless of what peoples in car fuel consumption says, I'd like to see some technical data to back that.

I wouldnt be going by the in car display either however if an engine has designed in technology to reduce compression at such times as it is not required to produce power, it is perfectly sensible to use the movement of the car to keep the engine rotating and running all associated systems without major engine braking.

unkel

Solnskaya wrote: »

Buuuaaaarrrp. Oh yes it does, its engine driven(the compressor), as is the alternator, the power steering(if not electric) and any other belt driven services. AC does indeed increase your fuel consumption, as does having a window open(even a little), as does higher revs/lower gear V's higher gear, lower revs, as does carrying around 2 big lads and a wall of vodka.

Edit-to get that last bit from your dwindling fuel reserve, simply whip out a stanley knife and cut the belts to all ancilliaries. Slightly more practically, tyre pressure has a huge effect on fuel consumption, keep em pumped up to the highest pressure reccomended in your handbook-soft wheels eat fuel(increased rolling resistance).

LOL, funniest post of the week on motors

john.west

firefly08 wrote: »

Whatever you do don't coast (if by 'coast' you mean allow the car to freewheel with the clutch depressed). When you depress the clutch, the engine has to idle to stay switched on, so it uses fuel for that. Whereas if you take your foot off the accelerator but leave the clutch up and leave the car in gear, the car's momentum keeps the engine going, so no fuel is used.

Im not saying your incorrect per se but I cant for the life of me see how this is the case. My own car will coast up gentle inclines in first and second gear and its beyond me how it would not use any fuel when doing so.

firefly08 wrote: »

Don't switch off the engine at the lights unless you think you'll be stopped for at least a minute because starting the engine uses a bit of extra fuel.

Somebody mentioned to me once that beyond 17 seconds it makes more sense to turn off the engine as the fuel saved will be greater than that little surge when you start the engine. Not necessairly saying its 17 seconds and am sure one cars differs slightly to the next but all the same there has to be a time span after which it would make more sense to cut the engine. In reality of course its seldom possible to to estimate how long you will be stopped in a particular spot but if you anticipate you will be stopped in one place for a good few minutes I'd suggest it makes more sense to cut the engine.

On driving around with the fuel light on, on a regular basis I wouldn't be inclined to recommend it as its not the best for the fuel pump. Over a long time the dirt and sediment at the bottom of the tank will eventually make its way into the fuel pump and do it no favours. I say this in the knowledge that more often than not people just dont bother changing fuel filters. Sods law dictates that you may well get out sooner or later anyway. If for example a sudden need arose to make a journey at night with no filling station open nearby to you.

gk5000

Say u run out of petrol...open the petrol cap and whoosh; as the air rushes in to fill the vacumn of the empty tank, and allows the last few dregs to flow through the pipes to the engine. Might get you 1/3 mile to the nearest petrol station.

Also I park on a hill at home facing upto the house. Car won't start if its low, so you let it roll back down to the level and you've got another 10 miles.

Merch

mickdw wrote: »

I wouldnt be going by the in car display either however if an engine has designed in technology to reduce compression at such times as it is not required to produce power, it is perfectly sensible to use the movement of the car to keep the engine rotating and running all associated systems without major engine braking.

That would suggest opening the valves and leaving them open? while not adding feul

Solnskaya

Merch wrote: »

That would suggest opening the valves and leaving them open? while not adding feul

Merch, what sort of car do you drive? I have visions of you diving under the bonnet every five seconds, either whipping open the valves or pouring in petrol, feverishly trying to decide wether to leave them open or shut em. Mine is a fairly crap piece of dung, but it does all that itself without me so much as thinking about it.

Merch

Solnskaya wrote: »

Merch, what sort of car do you drive? I have visions of you diving under the bonnet every five seconds, either whipping open the valves or pouring in petrol, feverishly trying to decide wether to leave them open or shut em. Mine is a fairly crap piece of dung, but it does all that itself without me so much as thinking about it.

Well, I'm going to disappoint you cos I know what goes on under the bonnet and despite my car being old it also does all that on its own, it has been suggested earlier that newer cars seem to drive on air?? and I've heard this momentum stuff touted before but without any technical back-up so I'm suggesting what would have to happen for it to be true, anything is possible and I think it wouldnt be too difficult, but i would like to see something written down, that says how it is done, because even with the valves open (all of them) there will still be resistance and i can see a car slowing down (like a jake break)

mickdw

Ah now there is nbody saying cars run on air. The point being made is that at times where a car is slowing down i.e. does not need engine power to get as far as junction (more brakes than power required), enough power can be captured from the movement of the car to keep the engine turning over and power the associated systems without direct fuel input.

This is really no different to how brakes produce heat for example when stopping a car. What produces the heat? Is it free energy? No, its energy from the speed of the car.

Merch

Not saying it doesn't or can't exist just that I'd just like to see something technical that states how it works out of interest/until then I'm sceptical.

Other than that if you dont have new car I'd suggest to the op to do all the things that get good miles in the first place like tyre pressures/windows closed/economical speed/plan route and ahead in traffic, no point in trying to squeeze any more than is possible out of the remnants as letting the tank go too low is not good, so may as well not try put off the inevitable.
I cant be arsed to stick in a tenner, be filling up in no time and I dont even do much miles now, €15 min and if I was doing anymore, I'd just put in a full tank (yes I know, carrying full weight of fuel around is prob against hyper mile-ing) but at least it doesnt feel like I'm in the petrol station all the time.

Esel

gk5000 wrote: »

Also I park on a hill at home facing upto the house. Car won't start if its low, so you let it roll back down to the level and you've got another 10 miles.

This. If fuel is low, park on a level area, or at least be able to let the car roll to a level area. Parking 'the wrong way around' on a slope can mean the pump is sucking air.

@Merch: Are you driving an old car? On most modern cars, the fuel is cut off on the overrun.

Merch

Esel wrote: »

This. If fuel is low, park on a level area, or at least be able to let the car roll to a level area. Parking 'the wrong way around' on a slope can mean the pump is sucking air.

@Merch: Are you driving an old car? On most modern cars, the fuel is cut off on the overrun.

As people keep saying, I'd just like to see a formal link that says this is what happens,

Mine is old, doubt it has anything like that, all the same I still get 45mpg, wont be replacing it until it becomes uneconomical fuel-wise or have to put too much money into it or both.

MASTER...of the bra

I didn't read all the other posts so it may have already been said but is say not filling your Car up by say.......more than half way not a good tip?

Your Car is considerably lighter (40 litres?)so the engine load is lighter.

Merch

MASTER...of the bra wrote: »

I didn't read all the other posts so it may have already been said but is say not filling your Car up by say.......more than half way not a good tip?

Your Car is considerably lighter (40 litres?)so the engine load is lighter.

In my opinion, true, dependent on how far you intend driving and how close you are to a petrol station, long drive, I'd fill up though

bazz26

I would not tend to let the fuel run down to the last drop. Doing so could result in crap stuck at the bottom of the fuel tank over time, getting into your fuel pump and possibly killing it.

andyseadog

this is all sillyness really. these things all make negligible difference.

i once read an auto express magazine feature that they done on fuel consumption.

they took an astra (i forget what engine) but it was a modern variant.

from an empty tank, gave the car 'x' amount of petrol, drove it with just the driver, windows up, all electrics off and with a feathered right foot and measured exactly how far it would go until it conked out.

then they again, gave it the same 'x' amount of fuel, had a driver and 3 passengers, all windows down, all the electrics on and let the tyres down to half their recommended pressure.

i forget the actual stats but the difference was found to be, as i said negligible. i'l try searching for the article online as my figures are a bit vague.

edit :

linky 1 :http://green.autoblog.com/2008/10/27/autoexpress-looks-at-mpg-myths-little-impact-from-tire-pressure/

linky 2 :http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/229776/the_mpg_mythbusters.html

Auto Express wrote:

Results at a glance

30.5mpg – Astra’s baseline fuel economy
30.4mpg – Two front windows a third open
30.3mpg – Roof bars and laden roofbox
30.2mpg – Two front windows totally open
29.7mpg – Four tyres down to 20psi
28.0mpg – Air-conditioning on
27.2mpg – Three large adult males in the back seat
24.1mpg – Roof bars and laden roofbox, plus three adults in the rear, a bike carrier with two adult bikes and air-con


Eco driving: The main facts

- Air-conditioning makes a big difference when driving at low speeds, but has very little impact on the motorway.
- Having the windows up or down makes very little difference.
- A modern aerodynamic roofbox barely impacts on fuel used.
- Slowing down on the motorway will boost fuel economy dramatically.




Read more: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/229776/the_mpg_mythbusters.html#ixzz1EvclkEQa

so unless your fully loaded with lots of un-aerodynamic goodies strapped to your poorly serviced car, the difference is slim.

Tea 1000

Merch wrote: »

As people keep saying, I'd just like to see a formal link that says this is what happens.

Google is your friend, it does happen, whether you believe it or not. You could try ringing HQ of any of the big manufacturers if you wanted, they'll tell you.

ants09

drove from dublin to clonmel once and red light came on in me car at the esso on the n7 me being stupit kept going thinking i get a petrol station somewere along the way but all were closed, around 30 miles from clonmel needle was at bottom and car told me zero miles left but still got me to clonmel mind you kept air con off, window's closed, high gears and low rev's if possible drove at 60mph at just 3k rev's and last but not least talking to me car

sdanseo

ants09 wrote: »

drove from dublin to clonmel once and red light came on in me car at the esso on the n7 me being stupit kept going thinking i get a petrol station somewere along the way but all were closed, around 30 miles from clonmel needle was at bottom and car told me zero miles left but still got me to clonmel mind you kept air con off, window's closed, high gears and low rev's if possible drove at 60mph at just 3k rev's and last but not least talking to me car

Punctuate!

Seiously though, I always keep a big box and fill it with loose change, then when there's 20 or 30 quid fill the tank with it. That and if anybody throws me a few quid for lifts, it goes in the centre console petrol fund.

ants09

sdonn wrote: »

Punctuate!

Seiously though, I always keep a big box and fill it with loose change, then when there's 20 or 30 quid fill the tank with it. That and if anybody throws me a few quid for lifts, it goes in the centre console petrol fund.

Hi Punctuate! nice meeting you too !!!!!!!!!!!

i do the same keep spare change in the centre console but what do you do when your driving thought town's that petrol stations close at 9 ????

Esel

ants09 wrote: »

what do you do when your driving thought town's that petrol stations close at 9 ????

If it's after 9, I keep driving.....

sdanseo

ants09 wrote: »

Hi Punctuate! nice meeting you too !!!!!!!!!!!

i do the same keep spare change in the centre console but what do you do when your driving thought town's that petrol stations close at 9 ????

I live in Dublin, where petrol stations are always open almost without exception. On coming across a closed station these days, I tend to snigger in mild amusement/annoyance and make a point of never, ever going there again. With one exception, purely because it's on the way to a friends house :P

challengemaster

MASTER...of the bra wrote: »

I didn't read all the other posts so it may have already been said but is say not filling your Car up by say.......more than half way not a good tip?

Your Car is considerably lighter (40 litres?)so the engine load is lighter.

30kg isn't that much when you're talking about an already >1200kg

force eleven

Well with petrol going to be €2.50 to €3.00 a litre by summer you won't get much more than fumes out of your tenner here and there. God be with the days you could stick five pounds in the tank and half fill 'er.

Nonoperational

What a thread. Petrol €3 a litre by summer? Right....