Why do so many always drive on low fuel

CIP4

Firstly I can understand there is a certain percentage of people who genuinely can't afford to fill their car tanks with fuel which is fair enough but what about everyone else.

Why do so many people who can easily afford to fill their car still choose to only ever put 10-20 quid of fuel in it at a time meaning it's basically on 1/4 tank or less at all times. I mean I know people with new and 2 year old cars that I'd say have never been filled with fuel. Then you have this thing of people driving around for 30-40km with the light on I mean what's the point there is nothing to be gained.

I fill my car every week or two depending and wouldn't let it go below 1/4 of a tank I'm driving almost five years at this stage and have had a fuel warning light come on I'd say 3 times at most.

I just can't see the benefits of not filling up when you can afford too plus it means you have to spend a lot less of your life sitting in petrol stations, coupled with the fact it's nice to have that safety buffer of having at least 200km range so that if there is an emergency in the middle of the night and you need to get somewhere.

So what's people's thoughts am I the odd one for thinking filling up is the logical thing to do or am I missing some fundamental downside.

Mech1

Your dragging all that extra weight around with you, reduces the 0-60 time by almost a second!!:D

retro:electro

My red light is always on, I like living on the edge

DopeTech

Laziness, I would be guilty of it the odd time but usually top up/fill when the light comes on.

Mech1

I would double the value of my car if i even half filled it!!

Also driving near the end of tank can give sediment into injection. Never leave under 25% filled.

joebloggs32

CIP4 wrote: »

Firstly I can understand there is a certain percentage of people who genuinely can't afford to fill their car tanks with fuel which is fair enough but what about everyone else.

Why do so many people who can easily afford to fill their car still choose to only ever put 10-20 quid of fuel in it at a time meaning it's basically on 1/4 tank or less at all times. I mean I know people with new and 2 year old cars that I'd say have never been filled with fuel. Then you have this thing of people driving around for 30-40km with the light on I mean what's the point there is nothing to be gained.

I fill my car every week or two depending and wouldn't let it go below 1/4 of a tank I'm driving almost five years at this stage and have had a fuel warning light come on I'd say 3 times at most.

I just can't see the benefits of not filling up when you can afford too plus it means you have to spend a lot less of your life sitting in petrol stations, coupled with the fact it's nice to have that safety buffer of having at least 200km range so that if there is an emergency in the middle of the night and you need to get somewhere.

So what's people's thoughts am I the odd one for thinking filling up is the logical thing to do or am I missing some fundamental downside.

Firstly, it is more economical to do so as your car has less weight to carry, and therefore increasing fuel efficiency.

Secondly, at the moment as price are falling it makes sense to only buy what you need for a few days at a time. If I filled my tank it would be three weeks before the next fill. I'd expect the price to fall in the next three weeks a couple of times.

The other thing is it is not like we live in the outback. How far are you from a station at any one time?

willowthewisp

It's a mental thing....3/4 filled my car today though!

deathtocaptcha

people driving around on low fuel has no impact on you or other road users...

there are much bigger problems / complaints you should have with other drivers including:

• front fog lights on permanently
• misaligned front headlights
• queue skipping
• roundabout etiquette
• indicator use
• slow drivers
• poor merging
• poor parking

kieran.

Nothing like a bit of diesel roulette to add a bit of excitement to a mundane journey

rizzodun

Sometimes I fill my car, sometimes I stick in 20 quid, all the time I stand looking at those around me and think 'Nobody gives a f*ck either way what I do'

What a weird thread, and what a weird thing to be bothered about...

TheChizler

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Also driving near the end of tank can give sediment into injection. Never leave under 25% filled.

Not really relevant to modern cars with pumps with particle filters in the base of the tank anyway. They use fuel for lubrication so only bad if you run down to the last few drops.

Senecio

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Firstly, it is more economical to do so as your car has less weight to carry, and therefore increasing fuel efficiency.

I laugh when I hear this from people. Our cars weigh 1,400Kg+ and people are worried that carrying an extra 20-30Kg is going to make real difference?

Del2005

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Firstly, it is more economical to do so as your car has less weight to carry, and therefore increasing fuel efficiency.

Secondly, at the moment as price are falling it makes sense to only buy what you need for a few days at a time. If I filled my tank it would be three weeks before the next fill. I'd expect the price to fall in the next three weeks a couple of times.

The other thing is it is not like we live in the outback. How far are you from a station at any one time?

Checking tyre pressure and servicing would be better for fuel economy than driving with a 1/4 tank.

For a 60l tank you save about a Euro so for €20 your saving about 20c each time you refuel, but you have to refuel 3 times vs once which eats into time you could be doing something you enjoy.

Mr_Muffin

I have never had enough cash to even half fill the tank. I look forward to the day where i can fill that baby up to the brim (if it ever comes).

I used to fill my car to the brim but I have found it handles better with half a tank, maybe its in my head but thats why.

CIP4

Senecio wrote: »

I laugh when I hear this from people. Our cars weigh 1,400Kg+ and people are worried that carrying an extra 20-30Kg is going to make real difference?

Ye it's about the weakest argument you could use as your up a huge amount of money by saving a few kg maybe some genuinely think it does make a huge difference but it clearly doesn't the difference in mpg would be negligible.

The Sidewards Man

They probably cant change their puncture either.

eeguy

Personally I do it because either hate the thoughts of spendin 70 euro just on petrol.

It eases my mind to break it up into 20 or 30 euro sums.

CIP4

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

I have never had enough cash to even half fill the tank. I look forward to the day where i can fill that baby up to the brim (if it ever comes).

That is a decent reason and the one I mentioned in my opening post which if you don't have the cash to fill it you don't. But you see you insinuated that if you had the money to fill it each time you would to save on the inconvience of having to go to the petrol station more often.

CIP4

rizzodun wrote: »

Sometimes I fill my car, sometimes I stick in 20 quid, all the time I stand looking at those around me and think 'Nobody gives a f*ck either way what I do'

What a weird thread, and what a weird thing to be bothered about...

It makes zero difference to me what way people fill their car and it doesn't bother me. The reason I set up the thread was to see was I missing out on some fundamental reason other than the it makes my car more economical and faster crap.

Bio Mech

I never let my car go below half full. Half full is empty to me! Just personal preference really.

pippip

The most common time i do it is when I am low on petrol and I pull into the nearest station which then turns out not to be as cheap as others.

I always feel even though its only a few cents why give it to them if they don't feel they should price competitively.

con___manx1

I never fill my car. We are the the 4th most expensive country in the world for petrol. Over 70 percent is tax. The oil price is at it lowest in ten years and d government has not brought down the price. This country is a joke for tax.

pippip

con___manx1 wrote: »

I never fill my car. We are the the 4th most expensive country in the world for petrol. Over 70 percent is tax. The oil price is at it lowest in ten years and d government has not brought down the price. This country is a joke for tax.

So you have a magic car?

STIG83

Reminds me of a farm near me, one of the workers let the tractor run out of diesel completely.
Took ages to get it started when filled up.

I top my car up every week. Some weeks it'll only take €10, sometimes €20 and other timed €50+, so I'm probably one of those who you reckon can only afford €10 or €20 a time!

Skylinehead

STIG83 wrote: »

Reminds me of a farm near me, one of the workers let the tractor run out of diesel completely.
Took ages to get it started when filled up.

It was airlocked, usually have to pump it out before you start the engine.

jsd1004

A tank of fuel weighs 50 plus kilos. Bad for economy and performance.

Jesus.

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Firstly, it is more economical to do so as your car has less weight to carry, and therefore increasing fuel efficiency.Secondly, at the moment as price are falling it makes sense to only buy what you need for a few days at a time. If I filled my tank it would be three weeks before the next fill. I'd expect the price to fall in the next three weeks a couple of times.
The other thing is it is not like we live in the outback. How far are you from a station at any one time?

Still don't think those two reasons make much sense. You're talking pennies there.

OP I know plenty of folk who put in a dribble every few days. Can't understand it myself

aaakev

My fuel is free and but i hate going to fill up, its a pet hate of mine but i have to fill up every week and usually wait until the light is nearly on. First world problems.....

To be fair though this time of year i don't let it run down as much just incase i get caught somewhere in the cold but i usually send someone out to fill it up for me!

cletus

con___manx1 wrote: »

I never fill my car. We are the the 4th most expensive country in the world for petrol. Over 70 percent is tax. The oil price is at it lowest in ten years and d government has not brought down the price. This country is a joke for tax.

And the award for most nonsensical statement on the internet goes to...

CJhaughey

I usually fill mine when it gets to 1/4 on the gauge which is about 8 litres.
The one time I passed the garage and didn't fill it up and went home was the very night my son was diagnosed with appendicitis and I had to drive 60 miles in the middle of the night in my wifes car because mine wouldn't have made it to the 24 hr station 60 miles away.
Lesson learnt.

shietpilot

I usually fill it to full and drive it until the range says that I can drive for 60 km. This allows me to visit the petrol stations least frequently and I can forget about buying fuel for longer periods of time :P

savagethegoat

Jesus. wrote: »

Still don't think those two reasons make much sense. You're talking pennies there.

OP I know plenty of folk who put in a dribble every few days. Can't understand it myself

you may save fuel carrying less weight but you probably use the savung with the extra trip into the filling station. I always wait for the light to come on and then fill to the top.(and use my wife's debit card)

STIG83

Skylinehead wrote: »

It was airlocked, usually have to pump it out before you start the engine.

It a modern enough tractor too, would tell you with lights and alarms that fuel low.

curiosity

I brim it, then wait until it's as good as empty. The most I've ever pumped at one fill is 50 litres (petrol). Works out at approx 37.5kg. Drive it until it's empty, I'm carrying an average of 19kgs extra weight. Half-fill it, (25 litres, 18kg), that's an average of 9kgs. I'm not sure that an extra 10kgs is going to impact fuel economy that much!

http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/volume-to-weight

power pants

I Dont fill my car up to the top

Wondering what impact this has on you?

ShadowHearth

I personally would never let tank go below half in Scooby. You never know when you will need to go somewhere in a rush or in what situation you will be.
For example my misses taking wrong train from limerick to Cork and ending up Thrules on new years eve...
I had full tank, got her and still got to Cork for 11:30

I don't think I will have full tank in my bangornomics pug, as I don't know how long that car will last, before blowing up, but I wont let light come up anyway. When it's on quarter it will be time to put some fuel in.

screamer

Habit that's why. That and the fact that if you get stuck for a few quid later in the week you can't eat petrol

NickDunne

I'd presume its about cash flow.

More people would prefer to have it in their wallet and not need it than to need it but have it stuck in the tank.

CIP4

power pants wrote: »

I Dont fill my car up to the top

Wondering what impact this has on you?

As I had said earlier obviously it makes zero difference to me how much fuel people put in their car, I was only curious was there actually some major logical reason why you wouldn't fill it assuming you can afford to, outside of the my car is faster and more economical reason which clearly the extra weight of the fuel has a negligible effect.

power pants

CIP4 wrote: »

As I had said earlier obviously it makes zero difference to me how much fuel people put in their car, I was only curious was there actually some major logical reason why you wouldn't fill it assuming you can afford to, outside of the my car is faster and more economical reason which clearly the extra weight of the fuel has a negligible effect.

yes I can afford to.

Wonder how you can, when you dont have a job and are a full time student? Perhaps mummy and daddy pay for that too?

Thats great if they do, but you should ask these type of questions when you are in the real world, working full time and paying a mortgage and other various over heads;)

Sam Kade

FrostyJim wrote: »

Laziness, I would be guilty of it the odd time but usually top up/fill when the light comes on.

It can't be laziness surely as they are constantly fuelling up.

Petrol went up in the budget a few years ago and the local radio station were asking people how it would affect them, one woman said that it wouldn't make any difference to her as she always only buys €20 worth of petrol

power pants

to answer your question, I drive less than 10 miles a week if that so by putting in 20e will last me and no real point filling it to the brim

Sam Kade

joebloggs32 wrote: »

Firstly, it is more economical to do so as your car has less weight to carry, and therefore increasing fuel efficiency.

Secondly, at the moment as price are falling it makes sense to only buy what you need for a few days at a time. If I filled my tank it would be three weeks before the next fill. I'd expect the price to fall in the next three weeks a couple of times.

The other thing is it is not like we live in the outback. How far are you from a station at any one time?

That would be minimal, you'd waste the amount of fuel you are saving going in and out of the forecourt more often.

With the price falling it only adds up to 2-3 euro between fills again only minimal.

bazz26

Keep going till you get to the next station that's 1c a litre cheaper than the previous one. :pac:

enfant terrible

deathtocaptcha wrote: »

people driving around on low fuel has no impact on you or other road users...

It does when they break down in a tunnel.

CIP4

power pants wrote: »

yes I can afford to.

Wonder how you can, when you dont have a job and are a full time student? Perhaps mummy and daddy pay for that too?

Thats great if they do, but you should ask these type of questions when you are in the real world, working full time and paying a mortgage and other various over heads;)

You are mad to wind every single person up on every thread to get a rise. I have always had a summer jobs (gather money during the summer spend it when I'm in college) so believe it or not I buy my own fuel along with paying all the other car related expenses Im well aware how the real world works. And I said it in the opening post I'm well aware that some people genuinely can't afford to fill the tank due to having loads of other expenses my original question is why people who can easily afford to choose not too.

Anyway I'm not going to argue with you for pages trying to convince you I buy my own fuel you can choose to believe whatever you want and you answered the original question so that is fair enough.

Sam Kade

Why are posters so bothered about the op being bothered?

Lellostag

Sam Kade wrote: »

Why are posters so bothered about the op being bothered?

Slow news night, perhaps?