Tips when your running out of Petrol!

ronan45 · 24-02-2011 10:11PM #1

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 · 24-02-2011 10:18PM

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

doOh · 24-02-2011 10:23PM

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

The Bishop Basher · 24-02-2011 10:26PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:26PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:32PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:32PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:33PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:36PM

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

corktina · 24-02-2011 10:40PM

drive quicker to get to the pump sooner...

Solnskaya · 24-02-2011 10:46PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:50PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:52PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:53PM

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 · 24-02-2011 10:53PM

Personally I'd recommend you fill up earlier.

Solnskaya · 24-02-2011 10:57PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:01PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:16PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:29PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:32PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:40PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:40PM

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 · 24-02-2011 11:44PM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:00AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:00AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:17AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:17AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:32AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:33AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:35AM

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 · 25-02-2011 12:36AM

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.

Tips when your running out of Petrol!

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