Fuel........always keep some spare or let it run down?
Discussion
Ever since the fuel protests of September 2000 i have kept roughly half a tank of fuel in our cars rather than let it run down to a quarter or less and since i am semi-retired it lasts far longer than when i had a short commute to work so when it is down to half i fill them up and repeat again.
I remember being stranded half way up the country visiting friends and couldnt get fuel to continue my journey in sept 2000 so had to book over night into a travelodge and since then i feel i need to keep some spare...
Before the fuel protests i used to wait until the warning light came on but carried a fuel can just in case...
Do you do the same? or is it just me
I remember being stranded half way up the country visiting friends and couldnt get fuel to continue my journey in sept 2000 so had to book over night into a travelodge and since then i feel i need to keep some spare...
Before the fuel protests i used to wait until the warning light came on but carried a fuel can just in case...
Do you do the same? or is it just me
bobtail4x4 said:
when the guage says 1/4 tank I stick £40 in,
repeat.
I did once drive 12 miles to the filling station when the dash said range 5 miles.............
1/2 a tank to full is about £40 in my car which for local journeys does not last long.....hence the need to keep a fair bit in reserve..repeat.
I did once drive 12 miles to the filling station when the dash said range 5 miles.............
I tend to not go much below 1/3rd tank, unless I'm on a long run in which case I might go just below 1/4.
Apart from the previous fuel strikes here in the UK, I've experienced fuel depot blockades / tanker driver strikes etc. at least three times recently in France, the last being in September. It tends to concentrate the mind if you have a 700-800 mile journey.
Also, super unleaded etc isn't always available which restricts availability , depending on your location.
As with many things, experiences dictate behaviour.
Apart from the previous fuel strikes here in the UK, I've experienced fuel depot blockades / tanker driver strikes etc. at least three times recently in France, the last being in September. It tends to concentrate the mind if you have a 700-800 mile journey.
Also, super unleaded etc isn't always available which restricts availability , depending on your location.
As with many things, experiences dictate behaviour.
lucido grigio said:
it's just you.
I attempted Staffordshire and back on one tank on Saturday.
It would have worked but for the M25 being closed overnight ,so I diverted up the M3 to Sunbury and stopped at BP Kempton
as fuel light roulette was playing on my mind.
Agreed, it separates the men from the boys !I attempted Staffordshire and back on one tank on Saturday.
It would have worked but for the M25 being closed overnight ,so I diverted up the M3 to Sunbury and stopped at BP Kempton
as fuel light roulette was playing on my mind.
I do kent to Newcastle a couple of times a year, the return journey tends to have 1/4 of a tank left as I pass Stanstead Services.
It is 70 miles or so home, I get 100 miles to a 1/4 tank, expect the last 1/4 which does seem to empty quicker, sometimes I am brave enough to push on sometimes not....
I like maximising my range (and hate being in the fuel station!), so I run as close as I can without interrupting a journey.
My diesel has a 700-mile range, why sacrifice half that by keeping it half-filled? It'd be interesting to see whether accelerating and braking an extra half-tank of fuel over the years has added up to the cost of your travellodge in the fuel strike.
My diesel has a 700-mile range, why sacrifice half that by keeping it half-filled? It'd be interesting to see whether accelerating and braking an extra half-tank of fuel over the years has added up to the cost of your travellodge in the fuel strike.
I try to fill up when I get down to about 1/4 tank remaining at worst, or otherwise just top up whenever the SU pumps at the local Tesco look quiet so you can get in and out without waiting too long 
Although I think the 1/4 tank thing is probably due to running out of fuel in '98 courtesy of the Renault 5 GT Turbo I owned at the time. The needle said there was at least 1/4 tank left but it transpired it was actually empty as it had stopped working
Although I think the 1/4 tank thing is probably due to running out of fuel in '98 courtesy of the Renault 5 GT Turbo I owned at the time. The needle said there was at least 1/4 tank left but it transpired it was actually empty as it had stopped working
del mar said:
lucido grigio said:
it's just you.
I attempted Staffordshire and back on one tank on Saturday.
It would have worked but for the M25 being closed overnight ,so I diverted up the M3 to Sunbury and stopped at BP Kempton
as fuel light roulette was playing on my mind.
Agreed, it separates the men from the boys !I attempted Staffordshire and back on one tank on Saturday.
It would have worked but for the M25 being closed overnight ,so I diverted up the M3 to Sunbury and stopped at BP Kempton
as fuel light roulette was playing on my mind.
I do kent to Newcastle a couple of times a year, the return journey tends to have 1/4 of a tank left as I pass Stanstead Services.
It is 70 miles or so home, I get 100 miles to a 1/4 tank, expect the last 1/4 which does seem to empty quicker, sometimes I am brave enough to push on sometimes not....
No. If I'm staying local I'll leave it until the fuel light comes on. Even during the night, it's never too difficult to get to a Shell garage. If I'm going a long trip, I just fill up either end.
I once did Newcastle to Luton and back one night in a Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. 540 mile round trip, filled just as I left Newcastle and was wheezing into the back yard at work with butt-all fuel left at the end of the return leg.
I once did Newcastle to Luton and back one night in a Ford Mondeo 2.0 TDCi. 540 mile round trip, filled just as I left Newcastle and was wheezing into the back yard at work with butt-all fuel left at the end of the return leg.
I generally try to make sure there is at least 1/4 tank in my car, for a few reasons....
- The car's range is only about 200 miles at a push so want to make sure I can get somewhere else to fill up should I need to
- I once left it parked on a slope with the OS pointing down (side of a road) with 1/5 tank left - given where the fuel pick up is it wouldn't start until I pushed it onto the flat
- The fuel gauge is notoriously unreliable
- The car's range is only about 200 miles at a push so want to make sure I can get somewhere else to fill up should I need to
- I once left it parked on a slope with the OS pointing down (side of a road) with 1/5 tank left - given where the fuel pick up is it wouldn't start until I pushed it onto the flat
- The fuel gauge is notoriously unreliable
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