At what level do you fill your car's fuel tank?

[randomness]

[Poll #1714922]

Comments

[marmota.livejournal.com]

While I don't currently have a car on the road, I usually do. I generally keep it between 1/8-1/2. Unless I'm going on a road trip where the full potential range of the car is worth using, I prefer to keep my money in my wallet and not burn more gas to lug other gas around. I will occasionally fill it up before major storms.

[sarakate.livejournal.com]

...and not burn more gas to lug other gas around.

Interesting theory, but I'm not sure it makes much difference. Gasoline weighs about 6lb/gal, so half a tank is, what, 30 to 60 lbs? I don't think that much extra load affects mileage measurably.

[nathanjw]

In casual around-the-city driving, I try not to let it get below 1/2 tank. On a road trip where I expect to keep driving and driving, I usually wait until 1/4 tank and then start looking for an exit/rest stop/gas station.

[a-dodecahedron.livejournal.com]

There's an intersection nearby where it's illegal to make a left turn, but it's legal to pull into the gas station on the corner and exit on the crossing street. :-) I use this trick from time to time and get gas while I'm there, usually somewhere between 1/4 and E, which is a fair distance from actually empty on my Civic. The light doesn't even come on until the dial is at E.

Like sarakate, I keep it above 1/2 during hurricane season, because I was in Houston September 2008.

[r-ness.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I replied to sarakate on this; her comment about changing her behavior when there's a storm in the Gulf really speaks to why I posted the poll. Now that there's a political storm in the Middle East, I've started filling the tank at 3/4. Of course, if everyone did this there would be a demand shock, so it's clearly a "tragedy of the commons" situation, but it still doesn't seem like a bad idea right now on a personal level.

[serendipity9000.livejournal.com]

I refill my tank when my trip odometer reaches 200 miles. The fuel gauge in my 1992 Volvo station wagon has worked approximately 1 day a year for each of the last 10 years. 200 miles is a safe amount... I could likely go further but this approach means I am refilling at about 1/4 of a tank and that I don't run out of gas.

[jab2.livejournal.com]

why would i refill at full?

oh wait, because sometimes i rent a car to drive 15 total miles for work but still need to refuel. but still....

[storyjen.livejournal.com]

When I "refill" my tank, I do not fill it full. I estimate how much driving I'm going to do that week, and put either $10 or $20 in the tank at a time. Then the next week I do the same thing. I don't think my gas tank has been more than half full in a really long time - "refilling" for me usually brings it to between a quarter and a half full.

conditionals...

[allessindra.livejournal.com]

FOr many years -- before the advent of 'gas-level-warning-lights' -- I put gas in my car somewhere around 1/8 -- 1/4 seemed silly, as I could go quite far with it, and less than 1/8 was heading for 'getting razzed by the SO again.'

The 1991 MPV we had was the first vehicle with a warning light, and the 'how to be an MPV' book helpfully told us that the capacity of the tank was $WHATEVER, and the light came on at 3 gallons. Since the van got between 10 and 20 mpg, I'd happily estimate I could go 30 miles, at that point, and fill up in approximately that distance. I only missed twice...

The 1997 Protege, the 2001 MPV, the 2001 Beetle, and now the 2008 Mazda 5, all have lights, and NONE OF THEM ADMIT TO THE NUMBERS. It *really* pisses me off. And because of the habit of gas station attendants (here in NJ) to stop filling the tank at the first lockback, it's *impossible* to tell how big the tank *really* is, how much gas is *really* left by that light, and how far one can *really* go.

The husband will click the nozzle one or two times and let it go. I, on the other hand, when I fill the tank, *fill* *the* *tank*. I'll rock the car to get it to settle, and then put a bit more in, and put a bit more in...

Mind you, I only do this on solo road trips, and pretty much end up immediately driving another long way, so there isn't really time for the gas to overflow from heat, or anything like that.

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If we're going on a trip where we expect to gas up, we'll gas up at the last station in NJ -- we pretty much have our standard routes out of the state, and follow them at the start of the trip no matter where we're going. Unless we're down on gas (under quarter tank) where we'll gas up closer to home/when we need it. If gas is expensive relative to our current notion of 'reasonable price' a) I will look for cheaper gas, keeping an eye on the tank monitor, and b) husband will stop asap, put in some small amount (5, 10 dollars) and then keep going. I think I save money, he thinks I risk running out. *shrugs*

As far as I'm concerned, running out of gas is annoying and worth being razzed about, but not a disaster. Having insufficient cash on hand due to aggressively filling the tank is a greater problem/inconvenience/annoyance. (I suppose I find it less embarrassing/distressing to say "I was late because I ran out of gas" than "I do not have the ability to [go out to eat, go join you in shopping, to go be social with you in whatever way that is because I do not have any money some easy and hopefully believable lie that I tell because I don't want you to know I have no cash]."

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

I fuel it once a weekend, as part of my Weekend Chores(TM) cycle.