"0 Miles" Range
- Thread starter davidstarkey11
- Start date
ive always wanted to do some experiments in this area. carry a jerry can with some fuel and just drive on deserted roads to see what mileage i can get when my fuel light comes on (i dont have a digital indicator). how bad is it for the car to do something like that?
Draining it completely can drag some of the settled sediment in the tank into the fuel lines and into the injectors. Never recommended to run a car empty in general
Did you fill up with Momentum 99? and 284 miles to a tank?
I used to have a 2011 Leon fr tdi a while back and managed at least 40 miles on the zero, it was past midnight and I was doing a lift for a mate I just didn't think about fuel and I was too stubborn to fill up
I remember a top gear episode where they drove three different cars until they ran out off fuel - all did around 100 miles after the gauge said empty.
Having said that I've never even got to 0 range on any car, I'm not the type to make unnecessary problems.
Having said that I've never even got to 0 range on any car, I'm not the type to make unnecessary problems.
Cause driving with low fuel can damage the fuel pump. Debris and contaminants from the fuel that settle at the bottom of the tank will be sent through the fuel pump finding it way into the engine.
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Is that true though for modern cars? It might have been years ago for cars in the 50's and 60's. Surely the fuel filter will prevent any debris getting into the injectors and engine and I would of thought that the fuel pick up point would be at the bottom of the tank anyway so it's always drawing fuel from the bottom, happy to be corrected if I'm wrong.
Is there not an integrated strainer/filter prior to LP fuel pump in the tank and then a second primary fuel filter prior to the HP fuel pump to prevent contaminants damaging the fuel system?
I’ve used some pretty low grade fuel, from some of the finest Middle Eastern Jerry cans and fuel tankers in the past, and at worst a filter replacement was all that was required - a damaged air filter was far more likely to allow the ingestion of dust into the engine. Hence the reduced servicing regimes for hot and/or desert environments in the manufacturer’s advice.
I’ve used some pretty low grade fuel, from some of the finest Middle Eastern Jerry cans and fuel tankers in the past, and at worst a filter replacement was all that was required - a damaged air filter was far more likely to allow the ingestion of dust into the engine. Hence the reduced servicing regimes for hot and/or desert environments in the manufacturer’s advice.
So the computer says zero but you didn’t get 50 litres in. Still a couple of litres left in there, the car looking after itself.
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Yes it normally starts whining at 35 miles remaining but I fill up to find that it only takes 43litres in 
it's why I'm quite relaxed about it when others may crap their pants when it bongs
I have a daily commute of 90 miles roundtrip so I'm a frequent visitor to the petrol station.
it's why I'm quite relaxed about it when others may crap their pants when it bongs I have a daily commute of 90 miles roundtrip so I'm a frequent visitor to the petrol station.
Regardless of my post above, like others I generally fill up at the 1/4 tank mark. However, after picking the car up from my wife at the weekend, the fuel fairies were required...
I managed to squeeze 51 litres in, with 15 miles to empty still displayed in the range.
On the plus side, the range to empty is only a prediction with respect to how the car had been driven over the past ‘x’ miles, so at least she hasn’t been thrashing it about!
I managed to squeeze 51 litres in, with 15 miles to empty still displayed in the range.
On the plus side, the range to empty is only a prediction with respect to how the car had been driven over the past ‘x’ miles, so at least she hasn’t been thrashing it about!
I never understand this logic.
Why are you going to get any more debis & sediment than through normal driving? The pickup is in the bottom of the tank and surely sediment will flow around more easily with more fluid? I know diesel fuel pumps are lubricated by the diesel fuel, but not petrol fuel pumps and doesn't the fuel filter stop contaminants getting to the engine?
Way back in the day the supply chain was not great and contaminants could make it through the system and to the tank, but there just isn't any evidence of low fuelled cars conking out all over the place and we have been widely using fuel injectors since the mid eighties.
In not trying to start an argument, I just don't see this in practice.
Yes diesel lubricates the pumps but petrol cars rely on petrol as cooling aid as well as fuel. As the injectors run at a high pressure and temperature, they need constant fuel flow for lubrication and cooling. When an injector desperately tries to inject fuel but receives none, as there is no gas left in the tank, it may permanently fail due to overheating.
Also when you suck up the last bit of fuel from the tank, the thin sediment at the bottom of the tank will travel to the fuel filter and possibly clog it.
Of course this scenario is less likely in a modern/ new car it could still occur from regular occurrence.
Still, surely prevention is better than cure?
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