when to refill

I was wondering how far you guys go before you refill. Do you go to the last pip or till the last pip is blinking. I was wondering also approximately how many miles you can go on a blinking pip.

I am 180 miles into my first tank on the car and right now I'm getting a 52.6 MPG average which I am very happy with. I can't wait to see how many raw miles I can squeeze out of this tank!

Man, this car is addicting!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdk84 @ May 6 2007, 02:10 PM) [snapback]436452[/snapback]</div>

The indicator is not that reliable. I usually fill up by the time it's one pip or before. If it starts blinking I fill up as soon as I can. I don't trust being able to predict how long I can go when it's blinking. This is one car I do not want to run out of gas in.

Alright thanks guys, I just wasn't sure what to expect so I figured I'd tap into your expert knowledge, haha.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdk84 @ May 6 2007, 03:10 PM) [snapback]436452[/snapback]</div>

I fill mine up just like any of my cars, when I get down to a quarter of a tank. I'd feel very foolish and stupid if I ran out.

I take my MPG, according to the MFD, subtract 3 MPG, then multiply by ten, then round to the nearest 25. That's how many miles I'll go before I fill up. Sounds long and complicated, but takes like 5 seconds to figure out how far that is.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdk84 @ May 6 2007, 04:45 PM) [snapback]436496[/snapback]</div>

That's why it's called the "guess gauge". Start thinking about buying gas at 1 pip. Buy gas when it starts flashing. Don't obsess about the miles on the tank.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdk84 @ May 6 2007, 04:45 PM) [snapback]436496[/snapback]</div>

I have pushed My Prius to the limit and found the reserve(when the light starts blinking) is approx 3 gallons and have pushed it that far so if I was avg 50 mpg for that tank and it began blinking I would go another 150 miles then fill up, I would get approx 11.8 to 12.2 gallons in at that point.

bring a gas tank with a couple gallons in it if your going to try to find your exact reserve limit.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HOGG0514 @ May 8 2007, 06:48 PM) [snapback]437839[/snapback]</div>

My dealer told me that I would have major problems if I ran out of gas. That you can't just put more in after you've run out -- it has to go to the dealer's and they do something. So I think I'm going to aim for filling up when I first get to one pip. That will be tomorrow, and that will be my third tank.

I topped off the tank in my Suburban yesterday (farm truck only -- driven once a week to haul stuff) and it was close to $70. Tomorrow's Prius fill up will be quite the relief!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(formerVWdriver @ May 8 2007, 07:37 PM) [snapback]437872[/snapback]</div>

the dealer doesnt know what he is talking about, the system shuts down when you run out and turns on every possible warning light, I know from experience. The car fired right up for me after adding about 1/2 gallon of gas but most of the warning lights stayed on until I filled it back up at the fuel station. I wouldnt bank on going more then about 15 miles with it flashing especially if the engine is warming up. Again live and learn. By the way if its flashing I think you have to add at least 3 gallons to get it to stop flashing.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kdk84 @ May 6 2007, 03:10 PM) [snapback]436452[/snapback]</div>

Hmm 52.6 MPG, i dont feel so bad then since my 2005 is getting 50.1 over 615. (yea ive posted this like 5 times today, its my first day in the forums so shhh.) Ive driven about 20 miles with a blinking light, it probably started when i had about 10-15 miles to go. My commute to work is 20 miles and when i was going home it started blinking. for some reason the car feels more "solid" when the tank is full for some reason. Also it was up to 86 today in Boise for the fist time, the car performed SO WELL and the MPG went through the ruff, im looking for better MPG avg as the summer begins ( it just started getting this warm in IDAHO)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AndreJ @ May 10 2007, 03:40 AM) [snapback]438939[/snapback]</div>

Huh? Are you saying you used 615/50.1 g = 12.2 g to go 615 miles? I don't know anyone in the U.S. who can get 12.2 gallons into their tank. I only got 10.5 g in the time I actually ran out of gas.

Dave M.

When you run out of gas and refill with a spare 2 gallons, how does the engine restart? Do you just start moving with the electric and the engine kicks in? No priming required? What if one ran the battery all the way down? Would the auxillary battery start the car? I want to make the test.
Bud

Run the battery right down if you want it is your car.
The car will NOT start if you run the traction battery right down, it will also log a fault that will void the warranty on the traction battery, if it is damaged you are on your own.
There is no 12 volt starter motor, the transmission starts the car with power from the main battery.

Please explain the advantage you hope to gain from running on an empty tank on electricity put in the battery by the petrol engine anyway?

Why not just fill the car with petrol when the gauge has 2 or more bars lit?

This may be a stupid question but - how do you know when you run out of gas? Won't the car keep on running on electric until that runs out or do you
get a warning right away that the engine quit??????

here is my question. I bought my 08, pack. 2w/leather last Tuesday. my wife and I travel a lot an we now have 1900 miles on it. I filled up today, topped it off (which I'm learning is the wrong thing to do), with 10.5 gallons. We had gone 515 miles. There was one bar remaining and it had just come on. I watched it closely for several miles and no blinking, flashing, buzzing, nothing. How much further could I have gone. Could I have taken it another 100 miles or not.

I guess my main question is, out of ignorance I guess, when does the thing blink. The more I type the more I think. I guess if I only put 10.5 gallons in that means I had another 1.5 in the tank. That is about 75 miles. I guess I wouldn't see the blinking, flashing, buzzing, ect. for another 50 miles or so.

I am understanding this thing correctly. Also, if I don't need to top it off, do I just go until it clicks off each time. Will that way be accurate or does the clicking off vary.

right on pat, why, with the sophisticated fuel system of the prius, not considering the old school thought of picking up dirt/residue near the bottom of the tank, do these people want to live on the edge regarding this topic...g2g, i want to see how long my dog can survive without water..lol..

If there were dirt/residue near the bottom of the tank, why would it not be ingested into the fuel line when the tank is partially full and sloshing around? That is what fuel line filters are for. Many light airplanes have bladder tanks and we run them dry constantly going from one tank to another and never have a problem.
Let's put the dirt/residue at the bottom of the tank thing to rest.
It doesn't exist.
Bud

you must be right, i guess all the motorcycle, generators and car fuel systems that i repaired that had; clogged fuel filters, varnished main carb jets, that the owners informed me of letting their tanks run out, must have been an illusion...very curious to see how this works for you...please let us know, so i wont try it

:tape: muffled snicker!