dummy light and miles to zero

Correct, no bladder in the GIII. Though you don't want to run it out of gas. Just look up Bob Wilson's post on that.

Carry a reserve bottle of gas. That way you don't have to worry.

p.s. Welcome aboard btw!

 

Personally, I wouldn't do that. Think Ford Pinto.

But I believe the math is rather easy. When your screen started blinking because you were getting low on gas, you had about 2 gallons of gas left (you should gas up immediately when it does this or at 0 miles to empty to get a more accurate number). It's about the same at 0 miles to empty, but you should make sure. So, if you were getting 50 MPG at that time, you can drive another 50 miles until you would be at 1 gallon left.

However, you don't want to run out of gas with the Prius (spiderman referred you to Bob Wilson's tests. You should read that). So, if the price of gas is that much cheaper, just get a gallon at the next gas station to get you home safely, then fill it up.

But, I'd keep checking your numbers each time you fill up in case those numbers start to change.

In Los Angeles, gas prices can differ more than $0.30 per gallon. Costco is selling for $3.27/gallon where just down the street from where I live was $3.59/gallon. So, I understand what you are saying about waiting to get somewhere else for the better price.

Mike

 

+1...stop for a gallon or two, but don't risk running running out. Besides, who wants to be stuck on one of the LA area freeways, and how much will that cost!

 

Try this [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov_cocktail]Molotov cocktail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

joke!

I tried to find Bob's post on this as he had a real nice looking bottle (a gallon I think). Something small that was safe. Will try to find.

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/64211-warning-running-out-gas-gen-iii.html is probably the one you're referring to. I never followed it that closely since I have no interest in running my cars out of gas.

It did elicit an official response from Prius Team at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ng-running-out-gas-gen-iii-20.html#post896802.

 

^ that was it, thanks! Somewhere in that thread I believe he had a picture of this spare bottle.

 

It's not rocket science (though I think the Bob mentioned may work in that field).

We know there is 1.9g left at the beep. You set a trip (A or B) to know how far you will go - and know your current MPG. Assume you really have 1.6g (that's my preference), and you won't run out. After that, assume KAOS.

 

I don't believe we 'know' how much is left in any particular car until someone tests it. And then we don't know how repeatable the measurement is until it is tested several more times.

These amounts are more likely typical numbers, not reliable numbers for everybody. Consider that unit to unit variations could be substantial, and some of you will get the short ones.

I seem to remember one Gen3 PCer mentioning running out of gas just 7 miles after noticing DTE = 0.

(Mine goes at least 25 miles past DTE=0, and still takes barely over 10 gallons. Yours is probably different.)

 

It seems all of this revolves around the fact that we purchased a car that gets extreme mileage, and in our minds we rightfully equate that to 'now I should be able to drive a zillion miles between fillups yay!'.

But due to whatever reasons, we get a wimpy size tank so that we have to fill up just as often mileage wise as we used to with our 'normal' cars, but less gas. This still kind of irks me, it would have been nice to go 700 - 800 miles between fillups, especially if there was a gas shortage and lines.

But we do not have that advantage. Bummer.

 

^ no need to carry around the extra weight which in turns reduces your FE. Plus, you don't want your gas going stale being in the tank so long.
The car gets on the average about the same mileage (miles) as standard vehicle (with larger tanks of course). I think Toy took all those things into consideration.

 

I don't know... Our previous vehicles both got about 300 miles/tank. Now, my Insight gets 370-400 miles/tank and my wife's Prius gets 450/500 miles/tank. That means fewer stops for gas. I kind of like that.

 

Not here. I'm getting ~50 miles better road trip range than my best previous car, ~150 better than the old one still in the household, without yet pushing the fuel gauge as close to empty. And far better results on the daily commute, where the old one seems to need a quart of fuel just to warm up.

 

I understand, but still wouldn't it be great to get super mpg -and- super trip range? And tank size per car size isn't always so as my old 2006 Elantra had a 14.5 gallon tank and was a smaller car, and I fill up just as often now as I did then. Three more gallons of gas for the Prius would only add 12" x 6" x 12" to the size of the gas tank, and weigh 18 lbs more plus a couple/few more lbs for tank, depending on plastic or metal.

That's only as much weight as a couple of plumpy bags of groceries, or 1/8(ish) of the weight of for example a spousal/partner unit (which I don't think any of us leave at home to help our trip mpg...well, most of us don't).

That's not significant in the least, and that would push us to around 650+ range each tank. And thinking back to the gas lines of the early 70's, I don't pass the station up any more often now, it would be nice to.

But in the end probably because Toyota wanted to pull out that last mpg for the window sticker figures, they shrunk the tank to smallest acceptable size.

I realize what is is what is, and it's fine, but I still would have liked more trip range.

 

DTE is designed to get you gas waaay before you actually run out for safety issues and legal protection.

i have driven 100 miles PAST the DTE but do not advise that anyone else follow suit. you need to know your car and make your own decisions.