Why I ran out of gas?

My advise to you is simple. When the fuel gauge is down to 1 or 2 pips, fill up with gas. Don't wait for the final light to start flashing before you purchase more fuel. There are plenty of gas stations where you live, so filling up shouldn't be a problem.

There are thousands of posts on this website discussing the accuracy of the fuel gauge and the range of the car. Don't over think your fuel gauge. When it says you are low, refill.

 

Run a search on "bladder fuel tank". You'll find out all you need to know. In the winter, I can't get more than 8 gallons in. Summertime I can't get more than 10. You'll never get 11 in.

 

Okay, now I want everyone here at PriusChat, who've ran out of gas with there Prius to raise there hand... (Note that mine is in the air too). Good. Wow that's a lot of hands. Now if you've ran out of gas in your Prius more than once, keep your hand in the air... (Now my arm is starting to get tired). Still a few hands. More than twice? (Finally I can put my hand down...)

For me, try to pretend I only have a 9 gallon capacity. That works pretty well. But I still expect to run out again sometime...

 

The One True Method is: Trust The Gauge. Don't pretend that the tank is of *any* particular size. Fill the tank *before* the last pip on the gauge starts to flash.

 

i agree - NOBODY knows how much the bladder really takes. i'll assume 7-9, weather related of course. FILL UP AT TWO PIPS. PERIOD. DONT GUESS, DONT THINK, TWO PIPS, RUN TO THE STATION.

 

All this bladder talk is making me want to pee.

 

Be sure to read the Owner's Manual and the Scheduled Maintenance Guide that should have come with the car. They contain a lot of stuff that will (mostly) save money and annoyance.

 

YOU !?

I am SO tempted to laugh, but for the fact I'd then have my 1st "ranoutofgas" time. I regularly do the blinking pip dance, but never more than 10 miles. I've cut the dance to 6 miles, so I'd say it'll never happen, but for the fact as soon as I'd say THAT, it'd be my downfall.

 

Tony,

How much gas did it take to fill it from the flat out empty state?

I'm sticking with filling at the flashing pip...until it's out of warranty anyway.

 

I've run out of gas in other cars, but not the Prius yet. Of course I've only had it two weeks, so give me some time. After reading all this I definitely will fill up early and not push it like I usually do. I sure am glad I filled up the first time with just one pip left. Thankfully I listened to the voice in my head saying "you better fill up, you don't know this vehicle yet". I can only get 7.5 gallons in the tank, its been very cold though.

 

Ha! You're an idiot?! Ha!

Read some of my threads . . . then you'll know the company you keep on this site. Don't get up on that high horse of being the idiot around these parts. Plenty have been there afore ye.

 

Ouch! Yep, trying to push ~100 miles on the blinking pip requires a bigger pair than I'm sporting!

11.05 gallons is pretty good for a fill with the bladder. If it had been less than 9.5 gallons or so then it would be different. With the Fall weather change there were probably several factors working against you.

One thing I'm suspecting with the MFD is that the MFD will calculate less fuel injected in cold weather than was actually pumped into the tank (which is warmer since it is underground.) The effect is small, probably not much more than a percent in the coldest weather based on some figures I found for gasoline volume change with temp. However, it does seem to fit some of the systematic shift I've seen in my fills as temperature has cooled and is now warming. Of course, for individual tanks the bladder shrinkage itself and other factors dominate. I'm not sure quite how to evaluate this statistically to screen out the other impacts, but it looks like it will take at least another full year to gather enough points to take a stab at it with my own data.

 

My tongue is bleeding.