By Frank Ling You probably know a friend who likes to play “gas tank chicken.” The object of the game is to run his car as far as he can without actually running out of gas before filling up.
We’ve all seen the empty light or low fuel warning come on in the car. Some of us panic and try to find a gas station as soon as possible, while others just take it in stride.
So when the low fuel light comes on, is it really true that there is enough gas in the tank to let you drive a lot farther safely?
It’s a mind game
Have you ever noticed that once you fill up at the gas station, you seem to get excellent gas mileage because the fuel gauge hardly moves even after 30 or 40 miles?
Apparently, according to inside sources within the car industry, this is just a marketing and psychological tool to make the customer feel better about the car.
A full gas tank shown by the gas gauge makes drivers feel secure and good about the car. This full state stays this way for a while and then starts to drift to the halfway point.
After this time, the gauge will suddenly plunge to the quarter tank reading, and then on down quickly to the low fuel zone. Once drivers reach this stage, and are close by to a filling station, they feel “lucky” because they made it just in time.
What happens then?
When the low fuel light or bell goes off, this signifies a low fuel level, but depending on the make and model of your car, this could mean an extra gallon or two of fuel left in your tank.
But since fuel gauges aren’t always 100 percent accurate, running on empty isn’t such a good idea.
If you happen finally to run out of fuel, the fuel system may become depressurized, and getting it back to a workable state can be difficult. Added to this fuel injectors run in a dry state and other problems could surface.
So the long and short of it is this: Don’t play gas tank chicken and fill up as soon as possible.
Source:
BankRate