Running on Empty. How many miles can you drive when the gas light comes on?
Ok so let me start off by saying, yes, I have run out of gas three times in my life while driving. The last time was quite a while ago, and at that time I vowed to NEVER let it happen again. You see, I was traveling in the SF Bay Area, coming from a business meeting, rushing to get to my next appointment. I had to drive across the Bay Bridge, and of course it was San Francisco rush hour traffic, and super busy! I saw the little amber light on my dashboard come on earlier that day but didn’t do anything about it. In 10 years of owning this car, I had never run out of fuel. Today because I felt overconfident, I over-estimated the amount of gas I had left in the tank. About halfway across the Bay Bridge, the engine shut down. I knew immediately what happened. I put the hazard lights on, and I crept to the number three lane (since there is no shoulder on this part of the bridge). There I sat; blocking a lane on the Bay-freakin-bridge. TOTALLY my bad. Needless to say, the other motorists were not even close to kind to me. I was stranded on the busiest bridge in California in rush hour traffic, and no one else driving around me cared why. All I could do was sit there and weigh my options. Before I got too far, a Caltrans truck pulled alongside me, like a knight in white and orange flashing light armor. The driver jumped out of his truck and asked if everything was ok. I said “No! I ran out of gas!” Without saying a word, he went to the back of his truck and came back with three gallons of gas for me. Talk about luck! I was only stranded for about ten minutes, but believe me, it felt like forever under the circumstance!
Fast forward to the here and now. I am very vigilante about knowing how my gauge works and the range of miles I have left in the tank. If you’re like me and love adventure travel, or a good old road trip, you can save yourself headaches, money, and even your safety by not putting yourself and others in this predicament.
Is it bad to drive on an empty tank?
The answer is yes. Driving your car frequently with a low fuel tank can lead to premature fuel pump failure and damaged fuel lines and fuel injectors. Should you frequently run completely out of gas, this will cause issues with your very expensive catalytic converter. As a very strong recommendation, keep your tank at ¼ tank and above and you will be good to go!
How much gas do you have left when the gas light comes on?
The answer varies greatly with every vehicle. The rule of thumb, if you do not know, is about 2.5 gallons. This should give you about 30-60 miles, depending on the gas mileage for your vehicle and other factors such as the weight your carrying. I have done some research for you, and below is a list of some of the more popular cars and trucks as a reference. Remember, this is a general reference only. Know and understand your vehicle. If yours is not listed, do your homework and find out. What happens if you run low or out of gas?
If you are going to be spending a lot of time on the road travelling, make sure you have roadside assistance added to your insurance. Most insurance companies offer this service, which includes bringing you 1-2 gallons of emergency gas. If your insurance company does not offer roadside assistance in your area, you can sign up with AAA to get this service, for a fee. In some cases your cell phone provider may offer roadside assistance for a fee. Some credit cards offer this service as part of your membership; check with your credit cards before travelling to see if you can access this through the. If you plan on doing extended travelling you can also purchase traveller’s insurance. You can add roadside assistance to the insurance package. In some states, there is a free roadside assistance number you can dial. For example, in California, the number is 511. This is for minor non-emergency assistance. Before you travel, you should know your options. You don’t want your road trip to be delayed or ruined because you’re stranded on the side of the road or in the middle of nowhere with no gas.
Cheers,
Nomad
