Economy and fuel tank capacity

[Snifflebag]

Well, 3000 miles in on my new Octy 1.9TDI and convinced I made the right choice

Based upon my fuelling figures - I'm getting around 47mpg (~10mpl) on average for a mixture of motorway and hilly town driving - that's around 12.8ppm at current diesel prices.

I tend to fill the tank brim to brim so I was surprised when I got the initial "fuel low" light yesterday and still managed to get 52 litres in! I thought the tank only had a capacity of 55 litres so I suppose I had expected the warning light to come on sooner than it did...

What are people's experiences of the fuel guage/warning accuracy?

Just interested, I guess there must be some variance from car to car... :confused:

[eccleshill]

1 year and 12,000 in my Elegance 1.9TDi and I know I made the right choice too

Average 52mpg from mine but it has now done 26,000 so is nicely run in.

My low fuel light comes on with 70-80 miles left to go on the trip computer. If I fill up immediately it takes 48-50 litres.

The furthest I ever dared go was down to 5 miles left and it took 53 litres.

Must say though I don't "stuff" the tank. I fill to the first cutout then restart and fill slowly to the next cutout (usually takes another litre or so).

[sms]

i think its close to 58 litres, you have a bout a gallon of fuel left when you hit 0 miles or a bout 50 miles.

[JJJ66]

i think its close to 58 litres, you have a bout a gallon of fuel left when you hit 0 miles or a bout 50 miles.

Yes, the light comes on in my Mk2 vRS when the trip computer suggests there is 50 miles-worth left. The tank may be 55 litres, but you've also got the pipe from tank to filler cap as well. Having managed to get 468.5 miles out of a tank of ordinary unleaded earlier this month, I was a little surprised when I managed to get 58.28 litres with the trip computer still showing enough for another 30 miles.

I'm surprised by how much I can get in after the first cut-out - consistently about nine to nine and a half litres more.

[Dr Zoidberg]

I've put in a smidge over 55 litres when I've run it as low as I dared in my 2.0.

The trip computer seems to be about 5-6% optimistic , but once your car has been run in properly it will get a good bit more economical - mine improved by at least 10% in the first 15k miles.

Since I've been driving more for economy I now get about 54mpg on a tankful , and when I've had a 1.9 as a courtesy car that was capable of about 4-5mpg better so if you drive it right I reckon 60mpg is just about possible

[Browny_37]

Wouldn't personally advise running down to near enough to a empty tank.

Going to suck all the silt and debree up in the bottom of the tank.

Well apart from a brand spanking new car lol.

[sms]

it always sucks from bottom.

[Snifflebag]

it always sucks from bottom.

Which would make sense I suppose to maximise the tank capacity.

I naively thought fuel was reasonably clean these days and the perils of "sludge" in the fuel being long gone and the fuel filters in the system being up to the task of removing any foreign bodies that did creep in from grubby storage... Never had any problems in any other vehicle and I would sometimes run them down to running on fumes!

I am hoping for improved economy as the engine runs in - I just need to keep my driving style consistant - a challenge all by itself as caravan season kicks in.