Driven 337 miles on half a tank :)

This is only my 2nd tank on the JSW, but I'm really hopeful that I can break 600 miles with it

You may break 600 miles on your 2nd tank of fuel, but are you breaking the car in right?

Yes, I frequently vary the rpms and it gets a good work out. I just happen to drive 60mph on the highway during my commute.

You may see that 600 mile tank. It will be close.... I usually need to be closer to the 400 mile mark at half a tank to hit 600 miles safely. I definitely thought I was going to see a 650+ tank this week but traffic jam after traffic jam wiped away that chance. I ended up filling up at 605 when my fuel light came on.

Keep in mind that "miles per tank" is not a very accurate number. It is most accurate to look at distance (miles or K) per gallon or liter. It is also important to get a few fill ups and a lot of miles before expecting that on-board mileage computer to give you anything close to accurate and repeatable results.

It is my opinion that when the fuel gauge reads 1/2 tank, that this is inaccurate. I put more miles on the car from fuel up to the 1/2 tank reading than I do from the 1/2 tank reading to when I fuel up. This situation is exaggerated when you fuel up until you can see the fuel at the top of the filler neck, like many of us do.

Also, I typically fuel up when the gauge reads 1/4 tank. I don't like to play games with running out of fuel, which might be harmful to the fuel pump. I don't even want the pump to run out of fuel momentarily, like might happen if the fuel sloshed to the side of the tank as I'm going around a turn.

I agree on the 1/2 a tank not meaning half a tank, really, but I do the same and fill to the top of the neck. Mine is pointing at 1/2 now and I have driven 644km or 400 miles. It really tends to drop quickly after that (more than) first half a tank.

The drive I did yesterday, 315km in 20 C weather, average speed of 91 km/h, the MFD says average of 4.7 L/100km or 50 mpg - probably it's slightly worse than that, but the last tank or two the MFD has been almost spot on after calculating on tank fill up. So it might be 4.8 L/100km. A good run though for sure, and I wasn't trying either. The road is winding and quite hilly, but I was using the hills to my advantage for a lot of it - though it's just too much fun to not use heavy throttle in 4th up a steep hill!

thanks for the info That is why I love this forum.

Either way I'm just thrilled with the mileage I'm getting. My previous Malibu could never get over 23mpg on a tank.

i am always happy at my halfway point. Then the car hits the 1/4 tank point and shows 180-200.......10 miles later it'll show 120...... then a few miles later 80.......

That last 1/4 tank has fooled me before. to the point of searching for a diesel station at the last minute......

i usually find i go between 50-60 miles before the needle starts dropping from Full, so half tank is always inaccurate

I've been tracking my mileage on my '10 for the 13k I've put on it and did the same with my '09 (40k). In that time, I have noticed that the average MPG display is pretty damn accurate. On both cars, the MFA has been within +/- .5 mpg over that mileage. If you do the math on a full tank, the MTE number will reflect 14.5 gallons times the bank 1 average MPG.

So given that the average MPG number is pretty damn accurate, the MTE number is also pretty accurate. I wouldn't bet the farm on it, but I feel comfortable occasionally going into the Red Zone before refilling.

yeah, dont expect the bottom half of the guage to match the miles you got on the top half. I get 550-630 a tank pretty consistantly depending on the time of year...but if I were to assume the guage was linear you would think the car is good for 700-800mi per tank looking at the miles at half a tank.

Thanks folks.

I ended up at 525 when the low fuel light came on and was able to squeeze 13.2 gallons in there, right up to the top of the neck.

So I think it is safe to say on my particular vehicle there is about 1-1.5 gallons left when the low fuel light comes on. Sound about right?

Timpackman said:

Thanks folks.

I ended up at 525 when the low fuel light came on and was able to squeeze 13.2 gallons in there, right up to the top of the neck.

So I think it is safe to say on my particular vehicle there is about 1-1.5 gallons left when the low fuel light comes on. Sound about right?

Click to expand...

probly a little more then 1 - 1.5 to the top of the neck actually.


If you took it all the way up without some good long pauses at the end to let the foam subside, that sounds about right...but if you let the foam settle as you were getting to the top, you probably could of fit yet another gallon give or take a bit in there....at least for the Golfs anyways. I end up with a tad over 14gal filling 3-5mi past the low light coming on, taking it to the top, if I recall correctly.

c17chief said:

probly a little more then 1 - 1.5 to the top of the neck actually.

If you took it all the way up without some good long pauses at the end to let the foam subside, that sounds about right...but if you let the foam settle as you were getting to the top, you probably could of fit yet another gallon give or take a bit in there....at least for the Golfs anyways. I end up with a tad over 14gal filling 3-5mi past the low light coming on, taking it to the top, if I recall correctly.

Click to expand...

The tank is 14.5 gallons--Golf or Jetta--and the light is supposed to come with 1.9 gallons remaining, per VW. Therefore, if you are averaging 45mpg when the light comes on, you should easily get another 45 miles, minimum, without running out.

Unless I drive quite a distance beyond the light, I get 12-13 gallons in. I put in 13.5 once but I had gone a good 50 miles with the light on. At every fillup, I use 1/2 blast or less on the pump to fill the whole tank, then trickle fill to the brim of the filler.

Timpackman said:

thanks for the info That is why I love this forum.

Either way I'm just thrilled with the mileage I'm getting. My previous Malibu could never get over 23mpg on a tank.

Click to expand...

Funny thing I too came from a Malibu and now have a 2010 VW Jetta TDi cup edition, and the gas mileage is unbelievable coming from the Malibu. Best tank so far is 565 when the light came on.

gotdesl? said:

... and the gas mileage is unbelievable coming from the Malibu.

Click to expand...

I would suggest you be a little careful with your words, for two reasons:

1) You just might get hassled around here for talking about "gas mileage".

2) More importantly - the more you talk about gas mileage, gas tank, gas pedal, or gas station - the more likely you (or a friend or family) will actually put gas into your car. This would be a very bad thing. You need to start saying fuel mileage, fuel tank, accelerator pedal, and filling (or fuel) station. A little caution goes a long way, and words can be important.

A little demonstration about the power of words: [FONT=&quot]http://www.wimp.com/powerwords/

Have Fun!

Don


[/FONT]