The fuel light going off is clearly not a good sign, especially when you’re in the middle of nowhere.
When the fuel light on the control panel lights up, it means that your car is running low on fuel. In this case, the driver is often in a state of panic, not knowing how far his car can go. Here are some suggestions to help you calculate how far you can really go before you’re totally running out of gas.
Information about fuel reserves can be found in the vehicle manuals. This information is usually close to information on the volume of the gas tank. As the fuel in the vehicle drops to the reserve level, the indicator light on the control panel will light up (if it still functions properly). There are no standard figures for every car, but usually, the volume of the reserve is about 10 – 15% of the total volume. From there, the driver can use this information along with the average fuel consumption of each vehicle to calculate how far the car can actually go.
For example, with the Toyota Corolla 2013, the fuel tank of this car has a capacity of 13.2 gallons (50 liters). Thus, the fuel reserve level of 10% will be around 5L. With the vehicle’s average fuel consumption on the road, the vehicle can travel an additional 60 kilometers when the lights come on.
In case you don’t totally believe in your ability to calculate the distance on your own, the driver can refer to the online database “Tank on Empty”. When users enter information about the car they are using and the distance traveled after the light up, this site will calculate and give you the number of miles you can go forward.
In addition, the car’s version is also the kind of information you need to care about. Because the fuel tank capacity will vary in the modified or upgraded version. In addition, the driving habits (driving technique) also greatly affect the fuel consumption of the car so keep good driving habits that improve fuel mileageis also important.
With some knowledge, the driver can be more confident in finding a spot to refuel the car and not fall into the situation where your car refuses to move in the middle of nowhere. However, this is just the knowledge that helps you make do with what you have, you should not let yourself in this situation in the first place. This will damage your vehicle’s fuel system in the long run. Deposits and residue at the bottom of the tank can also be ejected along with the last drops of fuel, and there lies the danger of clogging the fuel filter.