# How do you guys fuel up?



## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

Just asking as I used to fill up the tank and then drive till low then fill up again.
Recently I have started filling up only 1/2 a tank then the same process of run low and top up.

My thinking is that 1/2 a tank of fuel weighs about 30kg so why lug it round whilst it slowly depletes

Thoughts?


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

I fill up and drive around until it is down to something under a quarter on the gauge before filling up again. I always fill up to the top.

In years gone by people were wary of letting the tank get too low as it will allow for any muck to get picked up. Don't know if it actually happens. I can't say I have ever suffered with dirt in the fuel line.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

I don't know if it's a placebo but I reckon it's slightly better on fuel than brimming, I am basing this on no scientific facts at all btw lol


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## mac1459 (Aug 25, 2011)

depends on the type off car you drive , petrol or diesel , mine never less than 1/4 tank.


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## Sicskate (Oct 3, 2012)

I only do 20 miles a day on a duel carriageway but we only have a baby 1.4 diesel at the moment. 

So i just chuck £20 in whenever the light comes on as if i fill up it feels like I've got an elephant on the back seat.


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

I never let it get below 1/2 tank, then fill it to the neck. 

Not perhaps the most efficient, but I know I can jump in the car any time of day or night and just drive to where I need to be without think "Nearest all night fuel station is...."

Peace of mind is worth a few pennies in MPG in my book.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

Yeah I drive till the light and then bung in 30ltr


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## packard (Jun 8, 2009)

Every week regardless of miles but always when it hits half.


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

I don't know why, no scientific fact as said earlier but I top up when it's half a tank.


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## streaky (Dec 2, 2006)

I never like letting the tank get too low, always fill to the top. Who wants to keep going to a petrol station to stick 20 quid in.


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Generally Full to just under 1/4 of a tank. Not in the habit of doing this but last night thats low enough for me when you get 500 miles from a 43 litre tank


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## Naddy37 (Oct 27, 2005)

Roughly half a tank here too, but that's more so to do with my job, and not knowing where I'll be sent at the last minute.

Not being cost efficient isn't really an issue, as I don't pay for the fuel!


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

Usually plug in everytime I get home!


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

ardandy said:


> Usually plug in everytime I get home!


Do they use electric quicker the faster you drive? I was on motorway at 70mph the other day and a Leaf came flying past me. All the electric cars and hybrids i see on the motorways go like maniacs :lol: Dont think ive ever seen one in the slow lane


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## Andyg_TSi (Sep 6, 2013)

I only fill up to half a tank & refuel when I get to about an eighth left


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

I used to whack £15 in whenever the light came on in my little KA, now i let it get to just above red and brim it. That way i can get a more accurate idea of mpg. That's the only reason i do it really.

I have wondered whether there's any merit in half-filling, i think given the overall weight of the car, an extra 25kg won't make a great deal of difference.


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## bradleymarky (Nov 29, 2013)

I fill up every fortnight.


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## kingswood (Jun 23, 2016)

always fill mine up for a couple of reasons:

1. hate filling it up so dont wana do a trip twice doing half when to the brim will do. and your guna use it so why just put half in?

2. dont the fumes rot the tank? prob a throw back to the austin metros i bought as a kid but remember filling to the brim and fuel leaked!

3. 30kg is the size of my chocolate lab, hardly much weight. prob best off goingthrough the boot and getting rid of excess weight there

4. car only does 25mpg so a full tank will get me 275 miles! the redline is the quater mark!


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## tightlines (Jul 16, 2011)

fill to the top when it goes to quarter about once a fortnight


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

I usually fill up every 2-3weeks when the tank has about a quarter left


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## jasoncrow70 (Jan 2, 2017)

Fill up once a month on/just after payday. I get 600 miles to a tank and only usually average 3-400 miles a month so it's between 1/4 and half full when I fill up.


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## jbguitarking (Oct 5, 2011)

Put £60 in on payday and then top up if need be before the next payday or if I'm going on a long drive.


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## Cons91 (Aug 25, 2014)

slim_boy_fat said:


> I never let it get below 1/2 tank, then fill it to the neck.
> 
> Not perhaps the most efficient, but I know I can jump in the car any time of day or night and just drive to where I need to be without think "Nearest all night fuel station is...."
> 
> Peace of mind is worth a few pennies in MPG in my book.


This is EXACTLY what I do


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## DLGWRX02 (Apr 6, 2010)

I put about £70-£90 in every 10 days


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

To the top. Then 200 miles later when the fuel light comes on, back to the top again. 

Spend enough time in the petrol station as it is :lol:


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## Shug (Jul 13, 2007)

Only have my manta now as rarely use a car so I just top it up to half a tank at most unless I have a longer journey planned. No point have a tankful going off sat in my garage for weeks on end.


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Shiny said:


> To the top. Then 200 miles later when the fuel light comes on, back to the top again.
> 
> Spend enough time in the petrol station as it is :lol:


Blimey :doublesho which car is this? doesnt sound too economical


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## NeilG40 (Jan 1, 2009)

Christian6984 said:


> Do they use electric quicker the faster you drive? I was on motorway at 70mph the other day and a Leaf came flying past me. All the electric cars and hybrids i see on the motorways go like maniacs :lol: Dont think ive ever seen one in the slow lane


That's because electricity is so much cheaper than petrol/diesel.:thumb:


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## DrEskimo (Jan 7, 2016)

Shiny said:


> To the top. Then 200 miles later when the fuel light comes on, back to the top again.
> 
> Spend enough time in the petrol station as it is :lol:


Sounds familiar....! I get the train Mon-Fri and still feel like I have to fill up £70 a week!

My shell reward card gets well used


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

I normally top up once every 7-10 days so I just go with the flow and tie it in with a shopping trip


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## pooma (Apr 12, 2008)

As and when...22mpg means more trips to the forecourt than I'd like to mention but I tend to just fill up when the light comes on


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## funkydunk (Aug 16, 2016)

Am I the only one who likes to risk it. If I haven't gone at least 20 miles with the light on I feel like I've wasted fuel. ( I know I haven't really). I always fill to the top unless its a motorway services and stupidly expensive.


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## Shiny (Apr 23, 2007)

Christian6984 said:


> Blimey :doublesho which car is this? doesnt sound too economical


Accord Type R. The fun starts at 5800 revs so it has to be driven hard to be properly enjoyed.

It's less painful to measure in "smiles per gallon" :lol:


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## pooma (Apr 12, 2008)

funkydunk said:


> Am I the only one who likes to risk it. If I haven't gone at least 20 miles with the light on I feel like I've wasted fuel. ( I know I haven't really). I always fill to the top unless its a motorway services and stupidly expensive.


Oh I like to risk it every now and then...well I wouldn't say I like to risk it but sometimes I have to near pay day


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## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

When I used to commute 700 miles a week it was full to empty otherwise it would be a trip to the pumps every day! The Volvo gets filled from empty to full because it's always used and regularly runs around rural areas where decent diesel can be hard to find in a flash and the distance to empty calc is way out, it says 60 miles when the light comes on but it will start to splutter due to the shape of the tank after 20! The Pug gets £25-30 in it per visit because it doesn't use much and doesn't get used much as it's just an odd jobs runaround. The Porsche gets filled up as and when it's used and put away with as little as possible in the tank (never has been a reliable fuel gauge though) but that's only when it's on the road


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## Fidge (Jan 23, 2017)

I fill to the brim and run it well in to the reserve, which is once a week on the bike and once every 2 months in the car. I also like to keep track of the MPG.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I always brim it. Visting the petrol station is something I like to avoid.


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## wee man (Sep 29, 2016)

Fill to brim at cheap station, those close are 4_5 pence a litre more expensive. Also visit granddaughter twice a month it takes a full tank for the round trip! Well I have about 50 miles worth left.
A full tank lasts for two weeks commuting to work for my wife. So filling is best for me otherwise motorway prices.

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## potter88 (Apr 12, 2014)

Never less than half a tank and always once a week filled

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## baxlin (Oct 8, 2007)

As the JZR has only a 2 gallon tank, and no fuel gauge, I top it up quite often! (I reset the trip every fill up, and keep a can full in the car just in case)


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

Shiny said:


> To the top. Then 200 miles later when the fuel light comes on, back to the top again.
> 
> Spend enough time in the petrol station as it is :lol:


That's pretty much the same as me :car:


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Empty to full for my cars, the missus when it goes to a quarter, she wants me to fill it up.
While you save on weight with filling up to half, you waste that easy with every extra journey to the filling station.
Also I hate the time you waste in a filling station, especially if people have to do their week shopping and have a big coffee malarkey going on (That's how it feels when they come eventually out with their big Cost-a-lot coffees)


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## nick_mcuk (Jan 4, 2008)

I just fill the cars up....never faf with this half tank rubbish.

Fill it up till the pump clicks then round it off to a whole number pay and drive till the light comes on.

I cant fathom why anyone would put this much thought into this...seems a complete waste of time to me.


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## enc (Jan 25, 2006)

Bit of a routine merchant here ... shell v-power every Thursday morning .. I pass the station on my way into work so no special journeys required .. usually £20-25 per week


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

nick_mcuk said:


> I just fill the cars up....never faf with this half tank rubbish.
> 
> *Fill it up till the pump clicks then round it off to a whole number pay and drive till the light comes on.*
> 
> I cant fathom why anyone would put this much thought into this...seems a complete waste of time to me.


That's what I do. Which normally works out at once a week.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Brim it and fill if the light comes on or about the 1/4 tank mark.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

Ross said:


> Brim it and fill if the light comes on or about the 1/4 tank mark.


Maybe if you didn't brim it you wouldn't be crying at the petrol pump lol


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Ha that was when I just had the Legacy,have a VW Caddy for being self employed which gets 550+ miles to tank apposed to 250 ish with the Legacy.
3 liter flat 6 is more fun though 😊

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## JoeyJoeJo (Jan 3, 2014)

Full to scarily empty.

Seeing as how the UK population seem incapable of using a diesel pump without getting it all over the handle and floor, and garages round me never seem to have gloves, I minimise my trips as far as possible.


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## Sam6er (Apr 3, 2016)

Empty to full all the time. Saves going back sooner but i have to visit the pump twice a week due to the milage i do. Otherwise id be going more than twice a week. I need a more economical daily lol


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

I run it down as low as i dare, before filling right to the top, as i feel that this way the fuel gauge needle gets a proper full range work out and will last longer.... 

... Not really, i just fill up at a convenient time about once every 500 miles or so , whenever the tank is getting low. 

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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

CoOkIeMoNsTeR said:


> When I used to commute 700 miles a week it was full to empty otherwise it would be a trip to the pumps every day! The Volvo gets filled from empty to full because it's always used and regularly runs around rural areas where decent diesel can be hard to find in a flash and the distance to empty calc is way out, it says 60 miles when the light comes on but it will start to splutter due to the shape of the tank after 20! The Pug gets £25-30 in it per visit because it doesn't use much and doesn't get used much as it's just an odd jobs runaround. The Porsche gets filled up as and when it's used and put away with as little as possible in the tank (never has been a reliable fuel gauge though) but that's only when it's on the road


im glad the fiesta doesnt seem to have a funny shape tank, when i got to the pump to fill up the range was 14


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## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Yeah the tank in the Volvo is a cut in on the underside to make way for the 4 wheel drive system and the pick up is at the front so if you go up a slight incline on low fuel it all sloshes to the back behind the cut in and starves the engine. My wife has run it empty 3 times now!!


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## RedUntilDead (Feb 10, 2009)

Brim both cars and always look for a leak under the car when I see the total figure££££££
With the diesel BM i thought the regen for the dpf didnt kick in with less than half a tank?
time fill ups with our visits to costco as their premium diesel is a lot cheaper than shell v power.


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

CoOkIeMoNsTeR said:


> Yeah the tank in the Volvo is a cut in on the underside to make way for the 4 wheel drive system and the pick up is at the front so if you go up a slight incline on low fuel it all sloshes to the back behind the cut in and starves the engine. My wife has run it empty 3 times now!!


I didnt want that, especially after changing a diesel filter on a 12' Focus 1.6 TDCI, getting the air out of the system without Fords special tool was fun :lol: not in a hurry to do one again thats for sure


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## Ciamician (Nov 27, 2016)

Whenever the indicator light comes on (which is around 100-125 km left). 

Related: how on earth do I lock the gas nozzle? There's this little clip which is meant to lock into position so you don't have to press the handle the entire time... but I fail miserably every time I have to fill up


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

Brim it about every week and a half (3/4 of a tank each time)

Like to think I'm getting more
330 miles to the first half


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## PugIain (Jun 28, 2006)

Full to empty. With a snifter of 2ehn before filling up.

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## rob267 (Nov 27, 2015)

Wait until i got around 1/4 left then fill up.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

Ciamician said:


> Whenever the indicator light comes on (which is around 100-125 km left).
> 
> Related: how on earth do I lock the gas nozzle? There's this little clip which is meant to lock into position so you don't have to press the handle the entire time... but I fail miserably every time I have to fill up


Not sure tbh maybe ask your garage attendant. I don't like using that feature on the pump handles lol


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## heavyd (Jun 11, 2006)

10 mile round trip to a shell garage for v-power, so brim the tank when it gets to a quarter


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## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

Getting fuel is annoying, so I go when I've not enough to get to where I'm going. Always fill it to the top.


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Fill it up when it gets down to 1/4.


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Main car is brimmed when needed but run as close to empty as I can get away with. The other car gets plugged in every night - it an electric Nissan Leaf


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## LewisChadwick7 (Aug 22, 2014)

it depends where i'm filling up and what the prices are :lol: (yes i'm a tight t**t i know ) if i'm calling in at costco i'll always brim it or if i call into tesco it's usually £20/£30, i always fill it up when it get to around 1/8 of a tank left though which is just before the light comes on and leaves around 50 miles on the range just to be safe


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## Overdoser (Oct 25, 2010)

18 litre tank on the bike gets filled with Vpower every 2 days on account of my 50 mile commute. Mrs CRV gets a full tank of Vpower every 10 days average. My project cars get £20 quid of Shell Fuelsave as and when.


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Once a week, £10 if it needs it or not... 

the Joys of having a tank that can only take £33 max. C1 Citroen.

The Mrs car on the other hand..... I cry when i fill that up, from empty once I got to £125 and it still hadn't clicked.....So I chickend out and stopped.


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## Starbuck88 (Nov 12, 2013)

Ciamician said:


> Whenever the indicator light comes on (which is around 100-125 km left).
> 
> Related: how on earth do I lock the gas nozzle? There's this little clip which is meant to lock into position so you don't have to press the handle the entire time... but I fail miserably every time I have to fill up


Where we are all the handles have the pins taken out, so it doesn't actually work. Usually the little butterfly thump clip part literally hooks onto a pin in the handle (you can see the holes where the pin should go).

The butterfly bit I mentioned above seems to be attached to all the pump handles yet the pins are missing. I think they are probably still on the HGV/Bus pumps though.


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## Mugwump (Feb 17, 2008)

Andy from Sandy said:


> In years gone by people were wary of letting the tank get too low as it will allow for any muck to get picked up. Don't know if it actually happens. I can't say I have ever suffered with dirt in the fuel line.


This probably used to be the case many years ago, but I don't think there has been much problem with dirt in the fuel in recent decades.

As an indication, I have recently had a petrol tank off a 13 year old/65k mile MG ZR, and the inside of the tank was spotless - no sign of even a miniscule amount of debris in the bottom of it, and neither was there any sign of internal rust - keeping the tank filled to avoid condensation and rusting through from the inside was always used as another reason for people claiming you should always keep your tank full.

I keep a careful running check on my fuel consumption, so always brim fill for that reason. I usually let it get to around a quarter full and then fill up when I am convenient to the petrol station I normally use. I don't like to let it get too low because: 
a). I don't know the precise point at which it will run out altogether (and most car fuel gauges are not accurate enough to give that close an indication), 
b). I want to have plenty of fuel to get to wherever I may need to in an emergency without running out or having to stop and fill up (or indeed find a petrol station that is open en route in the middle of the night if needed) 
c). If it does run out, it can be expensive to get sorted out and as my car has an in tank fuel pump which others who have run out have discovered sometimes seem to fail within a few days of having been run dry, that is an extra expense I wish to avoid (about £250 for a brand new pump).


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Easy on the Westfield with its "long-range" 7 gallon tank - fill up at every fuel station I pass - yes, its thirsty


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## litcan91 (Mar 16, 2013)

Fuelling is choir for me, just a waste of time that could be spent better elsewhere. 

Therefore it's the usual full tank ran to the light or somewhere in that region, this reduces the number of trips and time spent at a fuelling station. 

Exceptions do happen of course, only run the car on shell fuels, therefore occasionally will fill up without reaching the low end if there's not enough fuel for the trip. 

Always interesting to see how much happiness the fuel stations bring to some, like they've never been to a shop before...


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## uruk hai (Apr 5, 2009)

Fill it up once a fortnight and it's usually down to about half a tank, so about a tank a month for me.


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## Disco Smudge (Aug 27, 2013)

So basically most of you fuel up to the brim them


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## Minimiller (Jan 20, 2017)

22MPG Sounds like my Cooper S R53 they are devastating on Fuel =)

anywhere from 17-22 on my daily trip to work in traffic 

Can get anywhere from 30 to 40mpg on motorway though probably more if you drive like a snail xD

its only a 1.6


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