Miles left with petrol gauge on red light

18th February 2011, 09:58

Hello all,

Just got to work and my petrol light has come on! Ive got a 5p off a litre for tesco fuel so want to go there but the nearest is about just over 20 miles away, will i make it!!??

How much petrol/how many miles left when the light comes on?

Cheers

18th February 2011, 10:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by VTR_Steve

Hello all,

Just got to work and my petrol light has come on! Ive got a 5p off a litre for tesco fuel so want to go there but the nearest is about just over 20 miles away, will i make it!!??

How much petrol/how many miles left when the light comes on?

Cheers

I managed to drive 60 miles at a steady pace with my light on a month ago! Was shitting myself the whole time mind you

18th February 2011, 10:07

Driving steadily and not bootin it you should make it easy, i normally get roughly 40 miles more when the light comes on, never risked goin anymore though

18th February 2011, 10:22

Petrol light means you have around 4 litre left in your tank.. You will make it

18th February 2011, 10:27

you guys aren't exactly math geniuses. It's gonna cost you more to go there and back instead of buying local, even with that 5p/liter off. Or if you really want to get there safely, just buy 2 liters off of any station and "lose" 10p

otherwise LScottBell is right, 4 litres left, aprox. 45-50 miles if driving easy.

18th February 2011, 11:25

That tescos is right near i live so wont be going out my way to get there, just didnt have time to go there before work! So you all reckon i will make it easily! I bloody hope so! Thought about putting 2 litres at nearest petrol station but dont think i ca handle the embaresment of standing a the counter, sayin pump 4 and the cashier replyin, thats 2.50 please! Lol

18th February 2011, 13:22

With my VTR if I fill up just after the red light comes on
it takes around 38 litres to fill back up to the top.

So in theory as its a 45 litre tank, there should be 7 litres left.

However I've never risked finding out if thats true

18th February 2011, 13:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon

With my VTR if I fill up just after the red light comes on
it takes around 38 litres to fill back up to the top.

So in theory as its a 45 litre tank, there should be 7 litres left.

However I've never risked finding out if thats true

done half a nights work on the red light which was about 60 miles. never driven so carefully in my life!

18th February 2011, 13:48

Is it not generally recommend that you dont drive far on the red cause you'll start to pull sludge through the engine if your not careful. I generally fill up when the red comes on but I think as with most cars you've got roughly a gallon (4 litres) when it does come on.

18th February 2011, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonny52002

Is it not generally recommend that you dont drive far on the red cause you'll start to pull sludge through the engine if your not careful. I generally fill up when the red comes on but I think as with most cars you've got roughly a gallon (4 litres) when it does come on.

The fuel filter will stop any sludge getting to the engine

But true not really recommended to run it too low.

18th February 2011, 13:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonny52002

Is it not generally recommend that you dont drive far on the red cause you'll start to pull sludge through the engine if your not careful. I generally fill up when the red comes on but I think as with most cars you've got roughly a gallon (4 litres) when it does come on.

i've run a car empty and it was still fine with the same filter over a year later

18th February 2011, 17:20

Made it ok, filled to 3 clicks and only needed 38ltrs! I always run down to red light or nearly there and never normally need to put more than 35ltrs or so in

18th February 2011, 17:55

My 16v was over fueling and i was booting it with the light on and managed to get 50 miles out of it and it would have went more i think but i didnt dare risk it lol.

18th February 2011, 19:16

my mate got 80 miles with his sax he ran it completely dry though lol

27th January 2013, 00:00

belive it or not in my 1.1 i atcually managed 50 miles with the light on, and alot of that was driving home in rush hour traffic and that:-) seriously the saxo fuel light is shitty, i always used to shit my self after doing about 10 miles on the fuel light but now i know i can do like 45-50 im ok. only problem with going that low is that it costs like a tenner to get the needle of the fuel light hahaha but if your low on cash then you have no choice:L

27th January 2013, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron1992

my mate got 80 miles with his sax he ran it completely dry though lol

jesus christ how did he manage 80 miles?!

28th January 2013, 23:02

I've driven for about 50 odd STEADY miles before, wouldn't do it again, for the one main reason that you end up picking up shite from the bottom of your fuel tank and throwing round the engine.

28th January 2013, 23:31

I heard it was only 30 miles so i always reset my milage when the light comes on and never go over 30 miles and keep it at 2000 revs

29th January 2013, 03:33

Shouldn't even be letting it get down that low. As someone said earlier it will pull any crap at the bottom of your tank through! Admittedly the fuel filter will stop most getting through but blocking that up will give you problems in itself! Cheap as hell to replace though

29th January 2013, 07:27

i use 50 miles as my limit, but have had 60 once or twice in the VTR.

29th January 2013, 17:15

Did 65miles on the light when i had my 1.5d, saying that i once filled it up to the click drove from Bristol to Birmingham air port and back. Filled it up and had the huge cost of £14.67 after driving 205 miles, i dint even drive that slow. Oh how i miss that cars fuel economy.