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Originally posted by HIX8 I coast with just enough speed left over to pull into the gas station and I yank the parking brake right by the pump. http://www.au.af.mil/au/goe/eaglebio...s/hoover02.htm |
Just be glad you HAVE a low fuel light!
My 99 Miata does not have one at all, and I have been between exits in the middle of NOWHERE between Kansas City and Denver sweating bullets!
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thanks for the 411...........kinda reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer drives the demo car until it runs out of gas.
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Originally posted by HIX8 I wonder what the actual engine speed limits are. The RX-EVOLV Renesis was advertised as having a 10k redline. Now either this was a "target" that the engineers fell short of (as with that other infamous engine perf tgt), or our rotaries can do just fine with excursions up to 10k. Now this IS one of those risks that I'm not willing to take. I have no confidence with my level of ignorance on this one, so I have always honored the rev-buzzer by backing off. But I'm sure that there are plenty of people at this forum who know a lot more about what will actually hurt the engine (if anyone can point me to a thread where this has already been discussed, I'd appreciate it). My best guess is that if the Renesis is rated to safely handle the throttle being held at 9k rpm, it wouldn't hurt much to do a transient peak into the red zone. Regards, Gordon |
Gord96BRG: No worries - there's a rev-limiter at around 9500; you can't over-rev the Renesis, the ignition cuts out. Now, you could mechanically over-rev it by downshifting (say, you're at redline in 3rd, instead of shifting to 4th you shift to 2nd...), but otherwise you can't hurt it. I've got an RX-7 downshifting "war story". I'll share that some other time (I blew the clutch, $700 mistake - thankfully it wasn't the engine). |
This is weird. The other night my guage was at 1/4 tank. I pumped 12.5 gallons into it. That means there should be a little less than 3.5 gallons of gas left. If low fuel light comes on when the needle hits "E", how much gas is left? 1/2 gallon? I never let it go lower than 1/4 tank yet. Now I'm scared to.
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be afraid ver afraid
no just kidding when my light comes on I go get gas ASAP to be safe |
When I was poor, driving a first gen RX-7, I use to put $3 of gas in and estimate how many miles I could go (30!). It caught me once! Now I tend to fill up whenever I see gas go down in price, even if I'm at 2/3's of a tank!
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Originally Posted by HIX8
Here's my craziest flameout story. It happens to involve another bridge (a big and famous one this time, unlike the short street bridge from yesterday)...
I've gotten up to full speed and am approaching the crest of this last part of the bridge. Vssshh. (That sinking feeling that the motor just quit). Sputter sputter. Nada. I'm coasting up to the crest of the bridge in neutral. The motor is totally dead as I make futile attempts at cranking the starter while coasting at a disturbingly decelerating rate. I punch the hazards. I make the crest of the bridge! It's all downhill for the rest of the bridge. I continue coasting while wondering where I am going to stop. I'm glad to see that there is an exit ramp as you first enter the city, and the ramp is downhill too. I see a red light at the bottom of the ramp. Another sinking feeling. I'm thinking that I'm hosed. I slow down early with the hand brake to try to conserve my momentum. The light turns green! And there's no traffic in my way so I let off the brake totally. I blow through the light and continue my marathon coast in neutral. Sure enough, there is a Shell station one block past the exit ramp traffic light. I coast with just enough speed left over to pull into the gas station and I yank the parking brake right by the pump. Made it. If I saw this as a scene in a movie, I would have thought... Yeah, like that could ever happen. Well, that was a lesson I learned in the 7. Maybe it gave me a false sense of confidence that I could get away with dumb moves like that. |
I've pushed 40 miles on the light...once. But I was one the highway, and I know I can get 24-25mpg at 70mph, plus I was in the middle of nowhere, and the gas station I usually use on that trip was closed for some reason. 14.4xx gallons, the most I've ever stuffed in the tank :)
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YMMV :p
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Originally Posted by NAVILESRX8
This is weird. The other night my guage was at 1/4 tank. I pumped 12.5 gallons into it. That means there should be a little less than 3.5 gallons of gas left. If low fuel light comes on when the needle hits "E", how much gas is left? 1/2 gallon? I never let it go lower than 1/4 tank yet. Now I'm scared to.
But usually when the light comes on, I pump in a little over 13 gallons. It doesn't come on when it hits the "E", it comes on earlier than that (at about 1/8 full). I've driven 10-15 miles after the light has come on a bunch of times. The most recent time my light came on like 15 miles away from home I stopped for gas 10 miles away and I filled up only 13.8 gallons (i was freaking out tho, having driven like 20 minutes after the light has gone on). From my experience you can safely go 15 miles easily after the light goes on. 30 is really pushing it though. Remember even if you get only 15mpg, 2 gallons gives you 30 miles you can go. I just wouldn't push it. Fill up as soon as it's convenient when the light turns on or early if you're unfamiliar with the area or gas stations are in small supply. |
I killed mine yesterday with a gas can in the trunk.....to see how far it would go. I got 49Km from light on to nada.......I was surprised it went from running to dead...with no other symptoms....talk about sucking it down to the last drop :D
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I owned a Mazda MX-3 before I bought my RX-8. One of the neat things about the gas light in the MX-3 is when it came on, it was an orange dot just like RX-8 is. But it would fade on, and as the gas tank got lower, it would get brighter, until it was almost like this blinding light shining in your eye saying, "You better get gas, or you'll be sorry!" I wish the RX-8 had that, but I haven't been able to tell if it actually gets brighter as the tank gets lower. You'll probably hate me for saying this but, if you put in normal unleaded octane you'll get better gas milage, but not performance. "Which doesn't really seem to make much sense right?" I've experiment many times with this, and it's true with each tank of gas I try out. Try it on your next trip.... I can easily get 300 miles on Highway driving when using just normal unleaded.
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Low Fuel Warning Idea
It could always be suggested to Mazda to install a computer voice in the car instead of a fuel gauge or warning lights that will act like your "mother in law" (no offence intended to all the mothers in-law out there :rolleyes: ) and nag the driver to stop and get fuel before the car runs out. And if that doesn't work, have the computer voice continue to with "Well I told you to Stop and Get gas, but noooo you have to be a know it all and try to squeeze that extra 1/10 mile out of the tank." That just might do the trick a bit better that a dash full of Christmas lights. On the other hand maybe some good old fashioned personal responsibility might just be the most cost effective way to solve the problem of running out of fuel. What do ya think. :cool:
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Originally Posted by elysium19
That is AWESOME.
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my gauge is way off, it comes on I drive 25-30 miles and can only get 12- 12.5 in it?? I think my light comes on with 3-4 gallons by mistake, but I'm not taking it in for that.
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This entire thread is just stupid, ESPECIALLY to be brought back from the dead over a year ago. Everone complaining that the IDIOT fuel light is not idiot proof enough. Fill your damn tank when it gets near 1/4 or 1/8 of the guage. Period, you don't need some stupid light to tell you to fill up, or to get brighter, etc. That's what the damn gauge is for.
So let me get this straight. Idiot fuel light = ok. Idiot Oil pressure gauge = ! ok. Get real and use your f'in brains people. |
When the light turns on it's not time to push it, it's time to fill up? The most I'll drive once the light hit's is 10 miles...no matter that my calculations (at my avg 19mpg city) tells me I can drive another 40 miles.
Light = Me hungy (from your RX8) |
I could swear when I get low on gas it doesn't feel as quick, but when I stuff it full it feels a little quicker???probably just my brain playing tricks....but my female said something too??
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When you're low on gas you should have less weight, so it should actually be a little quicker.. However, I believe the way the tank is shaped, certain motions of the vehicle can cause fuel starvation when you are low on gas.
Originally Posted by dwill9578
I could swear when I get low on gas it doesn't feel as quick, but when I stuff it full it feels a little quicker???probably just my brain playing tricks....but my female said something too??
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Other night my light came on. I'm 52 miles from home and gas is much cheaper there. ( 20-30 cents less) I drove nice and easy on the interstate about 75 mph. I was half expecting it to run out. Got off gased up and was only able to get 13.6 gallons in it before it overfilled. I was at mile 310 on the tank and drove a good 50 miles with the light on and still had apparently another 1.5 gallons left.
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Originally Posted by guy321
This entire thread is just stupid, ESPECIALLY to be brought back from the dead over a year ago. Everone complaining that the IDIOT fuel light is not idiot proof enough. Fill your damn tank when it gets near 1/4 or 1/8 of the guage. Period, you don't need some stupid light to tell you to fill up, or to get brighter, etc. That's what the damn gauge is for.
So let me get this straight. Idiot fuel light = ok. Idiot Oil pressure gauge = ! ok. Get real and use your f'in brains people. 'Zoom-Zoom' sparks my spirit as a combination of performance and excitement. And for me, maximizing performance applies to the gas pump as well as the road. As far as using our brains, a counter argument could be made that practicing maximum range performance in a relatively benign city environment has the potential to pay large dividends if a driver can learn to stretch from one gas station to the next for a cross-country trip that may have hostile weather like a scorching desert or an icy blizzard. I'd much rather learn the limits of my car when the pumps are a short walk away rather than a possibly life-threatening hike. |
I think it would be cooler to have another LCD screen that tells you the capacity and the current level like 12.4/15.9 and a nice little avg miles per gallon like a lot of the other new cars have. That way you could also mark down your gas capacity when you stop to get gas and then fill up and see if what they quote on the pump is what you have in the tank, it would help fight fraud =)
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Old thread .... still good info... Learning the limits of your car is a good idea. Most gauges vary slightly from car to car. Learning about how much fuel you have when the light comes on could come in handy.
The "E" stands for enough ... enough to find a station and fill up before you run out. |
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