How far can you go with empty tank?

[epj3]

Even a full tank in my 325 (16 gallons) weighs in at under 100 lbs. I don't see any benefit in limiting yourself to only 3/4 tank for increased performance. You're talking about shaving 24 lbs! Shit, my briefcase sometimes weighs that much!

Actually it'll weigh about 130 pounds... gas weighs about 8 lbs/gallon. Close enough though

I know its not a big deal but i can DEFINITELY feel a difference between 3/4 tank and 1/4 tank. I know my car's older and it has a little less torque than your car, but I could notice it even on the minivan.

 

[Blue]

1 gallon of water weighs 8.33 lbs, 1 gallon of gas weighs 5.8 to 6.5 lbs.

Sure you'll notice a diff between full & near empty...there is also the inertia & sloshing factor of the fluids in your tank.

I'm just commenting on the notion of shaving 20-30 lbs in a car with AC, CD, power leather seats, carpet mats, etc.!

My other car is a Land Rover Discovery. The beast weighs in at about 5,000 lbs, and that is before my 150 lb winch, 200 lb steel bumper, big triple-steel-belted mud terrains, full-length roof rack, full Pelican cases up top, ammunition, 10 gallons gas up top, 5 gallons water in cargo area, camping gear, climbing gear, cooler or fridge, spare parts & fluids, tool boxes, etc. All this and a 182 hp V8 running on a 24 gallon premium fuel tank @ 11 mpg!

 

[epj3]

1 gallon of water weighs 8.33 lbs, 1 gallon of gas weighs 5.8 to 6.5 lbs.

Sure you'll notice a diff between full & near empty...there is also the inertia & sloshing factor of the fluids in your tank.

I'm just commenting on the notion of shaving 20-30 lbs in a car with AC, CD, power leather seats, carpet mats, etc.!

My other car is a Land Rover Discovery. The beast weighs in at about 5,000 lbs, and that is before my 150 lb winch, 200 lb steel bumper, big triple-steel-belted mud terrains, full-length roof rack, full Pelican cases up top, ammunition, 10 gallons gas up top, 5 gallons water in cargo area, camping gear, climbing gear, cooler or fridge, spare parts & fluids, tool boxes, etc. All this and a 182 hp V8 running on a 24 gallon premium fuel tank @ 11 mpg!

Ah thanks, I thought it weighed about as much as water, but I see it weighs less. Even so! You do feel the difference.

 

[Bmw 325i 7803]

I wonder, when the fuel pump fries...... If the dealer will point a finger and charge you for it. If letting the tank run low was such a problem wouldn't the dealer have said something?

Anyhow it's never a good idea to let your car run low on gas. What could be more embarrassing than running out of gas?

 

[Sexualwasabi]

whoa I had no idea shoot I'm never gonna let that little yellow light come on again!

 

[Kirby]

I know Conference and SCCA racers who would love to shave 24lbs off the weight of their cars to save a 1/10 of a second. I have no desire to do so, or I would get rid of my CD changer in the trunk..or better yet I would lose 24 lbs around my middle section....haha. But if you want to save some weight for more "fun" by all means go for it. Blue, do you have gold bars in that briefcase?

Right On. I started running SCCA autoX this year. One of the first tips you learn and everybody follows is to go to the track with 1/4 tank or less - to save weight.

It matters to some people, an instructor I met missed being the Super Stock (Corvette Z06) National Champion by 1/1000 sec. That amount of weight does matter in those situations.

My Suburban holds 40 gallons= about 240 lbs. For local driving I run it 1/2 to 1/4 full. Save weight = save gas.