It is suggested in the driving manual of cars that one should not drive car far when the low fuel light comes on. When the car is continuously moving it is going to take even the last drop of fuel present inside the car so when you are having very less fuel then your car will use even the last drop and in the end this is going to damage the car’s internal functioning, you can end up with fumes, many times catalytic convertor can be easily damaged with this.
Low on fuel is not big issue if you are driving in city but if you are driving on highway then it will become a difficult situation for you. The best practice is to have your fuel tank filled to 1/4 of the total capacity of the fuel tank, this practice will not only save you from getting stranded on the mid of the road rather it will also increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. Vehicle which are always low on fuel tend to give less mileage and with this ill habit the car will start to become more less economical for you. Finding the accurate answer regarding how far the car will go with low fuel light on is not that easy however, there is a big win only when you go through all the reviews and recommendations of the people who have walked in the same shoes as you are walking in.
The approximation shown by the fuel gauge to you is not always accurate, the consistent driving on low fuel might have made your vehicle to give less mileage so do not trust your vehicle’s indication every time. And many times the low light cannot predict the accurate statistics as road condition, condition of the car and also many other reason influence the range.
When does the low fuel light comes on ?
When the fuel is nearly 8% to 12 % left in your car fuel tank then the low fuel light will come on. No accurate readings are available for this query however, there is enough data with respect to the experiences of people available on online platform that tells that every car have different capacity and acts distinctively according to their model and condition and also driving techniques also makes things different.
Factors that affect fuel consumption :
Many factors affect the fuel consumption in a vehicle and increase fuel consumption which will cost you more and more money . Here we have filtered few factors that affect fuel consumption in a vehicle.
- Driving technique : Keep your car speed at 30 Kmph to 40 Kmph while driving in city and 60 Kmph to 80 Kmph while driving on the highway. The more you press pedals the more fuel is going to be used so driving car at a good average will give you good result and not pressing pedals again and again is going to serve you for sure.
- Road condition : City driving uses more fuel then highway driving and this is because highways doesn’t majorly demand repeated pressing of pedals which is demanded more when one is driving in the city.
- Weather condition : Different weather effects the fuel consumption differently. In winters fuel economy reduces and in summer season the fuel economy is increased. So weather is many times a deciding factor that affects your fuel efficiency.
- Car condition : Car condition is also of very much importance as not well maintained car will consume more fuel and if the condition of the car is good then one can expect good fuel economy from their car.
- Recurrent driving on low fuel : Repeated low fuel damages the internal functioning of the car. The low fuel can also become a potential reason to contaminate the other car parts as the benthic fuel present inside the car could have impurities that can enter into the other components too through the fuel pump.
When fuel light comes on how much petrol is left in the car ?
Majorly, it is stated according to the top mechanics that the amount of fuel present in the car is nearly about 8% to 12 % of the total fuel capacity of the fuel tank. So, according to your car’s average mileage you can calculate how many kilometers your car can go after the low fuel light comes on. For passenger cars the range is 30 km to 40 km. Let’s take an example : say for a car which is well maintained and well kept having a fuel tank capacity of 40 liters and the amount of fuel remaining in the car when the low fuel light comes on is 10%, so when the low light comes on then the amount of fuel in your car will be 4 liters only and with this you can not go much farther.
How far can you drive on reserve fuel ?
This question arises to every car owner that how far their car can go on reserve fuel ? Reserve fuel no such actual term is present in nowadays cars earlier this term was used but now this isn’t anymore the same thing. But one can think the low fuel warning light indication as reserve fuel presence in a car. At the time of low fuel light warning there is very less fuel available in the car and this fuel limit vary from car to car and model to model and also depend on many other things like driving techniques and road condition etc. as described above. So, if your car is a car which is fuel efficient then it will go far but if you are having a car which is not fuel efficient then you have to find fuel as soon as you can.
Fuel warning light :
Fuel warning illuminates when the amount of fuel is very less in the car. Earlier fuel lights used to show an illuminated ‘R initial’ which symbolized that very “less fuel” is available in the car and now the car is using Reserve fuel. This indication was very important for filling fuel into the car however nowadays no reserve fuel indication is there rather low fuel warning lights turns on which indicates that you must now get your fuel tank filled.
The low fuel warning light is an amber colored light which lit up when the fuel is low. In many vehicles a small fuel dispenser icon is present on the fuel gauge which get illuminated along with the ‘E’ Symbol which is of red color. The low fuel warning light does not accurately tell you about the amount of fuel left in the car it is always an “approximate indication”.
Driving on low fuel lights again and again can cause damage to the internal components of the car. Recurrent driving on low fuel light is going to impact the fuel economy of your vehicle. You are going to be more at risk empty fuel tank if you keep on driving on low fuel.
What will happen if you are driving on low fuel light ?
Many things happen when you drive on low fuel light. Driving on low fuel again and again is not going to do any good to your car rather it is going to deteriorate your car’s functioning and this will leave you with unpleasant consequences like breaking down can happen in the middle of the road and with cars running at high speed can bump into your car easily which will be a catastrophe in fraction of seconds and it can cost even lives of people if your car gets stranded on the middle of a highway.
As the approximate not accurate readings are present on the fuel gauge which will make your car’s internal components to get damaged easily. And other than this the contamination of the internal components can happen as the bottom of the tank can carry impurities which can get mixed easily if you will make your car to use the last drop of fuel inside the tank.
Practice Tip : Always keep your tank quarter full i.e. 1/4 of fuel must be present in your car at most of the time.
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