Is it better to fill your tank when empty or to get gas when it goes past a cetain point?, like quarter gone?

Question

does it matter and will it save you money?

Answer 1

At this point, it is probably better to fill your tank once a week, because it seems like every week the prices are higher than the week before. Normally, though, it's fine to wait till it is just about on E to fill it up. Just so that you don't let it go much below E, because there is often debris or trash in the bottom of your gas tank, and if you let it get so empty that you are using the very last drops of gas, you can get that trash in your carborator or fuel pump, or whatever, and it can cause problems.

Answer 2

No, it really doesn't matter.  I would say fill as less frequently as possible, just to save your effort.  But if the price of gas dips, fill up.  I usually wait till it goes almost empty, but not fully empty because that's risky.

Answer 3

This may sound stupid, but I always fill the tank when it is at half, it makes me feel better when I have a full tank. I think it is better to spend $50 rather than $100.

Answer 4

I've always been told that you should never let your gas go all the way to empty.  Besides being bad for your car, it also doesn't do you much good if you happen to get lost, hit a detour, etc. & you run OUT of gas!   I also agree with the poster who said they feel better with a full tank.  I'm spending the same amount of money, but it "seems" like less that way, lol.  I don't know for sure, but I've also heard that you get better milage on a full tank, something about there being fumes that help.

Answer 5

It won't save you money on gas, but it will on car repairs...

If you let the tank get too low , it sucks dirt and rust off the bottom of the tank, which then clogs your fuel system.

Also the fuel pump is cooled by the gas in the tank, and can get overheat if run low too often....

Answer 6

I'm not sure where some of these posters are getting their information, but the whole rust/dirt theory is ridiculous.  Fuel tanks pull off the bottom of your tank, so if there was gunk, it wouldn't matter if your tank was full or empty.  I'm also not sure where all this crud is coming from, since fuel is filtered as it is pumped into your car and your car has a fuel filter as well.  Most vehicles also have electric fuel pumps and can run all day without "overheating", unless you run out of gasoline and if you sit with your ignition switch on, letting the fuel pump buzz away for hours, you deserve a burnt out fuel pump.

There is no difference in filling up at any point, besides the winter issue of letting condensation freeze in your tank and block your fuel line, but with today's sealed systems, that's pretty rare.  Also, ethanol will tend to pull small amounts of water into solution, rather than let it pool.

Me personally, I tend to go for the run it down, fill it up theory.  If I have a feeling gasoline is going to rise, I'll fill up early, but I almost never stop before the tank is full.  I don't see the point in having to stop sooner than necessary for the next fill-up