> Driving on Empty + more or less <
#1
01-26-2013, 04:31 AM
> Driving on Empty + more or less <
Hi Member's, just filling in some empty space on the MCF & giving your something to read & check out that you may enjoy ? 
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Driving on empty: How far your car can go with the gas light on ?
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<cite class="byline vcard">By Aki Sugawara | Motoramic – <abbr title="2013-01-25T16:38:06Z">17 hours ago</abbr></cite>
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Whether slogging through commuter traffic or cruising on a picturesque highway, nobody enjoys stopping for gas. Hence it's easy to play a Kramer-quality game of chicken with the gas gauge — and seeing how deep you can get the needle into the E before the car sputters out. Automakers discourage that procrastination with a low-fuel light, which warns you when there's a few gallons left to spare; but those couple dozen extra miles aren't lost on motorists who want to hold off for a few precious freeway exits.
What's left people guessing, however, is exactly how far you can go when the gas light comes on, and since there's no established standard for reserve fuel capacity, it varies with each automaker and model. But thanks to the website Tank on Empty, which has a searchable, user-submitted database, you can have a better idea of your on-empty range.
According to the site, there are some surprising low-fuel winners: the mammoth Ford Excursion may guzzle gas like a cargo ship, but it also boasts one of the longest ranges, averaging 85.12 miles. That beats the eco-conscious Prius, which can run for 55.12 miles, or a Porsche 911 Carrera, which could quickly leave you stranded on the shoulder with its average of 23.82 miles.
But don't get emboldened by the data to run your car on fumes,** because continuously doing so can wear out the fuel pump. Most modern vehicles use an electric fuel pump, which is inside the fuel tank and relies on the gasoline to keep it cool; hence you'll want to keep the tank at least a quarter full to prevent premature wear.
Plus, there are some imitations to the tool. The data doesn’t distinguish between different model years, so an aging Toyota Corolla with a bad oxygen sensor could skew the results against a new one that just rolled off the dealership. And since the data points don’t reflect how much further the cars could’ve gone, they’re more an insight into driver refueling habits than a reflection of a car’s on-empty range.
Such crowdsourced data may become obsolete as manufacturers use trip computers that indicate the miles left — it’s already not only in luxury BMWs and Audis, but also in entry-level compacts like the Subaru Impreza. Whether there’s still some padding in the trip computer’s range or not, that only means drivers can push cars further into empty.
Photo: Sean MacEntee / Flickr
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Driving on empty: How far your car can go with the gas light on ?
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<cite class="byline vcard">By Aki Sugawara | Motoramic – <abbr title="2013-01-25T16:38:06Z">17 hours ago</abbr></cite>
<cite class="byline vcard"> </cite>
Whether slogging through commuter traffic or cruising on a picturesque highway, nobody enjoys stopping for gas. Hence it's easy to play a Kramer-quality game of chicken with the gas gauge — and seeing how deep you can get the needle into the E before the car sputters out. Automakers discourage that procrastination with a low-fuel light, which warns you when there's a few gallons left to spare; but those couple dozen extra miles aren't lost on motorists who want to hold off for a few precious freeway exits.
What's left people guessing, however, is exactly how far you can go when the gas light comes on, and since there's no established standard for reserve fuel capacity, it varies with each automaker and model. But thanks to the website Tank on Empty, which has a searchable, user-submitted database, you can have a better idea of your on-empty range.
According to the site, there are some surprising low-fuel winners: the mammoth Ford Excursion may guzzle gas like a cargo ship, but it also boasts one of the longest ranges, averaging 85.12 miles. That beats the eco-conscious Prius, which can run for 55.12 miles, or a Porsche 911 Carrera, which could quickly leave you stranded on the shoulder with its average of 23.82 miles.
But don't get emboldened by the data to run your car on fumes,** because continuously doing so can wear out the fuel pump. Most modern vehicles use an electric fuel pump, which is inside the fuel tank and relies on the gasoline to keep it cool; hence you'll want to keep the tank at least a quarter full to prevent premature wear.
Plus, there are some imitations to the tool. The data doesn’t distinguish between different model years, so an aging Toyota Corolla with a bad oxygen sensor could skew the results against a new one that just rolled off the dealership. And since the data points don’t reflect how much further the cars could’ve gone, they’re more an insight into driver refueling habits than a reflection of a car’s on-empty range.
Such crowdsourced data may become obsolete as manufacturers use trip computers that indicate the miles left — it’s already not only in luxury BMWs and Audis, but also in entry-level compacts like the Subaru Impreza. Whether there’s still some padding in the trip computer’s range or not, that only means drivers can push cars further into empty.
Photo: Sean MacEntee / Flickr
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Last edited by Space; 01-26-2013 at 07:36 AM.
#2
01-26-2013, 04:39 AM
Classics flooded by Sandy still waiting for salvage lot saviors
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<cite class="byline vcard">By Justin Hyde | Motoramic – <abbr title="2013-01-25T22:03:22Z">12 hours ago</abbr></cite>
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Two months ago, I wrote about the first wave of classic cars caught in superstorm Sandy's floods totaled by insurance companies and sent to East Coast salvage yards, for those who believe there's something worth keeping on a forty-year-old machine dunked in brackish waters. A browse through Copart's online listing this week shows that the crowd of Sandy-damaged classics has grown to number in the hundreds, ranging from old Packards to modern Ferraris. The crusher shouldn't be their only destination.
With more than 230,000 vehicles damaged by Sandy, the nation's insurers have been busy for months triaging the damage; many of those vehicles will be crushed, while some will be stripped for salvageable spare parts. A single dip in salt water can provide years of damage to a modern car, sprouting rust throughout the body, mold in all fabrics and corrosion on key electronic parts.
The story's a little different for classics. Take the '60s-era Chevy Corvettes in the New York and New Jersey lots; one 1967 Sting Ray valued at $81,000 before the storm suffered an estimated $60,000 in damage. Even without an engine, bidding for its body has reached $23,000. The 1988 Ferrari Testarossa shown above was valued at $50,000, but rebuilding its engine and hard-to-source electronics may be beyond the willpower of even the most ardent Miami Vice fan.
Sandy's floods didn't discriminate, claiming MGBs and Pontiac GTOs alike. There's enough Ford hot-rods and Chevy BelAirs in these lots to restage "American Graffiti," and of all the cars in the database, the idea of a 1969 Jaguar XKE with little visible water damage getting chopped for parts leaves me sad enough to skim the kids' college fund. (Salvage cars are sold as-is, and can be a hassle to drive legally even if they're mechanically copacetic.)
The oldest car in the mix — the 1928 Packard Six coupe, complete with rusty water sloshing in one of its driving lights — might be the one I'm most certain will be saved by a caring collector. It's simple enough to disassemble and clean; it's engine likely didn't suck in any water, and there's enough Packard enthusiasts across the country to provide the know-how and spare parts to get it running again. There's a reason some cars survive 95 years.
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<cite class="byline vcard"> </cite>
<cite class="byline vcard">By Justin Hyde | Motoramic – <abbr title="2013-01-25T22:03:22Z">12 hours ago</abbr></cite>
<cite class="byline vcard">
</cite>
Two months ago, I wrote about the first wave of classic cars caught in superstorm Sandy's floods totaled by insurance companies and sent to East Coast salvage yards, for those who believe there's something worth keeping on a forty-year-old machine dunked in brackish waters. A browse through Copart's online listing this week shows that the crowd of Sandy-damaged classics has grown to number in the hundreds, ranging from old Packards to modern Ferraris. The crusher shouldn't be their only destination.
With more than 230,000 vehicles damaged by Sandy
, the nation's insurers have been busy for months triaging the damage; many of those vehicles will be crushed, while some will be stripped for salvageable spare parts. A single dip in salt water can provide years of damage to a modern car, sprouting rust throughout the body, mold in all fabrics and corrosion on key electronic parts.
The story's a little different for classics. Take the '60s-era Chevy Corvettes in the New York and New Jersey lots; one 1967 Sting Ray valued at $81,000 before the storm suffered an estimated $60,000 in damage. Even without an engine, bidding for its body has reached $23,000. The 1988 Ferrari Testarossa shown above was valued at $50,000, but rebuilding its engine and hard-to-source electronics may be beyond the willpower of even the most ardent Miami Vice fan.
Sandy's floods didn't discriminate, claiming MGBs and Pontiac GTOs alike. There's enough Ford hot-rods and Chevy BelAirs in these lots to restage "American Graffiti," and of all the cars in the database, the idea of a 1969 Jaguar XKE with little visible water damage getting chopped for parts leaves me sad enough to skim the kids' college fund. (Salvage cars are sold as-is, and can be a hassle to drive legally even if they're mechanically copacetic.)
The oldest car in the mix — the 1928 Packard Six coupe, complete with rusty water sloshing in one of its driving lights — might be the one I'm most certain will be saved by a caring collector. It's simple enough to disassemble and clean; it's engine likely didn't suck in any water, and there's enough Packard enthusiasts across the country to provide the know-how and spare parts to get it running again. There's a reason some cars survive 95 years.
Last edited by Space; 01-26-2013 at 07:27 AM.
#3
01-26-2013, 06:59 AM
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Mountains of Utah
Posts: 4,903
Loved that Seinfeld episode with Kramer and the car salesman, he just kept pushing the fuel threshold till he ran out and then just got out and walked away.
I had no clue so many cars were damaged and turned in for salvage. What a waste of some nice vehicles. I always wondered how many trick cars were lost in the tsunami in Japan a couple years back. There had to be some very special tuner cars washed out to sea and lost forever....
I had no clue so many cars were damaged and turned in for salvage. What a waste of some nice vehicles. I always wondered how many trick cars were lost in the tsunami in Japan a couple years back. There had to be some very special tuner cars washed out to sea and lost forever....
#4
01-26-2013, 07:34 AM
Hi `Greg,Yes, Mother Nature sure can cause a lot of damage to many peoples dream `rides
I find it very sad to see so many nice rides destroyed by weather events or accidents.It's amazing the value of the below 67 Sting Ray & the loss the owner has taken...
, but it also reflex's the present value in the condition it is in now....(WoW)...A reminder to drive our special rides NOW & just don't let them sit ....Life is to short 4-Sure....The story's a little different for classics. Take the '60s-era Chevy Corvettes in the New York and New Jersey lots; one 1967 Sting Ray valued at $81,000 before the storm suffered an estimated $60,000 in damage. Even without an engine, bidding for its body has reached $23,000.
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