Presumably the fuel tank was calibrated...

10807 Views 34 Replies 13 Participants Last post by KenC, Jun 21, 2014

KenC

Discussion Starter · May 6, 2014

... in liters I mean it seems obvious when the tank is 11.9 gallons or 45 liters, that it was made with liters in mind, since it was mfr'd in Japan. Why I ask is that I'm starting to suspect that the fuel gauge ¼ tank increments are 9 liters each, right? Split the tank into 5 parts of 9 liters. Of course, as I think in gallons, I had been calculating that the ¼ tank increments were a little over 2 gallons, which made the math a bit hard, so I've adjusted to thinking about the gauge increments in liters. I wonder if our Canadian and Brit owners were laughing at us Americans all this time?

Based upon that notion, then:
Full = 45 liters
¾ = 36 liters left or 9 liters used
½ = 27 liters left or 18 liters used
¼ = 18 liters left or 27 liters used
E = 9 liters left or 36 liters used

And the point is when the gauge hits Empty, that you have 9 liters or 2.4 gallons left. What's puzzling is the fuel range light. I'm wondering how that is calibrated. Is it 11 liters or 12 liters? I'm guessing 12, but I'll have to pay closer attention in the future.

I know many of you laugh about this fuel tank obsession, but I like to fill up as little as possible. I'm used to filling up with 1 or 2 gallons left in my old BMW's 16 gal tank, so it rankles if I've got 3+ gallons in the tank and 150 miles in range, when I fill up.

I mean look at the newest BMW i3 range-extender. It only has a 1.9 gallon tank! That's to eliminate range anxiety of EV-only. Our CTs signal for a refuel, 3+ gallons, which is 50% more than a full i3!

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Joe166

· #3 · May 7, 2014

I think the fuel gauge is inaccurate, biased toward not running out of gas. Anything more than that is more than I need (or want) to know.

Is it a sinister plan to make people think they are getting better mileage than they are? I doubt it since it seems to work in the wrong direction.

Is it some other devious plan?

How about using Occam's Razor? It is an inaccurate gauge that is not worth the trouble to fix.

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Joe166

· #7 · May 14, 2014

Do you guys understand that there are too many variables for exactitude? Which makes these stentorian pronouncements useless?

Like the time of day, the weather (heat in the atmosphere), the shut off calibration of the pump, how far into the ground the tanks are (ground temperature), etc etc.

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Joe166

· #24 · Jun 13, 2014

darkphantom said:
Can we make a petition on change.org for Lexus (Toyota) to address this issue?? They will probably say no I guess, with the fact that it is the "emergency reserve."

If you know what it actually means, why do you need it changed?

I really don't understand this being a real problem. They aren't going to fix it because they (and I) don't think it's broken.

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Joe166

· #27 · Jun 14, 2014

bsnguy said:
An easy solution is to recalibrate your brain: the CT200h has a nine gallon tank.

There, problem solved. When the light goes on, fill up. You will put in about 8.5 gallons and be happy.

Why does one feel they should only fill up when the tank has less than X gallons left in it?

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Because some people love to talk about how many miles they have gone on a tankful of gas without refueling. I will tell you right now: I have no idea! I fill up when it gets below a half tank IF IT IS CONVENIENT. If it isn't, I wait until it is. I don't care if the mpg calculation is slightly off because I have no plans to set a Guinness World Record. I only use it to compare with myself and how I am doing this tankful. But, different strokes for different folks. Whatever turns you on. It's all good.

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Joe166

· #32 · Jun 15, 2014

KenC said:
If some of you who have contributed "don't care", why do you care that some people "do care"? It's nonsensical. You've made your choice, why can't you let others make theirs?

Why should people "pretend" to have a 9 gallon tank? Why can't Lexus "pretend" to actually care about its customers?

Let me make this simple. People have bought a hybrid. One that is focussed on fuel mileage. One of the benefits of better fuel mileage is fewer trips to the gas station. Why would you want to go more often when you can go less often? Doesn't cost me a thing, but saves me time. Why should people give up one of the benefits of owning a hybrid?

This is not about hypermiling or sport mode vs eco mode. It's about understanding the car. Understanding leads to satisfaction. Look at how many people have wasted time going to the dealer complaining about their fuel gauge. Does anyone do that for any other vehicle? If Lexus had put the info in their manual, no one would be confused. My BMW manual tells me that the fuel light comes on with 2 gallons left, and that's exactly what it does. Lexus could eliminate a lot of customer dissatisfaction if it only explained what was happening with the fuel gauge. Look at the latest thread someone started. He's worried his car is only getting 25mpg, because he's driven 100 miles and the gauge is almost down to ½. Hasn't that happened to every new owner?

I don't think so, and I sure hope not. If it did, I would wonder about who is buying these cars. Just as you think this is a perfectly normal thing to "worry" about, some of us think "ENOUGH". It has been talked to death! It is not going to change. File a class action lawsuit for everyone who has been "damaged" by this insidious plot by the wily Toyota engineers for some as yet undisclosed reason.

Let us know how it turns out, please.

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Joe166

· #34 · Jun 18, 2014

KenC said:
No one is forcing you to read this thread. I have never complained about the fuel gauge, I started this thread to better understand it. You've posted in this thread to constantly badger people to stop asking questions. I've never proposed a lawsuit, so why are you bringing it up? Why don't you sue me for annoying you with threads you hate?

First, I would never sue anyone that has led me to believe that there is little or no likelihood of being able to collect, but you have me all wrong! I think this is a wonderful subject and merits a couple of more new threads. We need to get to the bottom of this sinister conspiracy by the engineers at Toyota. Post on!

The only more interesting posts are the spam ones offering tremendous bargains on unlocked phones and other electronic devices. I live for those!

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