Low fuel light illuminated on the way to work, parked it with 20 something mile range. After work, 16 mile range, pulled up to the gas station 5 miles away with a 10 mile range. Pump stopped around 13 gallons but the attendant kept pumping unit it reached an even $33 at 13.15 gallons.

It seems that there were 2 gallons in reserve of the 15.1 gallon tank. No need for range anxiety.

 

the range is a joke - both in RL and RLX
The RL would give range accurately until about 70 or 80 miles left and then suddenly drop to 40 or so. I have not seen same with RLC, but have filled up with <40 miles on Range and could only put in 16 gallons.
I think it should be accurate with no or minimal buffer. Why not give accurate info. Are they trying to protect idiots?

 

It is my understanding that running completely out of fuel in a modern engine is far more serious and potentially damaging than the "good old days" when running out of gas meant a walk to the gas station and little else in the way of consequence.

I believe Acura/Honda are correct to err on the safe side rather than face irate Acura owners who pushed the limit a bit too far and were faced with a significant repair bill to get their engine working again after simply running out of gas.

My personal philosophy is to fill up at no less than half tank during the winter and at no less than 1/3 tank the rest of the year. There are many situations (unexpected traffic jam in -40 degree weather for example) where a full tank of gas is your best friend.

Being retired and putting very few miles on my car as a result, I have all day to fill up whenever I want and I but understand how annoying frequent fill ups are to those with a more hectic lifestyle.

Just my two cents.

 

the problem is that what data do you rely on
If you are in a situation where you did not get gas and range is going to zero, you have no idea of what the real situation is. Talk about anxiety
How can a person complain if the range says zero and you run out of gas? But if it says zero and you can drive for 60 more miles, that invites risk
In my RL, I had a car that said range was 70 and then suddenly dropped to 30. What does that do for me?

 

I rarely wait for the warning light to come on before filling up. Typically I go to the same gas station and the same pump. It is my OCD. It is stupid I know.

 

I believe the car is telling you, "hey buddy, stop and fill up as soon as possible or you are going to severely damage the engine electronics " and rightly so. What if the consequence of running out of gas is frying the car's computer and a several thousand dollar repair bill?? Would you not rather fill up when there is still 40 miles of range??

I guess it is just the old man in me saying, it is just not worth the risk of running out of gas and Acura is taking an abundance of caution to prevent you from doing that by programming the range meter to try to get you to the gas station before you do serious damage.

 

what exactly are the problems if you run out of gas in a "modern" engine?

 

I did a quick search and my memory was inaccurate.
Running out of fuel in a modern DIESEL engine car very often results in the need for costly repairs. The risk of running out of fuel with a gasoline engine is primarily concern about potential damage to the fuel pump.
I apologize for my error.

I suppose the greatest risk of running out of gas is being stranded somewhere having to walk looking for the nearest gas station or sit and wait for an hour for roadside assistance - neither of which are pleasant experiences. My old man advice is still to fill up long before you HAVE TO.

 

no apology necessary - I was truly wondering

 

Honda claimed their F1 car needed a minimum of 2 gallons to function properly...

BAR’s fuel tank, 2005

Many teams have fallen into the cracks between what the FIA technical regulations say and what they mean. That was exactly what happened to BAR in 2005.
Following the San Marino Grand Prix, in which Jenson Button and Takuma Sato finished third and fifth respectively, the FIA stewards asked BAR to explain why the car weighed 594.6kg when completely emptied, rather than the regulation minimum of 600kg.
The team claimed that the engine required a minimum of 6fg of fuel, stored in a special collector, to function. The stewards accepted that but BAR were surprised to see the FIA appeal against the stewards’ verdict.
At a hearing in Paris on May 4th BAR presented their evidence and insisted that the car had never run below 600kg during the race. The FIA countered that the only satisfactory way to prove this was by draining the car of fuel.
The court of appeal agreed with the FIA but, fortunately for the team, did not carry out their requested sentence of a year’s ban from F!. They were forced to miss the next two rounds.

 

interesting, but fail to see the relevance

besides, they are always trying to find ways to cheat

 

I refilled at the 1/8 mark with the range showing 77 miles. It only took on 11 gallons. This comports with the original poster's 10 mile range and 13.15 gallons to re-fill the tank. Are we sure the tank is 15.1 gallons? If so, has anyone kept driving after the range went to zero? As others have asked earlier in this thread, are we sure the remaining two gallons in the tank can be accessed?

 

Some very good questions here. I always wondered how this was truly tested, if ever. It takes simple math to figure out the gas tank size X the estimated mpg's to GUESS how for you may be able to get before she runs dry. There are an infinite amount of variables involved in getting to that no longer operable point. I am not interested in the exact number of miles I can go. Just curious to know how far I could get determined by a good "scientific test". I have seen someone claim to have done this in a Lexus GS. Who's up for it?

 

I drove once when the range went to null. I drove maybe 10 miles or so, I did it to see if the range was accurate which apparently it was not. I don't remember how much I filled up after.

 

My current fuel usage measurement says I have driven 310 miles (exactly at the 1/2 tank mark now) and have 267 miles to empty with an average mpg of 32.0. That can't be right, as my math comes up with 18.03 gallons would be used for that total mileage if that was correct. I did top the gas before my trip, full disclosure.

 

Highest range at fill up was last week coming in a 420 miles. It's usually just under 400. We need someone to find out, like Kramer.

 

First world problems.