My best first bar...

[devinlamothe]

Wow I have no idea how you guys are getting such good mileage. My best first bar has been 105km or 65 miles. And this is with driving the posted limit, which would be 60km/h or 40mph.

I think my car is broken :X

[Treyz]

Never go by the first bar when calculating MPG ... I've gotten the 100+ results on the old 2007 for the first bar and even more when tI topped it off (trip to FL).

[Forrest]

Originally Posted by Yaris Hilton

I think it's a bad idea to "compete" with ourselves or others for "the best first bar." That requires putting as much gas in as possible, and when it warms and expands the overflow saturates the carbon in the evaporative emissions canisters, leading to added air pollution and likely eventually requiring an expensive replacement. In the past I've also had problems with tank filler and vent hoses cracking and leaking large amounts of fuel when I was topping to the cap.

As noted, Toyota says to never top up the tank, but to stop when the pump stops. I bend the rules slightly to then run the fuel at the lowest pump speed setting till it clicks off once more, trying for a more consistent fill, but there's still plenty of air space left in the top of the tank. I'm beginning to think it makes little difference in the consistency, anyway.

ageed !

Toyota say not to top tank...and also when putting cap on...it is secure after ONE CLICK...DO NOT KEEP TURNING FOR SEVERAL CLICKS.
Written right on the cap.
Fuel lines are not the most accurate and do fluctuate. Beginning bars last longer than those below half...I would prefer the old gas guage.

[Treyz]

Yeah, I found out about the topping later on from my body guy lol ... but that was a while ago.

[yopauly]

Originally Posted by mryaris

Mine was on a recent trip from Denver to Jackson Hole, WY. I got the 108 miles on Hwy 191 between Pinedale, WY and Jackson driving 60-65 MPH. I don't overfill my car, but I do round up to the nearest quarter when I fill up (i.e. $20.50, $21.25, etc.)......I hate it when it's some weird amount like $20.37. Not sure why, but it bugs me.

This is quite poss the weirdest thing I have read in awhile. I just got BACK from that drive. We went to Yellowstone and Tetons. Although I was kinda haulin ass going from 80 to 91 mph but still got the best gas mileage I have EVER gotten at 41mpg. This is with a LOADED down car including wife and 2 kids. I wonder what it is in that area that we have gotten the best gas mileage? Cooler temps with perfect hills?(not too tall with tons of ops to put in neutral?)

[deerebilt]

i usually get 97 to 110 on first bar and 300 at half tank and 450 to 470 at 1/4 tank and avg 50 to 52 mpg per tank

[talnlnky]

i got 100miles on my first bar on the way back from seattle yesterday... furthest I've gone on a single bar... however it wasn't the best milage i ever got.... was getting 45mpg, i've had tanks as high as 46.... and short trips as high as 55.... fuel guage isn't that accurate.

[bronsin]

Gas tank 11 gallons. Eight bars means theres 1.375 gaallons per bar IF the gauge was calibrated right. Which it aint folks! My best w/ auto ws 85 on the hiway. Worst was last week 68. When I was dead nuts five bars blinked out I filled up and took 7.1 gallons. 5 x 1.375 is 6.875. But even with 1st bar 68 I still got my avg of 36+ mpg. Why dont they make a FOR REAL gas gauge?

[b_hickman11]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Gas tank 11 gallons. Eight bars means theres 1.375 gaallons per bar IF the gauge was calibrated right. Which it aint folks! My best w/ auto ws 85 on the hiway. Worst was last week 68. When I was dead nuts five bars blinked out I filled up and took 7.1 gallons. 5 x 1.375 is 6.875. But even with 1st bar 68 I still got my avg of 36+ mpg. Why dont they make a FOR REAL gas gauge?

It's not the gas gauge, it's the shape of the tank.

[Yaris Hilton]

That and the motion of a simple hinged pivot, which is nonlinear with relation to the height of the gas in the tank.

Honestly, what do we need a precise gauge for? All a gas gauge does is give you a rough idea how of long you have before you need to stop and fill up. I've never seen a car with a fuel gauge that was anything like precise, though some additionally have computer readouts that track fuel consumed and remaining with estimated miles till empty (that change constantly.) Who cares if the bars are variable? You get used to it and go on.

[Woody_Woodchuck]

I really never pay attention to the guess gauge until I stop for my weekly fill-up. Last week it was 303.5 miles and 3 bars gone. I set the pump for the first notch and stop after it clicks off. That tank used 5.418 gallons so it should have been 4 bars gone. 3 bars, technically, would dissapear after 4.2 gallons.

[eddieVW]

115 in puerto rico urban areas

[brg88tx]

i usually get 74-78 miles on my first bar.

[STC]

120 mi on my first bar... all highway for the first 300 miles.

Cheers!

[mryaris]

Holy year old thread bump!

My '09 hatchback would get high 90's and low 100's on the first bar and I even hit 117 on a road trip before I rolled it. My '10 hatchback hasn't seen 100+, but I have hit 94 a few times. Probably just tolerance differences since overall mileage is similar at 40MPG (mixed driving).

[wooverstone8]

my best first bar was 92.1

[marcus]

best i had was 149km fully loaded with camping stuff but going 80-90km though.