As you know, diesel doesn't expand as much as gasoline.
Gasoline expands 2-3 times more actually.
It brings me to fill up technique:
How hybrid owners know they filled up the same way?
Unless they fill up to the brim, they can't.
The same pump will "click" (shut off if you like) at different times depending on a few factors:
-How deep it's in the car;
-Outside temperature;
-How old is the "gun".
I've worked for gas stations for many years, so let me shed some light here.
1.How deep the gun is in the car when filling up.
If it's all the way in, it will go off early.
If it's all the way out (with only the tip in the filler neck), it will go off a little bit later.
2. Outside temperature.
That's a big one.
You will never fill up at the exact same temp, right?
Gasoline temperature won't be the same station to station also.
I have experienced that nozzles will go off earlier when colder outside and later when hot outside.
3. How old is the nozzle.
New nozzles tend to click before old nozzles: springs that worked over a period of time are not as effective as new springs.
My point is that unless you fill to the brim, you cannot and will never get accurate mileage numbers.
Diesel is better for this aspect.
Here's a pic of my last tank filled up to the brim as usual: Click for high res
I always fill up the same, to the very brim.
I fill up 120km from where I live so by the time I'm home there's a 4-5 litres space in the filler neck (it takes me some 700 km/400 miles so the needle gets off full, ie that I start using what's in the tank).
So, how do you fill?
If it's not to the brim, big errors in calculation are occuring.
