Today I had the fuel gauge needle just under the last quarter mark.my DIC fuel range was showing 130 KM (80 miles)
I parked my Tahoe on a downslope, and suddenly the needle dropped all the way to E and the low fuel warning came on.

since this was my first tank in my new vehicle, I decided to drive to the gas station and fill it up, and calculate the actual fuel consumption of my first full tank.

My odometer was showing 448 Km (278 miles) when I arrived to gas station.
the needle stayed on E, and the low fuel warning stayed on all the way to the station, although I drove on upslopes to and flat roads.

after filling up the tank, I had put 69 liters (18.22 gal) out of the 94.5 liters (25 gal) tank capacity.

based on the calculations of the actual overall distance of 448 km(278 miles) and 69 liters used, my average fuel consumptions is 15.4 L/ 100 km ( 15.27 MPG) which is too low compared to the trips I took that averged 21-22.5 MPG

Keep in mind, my vehicle is still not broken in, and this is the same tank that was used during shipoping and transportation of the vehicle. (I filled it up when I drove the vehicle out of the dealership)

my question to new hybrid owners:
Did the fuel consumption improve overtime after driving the vehicle the first 1000-2000 miles and breaking it in? if yes by how much?

What is the threshold level of the low fuel warning?? how many galons are supposed to be in the tank when low warning alarm comes on?

I love my new Tahoe, but was a bit disappointed today in the over all fuel consumption, not what I had expected

hopefully I will get better milage after the vehicle gets broken in.


looking forward to hearing your feedback on the above.

 

https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/216942-post24.html

and my mileage seemed to improve over time until winter hit. YOU dictate your mileage with your right foot and your driving style, I think it is especially noticable in our vehicles as after you learn how it handles my tendency was to utilize all that horsepower at first...and thats a lot of fun!

 

Guss, jet1 is right, you will get better at preserving your mpg. And the first few tanks may not be as good as it will be after several thousand miles. But also, you can vary the mpg by how/where you fill up the tank. When the nozzle shuts off, whether the station has vapor collection, etc. And the fill tube is several gallons so you could vary your mpg quite a bit. If you fill up after only a couple of hundred miles, the average will not be as accurate as if you went 400 miles. Also, you may have to turn the vehicle off/back on after you get a low fuel warning, even if the gauge comes back up. I tend to drive over 400 miles before fillup and have only once seen the low fuel warning, and yes, I was parked nose up at the time when I started it.

Hang in there and don't be disappointed too much. My EPA rating is 20 highway/20 city, and I have never seen lower than 17.93mpg after driving 415 miles on that tank. My lifetime average over 4111 miles is 18.92mpg. Your rating in the Tahoe is higher, so I would expect a higher number than mine.

Don't drive with the windows open, it causes air drag and really can bring your mileage down. Watch the ECO meter and try to keep the needle in the wide center area. Don't use the remote start much or very long. The load you carry or trailer you pull will greatly affect mileage. Hope that helps my friend...hang in there, it will get better. If not, you might want the dealer to look at it, but give a another tank or two. You don't think someone could syphon off gas there do you? Just reaching with that but you never know.

 

THanks jet and Mel for your feedback.
I have been driving it very gently while trying to keep the economy needle in the middle green area. That's why I am a bit dissapointed.
Hopfully will get better milage in the near future.
Jet as for the fuel gauge, I am aware of the inaccuracy of the needle on downhills, but wondering when is the low fuel warning supposed to go on in terms of how much fuel left on tank?

 

using the instant MPG display as it also shows me when I am in v8 or v4 mode. with a bit of practice you can run in v4 most of the time. I rarely look at the econ AKA vacuum guage

 

Guss, the main point is that, since you were not the one who filled it at the factory, you cannot assume it was full. In other words, you very likely put in more gas than was burned.
You are starting with a full tank, and your next fill-up will be pretty close to exactly what you burned. Don't worry, there is no chance that you got 15.2MPG.

 

Fj
you make a very valid point. Thanks for your feedback.
Although I did fill it up first time after i picked it up from the dealer.
I hope i get better numbers in my next refill.

 

Hi Guss my low fuel indication comes on usally at 80KM according to the DIC. I also agree maybe you did not have a full tank at the start

 

Thanks Ken

 

Guss: The idle time in the shipping will not help the FE. The nose down hill low fuel warning is annoying. It is a long tank with the sender toward one end. I have run out of gas on purpose to see how far after the low fuel warning on level ground.

I first got the warning and had 55 miles according to DIC. I kept driving. At around 40 miles remaining (DIC) it stopped estimating. It just said "Low Fuel" and the NAV system was nagging me.

I went another 44 miles on flat level ground. I had a gas can with me.

So the first warning is about 50 miles. When it won't give an estimate any more about 40 miles or 2 gallons. I have run low and close to out several times as a test. The 40 mile or 2 gallon is pretty accurate on the 2008 Yukon.

Now how full is full? These SUVs have 25 to 26 gallons of useable fuel. I have put in over 27 gallons on a fill. I have found that by pumping very slow, one can overfill another 2 gallons. This is not recomended because it may cause false trouble codes from the evaporative emissions systems.

So full the first time could be + - 2 gallons or more. Pump-to-pump may have accuracy problems. I get to use the same pump for most fills. Over a very long time 90,000 plus miles I find the 3-click method accurate.

Lastly, it is better to average over many tanks. The accuracy issues above average out better.