My best tank was 701.
I believe all the fuel gauge LEDs were out.
It took 10.4 gallons so I know I could have gone further but letting it run dry is out of the question.
I have heard this can damage the car.
I'm not going to take the chance.

700 miles on a tank is good enough.

 

Hot Georgia, amazing MPG! Congrats!!!

But isn't this the HCH2 forum?
Don't you have a HCH1 manual?

Isn't this thread asking what an HCH2 cvt can do since it is in a HCH2 forum?

 

Well the Engins check light has gone out after a day of stop and starts,
Phew no confession to the dealer

Steve

 

Flash, a few quick questions...

Did you know exactly when you ran out? Your note makes it seem like the transition to electric-only was transparent. You only noticed when the performance dropped? Since the ICE is 90 hp and the IMA is only 20, I would have thought it would be pretty obvious when the engine cut out. So, any final guestimate on the total distance you went after the tank was dry?

I'm assuming there was no MIL (check-engine light)? How about after you filled up?

At any time (during the electric-only operation) did you come to a complete stop and then accelerate again? I've always wondered how 20 hp would feel on acceleration!

Just wondering! Thanks.

 

Anahymbrid - The trip when I ran out was about 5 miles of flat Interstate and then a slight hill up to the Exit ramp where I exited. I noticed it most when it was this uphill AND when I was trying to accelerate ahead of the slower car in the right lane and I had not acceleration at all and when I looked at the RPMs I noticed that the IMA charge indicator was pegged on Assist though the MPH readout was 47mph then 44 mph then 39 mph, etc. This must have been when it *finally* was running dry - up the hill and trying to accelerate. I first thought that I was just slowing down for the exit ramp but after I thought about it I was trying to accelerate and had nothing.

I drove about 1 more mile on IMA only. I forgot to look at the IMA battery meter and watch it drop as I kept driving as I was more focused on if a car was exiting behind me so I could get out of their way and asking the voice Nav where the closest gas station was. As luck would have it - I was already on the exit ramp of the first exit (Exit 16A) which goes slightly uphill and away from the gas station. What I should have done was to take 16B and head downhill to the gas station. Almost a fatal decision.

The IMA WILL pull the car up a small hill slowly like 10-20 mph. The hill was say 1/4 mile long and about 100 feet before the top the car just stopped dead. I shut it off and was on the shoulder about to call AAA or see how close the gas station so I could walk. For some reason I thought aobut trying to get to the traffic light 100 feet away and I turned the key and amazingly the car roared to life. I thought it was out of fuel/power. Anyway, I made it to the traffic light and turned around, limped across the road, and headed down the hill to the gas station. Success.

Total mileage on IMA only was about 1 mile but 8/10ths of it was uphill - argh.

No MIL lights on prior to or following the fuel fill-up.

I came to a complete stop twice during IMA-only operation. One was on a slight uphill (100 feet from the top of the hill) and the other was when I turned at the traffic light and waited for the light to turn.

Don't plan on the 20-hp motor to do you very well. It is like limp-only mode and I don't recommend it but it WILL get you another mile or so until the IMA dies. Like I said, even one of those "starter" 12-oz bottles will get you a few miles. Just some advice if you plan to take your car to the limit and beyond.

 

I filled up today short of running the tank down but I couldn't pass up the newest low price in Pittsburgh of $2.499/gal for 87 octane. Today the fuel meter dropped enough to show the low fuel indicator about 15 miles from the gas station where I filled up.

I noticed that the last time it came on was when there were 2 blocks of fuel and that was at 555 miles at a displayed 45 mpg and 1 block left at 580 miles and 44.9 mpg and I filled up at 595 miles.

This time the fuel light came on at 470 miles at a displayed 42.7 mpg and 1 block left at 477 miles and 43.0 mpg and 0 blocks left at 480 miles at 42.9 mpg. I filled up at 486 miles.

Also, while filling up I kept the key on Ign-II so that I could watch the fuel lights fill up as the gas did. I noticed that each block was roughly 0.5 gal of gas or each time the next block lit up and I looked at the gas pump it read 2.0xx gal then 2.5xxx gal so that is nice to know. Since I filled up with 10.8 gal in a tank I previously have put 14.233 gal (WOW!) then I know when the last block of fuel goes away on the dash then there are still roughly 2.0 gal of fuel left.

All good to know btw. Don't be afraid to drive another 50-80 miles past when the last fuel block disappears if you have to.

 

To add some to what Flash just mentioned, I recently ran my HCHII 55 miles after the
last fuel light disappered avg. of 60mpg during that period. My fillup came to 11.2 gallons
which should have left me about a gallon left in tank (fill based on first click).

 

Just had my tenth tank - all above 500 miles. Latest trip with 4 adults and a trunk full of luggage in France. Still got 520 miles before filling. My pax couldn't believe it!

As I have commented before I regard the yellow warning light as an early warning, a way of telling the "man in the street" it's about time you thought of tanking!

But for us HCHII owners there is still probably a good 100 miles left at this point. However, it does depend how far away you think the next open gas station is!

 

Remember that I filled my tank with 14.233 gal so if you drove 50 miles past the last light went out and only put in 11 gal then you actually have THREE gal left in the tank (driving at the same mpg as shown or calculated). I'd like for someone else to put a gallon tank in the trunk and repeat my findings to reinforce them and see if I have an incorrect fuel tank or if all of us have a 14.xxx-gal fuel tank.

 

I thought I remembered seeing a thread titled "600 miles" but I can't locate it so I'll post it here. I had three extremely good days of driving though kept passing gas stations because everyone would laugh at me if I faltered and filled up without listening to my own advice ... so I "took one for the team" and pressed on.

Monday was 157 miles @ 52.6 mpg. Tuesday was 175 miles at 54.2 mpg. Wednesday was 455 miles at 54.6 mpg but I had to fill up toward the end of Wednesday at my personal best of 687 miles (with 12.473 gallons) for a displayed 53.1 mpg and calculated 55.0 mpg! I was attempting to hit 700 miles for the tank but the area between Meadville, PA and Conneaut Lake, PA is very empty and I didn't have time for a tow -- had I been around home with a gas station every 10 miles I would have pressed on.

Anyway, the Low Fuel Light was on at 569 miles at 52.7 mpg and I filled up at 687 miles at 53.1 mpg so, like I keep saying, you can easily drive 80 miles beyond the Low Fuel Light indicator and have plenty of room for error. The last fuel block went out at 587 miles at 52.8 mpg and I went an additional 100 miles. I use the 100 miles past the last block as a good rule of thumb and so far this seems to be about right.

I've also been tracking when the last two fuel blocks disappear. Today I got to 2 fuel blocks at about 540 miles and 52.3 mpg, 1 fuel block left at 573 miles and 52.7 mpg, and no fuel blocks at 587 miles and 52.8 mpg. This confirms my estimated thoughts that each fuel block is about 0.5 gallon so with 2 fuel blocks left this would be 50 miles and I drove 47 miles. If I drive an additional 100 miles past the last fuel block then this means there are 4 invisible fuel blocks below the last shown fuel block (uqual to other cars that have the needle go BELOW the letter "E"). =)

So for anyone who is within 50 miles of eclipsing 500 miles for a tank or 600 miles for a tank and the Low Fuel Light comes on or you are just out of fuel blocks then press on and you will easily make it.

This is also the first tank after the initial oil change at 8,000 miles (on Monday) and I notice a dramatic increase in fuel economy. The previous tanks were 49.9, 48.4, 46.3, 44.8, 44.0, 45.1, and 53.3 mpg (all tanks calculated not displayed). I'm interested to see what this next tank achieves as I hope it is also above 52 mpg. All driving habits, temperatures, techniques, etc. are identical to how I have been driving in the last two weeks. And this was around hilly Western PA where I drove through Oil City, PA at 1,000 ft elevation and then the Venango County airport no more than 5 miles away at 1,600 ft elevation so definitely not level ground.