Hey guys, I'm not sure if I should be posting here since I'm a newbie prius owner. Just wondering if you guys pay attention to the "miles to empty meter", or should I disregard it when I have high mpg? (50-60 mpg)
I would not disregard it altogether. There is another thread about how much fuel there is when you hear the "beep" and the last line is flashing. I usually check the distance remaining when I hit the last 2 markers. When I hit 1, I check what the "km to empty meter" says. Usually when I read a 0km, it beeps. My experience is that the fuel inside the tank is still around 7-10L (about 2 gallons) when it beeps, instead of 6L as per page 499 of the user's manual. The "km to empty meter" will update according to your averages. It is not "stupid". If you have high mpg, it will adapt accordingly. But I do not rely 100% on it. The bars are what count to me the most and when it beeps, I look for a gas station within the next 50kms (30mi), or about 2L worth of fuel - I don't like testing...
Firstly...:welcome: This has been covered in other threads. Assuming the 11.9 gallon tank capacity is correct (I don't have any reason to believe it isn't), based on other posts and my experience it looks like on average there is approximately 2 gallons left when the single bar on the gauge starts flashing. I seem to get the single beep when the single bar first flashes. So far, mine has started flashing when the "miles to empty" is at 20-23 miles. YMMV Be aware that the gauge readings and miles to empty are nice computer readouts of a plain old ordinary gas gauge float operated variable resistor in the gas tank, so while they are easier to read than a gas gauge needle, they are no more accurate. Each individual car will be a bit different and gas gauges change a bit with time too.
Nope. You probably have 2.5 gallons. BTW even if you go 60mph averaging only 25mpg for the first 5 minutes you would burn less than 1 quart of gas.
It says in the owners manual that if you run out of gas, you should put in at least 1.9 gallons of gas so that the pip stops flashing.