I own a 2003 350Z Performance; I’ve owned it for 1 month now. Each time I fill the tank it takes between 15.7 and 16.0 gallons and I always reset the trip odometer. I’ve been monitoring the MPG and DTE display very closely and I usually stay around 18.5 mpg in the city and 21.0 on the highway. When I’m about to fill it up the computer says I am getting approximately 19.8 mpg and the DTE reads around 40 miles and my trip odometer reads about 310miles driven. Now if the DTE says 40 miles to empty and I'm averaging 20mpg and trip odometer reads 310 miles and I can only put 16 gallons in the tank how can I have a 20 gallon tank.

 

The DTE is off, ours cars can be driven for at least 40 miles even after it goes to ----. Well at least mine can. There are a bunch of threads about people with the same issue do if your really concerned you can do a search and read some of those.

 

the monitors are only approximate numbers. Most of the time, they aren't even close.

 

Seems to me in my Pathfinder and my Z the light or DTE ~120 comes on right at 4 gals left in those 20 gal tanks. I just went 320miles today in my Pathfinder at speeds over 75mph and took 16.2 gals when the light came on.

In my Z I generally get 400-450miles when the DTE --- comes on while I'm driving the highway. Around town I generally see the DTE --- at 350-375miles.

I do drive ~ 5mph of the speed limit and do not race everywhere I go however.

Hope that helps some.....

 

Mine does the same thing and I think a lot of cars have the empty light come on extremely early as a safety thing. Same thing in my tsx, when empty light comes on i know i still have like ~5 gallons in the car...

 

one time i wanted to see how many miles i can get b4 HAVING to fill up i got to 387 miles before i got paranoid and i filled 18.8 gallons.

 

When my DTE comes on at 40 miles....I generally have about 5 gallons left and than when you get the blinkers (------) I generally have 3 gallons left. I've driven to the point where I put in 19.8 gallons...so I'm pretty sure you have a 3 gallon leeway when ------- shows up

I've noticed this 3 gallon leeway on most of my import cars. Don't play around with the fuel on American cars though. I had rented a Cadillac CTS and when the fuel light came on I drove an extra 15 miles before the car cutoff and I was stuck on the side of the road. Luckily there was a gas station about half mile away

 

wow your the closest ive seen get to a full tank. How many miles did you get on that tank?

 

If I remember correctly 418 miles...

 

I don't have a DTE display, but my car has a 19 gallon tank. The most I have ever put in it was 13 gallons. Usually I can only get in about 12. I do about 20 mpg and I know my cut off sensor is working at 19 gallons and not 12/13 because one time I tried to go past 13 gallons and my tank spilled over.

My gas tank Full/Empty sensor I think is just off and only measures between 19 gallons (full) and 7 gallons (empty). Below 7 gallons I am 'running on E' according to my car. I think just have to get the sensor recalibrated. To be safe I only drive until I get to E, even though theoretically I have 7 gallons left. Kinda annoying when you only get 240 miles/'tank'.

Your 'Empty' sensor is probably off like mine.

 

before i had my refueler hose replaced i could only get 12 gallons in my car. I still have problems when it's cold out, but in the summer it's not problem. Probably from the tube contracting in the cold. 19 gallon tank here, when the light comes on, it usually repressurizes to an 8th tank about 5-10 miles later. Probably 3 gallons left when it first comes on, and a gallon when it hits you with the -------

 

Because Nissan installed a 20 gallon fuel tank. Is that the correct answer?

 

So does anyone really know how many gallons are left when you get the ---- on the display ??? This would be good to know for those of us idiots that like play the odds.

 

drove 524 miles on last tank,and the refill was 19.4 gallons.

 

Yeah, it's the Nissan 4 gallon reserve. The car will tell you that it is out of gas, but you can drive a Z usually for over 100+ miles, after the ---- shows up.

I've pushed it once, just to see, and I went 125 miles, then pumped 18.7 gallons, so I still had a gallon to go. It's nerve racking though, so I just fill up when the low fuel light just comes on, and I usually only put 16 gallons in.

 

BTW, our Armada does the same thing, and it has a 28 gallon tank. My wife once drove over 525 miles in it, all the way from Grayson, Georgia to Clearwater Beach, Florida, and around there a little bit, when she ran out. Since then, she hasn't pushed it so far, but there seems to be the same 4 gallon reserve, once the low fuel light comes on.

 

Thats seems about right. Because this tank I have been averaging around 25 MPG. when the display read ---- I was at about 390.

25*20=500 so it would make sence that there are approx. 4 gallons left when the display came on.

 

That is the truth. I had a grand am rental once, light came on next thing i know the car stalls at the light. Luckily, Aunt lived right down the street. She helped me out.

 

I'd guess there a 3-5 threads on this issue. It sounds like the multiple warnings and your gauges are functioning the way they were designed. The system is set to have a couple gallons extra when the DTE goes to O.

One really has to be a numb-nuts to run out of gas in the Z.

 

is it a bad thing that you're not running your car to empty...maybe thats why the VQ gets such great compliments...they eliminate a user error variable...thats a gross assumption but prob some truth