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The smell of an oily rag

Discussion in '458 Italia/488/F8' started by TomW458, Aug 28, 2014.

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  1. TomW458

    TomW458 Rookie

    Mar 2, 2013
    22
    Las Vegas
    Full Name:
    Tom Wilcox
    #1 TomW458, Aug 28, 2014
    The 458 sends you all sorts of messages as the gas gets low, but around 50 miles left, the last two orange bars in the gas gauge collapse to one red bar. As you keep driving, the "miles to empty" estimator will keep counting down until you reach about 30 miles. Then it ominously changes to "---" and you get a warning that says "limited cruising range". It was at that point I was finally able to find a gas station.

    I put 18.7 gallons into a tank that holds 22.7 gallons.

    So, if you should find yourself in that unenviable situation that your "miles to empty" indicator gives up because you are an inattentive moron, your BEST case scenario would be:

    1) 4 gallons x EPA 17 mpg highway = 68 miles, (not bloody likely)
    2) 4 gallons x EPA 13 mpg city = 52 miles, or more likely
    3) 4 gallons x 8 mpg spirited driving = 32 miles.

    Like most people on this forum, I generally like to fill up then there is somewhere between 1/3 and 1/4 of a tank left.
     
  2. naford

    naford Karting

    Sep 11, 2013
    147
    United Kingdom
    #2 naford, Aug 28, 2014
    And out of curiosity Tom ... how many miles did you get out of that tank pre fill up ? If you happen to recall ... so what could you have got out of that tank ... 52 miles + ?
     
  3. TomW458

    TomW458 Rookie

    Mar 2, 2013
    22
    Las Vegas
    Full Name:
    Tom Wilcox
    #3 TomW458, Aug 28, 2014
    I alternate cars, driving the 458 to work about 2-3 times a week, a distance of 20 freeway miles, and I get close to 300 miles out of a full tank.

    It makes me smile that
    a) unlike every other car on the market, the MPG is conspicuously absent from all the data on the Trip A page, and
    b) like most cars, the "miles to empty" calculation has a fairly short memory, so if you drive it hard for a while, then cruise home, the estimated distance to empty will go up. If you're lucky, you can get to where you're going with more gas than when you started off.

    Now that's Ferrari magic.
     
  4. luvair

    luvair Formula 3
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 4, 2005
    1,586
    #4 luvair, Aug 28, 2014
    "Miles to empty"

    Does miles to empty only appear when very low on gasoline? If not, how is it activated?

    TIA.
     
  5. 720

    720 F1 Rookie

    Jul 14, 2003
    2,623
    So. Cal and No. Utah
    Full Name:
    Rick
    #5 720, Aug 28, 2014
    I thought we were going to talk about oily rags??
     
  6. TomW458

    TomW458 Rookie

    Mar 2, 2013
    22
    Las Vegas
    Full Name:
    Tom Wilcox
    #6 TomW458, Aug 28, 2014
    Pushing the little round "ok" button in the middle of the left hand joystick cycles a small number in the bottom right hand corner of the left screen.

    No matter what you have displayed on the left hand screen, the ok button will cycle between
    a) total miles on your car,
    b) total miles on trip A
    c) total miles on trip B
    d) miles to empty with a cute little gas can icon that has "miles" or "km" stamped on it.

    "We rolled into town on the smell of an oily rag" is an old saying my dad used to say quite proudly about running on empty, which we used to do frequently since we had no money.
     
  7. MARMIST

    MARMIST Formula 3

    Jul 1, 2014
    1,338
    #7 MARMIST, Aug 28, 2014
    and now u got a 458, karma huh ?
     
  8. Noblesse Oblige

    Noblesse Oblige F1 Veteran

    Nov 7, 2011
    6,114
    Three Places
    #8 Noblesse Oblige, Aug 28, 2014
    I would not count on burning all 22.7 gallons before running out. Usually there is a certain amount that remains in the tank but is not accessible.

    My own rule of thumb is to avoid dropping below 100 miles remaining. Not good to run out in these cars.
     
  9. luvair

    luvair Formula 3
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Jun 4, 2005
    1,586
    #9 luvair, Aug 29, 2014
    Thank you. I did know that about approximate miles left b4 empty.
     
  10. COBrien

    COBrien Karting

    Mar 25, 2008
    135
    Chicago
    #10 COBrien, Aug 29, 2014
    Just to emphasize the point about how the car calculates miles left before empty...I was driving and the car said I had 60 miles left. Got stuck in construction traffic and literally didn't move for over 5 minutes, though the engine was running. Miles remaining dropped from 60 to 28. Crawled at 1 or 2 mph for 10 minutes, and miles remaining dropped to "---". Finally got through traffic and started moving again and after 5 minutes or so mileage remaining popped back up to 56. The car does NOT appear to use your average MPG over the life of the car to calculate that number. It seems to use your driving history for the past 10 minutes or so. So if you're stuck with the engine running and barely moving, your mileage remaining is going to drop drastically. If you spend 5 or 10 minutes running at full throttle, mileage remaining will also drop drastically. If you spend 10 minutes driving at 40mph in 7th gear, your mileage remaining will go up drastically.
     
  11. REALZEUS

    REALZEUS F1 Veteran

    Feb 16, 2011
    8,349
    Bournemouth, UK
    #11 REALZEUS, Aug 29, 2014


    That's what all cars do. :)
     
  12. COBrien

    COBrien Karting

    Mar 25, 2008
    135
    Chicago
    #12 COBrien, Aug 29, 2014
    Disagree. I can sit in traffic for an hour in any other car I've had/have and it doesn't tell me my range is 0. And the range doesn't change drastically based on how I've been driving for the last 5 minutes.
     
  13. REALZEUS

    REALZEUS F1 Veteran

    Feb 16, 2011
    8,349
    Bournemouth, UK
    #13 REALZEUS, Aug 30, 2014
    In my experience, range changes drastically, depending on how you drive.
     
  14. COBrien

    COBrien Karting

    Mar 25, 2008
    135
    Chicago
    #14 COBrien, Aug 30, 2014
    I agree it changes, but the Ferrari seems to be programmed to look only/mostly at very recent driving. Case in point, I can sit in my M3 with the car idling while I talk to someone for 20 minutes or a half hour and the range barely changes at all. With the Ferrari, 10 minutes of idling while stopped for construction cost me 60 miles of range :). All of which came back when I started moving and drove for 5 minutes.
     
  15. RBK

    RBK F1 Rookie

    Jul 27, 2006
    3,105
    Calif and Nev
    Full Name:
    Bob
    #15 RBK, Aug 30, 2014
    think your point is correct regarding the "unusual" characteristics of the Ferrari. Clearly mileage "remaining" varies with speed (a simple calculation of fuel/miles) and has to "change" when standing still, moving slowly, or moving fast, but I have never seen a car go from (let us say) 50 miles to zero while standing. Also, generally speaking, I get around 13 mph city and 17 -18 (give or take a fraction) when in 7th cruising (which is very unusual and probably undestood by anyone owning a 458). Best

     
  16. Woppum

    Woppum Formula Junior

    Dec 24, 2010
    677
    #16 Woppum, Aug 30, 2014
    The on board comp does not tell you mpg in the 458 does it ?
     
  17. naford

    naford Karting

    Sep 11, 2013
    147
    United Kingdom
    #17 naford, Aug 30, 2014
    No it doesn't .. just range to go and miles done ... you have to work it out yourself but roughly I get 16 / 17 mpg (UK)
     
  18. Noblesse Oblige

    Noblesse Oblige F1 Veteran

    Nov 7, 2011
    6,114
    Three Places
    #18 Noblesse Oblige, Aug 30, 2014
    I like the absence of the silly mpg computer, a little in your face to the bureaucrats. Now if we could only get rid of those terrible seat belt warning gongs ...
     

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