Misleading Gas tank
09-11-09, 01:54 PM
#17
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Corona California
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It is not the Tank. It's the gage.
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
09-11-09, 02:04 PM
#18
I drive slower than my grandmother for my 25 mile work commute, as I like to play the MPG game a little too much. I find the miles / gallons at the pump always, without fail, to be higher than the tank average, usually by at least .5 MPG.
I think those that are getting the other direction are gunning their cars. While I don't know this for sure, but I bet what's happening is that when you coast, the computer might cap the calculation at the time at 99 MPG or something like that, when in reality, for the time you are coasting, you are doing much better. Either that, or it's punishing too much for 1st and 2nd gear acceleration for those that just get up to coasting speed.
As for the miles remaining, the reason you can almost always go past 0 is that if you notice, it NEVER goes up, even after you've eased up on the tank. It's very conservative, so it never compensates you back for previous sins... it will only decrease slower, but won't readjust your total assuming you've turned a new leaf.
I think those that are getting the other direction are gunning their cars. While I don't know this for sure, but I bet what's happening is that when you coast, the computer might cap the calculation at the time at 99 MPG or something like that, when in reality, for the time you are coasting, you are doing much better. Either that, or it's punishing too much for 1st and 2nd gear acceleration for those that just get up to coasting speed.
As for the miles remaining, the reason you can almost always go past 0 is that if you notice, it NEVER goes up, even after you've eased up on the tank. It's very conservative, so it never compensates you back for previous sins... it will only decrease slower, but won't readjust your total assuming you've turned a new leaf.
09-11-09, 02:07 PM
#19
It is not the Tank. It's the gage.
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
09-11-09, 02:07 PM
#20
It is not the Tank. It's the gage.
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
The fuel gauge cannot measure the level of fuel in the tank; as soon as it tries to get a reading it changes the fuel level (see Heisenberg).
The same principle can be applied to the gauge itself, if you don't look at it, it will remain full.
The thing is the gauge is "trying" to be accurate, but being a digital thing in an analog world, it has to rely on other cues than actual fuel level to figure out what to display.
It starts by correctly reporting a full tank and figures it can get away with that for a while.
Then, it notices that you keep looking at it and figures that something's up with that; you, being an analog being must know better than it how much fuel you have left, and that has to be why you keep checking. This causes the gauge to move the needle.
By now the poor thing figures it's done its job and can rest a while, but you keep checking, and the more you check, the more the gauge feels that it should indicate a lower fuel level than the last time you checked.
Of course, the poor thing wouldn't suffer such anxiety if it were an analog gauge, it could simply move the needle a tiny immeasurable fraction od an amount and feel confident that it did its job.
As it is, the gauge reads the rider more than it reads the fuel tank. I have figured out how its mind works (I knew I was a psych major for a reason...once…but flunked out when I stop taking my meds), and it's fun to mess with the digital gauge.
I figured I had done really well when I managed to have it show low fuel only one hour after filling it (I looked at the thing every 2 seconds), but I recently outdid myself: I looked at the gauge so much, that I managed to cause it to indicate empty BEFORE I had even filled it up......
09-11-09, 02:34 PM
#21
Pole Position
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: pa
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i only get about 0.1mpg error....computer vs hand calculate
I looked my mpg today and here it is. 50/50% hwy/city
IS350
MPG AVG : 22.9mpg
Tank AVG : 25.7mpg
my lowest I saw was 18mpg and the highest was 30.2mpg for today
I looked my mpg today and here it is. 50/50% hwy/city
IS350
MPG AVG : 22.9mpg
Tank AVG : 25.7mpg
my lowest I saw was 18mpg and the highest was 30.2mpg for today
09-11-09, 05:19 PM
#23
Super Moderator
My trip computer always reports a worse MPG than what I get by calculating manually, usually by about 1/2 - 1 MPG.
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