How To Safely Carry A Little Gasoline In Car?

[jyl]

As we've all heard, it is dangerous to carry spare gasoline in your car. However, it occurs to me that with a small, high-MPG car, you wouldn't need but a little bit of gasoline. Suppose your car gets 40 mpg highway if nursed along very conservatively. Then 1/4 gallon, or 4 ounces, of gasoline would get you 10 miles. Surely there is a safe way to carry 4 or 8 ounces of gasoline in a car? Any ideas?

[ben parrish]

In a container filled to the top...perhaps a liquor bottle (5th). Don't want too much room for vapors.

[Evans, Marv]

Maybe one or more camping/backpacking fuel bottles? They're built for that & the necks would allow you to pour directly into the fill tube from the fuel bottle.

[KFC911]

John, you're a really smart guy, but this doesn't seem like one of your better ideas . I've ran out of gas exactly one time in 35 years of driving...that was early in my 911 ownership when I learned the warning light is less forgiving than what I was used to...still in my 'hood and on my way to the pump. Cell phone and AAA in a worse case scenario imo. The logistics of keeping the small amount of gas fresh would become a PITA too.

[nota]

Originally Posted by jyl

As we've all heard, it is dangerous to carry spare gasoline in your car. However, it occurs to me that with a small, high-MPG car, you wouldn't need but a little bit of gasoline. Suppose your car gets 40 mpg highway if nursed along very conservatively. Then 1/4 gallon, or 4 ounces, of gasoline would get you 10 miles. Surely there is a safe way to carry 4 or 8 ounces of gasoline in a car? Any ideas?

YOU FAIL AT MATH

4 0Z IS 1/4 OF A PINT [16 oz]

btw a pint is 1/2 a quart [32oz]
and a quart is 1/4 of a gallon

but most cars need about a gallon added to run

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by nota

but most cars need about a gallon added to run

This, don't forget about the volume used by the plumbing.

[Hugh R]

Dumb question, but why not just fill up? Plus 1 on the AAA card. The first week I had my Targa I found out that it ran out of gas at just below the 1/4 tank mark on the gauge.

[GH85Carrera]

The safe place is INSIDE the gas tank that manufacturer put there for that purpose.

Gas stations are everywhere in the bay area. When you get down to a 1/4 of a tank, stop and fill up! No need to carry more gas. It really is that simple.

[rusnak]

Any towing service will bring you gas. I found that out the hard way. I had just bought my 1 ton truck, and was looking for a gas station in the boonies when it ran out. I paid an older, very very very happy Mexican guy $40 for 5 gallons of gas. I don't know who was happier though, me or him.

[krystar]

don't forget that actually running dry on gas is bad for the fuel pump.

just don't run dry.

[regency]

I keep about 2 gallons in a bucket, sliding around in the bed of my Tacoma, sometimes I'll wedge the bucket against the bed of the truck with a couple bags of fertilizer, to be safe.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

[RWebb]

get one of those big azz gas tank carriers designed for hogmobiles and attach it to your Prius

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Any towing service will bring you gas. I found that out the hard way. I had just bought my 1 ton truck, and was looking for a gas station in the boonies when it ran out. I paid an older, very very very happy Mexican guy $40 for 5 gallons of gas. I don't know who was happier though, me or him.

Try running out in Long Island Sound in the middle of the night.

The guys out in the skifs raiding lobster pots charge "gimme all you got" per gallon.

[rusnak]

Versus drifting out to China? I say "deal!"

[Aurel]

The safest place to store gasoline in your car is in the gas tank. And that little extra gas is called the reserve , you know you are about to use it when your gas refuel light comes on. That is all, end of story .

[jyl]

Funny, I got mixed up between pounds/ounces and gallons/ounces!

Okay, I agree - we're talking more than a teeny bit of gasoline which makes this questionable.

[dipso]

Tow it behind your car, in a metal container.

[944Larry]

Forget it, the gas will have long since gone bad when you need it.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by nota

YOU FAIL AT MATH

4 0Z IS 1/4 OF A PINT [16 oz]

btw a pint is 1/2 a quart [32oz]
and a quart is 1/4 of a gallon

but most cars need about a gallon added to run

Dang, I agree with NOTA!

1st, gasoline doesn't age very well. You need to pour this spare fuel into the car everytime you fill up, then put fresh fuel into the spare.

2nd, a gallon would be the minimum, as above.

3rd, it needs to be in a safe spot. The safest spot is in the gas tank. Maybe you need to add a mini fuel cell with a transfer valve.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by rusnak

Any towing service will bring you gas. I found that out the hard way. I had just bought my 1 ton truck, and was looking for a gas station in the boonies when it ran out. I paid an older, very very very happy Mexican guy $40 for 5 gallons of gas. I don't know who was happier though, me or him.

Oh that reminds me of a gas station we had to use in Chihuahua. They had a "tank" in the back of the shop which had to be drained into a watering can and then poured into the car. I'm not sure, but that might have been the trip where the fuel senders went bad.

I don't remember what the fuel cost, but it wasn't cheap.