in2pro

I wouldn't say it is flawed or "off" and I wouldn't put it at more then 1-2 gallons of fuel that sits in the tank at about 1/2 in in depth. The fuel pump appears to have been designed to sop up just about all fuel in the tank but it can not get all of it due the the flat space involved at the bottom of the tank.
View the fuel tank like the bottom of your bath tub and picture a 1/4 to 1/2 of water in the bottom and how you would be able to sump that up with it sloshing about as you drive or were on an incline and the fuel was all at one end....

Its impossible/impractical/ expensive to try and accommodate getting the remaining fuel.... yes its a design that is limited by physics of space and practicality...

8rings

I think most modern cars have a built in reserve on the fuel gauge. It is rare in any of my cars to come anywhere close to the actual tank capacity on a fill up.

I'm one of those people who will run for quite awhile on E. My suburban will get to the point where it stops telling you the distance and I'll drive for 50-60 more miles regularly. Once I really get nervous, the needle is to the left of the actual "E" mark, I'll refuel. I have never put more than 28.6 gallons in my tank. So even when pushing it I don't come close to the capacity.

in2pro

Keep in mind capacity is also limited by temperature, you can fit more cold gas in a tank then you can of hot gas...
This was a hot topic in the news awhile back when gas was high and the calibration of the pumps was in question, when calibrating the gas pump the fuel temperature has to be taken into account..

73shark

I always try to buy my gas in the winter to get the most for my money.

Seriously tho you can check the DIC for fuel used and compare to what you put in. Once you determine its accuracy, then you can run it down as close to 31 gal. and see what it takes to fill. Might want to have a couple of gallons in the back when you try this.

TSWEDER

I ran mine almost empty the other day, not on purpose. It took 29.64 gallons on a very hot day, I guess I had about 7-6 miles left before empty. So, its at least 30 gallons for my 08'.

kmbtjm

Now that I have had opportunity for a long road trip Charleston,SC to Rochester,NY. With the 2 kids usually fill up around 20 gallons but the fuel gauge reflects that now, usually a little less than 1/2tank. Avg 17 to 19mpg per 20 gallon fill up... looks like it does better at 74-76 mph range on the highway (which can be tough in PA and NY).

Rez

I know my indicator is way off. Mine has a 42 gal tank, it was on empty yesterday so I stopped to put in about 12 gallons. Now is says over 1/2 tank, haha.