Do you top off? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Rabble · 03-02-2014, 01:11 AM

I had a thought (just the one) about the percentage of people who top off their gas tank vs those who do not. My parents always top off but I always refuse.

So here's a poll to settle my curiosity.

FYI: if you don't know what topping off is; it's when you're filling your car with gas and the pump automatically shuts off with a full tank but you squeeze the nozzle again to get that extra bit of gas in your car.

hmong337 · 03-02-2014, 01:19 AM

Depends on the gas. If it's 94, top off! If I gotta get 91 in a pinch, I'll just get enough to get me to where I need to go and to a gas station with 94.

boredom.is.me · 03-02-2014, 01:23 AM

Usually, unless I am going to a drivers event (autoX or back road cruise with friends).

EDIT:
I didn't realize what the real meaning of "topping off" was. I NEVER top off.

Kelbyat07 · 03-02-2014, 01:33 AM

Only when gas is really cheap or I have a lot of money hehe

wheelhaus · 03-02-2014, 01:41 AM

I get OCD about it and need to top off to hit the nearest $.50 mark.

tommy · 03-02-2014, 01:47 AM

I've always assumed doing so could force fuel into the evap vent tube which is somewhere near the top of the tank. I can't imagine that would be good for the shut valve or the canister.

sprintertrueno86 · 03-02-2014, 01:48 AM

Full service stations sometimes top off.

Self serve, I never top off but I always shake the gas nozzle furiously to get that last drip of gas in to my tank.

DaJo · 03-02-2014, 02:01 AM

I am guilty of doing it sometimes... Bad for the charcoal canister though.

boredom.is.me · 03-02-2014, 02:14 AM

Wait, I thought you meant top off as in a full tank of gas. Are you referring to squeezing in more gas even after the nozzle stops?

humfrz · 03-02-2014, 02:21 AM

Nope, no top off, even out here .....

humfrz

Drebin252 · 03-02-2014, 02:42 AM

Is there a benefit to squeezing more in after it automatically stops? I always thought it was full when it auto turns off, and putting more in would be bad... :/

Fish · 03-02-2014, 02:47 AM

There's a chance you may put fuel into the charcoal canister among other things in the EVAP system when you do this. I've seen it a couple times. That's typically why they advise against doing it. When you fill up, vapor forms in the tank. That extra space you're filling with fluid is also there to give the the fuel vapors space to expand.

I know some people will still say they do this all the time with no problems. However this is how I've been trained from the manufacturers I've worked for in the past so I'm simply just passing on the information.

mitosis · 03-02-2014, 02:50 AM

Never EVER. Some stupid Oregonian gas station attendant broke the float or sensor in the tank on my Fit from topping off. Now the needle reads way off and the car is puffing on fumes by the time it reads 1/4 tank and it dies completely shortly there after.

I know that it was caused by topping off because the needle was always very accurate until the first time my tank got topped off by this lady. It was on that very tank that I experienced running the car dry for the first time, looked down at my gas gauge in confusion as I was stalled out on the side of the road and it was reading barely a needle's width under the 1/4 mark.

I ALWAYS (like clockwork) stop at the click for the sake of consistent MPG calculations so I had never topped the car off before, and it was my first time going to Oregon so I didn't know that all the gas station attendants like to top off the tank in order to make easy change by going to the next whole dollar amount. What is with that? Apparently the moment I cross the border I'm an infant who is incapable of pumping his own gas?

I have since figured out that I need to tell the attendant "fill it only to the click, don't top it off" every time I get gas in Oregon, but ugh... talk about a rude welcome to your state. "Oh hi, welcome to Oregon. Here let me break your gas tank for you!" Definitely gave me a bad first impression of the state.

humfrz · 03-02-2014, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitosis

..........
I have since figured out that I need to tell the attendant "fill it only to the click, don't top it off" every time I get gas in Oregon, but ugh... talk about a rude welcome to your state. "Oh hi, welcome to Oregon. Here let me break your gas tank for you!" Definitely gave me a bad first impression of the state.

Now THAT is a wise move ....

humfrz

View Poll Results: Do you top off your tank?
Yes, Always	54	26.60%
Sometimes	35	17.24%
No, Never	114	56.16%
Voters: 203. You may not vote on this poll

03-02-2014, 01:11 AM	#1
Rabble Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Drives: Asphalt FR-S Location: USA Posts: 457 Thanks: 6 Thanked 110 Times in 51 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Do you top off? I had a thought (just the one) about the percentage of people who top off their gas tank vs those who do not. My parents always top off but I always refuse. So here's a poll to settle my curiosity. FYI: if you don't know what topping off is; it's when you're filling your car with gas and the pump automatically shuts off with a full tank but you squeeze the nozzle again to get that extra bit of gas in your car. __________________ Sideways is a normal operating condition.

03-02-2014, 01:19 AM	#2
hmong337 Emperor JDM Join Date: Jun 2013 Drives: '91 MR2 Gen3 3SGTE, '13 FRS Location: Onterrible, Canada Posts: 1,750 Thanks: 3,498 Thanked 909 Times in 495 Posts Mentioned: 20 Post(s) Tagged: 3 Thread(s)	Depends on the gas. If it's 94, top off! If I gotta get 91 in a pinch, I'll just get enough to get me to where I need to go and to a gas station with 94. __________________

03-02-2014, 01:33 AM	#4
Kelbyat07 Poor College Kid Join Date: Mar 2013 Drives: ~.~ Location: Chicago Posts: 2,801 Thanks: 246 Thanked 2,182 Times in 1,249 Posts Mentioned: 32 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Only when gas is really cheap or I have a lot of money hehe __________________

03-02-2014, 02:01 AM	#8
DaJo FT86Club Vancouver Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: BRZ Sport-Tech; Drove: MR-S, AE86 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 2,532 Thanks: 391 Thanked 1,178 Times in 633 Posts Mentioned: 16 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	I am guilty of doing it sometimes... Bad for the charcoal canister though. __________________ 1984 AE86 BT 20V 5MT 2007-2012 2000 MR-S 5MT 2010-2012 2013 BRZ Sport-Tech 6AT Since '12 (OEM+ STI tS Build) 2015 Lexus IS250 AWD F-Sport 2 2015-2018 2018 Lexus NX300 F-Sport 3 Since '18

03-02-2014, 01:41 AM	#5
wheelhaus Join Date: Jul 2012 Drives: 2013 BRZ, 2020 KTM Super Duke 1290R Location: Denver Posts: 1,788 Thanks: 714 Thanked 1,141 Times in 624 Posts Mentioned: 49 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	I get OCD about it and need to top off to hit the nearest $.50 mark.

03-02-2014, 01:47 AM	#6
tommy Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Drives: FRS Location: Canada Posts: 40 Thanks: 1 Thanked 20 Times in 9 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I've always assumed doing so could force fuel into the evap vent tube which is somewhere near the top of the tank. I can't imagine that would be good for the shut valve or the canister.

03-02-2014, 01:48 AM	#7
sprintertrueno86 Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Drives: 2018 BMW M2 Location: United States Posts: 729 Thanks: 1,851 Thanked 474 Times in 203 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Full service stations sometimes top off. Self serve, I never top off but I always shake the gas nozzle furiously to get that last drip of gas in to my tank.

03-02-2014, 02:21 AM	#10
humfrz Senior Member Join Date: May 2013 Drives: 2013 FR-S, white, MT Location: Puyallup, WA Posts: 29,879 Thanks: 28,805 Thanked 31,847 Times in 16,435 Posts Mentioned: 708 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Nope, no top off, even out here ..... humfrz Attached Images

03-02-2014, 02:42 AM	#11
Drebin252 Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Drives: GTS 86 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Posts: 44 Thanks: 97 Thanked 21 Times in 13 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Is there a benefit to squeezing more in after it automatically stops? I always thought it was full when it auto turns off, and putting more in would be bad... :/

03-02-2014, 02:47 AM	#12
Fish Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Drives: 2015 Yuzu RS1.0 Scion FR-S #893 Location: San Fernando Valley, CA Posts: 913 Thanks: 459 Thanked 414 Times in 264 Posts Mentioned: 35 Post(s) Tagged: 1 Thread(s)	There's a chance you may put fuel into the charcoal canister among other things in the EVAP system when you do this. I've seen it a couple times. That's typically why they advise against doing it. When you fill up, vapor forms in the tank. That extra space you're filling with fluid is also there to give the the fuel vapors space to expand. I know some people will still say they do this all the time with no problems. However this is how I've been trained from the manufacturers I've worked for in the past so I'm simply just passing on the information.

03-02-2014, 02:50 AM	#13
mitosis Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Drives: 2013 FR-S, 2008 Fit Location: Near Sacramento, CA Posts: 77 Thanks: 219 Thanked 65 Times in 30 Posts Mentioned: 5 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Never EVER. Some stupid Oregonian gas station attendant broke the float or sensor in the tank on my Fit from topping off. Now the needle reads way off and the car is puffing on fumes by the time it reads 1/4 tank and it dies completely shortly there after. I know that it was caused by topping off because the needle was always very accurate until the first time my tank got topped off by this lady. It was on that very tank that I experienced running the car dry for the first time, looked down at my gas gauge in confusion as I was stalled out on the side of the road and it was reading barely a needle's width under the 1/4 mark. I ALWAYS (like clockwork) stop at the click for the sake of consistent MPG calculations so I had never topped the car off before, and it was my first time going to Oregon so I didn't know that all the gas station attendants like to top off the tank in order to make easy change by going to the next whole dollar amount. What is with that? Apparently the moment I cross the border I'm an infant who is incapable of pumping his own gas? I have since figured out that I need to tell the attendant "fill it only to the click, don't top it off" every time I get gas in Oregon, but ugh... talk about a rude welcome to your state. "Oh hi, welcome to Oregon. Here let me break your gas tank for you!" Definitely gave me a bad first impression of the state.

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