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Curious About Automobile Fuel Door Placement
AdamsQuailHunter
Member Posts: 2,022 ✭✭✭✭
While traveling on I-75 Monday, I noticed that all of the Mercedes - BMW - Cadillac suv's and many Ford - Chevrolet - GMC - Nissian sedans and suv's had the fuel door on the passenger side. I would not like that arrangement on the car and truck my wife drives because of the threat management I have tried to teach her.
Any ideas as to why the change of location?? Any ideas as to how to handle the change in threat management??
Best Regards - AQH
Comments
For the Euro cars I believe it has to do with most of them being right hand drive.
My truck in on the driver's side, my bride's SUV, on the passenger side....Both are Ford products. I have wondered the same thing !
no definite answer
but may be some waht related
I can only relate to a project I was on many years ago where I worked ( auto manufacturing ) our group was just trying to get a lot of the bolt sizes communized like 12 13 14 15 16 MM length and so on bolts to one standard length to make it cheaper and easer and less inventory why have so many close lengths to deal with
after investigating with suppliers, manufactures and machining areas looked like we may get a win then it came down in the end to each individual designer ( or group over that part ) to decide what was right
now go back to work and shut up 😕
So I had to do a search. Here are a few answers as to placement of fuel doors;
Putting fuel filler doors on different sides of different cars thus means that some cars can access pumps from the left. And this makes it less likely that drivers will have to wait in line for gas. That benefit greatly outweighs the cost of occasionally pulling up to the wrong side of the pump in a rental car.”Aug 3, 2009
What determines what side gas tank is on?
Current regulations only outline that the fuel door must be housed at the widest part of the vehicle, opposite the exhaust system, and away from crumple zones. As a result, car engineers place the door on whichever side makes the most sense for the design and function of the vehicle.May 9, 2018
“The placement of the fuel door is mainly a factor of fuel tank design, location, and underbody packaging,” Nissan’s Steve Yaeger told theAllstateBlog. “With all of the structure and components located underneath the vehicle, (engineers) would quickly encounter restrictions in trying to route the filler tube to the same side on every vehicle.”
All my Chevys have the gas filler on the left. If the location is a major issue, use that as your primary 'gotta have' in vehicle selection.
Not saying this is you, but a lot of folks don't realized that gas pump hoses will reach the other side of a vehicle.
If you get her an electric car, she won’t have to stop at gas stations.
Threat management.
My 57' Chevy has the fuel cap behind the left tailight....we're good to go. 😊
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
What's threat management?
I always thought they were on the opposite side from which ever pump is open.
My 74 Nova had the filler cap in the middle in the rear, right behind a fold down license plate holder. That was THE ideal location if you ask me. It totally negates @He Dog 's issue.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
LOOK before getting out!
LOCK the doors after getting out!
Watch your surroundings!
Most important CARRY A GUN!(extra mags and/or ammo a must) moon clips for the revolver only people!
Don't leave purse on seat with door open, then turn your back on it as you're fueling
If your fuel door is on the right side the driver/filler has lost most of his electrical charge (static electricity) by the time he gets to the pump & fuel door thus less chance of spark jumping and causing a flash fire according to an old issue of SAE. Although that may not be the defined answer to the question from the OP.
"Never do wrong to make a friend----or to keep one".....Robert E. Lee
Now I'm having flashbacks to the moon clips melt down.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
IIRC my '52 Ford had it under the rear license plate, right in the middle.
I remember reading something in Consumer Reports, a long time ago, about why fuel filler caps are on one side or the other. Now, these are a bunch of uptight Yankees in New York, so consider the source, but they claim that the fuel filler should be on the left rear or right rear, I forget which, because that spot is the least likely to be hit in a collision.
I drive a 2008 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, and my filler door is on the right. I see other Sport Tracs around town, and all of them have the fuel filler on the left. I guess mine is unique.
My T-bird has it in the center under a door in the trunk lid. Our daily drivers are British built and have the door on the passenger side for us, but on the driver side for them.
Brad Steele
might have something to do with if it was built in canada or US....???
It's on the passenger side of my Nissan D21. Let me tell ya, that took a while to get used to. Ten years later, I still catch myself lining up on the driver's side on occasion.
A guy smiled at me once when I had to reposition as I was getting used to the passenger side fuel door. Rather than admit I was an idiot, I told I had just stolen it and didn’t know where the door was.
Brad Steele
I was filling up one day and nice lady pulled up and demanded I move out of the way, she was running out of fuel. She had a differeent look when I said you will need to pull to the other side, you can't reach the tank filler from this side.
One nice thing about the filler on the right is that you can get close to the pump and still have room to open the drivers door. That's about it.
The gas station at our local Sam's Club is all ONE WAY to the pumps. It gets crazy there when the place is busy. There can be a whole side of vacant pumps but I have to still wait for the pump on my fueling side to open up before filling.
I saw the photo with the long pump hose going over the car to the opposite side but I have tried to do that and always have been at least a foot short.
I do feel for you brooks, I have heard of men being inches short, but never a foot short!!!!!!!!!
Funny part she had to move to the other side to fuel up.
You left that part out the first time. That does make a difference. Don
84,You must have speed read my earlier post.
I do it a lot.