The stated capacity of the tank is bone dry, and probably including the extra 1/2 gallon or so for the filler pipe. I just checked (I use an iPhone app for mileage tracking) and the most fuel I ever added was 15.24 gallons. That was after nearly 40 miles of freeway driving with the "feed me" light on.
Running your car out of gas means you are sucking air through the fuel pump. This is not a good thing to do as the fuel pump is kept cool and lubricated by the gasoline. It will lead to premature pump failure and is neither a fun nor cheap repair (I did it with a 7/8 full gas tank at work on evening).
~ MattInSoCal