Fuel Tanks and Jerry Cans relating to Fuel Range

[Datsun Man2]

In my opinion, since you are almost doubling the stock tank with the 155L upgrade, it would be like adding almost 4 extra fuel cans to your rig. If you have been okay with 2 extra fuel cans, you're almost doubling that. Unless you have found that having the 80L + the extra 40L hasn't been enough, I would think you are more than good. At the most, I "might" carry 1 extra can but that would be it. Why add more weight, which you already did with the larger tank. At least that weight is down low.

That's my thoughts.

Think about why the question was asked in the first place. Yes I am technically in the US as we speak, but in the near future I am looking to be a bit further north in Canada. Now keep in mind that I am not familiar with the land up there and how far one may go off grid before having a chance to fill up assuming it's a one way trip and not a round trip thing. This is why I'm asking the question. I have no problems with the extra weight as needed and it's why I'm asking about the ideal fuel range especially in Canada.

Many will argue in the US that you don't need much because of how many gas stations there are. Well if you go on a trip like the Grand Canyon North Rim, you will want to have enough for at least 500 miles for Off Road Travel to be safe. In my current state I can't do it. With just the replacement tank it will be possible but barely without at least one Jerry can.

Just some food for thought

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

I live in Oz. I carry lots of fuel, but only diesel which is much safer than petrol (gas).
Yes it is true that there are some very long treks without fuel availability, but the other factor is that fuel is expensive even in the cities (compared to the USA), but it can cost 3X as much in more remote places, so having more range allows us to pick and choose where we buy it.

Fuel tanks do not HAVE to be full.

ps... "OPAL" is a special petrol (gas) which is not attractive for sniffing. This fuel supply is the only one on the Anne Beadell Highway between Laverton and Coober Pedy which are 1,320km apart. They often don't have Opal (petrol) in stock unless you telephone and order it in advance and for 6 months, they had no diesel either due to the road conditions.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Gravelette]

Think about why the question was asked in the first place.

I expect we've all pondered that one! Seriously, just keep your jerry cans and fill them up when you head out into the unknown. Or seek local knowledge near the trail head.

 

[llamalander]

Worth remembering that your mileage will drop significantly once you start down crappy roads or crawling up things that were carved by some uranium-mad bulldozer driver--Having an extra 20L has let me take the "road-even-less-traveled" when I wanted to see where it ended.
If your object is to stay away from gas stations, carry a can. Part of my joy exploring is feeling well-enough prepared to get home regardless of where I might want to go.

 

[Datsun Man2]

Worth remembering that your mileage will drop significantly once you start down crappy roads or crawling up things that were carved by some uranium-mad bulldozer driver--Having an extra 20L has let me take the "road-even-less-traveled" when I wanted to see where it ended.
If your object is to stay away from gas stations, carry a can. Part of my joy exploring is feeling well-enough prepared to get home regardless of where I might want to go.

I'm well aware of how much the MPG drops on the trail. Thankfully I figured that out quickly and the two biggest factors were the 33's and the ARB Bull Bar. With just the Factory Tank I have had to get an extra Fuel Can at least just to go a further distance. I technically have 2 Wavian 20 L Cans as we speak and it certainly helps. That said it's not as high of a capacity if I simply did a replacement tank that I'm looking at(a 35 Liter difference to be exact). It's more of a question of what is the preferred Fuel Range to have in Miles or Kilometers(I can easily convert) for North America when riding on the trails for a Tourer/Over lander. Depending on that answer will depend if I keep the 2 Cans or not.

 

[ovʀʟxnᴅ]

I have had two instances of fuel concerns. One was in rural GA (southeastern US) on a Sunday. Apparently, in that part of the country, lots of places still close because of church. Fuel was nearing critical in my FJ. I thought I might have to dump my Coleman white gas in to see how it might stretch things out. Another time, we had wrapped up several days on various trails and knew we were less than 10 miles from a gas station...only to find a massive tree down across the end of the trail. On my FJ, I added a 5-gallon jerry can. On the GX, it had a stock tank that was larger by 4 gallons. In the new LC, being back on an 18-gallon tank, so far I've just been more careful.

 

[Datsun Man2]

I have had two instances of fuel concerns. One was in rural GA (southeastern US) on a Sunday. Apparently, in that part of the country, lots of places still close because of church. Fuel was nearing critical in my FJ. I thought I might have to dump my Coleman white gas in to see how it might stretch things out. Another time, we had wrapped up several days on various trails and knew we were less than 10 miles from a gas station...only to find a massive tree down across the end of the trail. On my FJ, I added a 5-gallon jerry can. On the GX, it had a stock tank that was larger by 4 gallons. In the new LC, being back on an 18-gallon tank, so far I've just been more careful.

Yeah I'm talking more than just the US. At the moment I have a 80 Liter tank(aka 21.125 Gallon) with two 20 Liter cans(so half my original capacity) and I will be replacing the Factory Tank with a 155 Liter(aka 40.94 Gallon). I'm already aware of what I can see both on the Street and OffRoad for Range with and without the extra cans. The only question being what the preferred range is. For you is sounds like you barely go past what the Factory is rated for.

 

[Gravelette]

Technically the preferred range for Mexico and lower 48 is 420 miles. For Canada and AK it is 475 miles.

 

[Datsun Man2]

Technically the preferred range for Mexico and lower 48 is 420 miles. For Canada and AK it is 475 miles.

But is that for Street or OffRoad use?

 

[Gravelette]

Sorry, I believe that is based on 20% pavement, 80% dirt.

 

[fourfa]

Range in paved miles isn’t the concern. 33s and overweight bumpers are one thing - spending long days in 4 low, 37+ tires deflated to single digits for sand and rocks, crawling like that up and over mountain ranges - that’s something else entirely. If none of that sounds realistic to you, great! You’re probably good to go already

A lot of my long trips have been in Death Valley for instance, deliberately looking for the longest continuous offroad routes. It’s possible to burn almost half a tank on pavement between the nearest fuel station and a given trailhead there - then have several days in the conditions listed above, get nearly back to pavement, encounter a freshly washed-out uncrossable trail, and have to reverse course back the way you came (in a place that might well kill you before rescue, as it has done many others before us). That’s the worst case scenario in my estimation. In my experience the overall MPG in these conditions is 1/3 to 1/2 vs paved. In my previous gas truck I carried 4 20L jerry cans (on top of the 21 gal tank) but luckily never needed more than 3 of those. In my current diesel truck (19 gal tank, which I don’t ever want to starve and threaten the HPFP) I carry 15 gal spare In a mounted tank, and can grab 2x 20L jerrys if needed.

Maybe the other worst case scenario is long Australia desert crossings - see Dan Grec’s videos for some very deep dives on those.

And +1 to the idea that having the extra capacity, doesn’t mean you need to USE the extra capacity. Fuel is heavy and I don’t like to haul it around unnecessarily.

 

[Datsun Man2]

Range in paved miles isn’t the concern. 33s and overweight bumpers are one thing - spending long days in 4 low, 37+ tires deflated to single digits for sand and rocks, crawling like that up and over mountain ranges - that’s something else entirely. If none of that sounds realistic to you, great! You’re probably good to go already

A lot of my long trips have been in Death Valley for instance, deliberately looking for the longest continuous offroad routes. It’s possible to burn almost half a tank on pavement between the nearest fuel station and a given trailhead there - then have several days in the conditions listed above, get nearly back to pavement, encounter a freshly washed-out uncrossable trail, and have to reverse course back the way you came (in a place that might well kill you before rescue, as it has done many others before us). That’s the worst case scenario in my estimation. In my experience the overall MPG in these conditions is 1/3 to 1/2 vs paved. In my previous gas truck I carried 4 20L jerry cans (on top of the 21 gal tank) but luckily never needed more than 3 of those. In my current diesel truck (19 gal tank, which I don’t ever want to starve and threaten the HPFP) I carry 15 gal spare In a mounted tank, and can grab 2x 20L jerrys if needed.

Maybe the other worst case scenario is long Australia desert crossings - see Dan Grec’s videos for some very deep dives on those.

And +1 to the idea that having the extra capacity, doesn’t mean you need to USE the extra capacity. Fuel is heavy and I don’t like to haul it around unnecessarily.

In reality it's all going to depend on the vehicle to whether you're spending time in four low often or not. I had a 93 Pathfinder that basically required me to stay in four low for most Wheeling surprisingly. My current Frontier rarely needs me to go into four low unless I need slow controlled traction. And don't worry I'm simply on 33s with a 1.5 inch lift. Yes the vehicle is a bit heavy, but still does fairly decent on fuel mileage for its configuration. That said it doesn't mean fuel range shouldn't be a concern. Even I have considered multiple reasons for why one would want to have a bigger fuel tank in general.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Technically from 80 to 155 with the tank alone. If I were to include the two cans it would go from 120 to 195.

Not to be ignorant, but your profile states you are in Colorado. That's in the US. Why are we talking in liters when all US capacities are listed in gallons? Makin'me have to do math just to do more math, ha ha

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Or when you are carrying so much fuel you exceed your safe landing weight when you have to return for some other emergency. Mostly not an issue, except for large commercial aircraft, but the point is, you can have too much weight...

Ah, but that "is this too much weight" question is best bandied about over in that GVWR thread. Which one is that...?

 

[jkam]

I spent 4 years riding my motorcycle outside the USA.
When making preparations for this I changed out the fuel tank on my BMW GS
from a 5 gallon tank to an 11 gallon tank.
That would give me up to about 350 range in perfect conditions.
In not so good conditions that range fell to 200 miles or so.
In southern Argentina while riding Ruta 40, there were a few places that did not have fuel stations for more than 300 miles.
In those places many Estancia's took in travelers, fed them, gave them a bed for the night and fueled up the vehicle for the next leg.
At times my bike was so overweight that it was scary.