has anyone done anything to the effect of adding a larger replacement fuel tank? Added a secondary tank plumbed to the main tank?

I'm only looking for feedback on those that may have attempted something like this , not those who will ask if I can't find a gas station w/i 275 miles please. Yes I can. However I have just completed a 4100 mile road trip and I'm about to go on a 5000 mile one and would like to see if anyone has done anything to increase the range of the X yet.

thank you in advance....

There's gotta be something that can be done in the cavernous hole left by the spare once taken out. I guess there would be issues about safety (think pintos!) but I'm sure some folks have added something somehow to a vehicle like ours. Good luck and let us know - especially your SOXC bros!

Can you not find a gas station within 275 miles? :p (Sorry, had to go for it)

I heard one time that owners of earlier model Mustangs were letting them go because the tank was under the trunk and posed a serious risk in the event of a rear-ending. If you don't use the cargo area you could put it in there. Probably your best solution is carry spare fuel cans (eg jerry cans). That way, when you're getting low, you can just pull over, fill up, and be on your way. No more searching for a gas station, and you may even save money if your gas prices are lower than your destination's or those along the way.

Rob - I have (2) 5.28 gal cans I carry for long hauls like this , issue is you still have to stop. I was trying to avoid that (safely).

There has to be a way. I know Jeep guys do some magic w/ fuel level and filler tube which gets you 3 extra gallons on a Cherokee.....I'm going to head to the race shops here in the Charlotte area this week to see what they say..

I am working on a design right now. It will take up the spare tire area, and have about a 18-20 gallon capacity. I am just working out the pumping issues. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I had friends that added extra tanks, but they were in pick-ups, in the end it wasn't too cost effective for the added range. They also noticed a dip in their mpg due to weight, but it did come in handy on long roads on Sunday nights where alot of the small town gas stations close early.

Therob- What are your thoughts on how low the second tank will hang? For the street it doesn't matter but if you are looking at keeping it on permanantly then it may be an issue for some depending how they drive offroad. Beach drivers it won't matter but rock guys that claim to constantly bounce of rock shelves onto their bumpers may be in trouble.

Also for the plumbing I think if you vent the aux tank into the same vent tube as the primary you should be ok. Also if the tanks are at the same height then you can get away w/ a passive system by just running 1/2" hose from one to the other. Make it so that it is on the lowest side/point of the primary tank. This way you empy the aux before the primary. Your fuel gauge will still be accurate because it will pick up from it's normal spot and read correctly - it'll just take long to read "E"....

the other way is to have a 12v "Holley" style pump mounted to the aux tank on a switch , this way when you reach "E" on the main you can turn the pump on for a minute and "refill" the main tank.

Vent heights and tank heights are very important if you are going to fill both tanks from the stock filler neck. If this is not watched carefully you will be pushing fuel out the vents while trying to fill the higher of the 2 tanks.

If you are going to fill the aux tank from it's own filler neck then the issue is there based on vent heights and pressure of system (again not an issue if a pump is used because it acts as a gate ) but not as critical....

*** any engineers that want to jump in here and give feedback I welcome it ***

Another option (although slightly scary) is to use a marine square tank in the cargo area wired to a 12v fuel pump. The out let line goes through the floor and "T's" into the filler neck of the main tank or directly into it.. Same thing , when you get to "E" you flip the switch and refill your main tank. This set up is what you typically see (sort of) in street/race cars where there is a fuel square tank in the trunk that is run to a pump and braided line to the fuel rails or carbs...

You can get a really good fuel cell and pump for about $200...then it's just labor hours.

just my .02 - I'm sure everyone will flame for this, but will beg for directions and pics once it's done.



this might not be an issue to most but for the long road trips I take (3000-5000 miles each) if I can get an extra 150 miles before I have to stop it helps...

Put on a 2" or 3" body lift. Cut your tank open above the mounting brackets and have another 2 or 3" welded in to give you a few extra gallons.

rb42- part of the answer is to buy a race ready fuel cell. Emmisions are another issue....still working that out.

What about this?

http://www.cardomain.com/member_pages/view_page.pl?page_id=315343

The aux fuel tank is installed on a late-model Pathfinder in Australia, but this is something worth considering, if you can get that part imported here.

How about stopping to fill up with gasoline at the normal intervals. It gets you up and about, and clears your head. Much safer than being cooped up in the Xterra for 6 hours at a time.

Don't you pee ?

Thats what Gatorade bottles are for !!!

There are times when additional range is useful. Most cars and even several full-size SUVs have a longer range than the X. Taking a break from being cooped up in a vehicle is easy to remedy: just stop and get out.

Getting gas when you need it can be somewhat more of a problem, especially if you don't plan to be near gas stations very often. Driving through the Mojave desert or off-roading in Death Valley, CA are good examples of the need for extra range.

Yes and thats when you just pouring yet another can of petrol in your tank .

Not only they are safer mod-wise, but also you can always remove it when not in use..

At the price of like 25$ per can (speaking metal ones, not wobbly plastic ones) - heck, you definetly will spend like 20 times (at least) more on mod that might render your truck useless on trails (if you just put tank where it is right now) and will drop mileage (no matter where you put it, except for eating up cargo space of course).

While I can see that extended range could be a good thing in SOME instances, I am of the camp that stopping and getting out to stretch my legs is a very good thing. My recent trip to ECXC reinforced this. The mileage range of my X seems to coincide very well with my "Need to get the hell off the road, stretch my legs, and get a new bottle of soda or water" needs.

I am usually not in that much of a hurry to get where I am going. Generally, the place will still be there, and I will probably enjoy it more after a more relaxed drive there. Sure there are times when I would like to get to my destination quicker, but an extended mileage capacity of even 150 miles on a 600 mile trip will save maybe one stop for gas. That translates to arriving perhaps 20 minutes earlier to your destination. Not worth it to me.

Of course, that's my own feelings on the subject. I could be wrong...... :p

Brad -

once again the internet proves itself....

Yup/ditto/exactly! Were we hunt in SW Montana it was best you had at least 45 gallons of fuel(main tank and two saddle tanks). '72 F100 with a 390/4bbl pulling a 13' Roadrunner trailer and 6 people and all their gear piled in it. It was 120 miles to camp, 15 miles of that was in 4lo to get to high camp. Then spend 3-7 days crawling in 4lo looking for critters. We damn near used all of the 60 gallons in a week. The closest fuel was 60 miles away.

Please....I told you on the trip that you still had a decidedly faster pace than I. That's cool....the pace of our traveling wasn't too bad (but then our current mileage and the wonderful traffic patterns in PA helped slow it down a bit.)

If you want more mileage out of your X....that's very cool with me. I'd be excited to see what you work up. But just be prepared....on another trip, we'll still need to stop regularly for my gas-guzzler to feed.

Hell.....I'm used to traveling with my wife anyways.....We stop every two hours for potty breaks, regardless. So, getting gas works itself in pretty well to the equation.



Edit: Now stop worrying about your damn mileage and let's get that Calmini bumper and T-bars on. I can't wait to see the Calmini bumper with the headlight surrounds on it.

I have to agree with those that go for carrying jerry cans. It's much more cost effective.

On the subject of filling up I usually do it when 1/4 tank is left just so I can get out. In fact I usually watch the time and stop every 1.2 to 2 hours on road trips. The drive is always the best part; if you stop every 2 hours there's a better chance of wanting to stop at the "Biggest Ball of Tin Foil" or whatever the local claim to fame is.

while that reasoning works well when you are driving on Californian highways with a bunch of ford explorers, when you are in a situation like this, you'd think otherwise:

In and Out of Africa

BTW, if you actually read it, I can think of a few situations where or X would outperform their Defender. We've got a lot more power, coupled up with better floatation from the much wider tires, would enable us to blast through a lot of the mud terrain. Ariticulation doesn't do much when you are in the Sahara.

actually the "internet proves itself" statement was the last sentence I typed on a page long rant in response to Uzbad post - bet then I figured screw it .... after trying to decipher the broken English I decided against it.

not meant toward you Brad :-)

I would just like to get 300 miles out of the X's tank no matter what the driving conditions that's all, not too much to ask I don't think.

--ok enough of that subject since the replies were mostly useless anyway - the front bumper is off, westin bar is off, front hitch is off....just awaiting long truck trip from CA to deliver a skid full of goodies.

Also where the inner fender plastic flappy piece meets the sheet metal, it's not attached by anything - does the ARB or Cal bumper tie this up someplace? Hoping to sand the grill and possibly paint it tonight too.

Still interested in the SR Plate? After seeing damage to the underside of the X after ECXC , I'm going to weld up small plates to the bottom of the spring hangers too....



when do we eat again?

Impossible.
Off-road, in 4Lo, mileage can be as bad as 7-8 MPG, you would need to carry 38 gallons of fuel.

On the street however, just keep it below 3000RPM and you'll get 300 miles to a tank easy.

Ah....cool Ben...no worries.

As for the inner fender liner, I don't recall right off hand whether or not it ties into the new bumper. It can be made to if a provision is not provided.

Yes, I'm still interested in the plate. We'll take care of that when we get together again.

As for my locker, the damn thing is not even scheduled to be delivered til next week, so I won't have it on by this weekend. But I will still go to Uwharrie. Doug and Ollie from ENCXC and Jason from CXC have expressed interest in going.

Brad -sweet - my truck may be "noseless" but I'll be there if it's Sunday !!!

Ian - sorry , I should clarify this . I was looking to get 300 miles from my tank whether the driving (on road) was bumper to bumper traffic or highway (70ish mph) and so on. I don't expect any sort of mileage when driving offroad at all. Sorry. If I do a steady 65 w/o towing and do not hit traffic I can get real close to this...for the trip out near you guys I'll have on the Michelin highway tread tires and not the BF Muds, roof lights may be off too...just did the Airaid intake and am looking to do an exhaust soon too - hoping this will push me to the 18mpg range.