Thread: Fuel requirements D90 Puma - Birdsville/Poeppels Cnr to Innamincka

Are you towing a trailer?

cant say I have ever been out that way (although it is planned!)
general rule for me at least if I am traveling in a place like that is to take my cars worst fuel efficiency, then work out KM's to that then double it so.

if im going 500kms and my worst consumption from a tank has been 13l/100km then I would take 130Lts of fuel, this way I know I have enough, in event of super bad consumption, loosing one jerry to a puncture or something like that.

Thats just me, I am sure other people will have differing opinions though.

Leroy

Can't help you on the numbers but one lesson we learnt on our recent trip was a loaded D90 does get through the fuel. We were running at about 10.5l/100km pre-trip but with the roof rack, second spare, roof top bag, 3 x fuel jerrys, 2 x water, bull bar, rear bar, bikes and all our other cr@p on board (my guess is about 650kg all up) we went up to 14+l/100km at times.

Nope, not towing a trailer - I believe that it's not recommended for the SA desert areas, and I believe that it's just extra weight and stress on the vehicle that it doesn't need. I am not going to try and load it up too much, but we do have to carry food, fuel, water, and grog. Everything else is optional, well maybe we do need a tent, bedding and cooking equipment etc etc

Remember to take wine in bottles! Goon bags (casks) wear through and leak. Tinned beer does the same and you have to cool bottled beer. I'm a big fan of Shiraz. Spare t-shirt or rag around the bottle and voila!

Oh and get a long range tank tight ass

Jerries in the back of a 90 will severely limit your space. And they're too bloody heavy to pour in a deefer anyway!

I also do a lot of hiking where you take everything along on your back - kitchen, wardrobe, bathroom, bedroom and wine cellar. Plastic wine sacks are good because carrying glass bottles is dead weight - what you carry in, you carry out. However, quality wine is decanted into plastic bottles to save weight. You really learn to travel light this way - and it's a really invaluable skill when it comes to packing overseas travel bags and also cars for big trips.

I know jerry cans can limit space, but I can't justify spending thousands of dollars for fuel tanks that will only get used infrequently. I found that the smaller 10 litre containers can be stashed away in small spaces and a few of these are more space friendly than the bigger 20 litre ones, plus, as you say, they are easier to poor. But then again, jerry cans got Rommell across the Western Desert in the African campaign during WW2 - although I hate to think how many jerry cans you need for a Panther tank.

Interested to hear of people's fuel consumption experiences as we are doing the same trip W-E. Have been told we must carry 160 liters. Patrol 4.2 180-200 liters.

Originally Posted by MuzzyDelta90

I found that the smaller 10 litre containers can be stashed away in small spaces and a few of these are more space friendly than the bigger 20 litre ones, plus, as you say, they are easier to poor.

This is a good idea, also much easier to put up top if you are storing them on the roof, saw a lot of folks doing this in the NT. Personally had no trouble using the 20l (metal) Jerrys up & down from the roof and re-filling from them but ask me again in 10 years... Just make sure to use any jerrys from up top asap to get that centre of gravity down closer to where it should be and minimise stress on the roof rack.

After our experience I would start with a 400km per full tank on the D90 and work from there, with the standard 60l tank basically assume 15l/100km and then anymore is a bonus. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!