Thread: Aux Fuel tank 2015 Defender

Originally Posted by conjames

Hi guys,
I am investigating the addition of an Auxiliary Fuel tank for my Puma...
Or even a larger replacement tank. Interested to see what the best way to go on this.....size, plastic or steel etc..
Thanks.

I think the biggest replacement tank is about 140ltrs

Installing a Sill Tank which usually has a capacity of about 65ltrs giving u about 140ltrs in total

Installing a Inner Guard Tank gives u about 45ltrs + OEM Tank = 120ltrs

Ask yourself what u are going to use your Defender for & how far u need to travel between fuel stops..

There's pros and cons with the above various options...

Myself, I've got a standard OEM Tank + the Inner Guard Tank + the Sill Tank giving me a Total of 180ltrs. This was a perfect amount in our Madigan desert trip a couple of years ago...

I've replaced the standard tank with a "The Long Ranger” tank by Out of Town 4WD . It fits the land rover standard tow bar and is about 125 litres of usable fuel.
They can also provide a right hand wheel arch add on that increases it by 35 litres.

Shingleback on here has done a Drivers side poly sill tank that is about 65 litres , but you will have to contact him as to whether he will supply them now.


Cheers Glen

i have the 127ltr (ish) aftermarket main tank replacement in the Puma (MY11 so no LP lift pump). you forgo about 15ltrs of available fuel (7ltr in reality). In mine my light comes on smack on 100ltrs used (900kms) at my combined fuel burn of 12lt/100. I can get another 100kms on the light before the ECU eventually shuts down the engine (i did the experiment). In the OEM tank when the ECU shuts down the engine it has 7ltrs of fuel left in the tank to avoid running the HP fuel pump dry. In the aftermarket LRange tank, assuming 12ltr/100, leaving 15ltrs in the tank or about 80kms of distance if you assume 7ltr should be left in the tank to avoid a dry fuel pump. No matter the aftermarket brand, the problem is common. It comes from the extra volume in the base of the Lrange tank being able to told more fuel at the given level the ECU triggers the shut down.

dovetailing into what Robmacca said, I did Cape York on a OEM tank carrying 2 jerries. The jerries came home full, never needed to use them. My consumption from Birdsville to Mt Dare across the Madigan line (680kms) was 130ltr weighing in at 3.5T. I carried a 70ltr aux poly tank but in hindsight a jerry can would suffice (just). The next long distance no fuel trip is the Canning SR. If you are planning such a trip you will be very focused on fuel load and fuel burn and may opt for multiple tank options.

I've come to the conclusion that for outback touring if you are travelling in a group it is wise that you share the spare fuel among the group. In reality 2 things happen: (1) every car carries more fuel than they use by a large margin of error; (2) everyone in the group makes the same mistake. If each carried a jerry more than their conservative expected fuel burn, collectively you might have 60ltr of spare fuel instead of 160ltr of spare fuel.

I went with the long range replacement tank and two sill tanks in my Puma 130. It’s additional weight but the sill tanks are in the best location for weight distribution. Offers 264 litres total capacity less residual. I decided a long time ago that I preferred not to carry external fuel if possible. one of the other considerations I made was to have manual control of the transfer from on tank to another in case of main tank damage.

Auxiliary and Replacement Long Range Fuel Tanks for 4WDs


I agree with most of what the other posters have said.

Cheers
Shane

I got one 72L sill fitted at brown davis, Melbourne 3 months ago. Very happy. Flick of a switch and no hassle.

Thanks guys, very interesting.
I wonder sometimes with the weight of extra fuel carry, your consumption increases to a point that maybe not worth it in the long run.

Originally Posted by conjames

Thanks guys, very interesting.
I wonder sometimes with the weight of extra fuel carry, your consumption increases to a point that maybe not worth it in the long run.

it’s all about whether you need it and how much you need. For a single trip, jerry cans may be the best option. If you need a lot of fuel regularly for some reason, then extra fuel tanks are the better option. If you don’t need the added fuel/weight then there is no reason to add it. Good luck in your choices.