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from the time you leave camp to go on the run, to the time you return to camp

instead of getting the biggest fuel cell i can buy i want to go with a smaller tank. ive never used much fuel on a run in ocotillo but that was also with a 1600cc. i have a v6 now. im still trying to put a bucket seat to fit my children back there so 25 gallon cells are out the question im thinking more like 10 maybe even 8 gallons.

how much are you guys burning per run?

Usually I burn under 5 gallons per "run". My last trip was about 175 miles and burned about 7-8 gallons.

With my 16 gallon fuel cell I have never worried about running out of fuel

I will say, running in the sand GREATLY increases my fuel usage.

Cool that's what I figured

My sand drag buggy uses a quart and a half of C-16 per start-up, stage and the 300' it takes to make a "run".
So by those numbers I get 6.6 gallons to the mile @ $16 per gallon (in 5 gallon buckets).
So it costs $2.66 per "run" or $105.60 per mile...........

OTOH my off road buggy pretty much consumes about a 1 to 1.25 gallons an hour if I'm not romping it really hard.
Four hours of moderately hard play time costs about $16 to 20 per "run".............

Well at my last run in my car i went about 110 miles and used a little over 10 gallons. Thats with a stock transmission and and a rich carb.

cool dealio. im debating where to put the fuel cell i dont know if i want a tank of gas right behind my kids inside the car. then i get worried about having it up front but thats where i think its going . ill have to see what space im left after i build the frontend

can't remember if urs is a dual purpose or off road only etc, but if it fits in your designs, a single 5 gal jerry can adds a lot of capacity, and can be placed somewhere convenient. With a new tank and no crud in the bottom to stir up, I would considier running low and topping up each run totally acceptable if it made the cabin or trunk more spacious and practical.

I feel so much better about my MPG now....

I have hit a best of 21mpg doing spirited logging road trails, getting lost turning around, etc. All stop and go. 2700 ft up to 7000 and back.
That is with 10 grand and 10 years tuning invested in my hopped up T1 engine. The best I ever did "in the rough stuff" with dual carbs was 10 mpg.

im thinking of going with a small tank up front that ill fill when i go on short runs with the kiddos. then when i roll with the boys ill carry some tanks in the rear of the cab straped down. im still debating where the radiator will go too. i should just wait till im done building the suspension and beefing up the cage everywhere. then ill see what will work rather than what i want. if i can play with a small tank and just bring gas with me to fill up everytime im back the idea doesnt bug me

fusername wrote:can't remember if urs is a dual purpose or off road only etc.

ive never been to the sand but id like to try it some day. i have a honda 3.0 with a 002 trans so i wanna baby the trans until i can afford a good upgrade down the road. after i build the car i would really like to try taking a trans apart and building it myself badnewsbaja did it , i met the guy and he is super cool . doesnt take " you cant do that " for an answer kinda like me

Figure about 10 MPG is what I have learned. And build accordingly I guess. Purpose made mounts for extra cans would be great, and take them if needed.

Mike

My sandrail only has an 8 gallon tank, but I raraely have to refuel until after my "run", which usually consists of about 40 miles at the most. During this run, however, I'm only getting about 8 MPG. This is with E85 on a turbo motor in the sand dunes though.

You're not driving fast/hard enough if you have time to think about what mileage you're getting.

My last car had a 10 gallon tank and I came back to camp on fumes a few times. New car has 15.5 gallons and I never worry about being the guy running low on fuel. I would never build a desert car with a tank smaller than 15 gallons again. You just never know, you might need to give someone gas sometime, or have a small leak, or whatever.

Plan for failure and enjoy success.

Its a tank out of a boat i think its 12 gallons

and my back seat fits.

I have a 22 gallon tank that is more than enough for any of the runs I have done. Some over 100 miles purely in the dirt.

I usually get around 10/12 miles to the gallon in the desert. Sometimes more depending how rough the trails are and how much downshifting and hill climbs there are.