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Anyone added a 2nd gas tank?

Discussion in 'Prius c Accessories and Modifications' started by garm, Jun 8, 2013.

  1. garm

    garm mpg + cool = win

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    I used to have a VW Rabbit Diesel, with an extra tank where the spare goes (pancake shape). That gave the car a 900+ mile range. It was awesome to drive to SF from SoCal and back on a single tank of gas. :)

    Is such an option available for the C and has anyone done it?
     
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  2. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    i haven't seen anything.. factory or aftermarket otherwise that's specific to the car.

    assume you can find another tank and piggy back it to our current one... of course that'll probably mean the fuel indicator on the car won't be accurate until the extra tank is depleted and the car is using the stock one.

    i've thought about it too, but found perhaps the extra weight of the tank would affect my mileage. i'm pretty happy being able to make a trip down to SoCal on one tank without stopping.
     
  3. cknfts

    cknfts Junior Member

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  4. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    yeah.. if you're talking about adding to the traction battery... it is a big complicated task.. lots of electrical and computer stuff you need to deal with.. :confused:
     
  5. cknfts

    cknfts Junior Member

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  6. SquallLHeart

    SquallLHeart The Techie Guy

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    you mean electronically inclined? lol.. yeah.. it's ok.

    even with my background.. it's too much of a pain in the nice person to think about. :X3:
     
  7. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    But it wouldn't be very much, realistically... 10 more gallons of gas would be ~100 pounds. So you are, maybe, looking at around 150 pounds with everything installed. That's less than a single passenger, in most cases, to be able to go another 500 miles.
     
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  8. 1911Tex

    1911Tex Junior Member

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    Buy a steel 5 gal safety gas can.....no fumes, fits in rear, and you need to stop anyway for a break after 350-400 miles.....5 gal will give you an extra 200 plus miles. Unless you are going across a desert, stop at a gas station! You are not 4 wheeling in the back woods.
     
  9. Phil 29 Palms CA

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    Consider this: Extra fuel is extra weight. This will affect MPG. Is the extra cruise range worth the loss of MPG?
     
  10. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    10 gallons of gas weighs ~150 pounds after you factor in the tank and lines and mounting brackets. Do you ask your passengers to pay for their mpg hits?
     
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  11. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)Been there, did that. Interesting, I also had a 1980 VW Rabbit diesel (purchased new). Back in the old days, J.C. Whitney put out a catalog with all kinds of neat add-ons for car. It was always interesting to see what was new. That's where I found the same add on gas tank. Very simple. Remove the spare tire, cut a 2" hole in the front side of the spare tire well, remove the factory rubber fuel line connector and insert the provided "Y" connector, tighten three clamps and go. Both tanks fed at the same time. Very simple, neat system. I worked out of town and I could go several weeks with the total 18-20 gallons of diesel fuel. The only downside was traveling without a spare. Back in those days, every car had a full spare. Interesting to find someone else who did the same thing.
    :eek:No way would I carry an extra five gallons of gas in the trunk (hatch) of my car. No way, under no circumstances.
     
  12. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    New cars have the fuel pump in the tank. That makes the "Y" connector arrangement not an option.
     
  13. garm

    garm mpg + cool = win

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    150 pounds will hardly affect mileage, I have not seen it change carrying one passenger...and it will be my choice whether to fill it or not.

    Thanks for the gas can idea. I didn't start the thread for "don't do it" advice, though. I liked the system I had with the Rabbit, nothing to move around and convenient.

    Yeah! I never saw that in another car. Definitely a safer plan with diesel, I think -- less likely to reproduce the "Pinto Effect", right?
     
  14. docmirror

    docmirror New Member

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    Gas weighs 6.2Lbs per gallon, 10 gals ~ 62Lbs. All modern car fuel systems are sealed. There is an evaporative system that returns unused fuel and vapors to the tank. Most systems pressurize the tank repeatedly to check for leaks. This is why you can get a check engine light if your gas cap is loose. If one is intent on doing this I would recommend an outboard boat fuel caddy style. They are very heavy duty and hold 3-8 gallons. You can also transfer using a fuel prime bulb, although it goes pretty slow. I guess you could tie into the existing tank with a remote and use an external fuel pump to feed the main tank. The ext pump would need to be manually operated to add fuel in stages. Run the primary tank down to 1/4 or less, and begin manually transferring from the aux tank to the main tank. That's how they do it in some small aircraft.

    Boat fuel tank | eBay
     
  15. garm

    garm mpg + cool = win

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    ^ Thanks that is very interesting.

    If both tanks are simply connected and sealed, wouldn't the additional upper tank simply become pressurized etc. as you describe? The lower tank would essentially be full until the upper tank became empty. I'm not technical enough to describe it properly, obviously.
     
  16. ztanos

    ztanos All-around Geek!

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    My 150 pounds max was full tank, weight of tank, weight of lines and weight of supports. It was a very conservative guesstimate.
     
  17. mahout

    mahout Active Member

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  18. mahout

    mahout Active Member

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    How about the11 gallonYari tank replacing the OEM 9 gallon tank since its the same chassis.
     
  19. garm

    garm mpg + cool = win

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    ^ That's worth a couple of phone calls, thanks.
     
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  20. mdgates

    mdgates Junior Member

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