Long Range Automotive Auxiliary Fuel Tank

[kieseki]

Hi all

I just wanted to report on some user experience on the Long Range Automotive (LRA) auxiliary fuel tank that I have had on my JLU Overland since January 2020. This may be useful for people thinking about extending the range of their JLU.

You may be aware there are two other Australian companies that offer long range fuel tanks: the Long Ranger based in Barnsley NSW (ARB stocks this brand, and is not to be confused with Long Range Automotive) and Brown Davis based in Bayswater VIC. At the time of my purchase, neither of these other companies had a fuel tank for the JLU on the market yet. Also, I don't think there is a tank on the market yet for 2-door JLs. I understand LRA were able to quickly enter the market by working with JeepKonection to borrow the latter's JLU very early to design and prototype.

Purchase and installation:

• The fuel tank is Australian-made by LRA in Lilydale, VIC.
• LRA has two models for JLs: standard and heavy duty (HD). Both are 64L tanks that have a 2mm aluminised steel construction, but the HD version has an extra 3mm aluminised steel base. I went with the HD version.
• With the JLU's 81L main tank, this 64L auxiliary tank allows for a combined 145L fuel capacity.
• I ordered this in late December 2019 from JeepKonection in Hallam, VIC. I paid for professional installation too. All up, I paid $2,440.
• The installation took place in early January after the New Year shutdown, and took a full day and a half.
• Being the first installation they have done for a JL, they asked to keep it overnight and triple check to ensure no leakages or other issues. Otherwise, it would likely take just one full day to install.

My impressions:

• The low centre of gravity of the tank's location means the Jeep still drives much the same way. I don't notice body roll.
• The fuel tank does not seem to affect ground clearance as it is essentially level with the main fuel tank skid plate. See first image.
• The fuel tank is about 40kg and 64L of petrol weighs about 50kg, so you'll need to consider that 90-95kg of your payload will be allocated. Stock JLU with the 3.6L V6 engine has a payload of about 560kg.
• Refuelling is not fast, with the transfer at about 2L per minute. I understand other auxiliary tanks' pumps are about the same speed. This is not an issue if your drive is 30+ minutes, which allows you to fully transfer 64L to the main tank. Of course, you can choose to top up a bit at a time when you drive, rather than transferring the whole 64L in one go.
• The LED indicator is installed in a convenient spot between the steering wheel and the light control dial. It is not distracting at night and you only notice it if you are specifically looking for it. See second image.
• In terms of useable range, I refer to a trip to explain that I got about 1,250km from my JLU:
  • Over the March long weekend in Victoria, I took a trip from Melbourne to Dunkeld, Grampians and Horsham. This was a touring trip, not off-roading, and consisted mainly of freeway driving with a mix of unsealed roads. Freeways on this route usually had 110km/h speed limits.
  • I had refuelled the night before I left. However, I only remembered to hit the reset on the Trip A recorder about 30km into the trip.
  • When I was back near Melbourne to refuel for the first time, the Trip A recorder showed 883.6km travelled (total trip was that plus the 30km that was not recorded). See second-last image.
  • I had completely depleted the auxiliary tank but the main tank was still half full (roughly 40L left).
  • The Fuel Economy indicator for Trip A read 10.1L/100km, but I calculated it to be closer to 11.5L/100km based on the fuel used (about 64L+41L= 105L) and the distance travelled (about 883km+30km= 913km).
  • The Distance to Empty indicator says there is enough fuel for another 362km of driving. If I divide the approximate 40L remaining by 11.5L/100km, it's about 348km, so the DTE calculation seems about right. See last image.
  • Based on this type of long touring trip, the total range is likely to be just over 1,250km when you have both the main and auxiliary tanks full.
  • FYI - I was running the stock Bridgestone Dueller H/T tyres with no lifts yet.
  • Of course, your mileage may vary, but I would imagine such a tank would give the JLUs a vital 1,000km+ range in most touring applications.

Overall, I have been very pleased with the LRA auxiliary fuel tank for the JLU for my own use. It gives peace of mind when travelling longer distances and allows you to skip fuel stops when petrol is expensive. The auxiliary tank really does give you cost benefits to fill up when petrol is cheap. For example, I took the opportunity to fill up both tanks when petrol was 83 cents per litre the other week, just before restrictions starting easing and prices went up. It'll take a long time for fuel savings to break even with the cost of the tank, but that's not what the tank is about; it is really about time saving and allowing you to stay out longer, so it's well worth the price for me.

I hope this is useful information for some people thinking about getting an auxiliary fuel tank. Stay safe!

Sponsored

 

[guywiththehair]

Thanks for the review, have been considering this as a future upgrade before going on longer tours - was always curious on the real-world range increase you could get on the petrol.

 

[Alamein.sajib]

Got the same LRA installed from JeepKonnect about 3 weeks now. still on the first refill. drove around 840KM and low fuel light just popped up today. this is just city driving. so I would say around 900km city driving range and 1,200km touring.

takes about 25 minutes transfer auxiliary tank fuel to main tank. great investment and really essential for any long range overlanding.

 

[Jaydee_S]

Nice write up.. I have been considering getting a tank in my jeep to save me from having to fill up on my weekly drives from sydney to Perisher and back most weekends during winter. More for convience.

Can i ask though, Does the pump / button to activate pump only designed to work while car is on / accessories are on? and in relation to that, does the pump know to turn off if it has transferred all the fuel from aux to primary or do you have to remember to turn it off?

Cheers

 

[kieseki]

Nice write up.. I have been considering getting a tank in my jeep to save me from having to fill up on my weekly drives from sydney to Perisher and back most weekends during winter. More for convience.

Can i ask though, Does the pump / button to activate pump only designed to work while car is on / accessories are on? and in relation to that, does the pump know to turn off if it has transferred all the fuel from aux to primary or do you have to remember to turn it off?

Cheers

The pump's power to linked to ignition on my JL, so it works only when the engine is on. Otherwise, the LED switch is completely off.

Jeepkonection told me that this new generation of LRA tanks will have the pump turn off when the auxiliary tank is empty. I haven't tested this auto off function completely because most of the time, I refuel well before the auxiliary tank is empty when I see petrol prices drop. I only fully emptied the auxiliary tank once, which was on that trip.

Nonetheless, I will note what I experienced. When the pump is on and the auxiliary tank is getting to empty, the LED bar next to 'E' on the indicator will light up red. When I left the pump on for a minute or so longer, the red bar started flashing. At that point, I wasn't really sure if the pump had switched itself off or not, as I was driving fast and could only hear road noise (i.e. I would only confirm if I stopped, got out of the car and confirm the pump was not making any noise). As I didn't want to risk damaging the pump by leaving it on too long, I decided to manually switch it off.

I do want to test this again, but I'll probably just email and ask LRA...

 

[kieseki]

The pump's power to linked to ignition on my JL, so it works only when the engine is on. Otherwise, the LED switch is completely off.

Jeepkonection told me that this new generation of LRA tanks will have the pump turn off when the auxiliary tank is empty. I haven't tested this auto off function completely because most of the time, I refuel well before the auxiliary tank is empty when I see petrol prices drop. I only fully emptied the auxiliary tank once, which was on that trip.

Nonetheless, I will note what I experienced. When the pump is on and the auxiliary tank is getting to empty, the LED bar next to 'E' on the indicator will light up red. When I left the pump on for a minute or so longer, the red bar started flashing. At that point, I wasn't really sure if the pump had switched itself off or not, as I was driving fast and could only hear road noise (i.e. I would only confirm if I stopped, got out of the car and confirm the pump was not making any noise). As I didn't want to risk damaging the pump by leaving it on too long, I decided to manually switch it off.

I do want to test this again, but I'll probably just email and ask LRA...

I have a response from LRA:

There is an audible beep when the pump shut off. As the fuel is transferred the green lights will go down until the red comes on as a solid red light, continue to pump the solid red will become a flashing red at which point the pump will only run for another 2 minutes and then give a beep and then auto shut off.

 

[Jaydee_S]

The pump's power to linked to ignition on my JL, so it works only when the engine is on. Otherwise, the LED switch is completely off.

Jeepkonection told me that this new generation of LRA tanks will have the pump turn off when the auxiliary tank is empty. I haven't tested this auto off function completely because most of the time, I refuel well before the auxiliary tank is empty when I see petrol prices drop. I only fully emptied the auxiliary tank once, which was on that trip.

Nonetheless, I will note what I experienced. When the pump is on and the auxiliary tank is getting to empty, the LED bar next to 'E' on the indicator will light up red. When I left the pump on for a minute or so longer, the red bar started flashing. At that point, I wasn't really sure if the pump had switched itself off or not, as I was driving fast and could only hear road noise (i.e. I would only confirm if I stopped, got out of the car and confirm the pump was not making any noise). As I didn't want to risk damaging the pump by leaving it on too long, I decided to manually switch it off.

I do want to test this again, but I'll probably just email and ask LRA...

I have a response from LRA:

There is an audible beep when the pump shut off. As the fuel is transferred the green lights will go down until the red comes on as a solid red light, continue to pump the solid red will become a flashing red at which point the pump will only run for another 2 minutes and then give a beep and then auto shut off.

awesome buddy. Think i'll be looking at ordering one at some point hopefully soon..

Is the pump pretty quiet even at idle or you definitely know its going when on (apart from seeon main tank fuel level rising obviously)

 

[kieseki]

awesome buddy. Think i'll be looking at ordering one at some point hopefully soon..

Is the pump pretty quiet even at idle or you definitely know its going when on (apart from seeon main tank fuel level rising obviously)

The LED above the button will light up orange when the pump is on, so you don't really need to listen for it. But if you are idle, especially if you have the Engine Stop Start enabled, you can hear it if the street outside is not too loud. But I definitely cannot hear it driving.

The main tank fuel gauge rises slowly, and actually has to play catch up; it may take several minutes for the fuel sender to fully read the increase of fuel in the main tank whilst you are driving. But if you park, switch off the engine and switch it back on, the main tank fuel gauge will accurately read.

 

[wibornz]

After figuring out that two, two gallon Rotopax cans and two locking mounts are about $300, it make the aux fuel tank look reasonable. I figure that the tank holds about 17 extra gallons. So in Rotopax to get to 17 gallons, Fuck Rotopaxs are expensive. Well you get the picture they would be all over the Jeep and cost more.

 

[kieseki]

After figuring out that two, two gallon Rotopax cans and two locking mounts are about $300, it make the aux fuel tank look reasonable. I figure that the tank holds about 17 extra gallons. So in Rotopax to get to 17 gallons, Fuck Rotopaxs are expensive. Well you get the picture they would be all over the Jeep and cost more.

Yeah, fuel containers work well in many situations but there are many pros to an auxiliary tank to consider:

• Less cumbersome to refuel one tank than multiple containers
• You refuel the main tank and auxiliary tank at the same time from the factory filler door
• Better mounting position and less impact on vehicle handling
• The tank has baffling built in to prevent fuel from sloshing around
• Safer, in terms of handling fuel (usually caused by user error - I have seen people trying to refill containers on their ute trays or whilst holding the container in their hand)
• Safer in case there is a vehicle accident
• Less likely to have fuel and tank stolen
• You can transfer fuel from auxiliary tank whilst driving
• Less likely to spill and needing clean up
• Leaves space on your roof rack or tail gate free to hold other equipment
• And of course, more range

You will need to also consider the cons of an auxiliary tank compared to fuel containers:

• High upfront cost
• Additional time and cost for professional installation (this isn't really something that people can easily install themselves on their driveway; you'll need to replace the filler inlet, installing the transfer pump, ensure no leaks...etc)
• Takes up a lot of payload even when empty (about 9% of the JLU's default payload)
• The pump is one more electrical equipment that could fail
• Can't share fuel with other people (this is actually a pro for me)

For my use, the pros outweigh the cons... the upfront cost can be a bit eye watering but once you have it, you won't regret spending the dollars.

 

[Gear_AU]

Can you "overfill" the main tank? eg you start transferring fuel to the main tank that's only a 1/4 down. WIll it stop filing when the main tank is full?

 

[kieseki]

Can you "overfill" the main tank? eg you start transferring fuel to the main tank that's only a 1/4 down. WIll it stop filing when the main tank is full?

Haven't really tried, as I have always manually switched it off.

When the auxiliary tank's fuel is low, the auto off control seems to rely on the sender unit sensing there is no fuel and telling the pump to switch off. I don't think this control would be able to communicate with the main tank's sender unit to know it is full, so I wouldn't imagine it would switch off automatically in that scenario.

It should be noted that the main and auxiliary tanks are connected by a twin filler neck (for simplicity, think of an upside down Y that splits the flow as you refuel at the petrol station). I was told the main tank will fill up at a faster rate, likely because its channel of the twin filler is wider. As the main tank gets full, the excess fuel backs up the filler neck and flows back into the auxiliary tank. When both tanks are full, the filler neck gets full and your petrol station's pump will sense this and cut off.

Perhaps if you leave the auxiliary pump on, a similar thing happens with excess fuel in the main tank backing up and returning into the auxiliary tank. In that case, you'll likely just burn your auxiliary tank's electrical pump out leaving it switched on, but not necessarily damage your main tank from overfilling. But this is just my guess, not based on any facts!

If someone else knows the answer, I'd be keen to hear it as well.

 

[LowBama]

FYI I contacted LRA about a auxiliary tank for the 3.0 diesel. Their website lists it in development. They said they did not have one for R&D yet. I sent them some pics of the undercarriage. The 3.6 version or 2.2 diesel version will not fit because the passenger side of drive shaft is nearly completely filled by the SRC and DPF.

 

[kieseki]

FYI I contacted LRA about a auxiliary tank for the 3.0 diesel. Their website lists it in development. They said they did not have one for R&D yet. I sent them some pics of the undercarriage. The 3.6 version or 2.2 diesel version will not fit because the passenger side of drive shaft is nearly completely filled by the SRC and DPF.

I think the challenge for the R&D back in Australia is that we don't have the 3.0 diesel JL in our market, just the 3.6 V6 or 2.2 turbo-diesel. I think LRA has an American partner, and they probably do development for the North American market. They probably just need to physically get their hands on a 3.0 diesel JL to design it.

 

[muxi]

Thanks, that was very informative.

I am also planning to install this, i just have to decide where to get my install done; at JeepKonnection or LRA

Sponsored