Fuel tank size?

Snoringbear · January 3, 2019

I think GM’s strategy is to push those who tow toward the 2500. More specifically, the diesel 2500.

newdude · January 3, 2019

On ‎12‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 8:27 PM, DTB said:

Is the shorter tank to accommodate for the upcoming def tank on the diesel?

DEF tank goes on the passenger inside of the frame. Right across the fuel tank.

Smitty · January 3, 2019

On 12/30/2018 at 6:27 PM, DTB said:

Is the shorter tank to accommodate for the upcoming def tank on the diesel?

If they put a 36 gallon in the 2020, how mad would people be? hahaha

I guess as long as you can swap out the old and put in the 36 it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Snoringbear · January 4, 2019

12 hours ago, Smitty said:

If they put a 36 gallon in the 2020, how mad would people be? hahaha

I guess as long as you can swap out the old and put in the 36 it wouldn't be the end of the world.

How mad? So mad I would buy one the next day ?....

pw42 · January 5, 2019

On 1/3/2019 at 1:49 PM, Snoringbear said:

I think GM’s strategy is to push those who tow toward the 2500. More specifically, the diesel 2500.

Having followed GM for a while, you may have a point. Having said that, I sincerely hope not - that'd be a horrible strategy. There are other manufacturers out there that'd be happy to take that persons money and give them what they are looking for.

Wintersun · January 5, 2019

When I am on backcountry roads or running trails my mpg drops and the availability of gas stations is limited. With my 2011 diesel truck I was initially spending more time locating gas stations that sold diesel than planning overnight stops on my travels. It has gotten better but I am still glad that it has a 36 gallon fuel tank. MPG with a 2019 Silverado 1500 with the 6.2L would be no better in these situations than my diesel 2500HD truck.

In the mountains or on twisty roads or on dirt roads the 18-20 mpg highway drops to 14-15 mpg and so my range is 34 x 14 or 476 miles. With the 1500 pickup my range would be 24 x 14 or 336 miles and a difference of 140 miles is significant, and the reason why I will most likely be replacing the 2500HD with a 2020 Toyota Tundra or a Ram 1500. I am not about to go back to carrying fuel cans on the roof rack.

Snoringbear · January 6, 2019

27 minutes ago, pw42 said:

Having followed GM for a while, you may have a point. Having said that, I sincerely hope not - that'd be a horrible strategy. There are other manufacturers out there that'd be happy to take that persons money and give them what they are looking for.

Yeh, agree. I bought my 2015 6.2/8 spd specifically with towing my 25’ 6,000 lb TT in mind. And, I haven’t been disappointed with the engine and power train. Tows great. But, I have yet to see a 1500 with oem towing mirrors. I use some slip-on aftermarket extended mirrors which work ok but oem’s would be much better. Then, there’s the small gas tank issue. I live near Dallas and hunt and camp mostly in West Texas and down towards Big Bend region. My rule is to never run my tank below a quarter tank, especially when in remote areas which means my net effective rang is twenty gallons. Consequently, I’m always thinking about where I should fill up next. Gas stations are sometimes few and far between in the southwest. Even further if you have to walk. Anyway, sure would like a thirty five gal tank. Even better would be a twenty gal saddle tank in the right side which would provide forty five gallons. I had a 87 Ford Supercab with this setup. And, back during the oil embargo I added a twenty gal saddle tank on my 75 Chev std cab. Had the in-line six and had a range of over 700 miles with it. I seen on the internet an interesting setup which is a in-bed mounted combo tool box/aux fuel tank. Has ability to fill the trucks gas tank by a hose and nossel mounted in top of the aux tank. Kinda like this as it wouldn’t screw up all the computerized fuel monitoring systems on the truck. Anyway, wish GM would get off their @$$ and provide a decent solution. Like many folks, not asking for anything for free. I’m willing to pay for it.

Snoringbear · January 6, 2019

13 hours ago, Snoringbear said:

Yeh, agree. I bought my 2015 6.2/8 spd specifically with towing my 25’ 6,000 lb TT in mind. And, I haven’t been disappointed with the engine and power train. Tows great. But, I have yet to see a 1500 with oem towing mirrors. I use some slip-on aftermarket extended mirrors which work ok but oem’s would be much better. Then, there’s the small gas tank issue. I live near Dallas and hunt and camp mostly in West Texas and down towards Big Bend region. My rule is to never run my tank below a quarter tank, especially when in remote areas which means my net effective rang is twenty gallons. Consequently, I’m always thinking about where I should fill up next. Gas stations are sometimes few and far between in the southwest. Even further if you have to walk. Anyway, sure would like a thirty five gal tank. Even better would be a twenty gal saddle tank in the right side which would provide forty five gallons. I had a 87 Ford Supercab with this setup. And, back during the oil embargo I added a twenty gal saddle tank on my 75 Chev std cab. Had the in-line six and had a range of over 700 miles with it. I seen on the internet an interesting setup which is a in-bed mounted combo tool box/aux fuel tank. Has ability to fill the trucks gas tank by a hose and nossel mounted in top of the aux tank. Kinda like this as it wouldn’t screw up all the computerized fuel monitoring systems on the truck. Anyway, wish GM would get off their @$$ and provide a decent solution. Like many folks, not asking for anything for free. I’m willing to pay for it.

Thinking about an in-bed mounted transfer tank similar to one in below link.. Holds 60 gals plus has storage space. And, pump is hidden and can be locked. Negative is it takes away hauling capacity (gas weighs about 6 lbs/gal) gas plus full tank is about 500 lbs. positive is additional 60 gal of fuel on-board. Gas can be bought at best prices as in remote areas prices are often much higher. Also, if driving a vehicle that recommends 93 octane it often can’t be found out in remote areas. For some reason 91 octane is the highest to be found. Anyway, giving this option some thought ?...

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200609657_200609657

ApertureX · January 14, 2019

On 1/6/2019 at 8:53 AM, Snoringbear said:

Thinking about an in-bed mounted transfer tank similar to one in below link.. Holds 60 gals plus has storage space. And, pump is hidden and can be locked. Negative is it takes away hauling capacity (gas weighs about 6 lbs/gal) gas plus full tank is about 500 lbs. positive is additional 60 gal of fuel on-board. Gas can be bought at best prices as in remote areas prices are often much higher. Also, if driving a vehicle that recommends 93 octane it often can’t be found out in remote areas. For some reason 91 octane is the highest to be found. Anyway, giving this option some thought ?...

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200609657_200609657

I guess that would also depend on if you are going to tow something or have a heavy bed load as well. That unit is 143lbs shipped. Gasoline is approx 6lbs per gallon. So you are looking at 60 gallons of gas plus the weight of the pump unit and you've just reduced your payload capacity by 500lbs. I have thought of this too, but I'm looking at pulling a trailer with a tongue weight of 750-800lbs on top of that. Which would leave only 880lbs of payload capacity if I weigh 150lbs (), I have nothing else in the bed or the truck, no passengers, and I haven't added any modifications that would add to the stock weight of the truck. If you add in my wife and almost adult kids, plus their luggage for the weekend and I'm at max payload or over.

In this numbers game, I think I'll have to wait for either a factory or aftermarket option to swap the stock tank for a tank in the 36-gallon range, but your situation may be different.

Snoringbear · January 14, 2019

1 hour ago, ApertureX said:

I guess that would also depend on if you are going to tow something or have a heavy bed load as well. That unit is 143lbs shipped. Gasoline is approx 6lbs per gallon. So you are looking at 60 gallons of gas plus the weight of the pump unit and you've just reduced your payload capacity by 500lbs. I have thought of this too, but I'm looking at pulling a trailer with a tongue weight of 750-800lbs on top of that. Which would leave only 880lbs of payload capacity if I weigh 150lbs (), I have nothing else in the bed or the truck, no passengers, and I haven't added any modifications that would add to the stock weight of the truck. If you add in my wife and almost adult kids, plus their luggage for the weekend and I'm at max payload or over.

In this numbers game, I think I'll have to wait for either a factory or aftermarket option to swap the stock tank for a tank in the 36-gallon range, but your situation may be different.

Yeh, agree. I’ve done the same analysis as you and I have the same concerns. My TT weighs 6,100 dry and probably 6,500 or more with water, propane, etc, etc. So, my tongue weight when towing is probably fairly close to yours. Anyway, the lessened payload capacity that an in-bed tank creates is the main reason I haven’t pulled the trigger on installing one. Personally, I think GM is missing out on a lot of sales by not including a 35 gal tank and tow mirrors as standard items on their 1500 Max Tow package. I know I would jump on it immediately.

Wintersun · February 28, 2019

Want a large gas tank you need to go with Toyota where it is stock or with Ram or Ford where it is an option on their 1500 class pickups. GM does not consider their 1500 trucks to be suitable for towing and so does not bother to provide a large fuel tanks as an option.

When it comes time to replace my Chevy 2500HD pickup it will be most likely with a Toyota Tundra and definitely not a truck from GM.

Racindave · February 28, 2019

Toyotas only get 14 mpg so they need the bigger tanks... not trying to stir anything up. That’s just one of the reasons i didn’t buy one.

kws2.7 · March 1, 2019

Saw a lot of posts thinking the 36 gallon tank in only available in the longer box trucks. That is wrong it is available in all sized beds and trim packages. It is also included in the maxtow package along with 3.55 e-locker rear (upgraded to 3.73 with HDPP), trailer brake controler, upgraded stabilizer bar, upgraded bumper plus all the stuff the standard tow package has.

I have a 36 gallon tank in my 16 f150 screw 2.7eco with 5.5ft box. Thats over 800 mile range since I can easily average 23 MPG highway.

You start playing with those turbos though and the Eco part goes out the window but you get happy with that right foot and gas mileage drops no matter what you drive. My 5.3 Silverado got 17 MPG highway if I tried real hard and I could watch the gas gauge drop like a rock when I floored it.

Edited March 1, 2019 by kws2.7

OnTheReel · March 1, 2019

2 hours ago, kws2.7 said:

Saw a lot of posts thinking the 36 gallon tank in only available in the longer box trucks. That is wrong it is available in all sized beds and trim packages. It is also included in the maxtow package along with 3.55 e-locker rear (upgraded to 3.73 with HDPP), trailer brake controler, upgraded stabilizer bar, upgraded bumper plus all the stuff the standard tow package has.

I have a 36 gallon tank in my 16 f150 screw 2.7eco with 5.5ft box. Thats over 800 mile range since I can easily average 23 MPG highway.

You start playing with those turbos though and the Eco part goes out the window but you get happy with that right foot and gas mileage drops no matter what you drive. My 5.3 Silverado got 17 MPG highway if I tried real hard and I could watch the gas gauge drop like a rock when I floored it.

Curious as to what year Silverado you had that couldn’t do better than 17 MPG highway. Unless you’re driving 90 mph, the K2s and T1s will get at least 20 and usually a lot more. I saw 24 on a few trips with my 16 5.3.

Smitty · March 1, 2019

My 19 6.2 can get 20 MPG without really trying. I've seen other show pictures of 24-25. Mine is too new and I can't control my lead foot that well yet.