Larger gas tank for CRX

[101mpg]

I do a lot of extended highway driving, and I am looking into a larger tank for my "new" CRX. Will the newer Civic tanks fit? They are supposed to be 13.2 gallons - my current tank is 11.9 gallons. With over 50? a gallon difference in some spots, it will MORE than pay for itself in the additional savings if I can get another 40 or 50 miles between gas stops, not to mention fewer stops along the way.

And are any of the available tanks plastic? I saw another thread where someone wanted to put the Insight tank in their Honda. I'd be up for a plastic or composite tank as well - the less chance of rust to introduce into the fuel system the better.

[Improbcat]

Fitment is going to be a major issue. Unlike old cars more modern cars have weirdly shaped tanks to fit optimally against the underside of the car. The odds the newer tanks will be shaped the same is pretty low.

this tank (http://info.rockauto.com/SPI/HO5.html) is what is in your CRX, it also fits the 2-dr Civics of the same generation.

this tank (http://info.rockauto.com/SPI/HO9.html) fits the '92 Civics, as you can see the filler & pump locations are very different.

EDIT: http://rockauto.com/ has a really great parts lookup system, and will even tell you what other cars that part fits. I strongly recommend it as a place to cross-reference stuff. Their prices are pretty good (though the shipping generally bring them back in line with the local places around me).

[opelgt73]

You could probably have a shop custom enlarge the tank for you. Don't know how much that would cost or the extra room available around the CRX tank.

The other option would be to add a second tank (fuel cell) in the trunk and use a switcher like trucks with two tanks use. You would need one that vents properly to keep the fuel smell out of the car.

[BEEF]

that seems like a lot of trouble for only about one extra gallon of fuel. I would go with the fuel cell if you could get away with the space. add an extrta 5 to 8 gallons.

a lot of cars are designed to go under 500 miles on a tank. I would love to have a 20 gal tank in the old cavalier. that would be awesome. I just can't see putting a lot of money into my car.

good luck on the search.

[101mpg]

Thanks for the pics on the different tanks. The problem is that nothing will "cross-reference" with the CRX because it will only find identical tanks, not significantly larger ones, not to mention can't find a plastic (or composite, basically not metal) one.

It's not looking for one extra gallon of fuel room - looking for several if I can help it. Imagine a CRX with 50+ MPG and a 16-18 gallon tank. I believe I can achieve that with my current automatic. I asked if there were even a slightly larger tank that would fit that someone knew about - that is the least work for any gain.

The major benefit lies in being able to fill up for about 50-75 cents per gallon less when needed. I drive a LOT of highway miles each year and am custom-fitting the CRX for this, including more comfy seats, among other things.

Working on a stick CRX with 80+ MPG capability in the future, have done the math and it's easily possible with off-the shelf parts and a good mechanic to regear the transmission.

Have looked into fuel cels and would like to avoid them if possible. Fuel cel is basically the same as the dual-tank setup. Familiar with the 2-tank systems in some trucks and vans and would like to avoid that.

[101mpg]

Bump. I would like to outfit my CRX with a long-range tank, preferably 16-20 gallons, 20+ being ideal, a single tank, one that will fit underneath the vehicle, but don't want to add the external tank or fuel cell.

Anyone know of a solution? Willing to listen to ideas, including shrinking the spare wheel well in the trunk, but must be a single tank that can hook to the normal fuel gauge.

[30mpgsorbetter]

I don't know how you would get anymore fuel in CRX without spending big time money. It doesn't sound like you would be willing to plop a tank in the back...

[MrChoi]

i do not see any advantage in adding a bigger tank. first it will be an added weight which you probably wont want and im sure you're not running any kind of endurance race. so what savings will you really get from 2 additional gallons of gas? from my guess you'll save probably less than $0.25 from that extended stop between fill ups.
unless the bigger fuel tank increases your fuel economy this mod will just be a big waste of money.

keep in mind when you fill up when its cheaper you'll also have to fill up with the cost is higher.

cheapest solution is carry a 5gallon jug or larger in your trunk.

[VetteOwner]

no no no DO NOT carry used fuel containers in your car longer than just to fill it up and bring it back home...(when its empty and it heats up you might as well have a bomb back there)

yea i cant see you saving much more than a nickel by being able to go those extra miles between fill ups...

it is nice having a huge tank with a small engine but like others haev said it sucks majorly to fill up...

my s-10 has a 20 gallon tank with a 2.2L 4 banger and i can go 500 miles easy 600 if i push it... BUT then thats 20 gallons @ $4 a gal = $80 per fill...

now my chevette has a 13 gal tank, from E i can put in like 45 bucks and be overfilled.

if you wanan go farther keep squeezing the trigger till the gas comes up to the fill neck, can easily hold 1-2 gallons in mine...

[COMP]

have a tank made that also cleans up the aero in the rear

[almightybmw]

Don't know if anyone out there knows this, but over on the TDI forums, one guy has a 96 (97?) Passat wagon with a 25 gal tank. He logged 1400 miles on it.

Don't tell me a bigger tank is a bad idea because the cost to fill it is higher. 2 12 gal fills at $4/gal is the same as 1 24 gal fill at $4. That's an oversimplification, but the principle of the idea remains.

I'd rather go AHHHH every 800 miles instead of AH every 400.

101, check out marine tanks. A lot of those I've seen are heavy plastic, and short, so they could fit under a car without being too low. The problem you're facing is the stubborn sticking to the stock fuel gauge. Finding a tank that will accommodate the same levels will take time, assuming you've been searching since you first posted, I'd say its time to open your options up more.

Then again, the 323, protege, and escort GT all shared the same platform, but used different sized tanks that are interchangeable. There may be hope for other similar Honda vehicles, but I think you're best bet is custom fuel gauge and sized fuel cell to match.

[Erik]

How about a 2 gallon under car marine tank connected to the regular tank with a hose and an electric pump. Have a switch on the dash that you can flip and turn on the marine tank electric pump for 30 seconds or so- just long enough to transfer all of the fuel to your main tank (you should see the the gas gauge come up as it gets those extra gallons).

Filling the marine tank might be a pain though- unless you could reverse the electric pump and fill the marine tank from your main tank with a switch when you were pumping the main tank full at a gas station. Obviously you'd need an overflow hose from the marine tank to the main tank in case you left the pump on after it had completely filled.

So- it would take 3 hoses connecting the marine and regular tanks- one hose as a vent/overflow. 1 hose with a switched pump pumping from marine to main, and 1 hose with a switched pump pumping from main to marine.

Sounds like a lot of work.

The spoiler tank would be easy to fill at the pump and could gravity feed to the main tank, but it would get hot in the sun...

[101mpg]

Gas right now is about $4.099 in WV, it's over $4.60 in some places. Try 50+ cents PER GALLON - that is right now. 50 cents per gallon times 20 gallons is $10.00. That's a little more than 5-25 cents per fillup as previously mentioned. MrChoi - I do NOT want to carry a loose gas can. If I can get a 25 gallon single tank that would be $12.50 per tank I could save. Yes, it would mean higher cost fillups, but I use the gas anyway. Figure in an extra 100 pounds of weight and I should only see about 1 MPG hit, if that, highway That would translate to 20 miles on a 20 gallon tank, so at 40 MPG that translates to $2, so I would like to keep the extra $8 per tank.

almightybmw - I can retrofit a different gauge in the original spot if I have to, but I WANT to have the stock gauge if I can.

Also - MrChoi - you don't know the kind of driving I do. Not endurance races, although my wife thinks so from time to time. I actually drive cross-country, and I'm finishing up making my first CRX roadworthy for about 6,000 miles per month. Once I get the super-modified HF, I should be able to drive between where I live and Los Angeles on a single tank. Sounds mighty good to me. That would be $25+ per month, so if I can get this for less than $600 it pays for itself in less than a year.

VetteOwner - I already actually put that much fuel in the tank, this stops as many fillups, and when I do long-distance driving, I use gaspricewatch.com or similar to find the cheapest prices. Try filling up in Arizona or Nevada where it's 25-50? cheaper than in Los Angeles, and you'll see some significant savings, plus have the ability to go through the whole state and back without filling up.

I am willing if I have to, to modify the trunk area, which is likely. Likely have a professional cut out a portion of the spare wheel well and put in the long-range tank, and the spare goes up higher. It means in-tank fuel pump, and something that will wire up to the fuel gauge, hopefully. My main concern is NOT weight savings, my main concern is I really don't want to have two tanks, I just want to have ONE.

If I can have the bottom cleaned up for aero I will do that also, but it's not the major concern.

I will get a larger fill neck added if I can - that could be an extra gallon.