Auxilliary fuel tanks - steel or aluminium
 

Hi there


I'll be having an auxiliary fuel tank of at least another 100L, hopefully 120L+, plumbed into the existing 100L tank on my Oberaigner Sprinter.


This will be built for me by a specialist company in Dubai who build FIA approved race tanks for rally raid vehicles so I don't doubt the quality, but....

I've read lots of pros and cons for aluminium vs steel. I can have one made in either, so in the real RTW travelers experience, have you tried one and thought "never again". Is aluminium more prone to fatigue failures over 100s of 1000s of kms?


The race guys tend to strip the cars down once a year and could then weld up any weak points, plus their race vehicles tend only to do a few 1000 kms a year (albeit at extremes) and tend to use aluminium but strictly for lightness.


I'm leaning towards steel for longevity, 'but then there's rust....' Is aluminium 'brittle' in the long term?


Thanks for any feedback.

Fuel tank
 

If you out in the sticks easy to repair a steel tank

Very good point Dave, Thanks.

But most of the germans I have spoken too, who drive trucks, use alu tanks. Lighter and really not that hard to make a temporary fix on (just have some sikaflex with you)

I have a couple of used steel tanks on mine though...

Aluminium
 

I replaced the far too small steel tank on my Merc truck with an aluminium 400 litre tank from a DAF truck I found in a scrap yard. In 10yrs and umpty 1000 kms in Europe and Africa I've had absolutely no problems. But as had been said repairs are hardly complicated. I'd go for Aluminium for lightness.

I have two aluminium tanks on my truck and have had no problems. Rounded corners will help prevent fatigue cracking, but it's also important that the tank is well supported.

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...psaed9954c.jpg

Thanks for all the feedback guys, all things considered, aluminium it is. My fabricator's going to love all those compound curve corners but hey, that's what I pay him for!