Should I get a new Tow Vehicle or a Bigger Gas Tank?

[DougA]

After driving to up and down the east coast from Maine to Alabama a couple of times, I've decided that my wife and I don't need a bathroom nearly as often as our truck needs gas. Our TV's gas tank is only 20 gallons. It's a 2019 Nissan Frontier SV Crew Cab 4WD with a 4 liter engine and 5 speed automatic. We pull the smallest, lightest Grand Design trailer they've made: an 18RBE Imagine XLS that weighs, fully loaded with fresh water for dry camping and all our stuff, 5,700 pounds, while the Frontier is rated to tow 6,100. Since there is only a generator, fuel, my wife, me and the dog in the TV, the truck carries only 930 pounds, well under its 1,360 payload capacity. We are safe, but we often get down to about 1/8 of a tank at around 150 miles. I am lucky if the rig gets 10 MPG, sometimes its only 7 - 9.

Obviously I could get a half ton truck with a bigger tank. I've looked at the Ford F-150, the Ram 1500, and the Toyota Tundra. The Nissan Titan and Titan XD have small tanks and lousy mileage. I don't trust Ford's turbos. I have been watching a mechanic friend working on one that's got 110,000 miles. He's skeptical of high mileage reliability and engine parts are expensive. He says for most reliability, stick with a Tundra, an F-150 5.0 gasser (or 3.0 diesel). He also likes the new Ram 1500 3.0 Ecodiesel and the mighty 5.7 Chrysler hemi.

Much to my annoyance, it seems that to get the maximum tow capacity from a half ton, I have to order it. I have not been able to find either a new or low mileage truck that has the special axle ratio for maximum towing linked up to either a diesel or a V-8 gaser with a 30+ gal tank. Special ordering one that I like is a minimum of $42,000, plus untold taxes, fees and whathaveyou...

The other option? Swap out the Frontier's 21 gallon tank for a 38 gallon tank. This would cost $2,300 (delivered from California and installed here). Yikes!

The way I see it:

Pros of New Tank/keep the Frontier:
- Frontier has 35,000 miles, lots of life left.
- Frontier is as reliable as a wood stove
- Frontier keeps up with traffic even on the steepest highways. It only revs up to 5,500 (redline is about 6,500). Even using cruise control.
- Frontier is big enough but not intimidating to wife and family when they drive it.
- I don't have to buy $1,000 of new snow tires.
- $2,000 is a lot less than a new or even a used truck.
- 38 gallons of gas means range of 260 (@7 MPG) to 380 (@10 MPG) miles.
- Frontier is safely towing the trailer now. Why get a new truck?
- I figure that my modified Frontier will get slightly better range than any of the V-8s, even with their larger optional tanks. The best V-8 is the Ram at about 350, the Frontier would be 380.


Points for buying a half ton:
- The Ford and Ram diesels, even with their smaller 26 gallon tanks get better range than the Frontier, especially the Ram diesel.
-- Non towing mileage would be much better with either diesel, especially the Ram, and this is about 60% of the time.
- More comfortable ride, torque and power. The Frontier has to rev up to 5,500 to keep up on the steeps. To say its loud is an understatement.
- A bigger tank in the Frontier adds +130 pounds towards the back of the truck, and I don't know how it would affect performance. (note the spare tire is not relocated.)
- Adding 18 gallons of gas and heavier steel tank weight to Frontier would cut the margin for safety for both tow and payload by at least 100 pounds.
- The half tons can tow and carry about a third more than the Frontier can, increasing the safety margin.

So there you have it... get a bigger truck or bigger gas tank in the current one?

[Boomerweps]

If you don’t want the turbo in the Ford, with the 5.0 you can get the 36 gallon tank as a separate option or as part of the Heavy Duty Payload Package (HDPP) which also gives you well over 2000# Load Capacity with a heavy duty axle with 3.73 gears and and extra spring leaf, with towing package. Adding a Factory trailer brake controller before or after purchase (parts just over $100) essentially gives you the Max Tow package without the 3.5EB & mildly upgraded hitch receiver. And Max Tow comes with 3.55.

[RetiredRealtorR]

Keep what you've got, in that you should be stopping every couple of hours anyway. You need to get out, stretch your legs, rejuvenate a bit -- you'll be a safer, more alert driver as a result. Even if you don't need a restroom break, you need a break to move around.

[time2roll]

DougA wrote:
The other option? Swap out the Frontier's 21 gallon tank for a 38 gallon tank. This would cost $2,300 (delivered from California and installed here). Yikes!

I would go with yikes and get the larger fuel tank. Does this eliminate the spare tire?

Worst case you get a larger truck in a few more years.

[goducks10]

BTDT. 06 Frontier towing a 4050 lb TT. Similar config (2wd) with 6500 tow rating. MPG's were abysmal to say the least. After a few months of towing I traded it in on a used 08 F150 5.4 3.73 gears. Mpg's went from the 8-9 range to a solid 10.5+. The F150 barely knew it was back there. Nicest thing was I jumped to a 26 (?) gal tank which bumped my towing range to 200 before looking for gas. I had a Scab and 6.5 bed which also made hauling camp gear nicer.

By far the least cost effective measure is replacing the OEM tank. The upside to a larger truck is more room and the possibility of up-sizing the TT. I would look for a used 1/2 ton or even a GM midsize diesel.

[Grit_dog]

phillyg wrote:
Auxiliary tank in truck bed?

Negative ghost rider. Well at least not one that gravity fills to the primary talk.
You can haul a gasoline slip tank, contrary to what most believe on here , but you’re still stopping to fill up. Just not at a fuel station.

[ppine]

New truck.

[phillyg]

Auxiliary tank in truck bed?

[BurbMan]

From a $$ standpoint, the clear winner is new fuel tank for the Frontier, but as you pointed out it will add weight. You're close enough to the limits of the truck now that I'm betting that you won't like how it handles with the bigger tank full of fuel, and will look to upgrade after spending $2300 on the new tank. Been there, done that with trucks and trailers.

Find something pre-owned and you split the difference between the cost of the new tank and the cost of a brand new truck.

One of the reasons I went with a Ram is because they have an easy VIN look up tool that will show you the window sticker of any truck from the last 6 or 7 model years. I found this to be really useful when you're shopping for a pre-owned truck and need info on not-so-obvious stuff like rear axle ratio, optional tank size, and the like.

Here's the window sticker on my 2015 Ram, just replace the VIN at the end of the URL string with whatever truck you're looking at and it will pull the sticker.

I had a nationwide search running on TrueCar, Cars.com, and AutoTrader for about 6 weeks until I found this truck. I wanted a one-owner, clean CarFax Ram being sold by a Ram dealer. No used car lots. I looked a LOT of VINs, but if you are willing to invest the time, you will find what you're looking for.

[IdaD]

I'd get a bigger truck. The Nissan works but a half ton would be much more comfortable. Personally if I were buying a half ton today I think it would probably come down to an F150 with the bigger Ecoboost or the Tundra with the bigger V8.

[bgum]

Chevrolet Silverado and forget your worries. The problem is that when people get a bigger tv they figure they can pull a bigger trailer and then the cycle repeats. Just buy the best which is Chevy. The Tundra sucks gas. The engines that drop cylinders have issues. Cadillac proved that years ago. The Fords have reliable issues.

[valhalla360]

If you were without a truck and buying, I would point you towards the 1/2 ton trucks for a better tow vehicle. If you are hitting 5500rpm with any regularity, you are pushing that truck to it's limits.

It makes no sense to rule out the ecoboost but include the small turbo diesels...The ecoboost has a longer track record (I was skeptical early on but so far the record has been good and the ecoboost line is expanding and I believe the most common engines being sold in F150s) and the diesels have those same expensive turbos.

But!!!!! Since your current truck is a 2019 and you are otherwise happy, $2300 is going to be far cheaper compared to the net cost after trade in buying a new truck. Now if you are considering a 2-3yr old truck, it might be close to a net $0 cost (if you sell your current truck private party).

[JRscooby]

Might be hard to find 1 for gasoline, but a transfer tank with a valve to drain/pump into main might be cheaper. Or look into a second tank with plumbing to draw from with cab controlled switch.

[Dick_B]

I'm thinking you have already sort of decided to get a bigger gas tank. From a financial standpoint it's a no brainer. Lots of posters would like to spend YOUR money...

[mr61impala]

They are out there!

We found a new body style Ram Bighorn Crew Cab 4x4 in stock with 3.92 axles, 5.7L V-8, class 4 hitch, integrated brake controller, flip up towing mirrors, etc. The price for all this equipment is insignificant. The 3.92 gearing is an amazing towing improvement over the 3.21 axles in our previous truck. If your choice is to replace, keep looking until you find the right axle ratios.

The truck retailed for $49K and we paid $37K PLUS TAX on the $14.5K difference in value between this truck and our trade in.

One surprise was the empty (non towing) MPG, with the 3.92 gears it stays in 4 cylinder mode much longer. When I am running the backroads at around 65 mph for a 75 mile trip I regularly make, the VIC will climb up to 26-27 mpg and the fuel needle barely moves. I have not hand calculated it but it's impressive.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[mkirsch]

Can you even get a bigger tank for the Frontier? I'm betting the answer is no, and that will pretty much make the decision for you.

On the Ecoboost, they've only been out for 10 years, by and large they have been reliable and the people who own them are impressed and happy with them, yet you still "don't trust them?" Why?