Tweet
Salt Lake City UT to Wendover NV in a GX
A few days ago I had to make a quick trip to Wendover, to meet someone "halfway" from Elko to deliver a computer that was needed faster-than-fedex... I figured taking the GX would be great -- if it could make it...
Google Maps shows 118 miles from the SLC Airport pumps to the McDonald's in Wendover. Hmm 236 miles? Everyone lists the range of a GX at 230... I'd never gone more than 180 around town...
My unknown was just how many gallons you get at 3300 PSI, the target fill pressure at most Utah stations... Since my 2002 GX has an "8 gallon" tank, I figured maybe at 3300 it was only 7 gallons... Since I get an average of 34 MPG, and I surely would get better than that on a non-stop highway trip, even at 34 MPG I should be able to go 238 miles?
I decided it would all come down to what PSI I got at the Airport. If it was low I'd just come back home and take our other 27 MPG gasoline powered car... I filled up on my way home from work at the Granite district pumps, figuring I would go to the airport to top off a few hours later, since that is supposed to let your tank hold the most possible (Fill, wait for temperature to settle, then fill again). When I got to the airport station, the fill was almost 3400 when it was pumping in, and over 3300 when it wasn't... Great, I figure, it doesn't get much better than that. I decided to go for it, after all the math worked out didn't it???
Well my gas guage hit the half way mark at only about 109 miles. I chalked it up to inaccurate guage, but I probably ought to have just stopped and called the Elko folks to come meet me the 10 miles further down the road... I decided I'd just drive 65 all the way back and get better mileage... The other thing everyone says about the GX, is that when the Low Fuel light comes on, you only have about 20-25 miles left. Coming back, that light came on at 204 miles. Sheesh! I was going to be short by 7-12 miles? Well I called and arranged with father-in-law to come pull me the rest of the way if I ran out, and gritted my teeth and waited for my engine to die. When I got clear to the Bangerter exit, I thought just maybe if I can make it up this last hill at least I can coast far enough to be able to push it without having to call someone. When my engine was still running as stopped at the airport pump, I couldn't believe it. I'd just gone 32 miles after my Low Fuel light lit up.
The pressure at the airport was only like 2200 PSI, someone must have really drained them hard recently. I didn't even care. The 4 gallons I was able to pump made me happier than any big fill I'd ever gotten! The next day I topped off at Granite again, and then added it all up and figured out that my tank at 3300 PSI actually holds only about 6.38 gallons. I had gotten over 37 MPG on the Wendover trip. Good thing, too, because that means I was pretty much on my last fumes.
Long story short, don't try a Wendover run in a GX. If there'd been any less pressure, which is not uncommon, I never would have made it. If you actually went there to drive around to a few places and then tried to make it back, there's no way it would work. I don't know how to do the math to figure how much gallons you ought to have in an x gallon tank at only y pressure, but you can at least use my findings as a guide if you ever plan a trip where you may be pushing it between fills...
Google Maps shows 118 miles from the SLC Airport pumps to the McDonald's in Wendover. Hmm 236 miles? Everyone lists the range of a GX at 230... I'd never gone more than 180 around town...
My unknown was just how many gallons you get at 3300 PSI, the target fill pressure at most Utah stations... Since my 2002 GX has an "8 gallon" tank, I figured maybe at 3300 it was only 7 gallons... Since I get an average of 34 MPG, and I surely would get better than that on a non-stop highway trip, even at 34 MPG I should be able to go 238 miles?
I decided it would all come down to what PSI I got at the Airport. If it was low I'd just come back home and take our other 27 MPG gasoline powered car... I filled up on my way home from work at the Granite district pumps, figuring I would go to the airport to top off a few hours later, since that is supposed to let your tank hold the most possible (Fill, wait for temperature to settle, then fill again). When I got to the airport station, the fill was almost 3400 when it was pumping in, and over 3300 when it wasn't... Great, I figure, it doesn't get much better than that. I decided to go for it, after all the math worked out didn't it???
Well my gas guage hit the half way mark at only about 109 miles. I chalked it up to inaccurate guage, but I probably ought to have just stopped and called the Elko folks to come meet me the 10 miles further down the road... I decided I'd just drive 65 all the way back and get better mileage... The other thing everyone says about the GX, is that when the Low Fuel light comes on, you only have about 20-25 miles left. Coming back, that light came on at 204 miles. Sheesh! I was going to be short by 7-12 miles? Well I called and arranged with father-in-law to come pull me the rest of the way if I ran out, and gritted my teeth and waited for my engine to die. When I got clear to the Bangerter exit, I thought just maybe if I can make it up this last hill at least I can coast far enough to be able to push it without having to call someone. When my engine was still running as stopped at the airport pump, I couldn't believe it. I'd just gone 32 miles after my Low Fuel light lit up.
The pressure at the airport was only like 2200 PSI, someone must have really drained them hard recently. I didn't even care. The 4 gallons I was able to pump made me happier than any big fill I'd ever gotten! The next day I topped off at Granite again, and then added it all up and figured out that my tank at 3300 PSI actually holds only about 6.38 gallons. I had gotten over 37 MPG on the Wendover trip. Good thing, too, because that means I was pretty much on my last fumes.
Long story short, don't try a Wendover run in a GX. If there'd been any less pressure, which is not uncommon, I never would have made it. If you actually went there to drive around to a few places and then tried to make it back, there's no way it would work. I don't know how to do the math to figure how much gallons you ought to have in an x gallon tank at only y pressure, but you can at least use my findings as a guide if you ever plan a trip where you may be pushing it between fills...
Comment