Unbelievable fuel consumption

[Jorrie]

Hmmm I've "upgraded to the 33" muds and apart from the lack of power which i expected it seems the fuel consumption has gone downhill fast. With the std tyre's the km reading was the same as the Garman but the speedo was out by =- 9-10km lower.

Now the speedo is almost spot on, km reading slightly less and I got 425 Km for a full tank With the std tyres I was getting over 500 kms +- 6km/L. I didnt think the muds would make that much of a difference?

I did overheat it in the Atlantis dunes a few months back, tested radiator / water system but everything seems ok no water loss etc so thinking I might have damaged a sensor? Where can I get this check out on a tester in the Capetown area? Any members have one?

Anything else I can easily check or clean?

Thanx

The 4.5s tend to run hot. I had similar issues, but after I fitted the snorkel (a year ago) the Beast II is running much cooler and haven't had high temp problems again. Also check the thermostat and the radiatior cap. These being defective could lead to overheating.

[Alex Roux]

Hmmm I've "upgraded to the 33" muds and apart from the lack of power which i expected it seems the fuel consumption has gone downhill fast.

Tunja, once I moved to 33" muds I also lost on consumption.
But only later realised that the loss was not as bad since the odometer is wrong by around 5% due to the increased tyre size.
On our way back from the coast I travelled 605km between two points (as per odometer), while the GPS confirmed the distance to be 630kms.

[AndrewA]

I have been keeping an eye on this tread and found it very interesting and decided to record a tank or two again. I have never got better than 5.2l/km and that was when it was standard. It is a 2010 4.8 GRX I have had it from new. I have been keeping a record from time to time just as a check. Generally I have avoided keeping a proper record as you are not buying a Patrol for its consumption and rather just pay and enjoy. But I am wondering if mine could be bettered. The table below shows it over the years it a little jumbled but in Excel its OK.

Distance l/km l/100km Comments
4.61
26-05-11 Strab 2011 73.6 387 5.26 19.02 Reasonably loaded, roof rack, water tank, jerry cans
01-09-11 Modified, raised suspension, after market from bumper, winch, MT tyres 275/70
15-12-11 December holiday 99.62 358 3.59 27.83 Fully loaded, 5 people, roof rack, spare wheel on top, John's trailer, trying to keep 120kmh
16-12-11 December holiday 87.55 363.8 4.16 24.07 Fully loaded, 5 people, roof rack, spare wheel on top, John's trailer, slowed down a bit
Unknown trip 48.93 240.1 4.91 20.38 Unknown trip
26-02-12 DRA Sabie trip 71.591 359.1 5.02 19.94 Medium load, no roof rack, DRA trailer
01-04-12 Back from Botswana 95.8 488 5.09 19.63 Fully loaded, jerry cans (empty) water tank (empty), roof top tent
18-05-12 DRA Moolmsnahoek 56.02904564 267 4.77 20.98 Fully loaded, no water in the tank, no extra fuel, roof rack
20-05-12 Strab 2012 (going to) 71.33 272 3.81 26.22 Fully loaded, no water in the tank, no extra fuel, roof rack, after a day of 4x4'ing
21-05-12 Strab 2012 (going to) 92.38 452 4.89 20.44 Fully loaded, water in the tank, no extra fuel, roof rack
27-05-12 Strab 2012 (going to) 78.45 270 3.44 29.06 Not loaded driving around Strab, 3 persons
09-02-14 General around town 107.4 520.5 4.85 20.63 No Load, no roof rack
15-02-14 General around town 116.88 561.7 4.81 20.81 No Load, no roof rack
21-02-14 Half town/Open road 61.27 313 5.11 19.58 Half no load, half light load, no roof rack
23-02-14 DRA Sabie trip 74.599 359 4.81 20.78 Light load, no roof rack, 4 persons

[AndrewA]

Tyres are BFG MT 285/70 and not 275/70.

[Clem]

Andrew, two things: muds play havoc with your fuel consumption; Nissan appear to have tweaked the later/latest 4.8's to improve fuel consumption.

[Herrie]

I just worked out the Patrol's fuel consumption between the standard Patrol and after I put bigger wheels -285/75R16 M/T. winch and the roofrack on.

Standard: distance: 20829km and fuel consumption 4.97km/l

Modified: distance: 33946km and fuel consumption 4.88km/l

This is proof for me the on the Patrol it does not make a big difference when you use the stuff you like on a Patrol.

With the 285/75R16 M/T tyres the distance is 4% less then with the normal tyres.

[Chris Skinner]

I agree - I have seen no noticeable difference in fuel consuption since getting my bigger muds etc.
- you must however factor in the difference in the odo reading between the difference size tyres to ensure you comparing apples with apples. For me the biggest impact on consumption is driving style, nothing more!

[jan.dup]

I also have a 2010 GRX like Andrew and my consumption is almost identical to the figures posted above
I have 285 muds as well as an Outback roofrack on my Trollie. Seldom gets over 5km/l - strangely enough mostly higher up in Bots and Namibia ?
Seems it is a bit heavier on fuel when at the coast as oppose to inland (higher altitude) ?

[AndrewA]

Looks like my consumption is about normal. My Patrol went in for a service last week and I asked them to check with Nissan about any adjustments I will follow-up and see what they say.

[Stefan]

I also have a 2010 GRX like Andrew and my consumption is almost identical to the figures posted above
I have 285 muds as well as an Outback roofrack on my Trollie. Seldom gets over 5km/l - strangely enough mostly higher up in Bots and Namibia ?
Seems it is a bit heavier on fuel when at the coast as oppose to inland (higher altitude) ?

Must be because the air is denser at sea-level, and thus provides more resistance!