Newcomer / Intro Upgrading the cargo capacity of the Sidewinder, decreasing the range?

buksida

buksida
I've been doing a few BB missions but essentially want more cargo space in the SW so I swapped out the discovery scanner for another 2 tons of cargo space to give me a total of 6T.

Now it seems my distance capacity has changed to 6.96ly (8.15ly) ... however when I put in my regular trade jump (Yakabugai to Eravate) it won't let me go in one jump suggesting my range is now less than it was.

Any ideas what to do now, I dont want to be left in space with no fuel, but cant see the point of upgrading cargo space if I have to use it to carry more fuel. Would upgrading the power plant or FST improve my range?
 
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Winterwalker

Winterwalker
You're carrying more weight now .. laden, when you're cargo is full.
Upgrading FSD will improve your range (power plant is more to do with ship systems)

The best advice I could give, is to look at your power / engine systems first, get the ship ready for the other new modules you want (which generally draw more power or weigh more) rather than doing it the other way around. You're not the first to discover, you can hurt your capability by trying to sqeeze a quart into a pint glass.

This usually means, extend your range / power first, then load modules until your power unit can't take any more, or your jump range drops below acceptable levels. This wiki is good for learning about the various systems onboard. Good luck Cmdr.
 
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Flyto

F
To put it another way:

Your jump range is dependant on your frame shift drive (more expensive = higher range) and the mass of your vessel.
When you removed your discovery scanner, you will have gained a little range, because empty cargo racks are lighter than the discovery scanner.
When you bought cargo, however, your range will have gone down, because full cargo racks are heavier than the scanner.
 

Ranualf

Ranualf
Another way is think of a large truck

When the truck is empty it will go a long distance, and quicker too (less inertia - same as real life)
The truck can hold 40 tons of cargo when totally full, but at the moment it's carrying a piece of equipment called a scanner that weighs 2 tons.
so when you take the scanner out and fill it with "stuff" and it will go slower, and run out of fuel quicker, as it is having to burn extra fuel to make the 40 tons of cargo go from A-B.

TLDR: Putting cargo in your ship makes it jump less, and reduces the total jump distance for the fuel tank.
 

Hell Razor5543

H
When I have helped Sidewinder Commanders in the past, we would head off to my trade route ASAP, and get them an A2 FSD as soon as it was possible (allowing for rebuy and so on). They then could jump over 13ly with 4T of cargo.
 
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