A four-term virial equation of state was combined with isotropic model potentials to predict accurate volumetric and caloric thermodynamic properties of ethane in the gas phase. The parameters of the model potentials were determined from a fit to speed-of-sound data alone; no other data were used. The approximation used for the fourth virial coefficient included all interactions that contain up to two triplet potentials. Predicted ordinary second and third virial coefficients are in agreement with the data of Funke et al. [8]; we believe that predicted fourth virial coefficients are reliable and accurate. In the subcritical temperature region, the equation of state predicted compressibility factors that deviate by less than 0.04 percent at densities of up to 2.7 mol/dm3 (≒0.4ρc). At supercritical temperatures, compressibility factors deviate by less than 0.02 percent at densities of up to 2.6 mol/dm3; also, in this region predicted isobaric heat capacity agrees with available data to within uncertainties of 0.4 percent at densities above 3 mol/dm3. We demonstrated that the four-term virial equation is more accurate than the three-term analogue.