cruiser647 Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 After reading this:- http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/renewed-push-promote-benefits-lpg Is it still worth getting a car converted? As in a V6 or V8 for high mileage? Do they work OK on turbo/supercharged cars? No, I am not thinking of changing my car, but for the next car, you never know. Would love to be back in a V8! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I've always been deeply suspicious. You need to know its a professional conversion (so ideally buy the car without and have it done yourself) and you need to have confidence the government isn't going to fück you over on tax before you've saved any money. It's the second part I struggle with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 One of the guys at Autometrix that do VW Driver, he has a MK4 VR6 that was done, I went out with him in it and it still feels like the standard car doesnt feel any less power, and I'm sure thats well past 100k miles now. Its the Government tax bit that would make me nervous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-bmw Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I had the 530 done after I got it. Cost - £1300. Payback - 10 months ALMOST undetectable in normal driving. Equates to 54mpg in monetary terms. Last MOT gas readings - 0 co, 111 h/c All parties have agreed to leave fuel duty off it. Conclusion - Just do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 I'm sure I read somewhere that you need 30% more LPG to go the same distance as regular petrol due to its lower energy density? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveP Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Somebody in work had a micra that had it fitted from new. The problem seemed to be the standard injectors were getting blocked due to lack of use (I am almost certain I have confused some of the details) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 (edited) That's pretty much correct Bazza, in terms of MPG it isn't as efficient as petrol, nor does it develop as much energy (it's negligible though, you'll barely notice, if at all). But it's half the price, so works out favourably. A decent system properly fitted will give no problems at all, and cover high mileage without issue, so always look for a certificate to show it was installed by an approved mechanic, a poorly fitted or cheap system will burn your valves out and lunch your engine in no time. You want a sequential system with it's own injectors rather than the single point rubbish. Edited January 30, 2015 by Tipex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Somebody in work had a micra that had it fitted from new. The problem seemed to be the standard injectors were getting blocked due to lack of use (I am almost certain I have confused some of the details) Lack of use wouldn't be an issue for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarMad Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 A colleague has had his Merc ML done as a gas conversion he seems to be saving a bit fit would seem but not been out in it so see what its like. He did the math and it worked for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-bmw Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 You will typically get 95 - 98% of the petrol MPG, but with 50% of the cost, so you end up nearly halving the petrol running costs. The power difference is not noticeable by my seat of the pants dyno. The only negative I get with running on gas is that when you "floor it" from low revs there is one cough while it starts to spool up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drpellypo Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Why doesn't every single taxi driver in the country get LPG done, I wonder? There is a Lancer (2007 so will be 1.6 petrol) taxi up here that has LPG, but all the other taxis are diesel. Must be something they know about LPG that stops them all converting, surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-bmw Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 In general, like most things, it will be due to ignorance & old-wives-tales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patently Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 In general, like most things, it will be due to ignorance & old-wives-tales. Amongst taxi drivers? Surely not?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 V6 or V8 for high mileage? ........or even a 6.0 W12 A8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Why doesn't every single taxi driver in the country get LPG done, I wonder? There is a Lancer (2007 so will be 1.6 petrol) taxi up here that has LPG, but all the other taxis are diesel. Must be something they know about LPG that stops them all converting, surely? Seems most of the taxis in Hong Kong are LPG edit: make that all of them! Since 1 August 2001, no more diesel taxis were allowed to be imported into Hong Kong, and from 1 January 2006, driving a diesel taxi on the streets of Hong Kong became illegal. Therefore all taxis in Hong Kong are currently running on LPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 The main reason is lack of infrastructure, the second is that in general, you'll get more miles out of a diesel, both per tank, and total lifetime. You can run a diesel engine to half a million miles without any problems, it's usually the rest of the car that falls apart, but you'll be doing well to get over 150k out of a petrol engine, add in the complication of an LPG system and reliability issues start to rear their head. It might be a nice cosy stereotype to think that taxi drivers are all ignorant idiots that aren't as intelligent as everyone else, but most of them are just normal people who've had normal careers, and decide to do a job where they can pick and choose their own hours, if you think LPG hasn't been tried again and again then more fool you, fuel is our biggest outgoing, and as such we are always looking for ways to save money. For your average Joe LPG works just fine, but when you're doing 50k miles a year and putting countless idling hours on an engine, you take a big hit on reliability, not to mention loss of boot space or spare wheel. With regards to HK, the cars are custom built vehicles designed to run on LPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 ........or even a 6.0 W12 A8. You, you!!! Are a bad man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-bmw Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Sorry Mr T, if you thought that reply of mine was aimed at you & your ilk! I promise you it was not. My reply was a broad general answer & not specifically aimed at taxi drivers (even though that is where the original question was coming from) You are, of course 100% correct, in that the simplicity of the diesel is more than well suited to the life of a taxi. As opposed to the added complication of the LPG installation on a petrol engined car. Also that the use & cost of fuel is one of your biggest concerns. I was simply pointing out that in general terms most people when asked the question about an LPG conversion think of cowboy installations & carrying an unexploded bomb in the boot. It is in that context that I used the terms ignorance & old-wives-tales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) I hadn't taken it personally don't worry, I knew what you meant, it's a common misconception that cab drivers do the job because they can't do anything else, most of our drivers are retired professionals, be they pilots, lawyers, accountants, teachers or tradesmen, most of them have just decided to slow down and get out of the rat race! It's quite a nice job if you a avoid the night time idiots, and it pays surprisingly well too! With regards to LPG and old wives tales, there are a lot of them, and for the most part they are completely unfounded provided your system is of sufficient quality and installed professionally, unfortunately there are a lot of very poorly fitted systems out there that will kill an engine in no time. If I was to go Bi-fuel myself, I'd be looking for a factory fitted kit such as offered by Volvo, I'd have no concerns about those whatsoever. Edited January 31, 2015 by Tipex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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