Chav Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Considering a petrol car with LPG.... But I dont get it. ...A £1600 LPG conversion will double your fuel economy. For people like me that do 30K+ miles p/a that'd save thousands. So an S4 cabriolet could be doing 45+ mpg equivalent if sold with LPG kit as standard. To fit it at the factory would cost feck all. Couple of nozzles, a bit of pipe and a gas tank in the boot. What the feck is going on? Why can't you buy new cars with LPG direct from Audi/BMW etc?? The emissions are much lower, so could be much lower to tax, and obviously petrol prices are stupid. And anyone else considering LPG? My sooty cab is fantastic, but I'm averaging 31mpg .... somewhere in the 40s would be better. Easiest way to achieve it seems to be 4.2 V8 with LPG conversion. Oh the irony.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvantSE Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 God knows, but I note that Volvo and Vauxhall to name but two have stopped selling their dual-fuel cars. Whether that is down to lack of demand, or technical problems, I don't know. I've driven loads of LPG powered vehicles over that last 3 years - some are shockingly bad and others run fine and you can't tell the difference. All were conversions. Fuel economy suffers slightly but the reduced cost of gas more than makes up for it. When my diesel goes, I might well go ahead with my plan for a bigger petrol engine with an LPG conversion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booster Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I think the Volvo and Vauxhall models never caught on because they were charging such a premium for the models with LPG that the break even point was something like 30k miles p.a. Would be less than that now given the price of petrol / diesel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I think the Germans are busy with Hydrogen power and diesel inorder to reach emmission goals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I presume that an LPG tank in the spare wheel well would not pass new car crash tests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Lack of LPG outlets, additional complication, the danger of highly explosive pressurised liquid gas on board, extra cost. Anyone doing high miles who wants better fuel cost/mile ratio simply buys a diesel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 I was trying to be more polite....but I wouldn't want a bag of that stuff sitting underneath my kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Quite! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvantSE Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I was trying to be more polite....but I wouldn't want a bag of that stuff sitting underneath my kids. [/ QUOTE ] True I suppose. Nice to know that Humberside Police are strapping these conversions to most of its fleet hurtling around the place on blue light runs One of the guys told me that they had fitted it to the Merc Sprinters that OSS use (riot lot, in everyday terms) but then realised that driving into fiery public order situations with petrol bombs being hurled at them wasn't a great idea... Oh, and the T5 traffic cars no longer use LPG as it had been known to cause the engine to cut out at 140mph. A right laugh, I'm sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] cars no longer use LPG as it had been known to cause the engine to cut out at 140mph [/ QUOTE ] I'll stick to ordinary fuel then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyds Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 LPG doesn't double MPG, a litre of LPG will power your car for a shorter distance than a litre of UL, the advantage is the cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc1303 Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] LPG doesn't double MPG, a litre of LPG will power your car for a shorter distance than a litre of UL, the advantage is the cost. [/ QUOTE ] He's right you know. My Transit connect van is dual fuel and if Im lucky I get 20 to the gallon on LPG It runs ok though, my previous van was a Berlingo which was godawful on LPG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapsuds Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 yes, but when you work out the cost savings, the EQUIVALENT is an increase in mpg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 Or a hark back to the fuel prices in the 1980s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I presume that an LPG tank in the spare wheel well would not pass new car crash tests. [/ QUOTE ] I don't see why it wouldn't. The LPG tank is pretty unlikely to burst, and even if it does is probably less dangerous than spilt petrol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cabby Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I was trying to be more polite....but I wouldn't want a bag of that stuff sitting underneath my kids. [/ QUOTE ] .....as opposed to a tankful of petrol? I'm guessing the safety standards for storing gas are as stringent as they are for petrol. Although relatively new to the UK LPG has been used elsewhere for a long time. I can remember getting into a taxi in Sydney 14 years ago and asking why the f#?k he was driving about with a gas cylinder in the boot. Subsequently found out most of the fleet were using this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 The point is that the boot is a crumple zone. That's why petrol or diesel tanks are rarely in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 18, 2008 Report Share Posted March 18, 2008 [ QUOTE ] The point is that the boot is a crumple zone. That's why petrol or diesel tanks are rarely in it. [/ QUOTE ] Ah, I take your point. However, does a car actually have to pass anything more than a 3mph rear end test to be legal? I mean, the G-Wiz is legal to use on our roads... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 There was a programme on Discovery that showed it was much harder to cause a car to explode/catch fire with an LPG tank installed, rather than your normal petrol tank. The LPG tank withstood a far higher impact than you'd expect on the roads, and in every test lasted longer than the petrol tank did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 I learned to drive in an LPG car and I've only driven one since. I still don't trust LPG and a couple of mechanics I've mentioned it to told me it was a no-go for high mileage cars as it tends to wear engine components out quicker than when running on petrol, and that LPG converted cars tend to run too hot. A mate of mine also had a converted 1998 2.4 A6 with around 100k miles on it. It was fecked and didn't run well at all. LPG's not for me. Biodiesel however... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlot Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 How about chip fat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvantSE Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I learned to drive in an LPG car and I've only driven one since. I still don't trust LPG and a couple of mechanics I've mentioned it to told me it was a no-go for high mileage cars as it tends to wear engine components out quicker than when running on petrol, and that LPG converted cars tend to run too hot. A mate of mine also had a converted 1998 2.4 A6 with around 100k miles on it. It was fecked and didn't run well at all. LPG's not for me. Biodiesel however... [/ QUOTE ] A lot of it comes down to the valve seats; the X-Trail I have used in the past had to have a new engine due to it being unsuitable for LPG without a flash-lube type device being fitted. Yet the Protons, Frontera and Transits I've driven with LPG were fine, providing they were set up properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teacake Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 [ QUOTE ] I learned to drive in an LPG car and I've only driven one since. I still don't trust LPG and a couple of mechanics I've mentioned it to told me it was a no-go for high mileage cars as it tends to wear engine components out quicker than when running on petrol, and that LPG converted cars tend to run too hot. [/ QUOTE ] I think LPG generates a higher head temperature, which may be a problem if the car's cooling is marginal. This is of course more likely in an old car where some of the cooling ways or the rad might be a bit sludged up. Burning petrol creates lots of sooty deposits which build up inside the engine. LPG burns much cleaner, so doesn't generate these deposits, and over time may remove the deposits that have built up in an old engine. This is only a problem if the engine is designed in such a way that it relies on these deposits to form a protective scum in such places as the valve seats. Without the protection, the valve seats wear faster. Finally, I think LPG creates more water vapour than petrol, which can cause rust problems in the exhaust if you're only doing short journeys. A lot of these problems (and others such as freezing vapourisers) are, if I understand correctly, resolved in newer multi-point installations, which start on petrol and switch over to gas automatically when the engine is warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 [ QUOTE ] How about chip fat? [/ QUOTE ] Thought about trying it in my 80 TDi.. I know a few that do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser647 Posted March 19, 2008 Report Share Posted March 19, 2008 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] How about chip fat? [/ QUOTE ] Thought about trying it in my 80 TDi.. I know a few that do it. [/ QUOTE ] Reading the A6 manual, it mentions any %age of biodiesel is OK in the (upto then) TDi models. So, in the manual, that was non-PD engines...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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