zetec
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| posted on 4/1/05 at 04:05 PM |
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LPG
Has anyone any info on LPG conversions. My old Volvo is trying it's best to use the worlds oil supply as quick as possible. I've worked
out at 15000 miles a year I would get the cost of the conversion back in 18 months.
The only worry is spending out £1800 getting a £2000 car converted, that said it does run fine and I'm told it's just getting run in at
135,000 miles.
Any contacts for good fitters/firms would be great .
PS. It's because I've got the MK I can tolerate driving the Volvo!
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 4/1/05 at 05:26 PM |
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try google
I looked into this about a month back. the average cost is 1800 quid and they need the car for a week.
The savings only work out if you do high milages.
gas is about 40p a litre when petrol is 80p.
In the example I read, a 36mpg car is expected to do 28 mpg on lpg.
So, find a site with a calculator on it, or work it out yourself.
you can buy a fair amount of petrol for 1800 quid, bearing in mind you are still spending 40p a litre over the payback period.
atb
steve
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sebastiaan
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| posted on 4/1/05 at 06:50 PM |
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Steve,
I think the consumption hike you suggest is a bit steep. An increase of around 15-20% is about normal, not almost 30%
How's the attitude of the goverment in the UK at the moment as far as LPG is concerned? Are they still planning on upping the tax?
And Zetec, Is your car a MPI, SPI or even carbed? if it's an MPI, only go for a decent LPG injection system or you'll get backfires the
size of hiroshima (well, not really, but it's bound to go pop from time to time).
If you want to go MPI, i'd suggest you contact nickelson Mclaren, who import th SGI mpi system in the UK.
Cheers,
Sebastiaan
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zetec
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| posted on 4/1/05 at 08:02 PM |
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From what I have been told the second generation of multipoint injection is the way to go with running as good as on petrol, my car is multipoint
injection/turbo. Most say with the new system consumption is for like for like driving only about 10% lower. What they do say is that people start to
think they are running on cheap gas so start booting their cars about more, consumption takes a hit!
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Lawnmower
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| posted on 19/1/05 at 10:35 PM |
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I think the government has promised to freeze tax on lpg or at least keep it very sheap, for the next three years.
£1800 sounds a lot! £300 - £1000 I have seen elsewhere, although the cheaper ones may have been fit your own.
I have also heard of problems about getting LPG cars insured...
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JoelP
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| posted on 19/1/05 at 11:06 PM |
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never be foolish enough to trust gordon brown...
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flyingkiwi
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| posted on 20/1/05 at 10:11 AM |
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One of the many welsh people on my squadron has converted two car's now to run on LPG, the first was a toyota corolla, the next a v6 audi A6
estate. He swear's by it and recons he made back the money he spent within a year of travelling from cardiff to yeovil three times a week, and
has had no loss in performance.
chris
It Runs!!!!! Bring on the SVA!
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Noodle
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| posted on 18/2/05 at 10:23 PM |
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I ran a Primera eGT for 3 years on LPG.
When on gas it ran as a rather crude single point system. A 100 litre grenade, sorry, cylinder in the boot gave about 27mpg over all. All my driving
was motorway/cross country at considerable speed and I regularly explored the 9000rpm potential (no torque there, just noise)
Main filling stations charge about 39.9pl, whereas the specialists charged about 30-34p per litre.
The downside was reduced torque (about 10%), increased weight (the system weighed about 95kg - like having a fat bloke in the boot), and the
occasional tendency to back-fire, blowing the air-box apart. There is a special valve that can be fitted to prevent this. My mate's 3.9 V8 disco
has this and it still blows airboxes, and his dad's 4.2 Rangie blows 'em too. All these systems have been fitted by different people over
the country.
My airbox would blow apart and be put back together with the clips that let go. Disco airboxes literally shatter. When my engine was hot, the idle
control turned to shyte, but flicking back onto petrol solved it if it became a problem.
The moritorium on LPG tax rises I think has expired now, but I doubt whether there's been a large enough take-up to warrant a tax hike.
My system cost about £1100 to install.
Cheers,
Neil.
Your sort make me sick
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jack trolley
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 posted on 19/2/05 at 03:44 PM |
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There is an article on LPG conversion in this month's Practical Classics.
They say DIY installion kits cost from £400. 
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turbolag
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| posted on 3/5/05 at 12:14 PM |
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Sell the Volvo and buy one with a diesel motor.
If it ain't broke, you ain't fiddlin' hard enough!
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Ben Smith
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| posted on 18/5/05 at 10:15 PM |
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We run 3 cars on Gas as taxi's
Honda accord 300,000miles and won't break!
Omega 2l 16v 200,000miles
And a BMW 325i 100,000miles
The cost of conversion at the moment is £1800-£2200 depending on 4cyl , 6cyl etc. There are no goverment grants at the moment.
The cost of gas for us is between 32.9 41.9 depending where abouts you are.
With modern gas systems the loss in mpg is minimal and I doubt you will notice any real loss in performance.
The only down side is not having a spare wheel. (tank goes in wheel well). We just carry foam can.
Hope this helps,
Ben.
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spunky
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| posted on 12/6/05 at 05:55 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by turbolag
Sell the Volvo and buy one with a diesel motor.
And then pour in veggie oil at 30p/litre....
The reckless man may not live as long......
But the cautious man does not live at all.....
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