LPG

Author
Discussion

McSatan

82 posts

116 months

Monday 7th July 2014
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Porsche Cayenne S on LPG. Average about 15mpg (often less,) but with fuel at <70p per litre and 350bhp, that's entirely acceptable smile

andrewrob

2,912 posts

189 months

Monday 7th July 2014
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McSatan said:
Porsche Cayenne S on LPG. Average about 15mpg (often less,) but with fuel at <70p per litre and 350bhp, that's entirely acceptable smile
A mate of mine has just bought a turbo S and is looking at getting that converted now. All it took was watching me fill mine up and seeing the litres go up faster than the pounds!

Mr Taxpayer

438 posts

119 months

Monday 7th July 2014
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I have often filled up alongside V8 variants of all members of the LandRover/Range Rover stable.

These (big V8s from RR, BMW, Audi, etc) cars are often available at near giveaway prices because of the associated fuel bill. However the LPG conversion costs are pretty much fixed. Ball park £1250 for a 4cyl, add £125 per cyl above that. And then watch the savings roll in.

The public have been sold on the "merits" of low CO2 diesels. But diesels are only 'clean' when you use cats, DPFs and now SCR (AdBlu). All of this tech adds weight and cost. And they're only driveable thanks to the abomination that is the dual mass flywheel.

McSatan

82 posts

116 months

Tuesday 8th July 2014
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Considering having our M3 done as well. It's around £2000 for a 'professional' conversion with a reputable company.

BritishRacinGrin

24,602 posts

159 months

Tuesday 8th July 2014
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rocknrollrich said:
HustleRussell said:
Considered LPG'ing my old 525i which I have decided is a keeper, but I think I've decided against it for the following reasons;
-don't want to make a load of holes in the bodywork / underside for installation, making more places where rust can get in
-probably ought to retain my spare tyre
-problems with insurance, ferries, chunnel etc
-reduced power and MPG on gas
-the car would still use petrol, another factor forgotten by many.
-increased weight, complexity, servicing
-the car has a very low value so could be written off by a tiny bump
-the 525i is actually reasonably efficient on normal 95 RON.
Use one of them can's of wheel spray that replace the spare. It can inflate the tyre and use it at reduced speed to get you to a garage to get the tyre sorted.
Insurance isn't an issue. If the car's been done properly and registered correctly, insurance is no difference. Ferries are fine with LPG, granted the chunnel isn't. And oddly, in the states, they won't allow lpg cars to park in underground car parks...
To reiterate what others have said, power loss is not a big issue on bigger cars, and besides, you can always flick it back to petrol whenever you feel like. But you don't notice the power loss, especially when cruising on the motorway.
Servicing of the LPG system is cheap, once a year, circa £60. Normal servicing of the car remains unaffected as they don't touch the LPG system.

I ran an Audi S8 with the 4.2 v8 for ages with LPG. It was only a single point system and you noticed it when you put the boot down, it instantly flicked back to petrol as the LPG setup couldn't handle the power. But for general cruising on the motorways it was brilliant, returning about 20mpg. Took it to the south of france for the family hols last year, 2600 miles and she was perfect there and back.
I have used Tyreweld before, but it isn't a great substitute for a spare wheel and tyre. It'll get you to a service station, yes- but strictly speaking you should be driving there slowly and seeking out a repair or replacement tyre locally when you get there.
Insurance I am sure is fine with many companies but I know there are several who simply won't quote on LPG equipped cars.
Ferries are fine- mostly. Some companies don't allow it, or at least didn't when I last looked into it. I think SeaFrance was one of them.
I think bullet points 1, 6 and 7 are my main problems with it.
And also- dare I say it- There is always that looming threat on the horizon of the tax going up on LPG.

Alan461

853 posts

130 months

Thursday 24th July 2014
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There's always been the threat of increase in tax but the government try and promote it on ecological grounds.
I've paid much less in the past (31.9) but it's still worth it at 62/l
First converted in '98, done well over half a million miles on it now in about 11 cars and vans.
@ 10p/mile saving that's fifty grand.
Favourite was a Jag x300 3.2 also had a TR7 3500v8 (never happy) Mostly VW Transporters.
Currently running a '97 1.4 Polo at 8p/mile thumbup

Eta
I use rubber string for punctures, don't even take the wheel off

Edited by Alan461 on Thursday 24th July 21:07

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Tuesday 29th July 2014
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I've recently bought a low mileage 2003 A8 4.2 petrol which I've thought about having converted to LPG. Any recommendations on a good installer, the people I emailed in the Midlands failed to get back to me.

Alan461

853 posts

130 months

Wednesday 30th July 2014
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Riley Blue said:
I've recently bought a low mileage 2003 A8 4.2 petrol which I've thought about having converted to LPG. Any recommendations on a good installer, the people I emailed in the Midlands failed to get back to me.
Yhm

Riley Blue

20,915 posts

225 months

Thursday 31st July 2014
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Alan461 said:
Riley Blue said:
I've recently bought a low mileage 2003 A8 4.2 petrol which I've thought about having converted to LPG. Any recommendations on a good installer, the people I emailed in the Midlands failed to get back to me.
Yhm
Thanks.

jmb88

212 posts

153 months

Sunday 10th August 2014
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Just calculated my savings now I've been running the A6 on lpg for a couple of months. On petrol, I was averaging 20.43mpg. On gas, I'm (so far) 17.67mpg. Best so far on gas on a motorway run has been 22.1mpg. Using average economy and assuming petrol to be 129.9ppl and gas to be 69.9ppl, I'm saving just under 38%. That'll do :-). Would probably be greater savings but I've moved house this year and do a lot more short runs than I used to.

edward1

839 posts

265 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
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Being a sad geek after being shocked at yet another price drop at the pump over the last month now 64.9ppl vs 69.9ppl last month, I was just looking at some spreadsheets from years back I had when deciding what vehicle to go for.

Back in 2008 LPG was 54ppl locally, petrol 88ppl and diesel 99ppl, in 2011 LPG 69ppl, petrol 130ppl and diesel 137, I can't say what petrol and diesel have done in the interim years but it I know LPG has stayed roughly 68-70ppl and is now the cheapest in the 3 years since I got an LPG vehicle and petrol is still around the same as it was 3 years ago.

The shocking change is that from 2008 to now gas has gone up 10ppl where as petrol and diesel has gone up around 50ppl.

andrewrob

2,912 posts

189 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
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Just driven mine down to Lake Como and back. Italian LPG was about 70 cents a litre, luxembourg was 57, and belgium was in the 60s. Not bad at all.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
edward1 said:
Being a sad geek after being shocked at yet another price drop at the pump over the last month now 64.9ppl vs 69.9ppl last month, I was just looking at some spreadsheets from years back I had when deciding what vehicle to go for.

Back in 2008 LPG was 54ppl locally, petrol 88ppl and diesel 99ppl, in 2011 LPG 69ppl, petrol 130ppl and diesel 137, I can't say what petrol and diesel have done in the interim years but it I know LPG has stayed roughly 68-70ppl and is now the cheapest in the 3 years since I got an LPG vehicle and petrol is still around the same as it was 3 years ago.

The shocking change is that from 2008 to now gas has gone up 10ppl where as petrol and diesel has gone up around 50ppl.
Check your local Calor centre for their price. Mine is now 60p a litre, against c.68p at all the local petrol stations.

Another big saving.

CDP

7,454 posts

253 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
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I've been trying to work out if it's worthwhile on my 1992 Talbot Express camper. It uses a single carb so hardly the most modern thing but very simple and keeping the speed down to 50-55 manages about 25mpg on a long run but under 20 when towing the Locost.

On one of the Talbot forums somebody mentioned a place that installs LPG for about £600-700 which sounds rather cheap to me but maybe it's because the engine is so basic and there's so much space under that chassis. If it can fuel the heating, cooking and hot water that would be a massive bonus...

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
CDP said:
I've been trying to work out if it's worthwhile on my 1992 Talbot Express camper. It uses a single carb so hardly the most modern thing but very simple and keeping the speed down to 50-55 manages about 25mpg on a long run but under 20 when towing the Locost.

On one of the Talbot forums somebody mentioned a place that installs LPG for about £600-700 which sounds rather cheap to me but maybe it's because the engine is so basic and there's so much space under that chassis. If it can fuel the heating, cooking and hot water that would be a massive bonus...
The worse your vehicle is on fuel, the more worthwhile LPG becomes.

CDP

7,454 posts

253 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
quotequote all
SpeckledJim said:
CDP said:
I've been trying to work out if it's worthwhile on my 1992 Talbot Express camper. It uses a single carb so hardly the most modern thing but very simple and keeping the speed down to 50-55 manages about 25mpg on a long run but under 20 when towing the Locost.

On one of the Talbot forums somebody mentioned a place that installs LPG for about £600-700 which sounds rather cheap to me but maybe it's because the engine is so basic and there's so much space under that chassis. If it can fuel the heating, cooking and hot water that would be a massive bonus...
The worse your vehicle is on fuel, the more worthwhile LPG becomes.
Definitely, my thoughts are whether this sounds too cheap and if converting a vehicle with a carb is more troublesome than injection.

Tony427

Original Poster:

2,873 posts

232 months

Wednesday 13th August 2014
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Just finished converting the Mrs gas guzzling Cadillac to LPG so a 3.6 litre 255bhp V6 is now doing the cost equivalent of 50 plus mpg .

I'm buying LPG at an average of 60ppl at the moment and we too are off to the Italian lakes in a couple of weeks time so will be screaming down there in the Caddy with the AC on full blast not caring a jot about the price of fuel or consumption levels.

Its amazing how liberating it is to not have to worry about fuel costs. I reckon changing the Mr's Skoda to the Caddy will still give her an annual fuel cost saving of £750 on her commute and she gets a 155bhp increase in power for the Traffic Light Grand Prix.

Cheers,

Tony





edward1

839 posts

265 months

Monday 18th August 2014
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As has previously been posted the less efficient your vehicle the bigger the savings, hence lots of larger capacity vehicles being converted. What I don't understand is the motivation to convert low powered small engined variants. Often when looking in the classifieds at already converted cars I come across things like a 1.0l nissan micra or equivalent that has been converted. The payback must take forever.

SpeckledJim

31,608 posts

252 months

Monday 18th August 2014
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If an old lady buys a new supermini for £10k and expects to own it for 10 years and spend £1000 a year on petrol (only a tank a month) then it's well, well worth converting it to LPG at the outset.

£1000 spent to save £5,000.

Mr Taxpayer

438 posts

119 months

Tuesday 19th August 2014
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edward1 said:
As has previously been posted the less efficient your vehicle the bigger the savings, hence lots of larger capacity vehicles being converted. What I don't understand is the motivation to convert low powered small engined variants. Often when looking in the classifieds at already converted cars I come across things like a 1.0l nissan micra or equivalent that has been converted. The payback must take forever.
Seen a few of these. When I was self employed I did a lot of travelling, mainly within West Mids (15,000+ miles pa) and used a Fiat Panda Multijet; because the work involved home visits, most of the driving was in housing estates and residential areas - all ideal stomping ground for small city cars. An LPG car would have been a mega saving on my running costs. Think of someone like a district nurse or a home carer who does a lot of driving but rarely sees a motorway; a bahn-stormer would be virtually useless to them, especially when you factor in the disadvantages of DPF-equipped diesels.