BMW X5i sport 4.4 V8 LPG conversion

[jkyle69]

Can someone recommend a LPG kit for the BMW X5i sport 4.4i V8 engine?

[Vixpy1]

No Point, LPG is so expensive now you need to do massive miles to recoup the cost

[BOH]

And how expensive is petrol?

My Jaguar XJR does the petrol cost equivalent of 26 mpg around town, 36 on a run and as much as 44 mpg at a gentle cruise e.g. 70 mph.

My vehicle was converted by Steve Sparrow of Go LPG in Worcestershire with Romano equipment. It had a minor teething problem with the interaction between LPG system and the car's ECU but after some research, he sorted it promptly and it now runs faultlessly.

A one I would make is the workmanship and diligence of the converter is as important as the choice of kit - there are many, many cowboys out there.

Steve specialises in Jags, but I know he's done X5's as well.

[tinker-27]

I run a s type r as a daily on LPG does 190 mile round town and 220 on a run on £30 of gas , it runs very well even with some mods ( small pulley etc) 65 p per litre by me in Birmingham , it will take time to get the money back but if you are going to keep it I think it's worth it . Go for bigger tank as range is a bit of a problem , I think you can get 70l tank in the spare wheel well .

[fatjon]

On an engine that size is will not take long to get into profit if you do much mileage. I converted my 4.0 explorer which was returning circa 14MPG on petrol. I do about 20k per year and was in profit from the £800 it cost me within a few months. Contrary to what I know should be the case it seems to do rather better MPG on gas that it does on petrol. Performance is slightly reduced but you can flick over to petrol at the push of a button anytime you need to. I used the BIGAS SGIS sequential system from Tinley Tech Autogas. I bought it as parts and fitted it myself in a couple of Saturday afternoons. The chap there was very helpful and they do a full fitting service if you're not a spanner man.

Some numbers

Tank of petrol (65 litres) £89.00 gives me 200 miles = 44.5p/mile
Full fill of LPG (73 litres) £48.91 gives me 260 miles = 18.8p/mile

So I save 25.7p/mile

with the install cost of £800 I broke even in 3112 miles.

There are a couple of tips I would add. The default setting for most systems is that tyey don't switch to gas until, the engine reaches 60c. I tweaked mine to 20c and it works fine. This means that I'm on gas after 1/2 mile instead of 5 miles. Secondly change the plugs for some nice new ones, LPG is fussy about mucky plugs. I spent days chasing a misfire that only happen on gas. Was convinced it could not be the plugs as it was fine on petrol. A set of new ones was an instant cure.

[ABIL]

Hi, Just a quick query regarding RR Vogue 05, LPG converted. Is it worth buying it? Secondly, everyone I spoke says they run hot on LPG....by the way it has 4.4 BMW ENGINE (Not IF ITS CALLED sure M62). I really like the car but not sure to buy as dont want to end up having trouble, though the guy was decent enough to show me stuff being done on engine like gasket and all. Also what the worst case scenario? Can we change it to newer engines like TD6 or something else, in case they go dead? Would appreciate advise plssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.

[andyiley]

The plugs are occasionally a grade hotter, but an LPG car does not run hotter.

I had my 530 converted a few yesars ago & it runs at exactly the same temperature.

26.7 MPG on the trip computer, 52 MPG on the wallet, cheaper road tax, best mod I ever had done.

You say TD6, do you mean a diesel?

I ask because LPG is on a petrol engine, it needs a spark to ignite it.

[ABIL]

andyiley said:

The plugs are occasionally a grade hotter, but an LPG car does not run hotter.

I had my 530 converted a few yesars ago & it runs at exactly the same temperature.

26.7 MPG on the trip computer, 52 MPG on the wallet, cheaper road tax, best mod I ever had done.

You say TD6, do you mean a diesel?

I ask because LPG is on a petrol engine, it needs a spark to ignite it.

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the feedback...what I meant with TD6 was because in future, if I do get in trouble regarding the engine, can I convert it to diesel? At present it has 4.4 petrol engine and gasket has been changed once. Was wondering if its worth it? Dont mind spending something if it does go faulty....also if need be then would change the engine but wants to make sure can I convert to diesel engine and get rid of LPG and petrol engine. Hope I have answered the confusion...

[ABIL]

ABIL said:

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the feedback...what I meant with TD6 was because in future, if I do get in trouble regarding the engine, can I convert it to diesel? At present it has 4.4 petrol engine and gasket has been changed once. Was wondering if its worth it? Dont mind spending something if it does go faulty....also if need be then would change the engine but wants to make sure can I convert to diesel engine and get rid of LPG and petrol engine. Hope I have answered the confusion...

Also let me add on Andy....what I buy the car for 7k and imagine have bought for 10/11k...keeping 3/4k for repair cost if need be...but again keeping in view that I will be keeping the car for at least 5 years....whats ur feed back?

[ABIL]

Any More infor for RR VOGUE WITH 4.4 PETROL/LPG CONVERSION. Its been done 2 years back by LPG approved installer. The guy seems good enough to tell/show me the gasket work/head skimming being done. Its has lpg service cert new one...Mot till August 2015 and tAX TILL Jan 2015. Also throwing in 1 Yr left of warranty which he bought with the car finishing in August 2015. There is a oil leak but not on his driveway....and plus aircon not working though coming on...? The car drives good but has these issues...so kind a bit confused......everyone I spoke said....LPG DOES NOT RUN WELL ON RR'S for some reason. I fail to understand one thing.....RR are considered to be expensive and status symbol cars..but are they really that bad? Suggestions/Views pls................

[renorti]

LPG will eat your head gaskets on the 4.4v8 bmw engine, they don't like the higher burn temperature.Seen a few go over the years.

[Jammez]

In answer to your original question I run a prins conversion on my RR with the same 4.4 bmw v8 in. Find a reputable conversion specialist and you shouldn't have any probs. I've done about 130k on the conversion so far with no faults what so ever, which is more than I can say for the rest of the car!

The coolant systems are a weak point full stop with or without an LPG conversion so make sure you maintain it properly, correct coolant, flush it regularly & replace any slightly dodgy looking hoses etc straight away.

LPG kits need servicing too, mines every 30k, worth doing too.

Lot's of pub experts out there that will give you miss-information - hence the "lots of people I've spoken to say RR's don't like LPG". Find people who actually run them & do decent mileages.

The jag engined later models aren't suitable for conversions, even with a flash lube the valve seats just aren't hard enough but the BMW engine is good if well maintained.

Edited by Jammez on Tuesday 23 September 13:14