Honda Accord, Alloys and LPG!

[VR4Pedro]

Hi,

I have just got the above car pretty cheap (after a love affair with a 1996 2.2 VTEC Accord, which I still miss) and am thinking of LPGing it. It currently has 88k miles and I've known the owner so it has a pretty good history. I live in Central Scotland and from what I can see, I might need to come to Englandshire to get it done. It also looks like I may need a "flash lube" system from doing some googling. Does anyone have any experience of LPGing this engine?

In addition, the alloys are tragic: not just cosmetic but the tyres lose a lot of pressure too. So I'm thinking of getting some alloys (either 17s or 18s). The current tyres are 225/45/17 and that's probably a good option as this size is popular so good tyres are not too tragic. The other option I have is using RX-8 wheels (I used to have one and have one wheel left so need to buy 3 more!). I also saw some Civic Type R wheels but know that they were for 205/45/17s. Could i realistically put 225s on these: would they be wide enough?

Anyway, if anyone has any ideas on either of the above, I would be much obliged.

[J4CKO]

Dont know about the LPG but the wheels, for a cheap fix see if a local type place can apply soem bead selaer, I had a car that lost pressure and it was air slowly getting past the bead.

[pits]

So you want to save money by putting lpg on your car.....then you want to fit 17-18" wheels on it where tyres are going to cost you around £500, why not just get some decent tyres and save £500 for fuel? And in the meantime why not save yourself an extra £1200? On not fitting LPG, that's £1700 worth of fuel there, which at current standings is 1300 litres of fuel (if my maths is correct) which if that is correct that is 260 gallons, at 30mpg that works out at 7800 miles.

[VR4Pedro]

Well, doing 15000 miles (I did 19000 miles in my other car last year so it's very realistic) would be 500 gallons at 30mpg, which is erring on the side of caution because not VTECing it gets me good consumption. That equals 2275 litres over the year, which at £1.32 per litre would cost £3003.

So 15000 miles at 27mpg would be 555 gallons, 2527 litres, which would cost £1820 in fuel over the year. This would be a saving of £1183 in one year. Why is this such an issue?

Regarding wheels, I can doubtlessly pick up something that's pretty cheap, but I need to know what fits, hence the question. I'll be putting really good tyres on that will cost me more than budget tyres too but it's not just about saving money: I want good grip so I never skimp on such things.

I was only asking some questions, I didn't mean to cause any issues.

[RedAndy]

i dont knwo about the engine specifically, but the Welsh Polish chaps do a LPG conversion for about £800 in Cardiff area. Ive had 2 done - no issues in 60k on a primula and a yaris. They also have a branch in Chesterfield for the same price. They get a lot of bad press but ive had no probs.

Realistically, you'll save about 35% on fuel costs. No idea if VTEC makes a difference. Ring and ask. Sure you wont be the first.

flashlube - agian not sure aobut your engine, but modern engines have hardened valves so dont need the lube. neither of mine have. no probs.

do it. lpg is ace.

in fact, don't do it, keep prices low.

[eltax91]

Is it a Gen7 you have?

My 08 plate (last of Gen7) 2.4 is in with a very reputable guy who is active on the Accord Owners Club forum for it's LPG conversion as we speak. He is based in Birmingham and probably needs 2 weeks to sort it properly. I took this route as I have a spare car to run. He fits very good quality kit and is an engineer by day so he comes in cheap on the labour front. Mine is costing me £1250 all in. On the 2.4 that's my conservative spreadsheet tells me that's about 18k miles. For me this is about 7 months!

For the Accord, just about everyone recommends a proper flashlube system. A multi-point one specifically, with a feed per injector rather than a cheaper "rail". I have gone for this as i intend to run the car round the clock twice (it's on 58k)

If you want the details of the installer, drop me a PM. I will try to remember to post pictures on this thread when i get the car back

[VR4Pedro]

Thanks for all your help so far everyone! I'm not sure which generation it is but it is a 2005 and a 2.0 VTEC (I think this particular generation began in 2003/4 or thereabouts until around 2008??).

I heard flashlube made sense so that's good to get that repeated. Birmingham's a bit of a mission but there may be a way so I'll PM you just now (new to forums so expect a delay!).

Thanks again everyone.

[eltax91]

VR4Pedro said:

Thanks for all your help so far everyone! I'm not sure which generation it is but it is a 2005 and a 2.0 VTEC (I think this particular generation began in 2003/4 or thereabouts until around 2008??).

I heard flashlube made sense so that's good to get that repeated. Birmingham's a bit of a mission but there may be a way so I'll PM you just now (new to forums so expect a delay!).

Thanks again everyone.

Yes you have a Gen7. You can get a 60l tank in the wheel well without modification. Same size as is fitted to the car as a petrol tank, so expect 15% less on the range.

Pretty sure flashlube is a must on this engine. Probably not worth risking it without, it's like valve insurance, a small outlay to possibly save you a fortune.

I got your pm and replied.

Meant to add, check wheelfitment.eu but the accord was fitted with 16, 17 and 18's from the factory so any will be an option.

Mine runs 16's, and my winters are 17's. The ride is very good on the 16's

[Synchromesh]

RedAndy said:

Realistically, you'll save about 35% on fuel costs.

Why's this?

Last time I looked LPG was just under half the price of unleaded. I know the MPG drops a little on LPG, but I didn't think it was by more than about 10%...

[Vulgar LS2]

If you haven't already done so, join www.typeaccord.co.uk there are a couple of fellas on there with LPG

[Willy Nilly]

I use an LPG forklift at work. It came from the factory as a LPG machine so is not a conversion.

It is difficult to describe the sheer ball ache of using LPG. It has had more problems than all of the other machines on the farm combined.

The reasons for having LPG is for soot emmissions in a building. When it is working properly it is a good machine and nippier than a diesel, but 2 weeks ago is was stranded in the shed with a failed regulator which we were waiting for parts for a week.

I would NEVER have an LGP car. Ever.

[RedAndy]

Synchromesh said:

RedAndy said:

Realistically, you'll save about 35% on fuel costs.

Why's this?

Last time I looked LPG was just under half the price of unleaded. I know the MPG drops a little on LPG, but I didn't think it was by more than about 10%...

every car's differnt, depends on your driving style blah blah blah... but in my experience of 2 lpg cars (a 1.5 yaris and a 1.8 primera), the true saving is about 35%. Your economy suffers more than you'd think, and a heavy foot seems to drink more gas than equiv petrol.

and lpg not really half price.. its more like 60%... combine the above - real world saving of 35%. Maybe 38%. Be generous, call it 40. but not half!