Steady Gentlemen...LPG converting a Chimaera - thoughts
Discussion
Title says it all really, but borrowed a friends 4litre V8 Jeep at the weekend which runs on LPG and the performance (for that vehicle) was not noticebly different to his other unconverted V8 jeep.
Has anyone converted a Chimaera, can you, who could do it, what are the issues as you guys see it.
The reason I am thinking of doing it is that my r reg 60k miles treasure and i are moving to Shropshire soon and i will be working in London a couple of days a week and naturally want to drive my car but would like to reduce the impact on my wallet.
Those that no me know that i wont settle for dramatic loss of power but would appreciate some facts. Would love to hear Steve Heath's, Tower View's, Tim Lamont's, Big Al's etc view on this.
thanks guys
Mike
Has anyone converted a Chimaera, can you, who could do it, what are the issues as you guys see it.
The reason I am thinking of doing it is that my r reg 60k miles treasure and i are moving to Shropshire soon and i will be working in London a couple of days a week and naturally want to drive my car but would like to reduce the impact on my wallet.
Those that no me know that i wont settle for dramatic loss of power but would appreciate some facts. Would love to hear Steve Heath's, Tower View's, Tim Lamont's, Big Al's etc view on this.
thanks guys
Mike
Technically I can't think of any reason why not, but from a practical and cost point of view I can see it being a nightmare.
Most tanks seem to be designed to fit in either spare wheel wells or lashed to the side of the boot, neither of which is going to work in a Chimaera if you want to be able to get the roof in.
If your pockets are deep enough I can't see why a second tank couldn't be fitted above the petrol tank but you're going to need an LPG firm willing to take on a one off, as the call for this is going to be tiny. So if a 'normal Landy conversion is about £1k I'd expect it to be double, based on that you're going to have to drive to the moon and back to see any financial return
Previously discussed here........
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=1&f=13&t=102229&h=0&hw=lpg
Most tanks seem to be designed to fit in either spare wheel wells or lashed to the side of the boot, neither of which is going to work in a Chimaera if you want to be able to get the roof in.
If your pockets are deep enough I can't see why a second tank couldn't be fitted above the petrol tank but you're going to need an LPG firm willing to take on a one off, as the call for this is going to be tiny. So if a 'normal Landy conversion is about £1k I'd expect it to be double, based on that you're going to have to drive to the moon and back to see any financial return
Previously discussed here........
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?p=1&f=13&t=102229&h=0&hw=lpg
Edited by raceboy on Monday 17th July 13:08
raceboy said:
So if a 'normal Landy conversion is about £1k I'd expect it to be double, based on that you're going to have to drive to the moon and back to see any financial return
I'm not too sure about that. Say the cost of conversion is 2k.
Petrol/litre = 98p
LPG/litre = 39p
(prices from a local Morrisons to me)
Assuming LPG is the same MPG (it'll be slightly less really) then you'd need to use 2000 / 0.6 litres to break even.
That's 3333 litres. At 52 litres per tank (which I'm guessing) then it'll be 65 tanks of gas. If you use a tank a week, then it'll pay for itself in just over a year.
D
not to mention all that weight over the ass,swinging about.the tanks are thick walled castings.
And because of saftey issues these tanks are quite chunky and must be firmly attached,
if I remember rightly (I repair damaged composite bodies)there is no chassis rear of the suspension and over time this will probably cause the boot floor to crack and eventually fall out unless you can secure it to something substantial.
And because of saftey issues these tanks are quite chunky and must be firmly attached,
if I remember rightly (I repair damaged composite bodies)there is no chassis rear of the suspension and over time this will probably cause the boot floor to crack and eventually fall out unless you can secure it to something substantial.
I can see the benefits..
But as said, locating the tank would be an issue and still get the good handling and the roof in the boot.
Also i'm not sure what an insurance company will think of an LPG TVR. It may be fine but it is another cost which you need to consider when converting a 'specialist' car to LPG.
On the 'moral' side.. Its another Fuel.. Its not electric and it still uses the Big ol V8 engine under the bonnet so i cant see the problem myself.
If you were wanting to convert it into a Prius i would suggest standing infront of my loaded gun
But as said, locating the tank would be an issue and still get the good handling and the roof in the boot.
Also i'm not sure what an insurance company will think of an LPG TVR. It may be fine but it is another cost which you need to consider when converting a 'specialist' car to LPG.
On the 'moral' side.. Its another Fuel.. Its not electric and it still uses the Big ol V8 engine under the bonnet so i cant see the problem myself.
If you were wanting to convert it into a Prius i would suggest standing infront of my loaded gun
Fire99 said:
I can see the benefits..
But as said, locating the tank would be an issue and still get the good handling and the roof in the boot.
Also i'm not sure what an insurance company will think of an LPG TVR. It may be fine but it is another cost which you need to consider when converting a 'specialist' car to LPG.
On the 'moral' side.. Its another Fuel.. Its not electric and it still uses the Big ol V8 engine under the bonnet so i cant see the problem myself.
If you were wanting to convert it into a Prius i would suggest standing infront of my loaded gun
But as said, locating the tank would be an issue and still get the good handling and the roof in the boot.
Also i'm not sure what an insurance company will think of an LPG TVR. It may be fine but it is another cost which you need to consider when converting a 'specialist' car to LPG.
On the 'moral' side.. Its another Fuel.. Its not electric and it still uses the Big ol V8 engine under the bonnet so i cant see the problem myself.
If you were wanting to convert it into a Prius i would suggest standing infront of my loaded gun
Isn't LPG 103 octane too? With multi point injection, why couldn't it be mapped for more power?
D
I used to have an L200 Triton which I converted to LPG. You're going to need a PRINS direct injection system, and there's no real loss of power there. The tank will be pretty big though, and will take up most of the boot space, which will make the roof storage difficult. The conversion will cost somewhere about £1800 +VAT for a decent job, though. Look around, and you'll see that's the price!
On the plus - there's no congestion charge to pay once it's done!
I wouldn't do it on my TVR, no space, but on a bigger car, if you do the miles then it's a real plus, especially if you keep the car for 2 years or more...
On the plus - there's no congestion charge to pay once it's done!
I wouldn't do it on my TVR, no space, but on a bigger car, if you do the miles then it's a real plus, especially if you keep the car for 2 years or more...
I've been thinking about this into some detail before I got my company car for daily duties - there's a Dutch company Advanced Lightweight Concepts who - back in 2003 - developed a composite lightweight LPG tank. I think the web adress was www.low8.com - not sure whether it made it to production tho'.
Big Al: If an LPG converted TVR sounds and goes like a TVR, it's hardly fair to compare it with an electric 'Rari, is it? Using the latest sequential LPG injection equipment, there would probably be a net power gain, and using a fuel tank that only adds 8 kg or so weight to the rear - provided it fits with the roof panel stowed in the boot - the only disadvantage I can see is not being able to carry your golf clubs anymore...
I mean, what could be better than being offically environmentally friendly in your thunderous V8 sports car, and lowering your fuel costs to below that of running a Perodua Kelisa, to boot?
Big Al: If an LPG converted TVR sounds and goes like a TVR, it's hardly fair to compare it with an electric 'Rari, is it? Using the latest sequential LPG injection equipment, there would probably be a net power gain, and using a fuel tank that only adds 8 kg or so weight to the rear - provided it fits with the roof panel stowed in the boot - the only disadvantage I can see is not being able to carry your golf clubs anymore...
I mean, what could be better than being offically environmentally friendly in your thunderous V8 sports car, and lowering your fuel costs to below that of running a Perodua Kelisa, to boot?
Edited by 900T-R on Tuesday 18th July 14:13
900T-R said:
Big Al: If an LPG converted TVR sounds and goes like a TVR, it's hardly fair to compare it with an electric 'Rari, is it? Using the latest sequential LPG injection equipment, there would probably be a net power gain, and using a fuel tank that only adds 8 kg or so weight to the rear - provided it fits with the roof panel stowed in the boot - the only disadvantage I can see is not being able to carry your golf clubs anymore...
Or in my case Fishing Gear, I can understand converting a Rangy or similar but why a sports car? Would weight be an issue? does LPG weigh more than Petrol?
"it's hardly fair to compare it with an electric 'Rari"
I was originally going to type Log burning Konisiggy (sp) but I couldn’t spell Konisiggy.
And I still can't.
Thanks to mrbongo, 900T-r and the others for your advice and chat on the subject. As i mentioned it was just a thought and i may have the Discovery converted instead.
It was the sort of feedback from Deejay and others that i was interested in the technical stuff and opinions. Big Al, im shocked and stunned and slightly saddened mate, you have always been my highest TVR guru, quick to help, know your stuff, yet lept to deride on this occassion without your normal reasoned argument backed up with wit and often an offline offer of further help.
Anyway thanks guys the new job comes with a 400% pay rise so i will just swallow the cost of fuel and chuck some miles on the car for the next 9 months.
As ever, really appreciate your time in responding
m
It was the sort of feedback from Deejay and others that i was interested in the technical stuff and opinions. Big Al, im shocked and stunned and slightly saddened mate, you have always been my highest TVR guru, quick to help, know your stuff, yet lept to deride on this occassion without your normal reasoned argument backed up with wit and often an offline offer of further help.
Anyway thanks guys the new job comes with a 400% pay rise so i will just swallow the cost of fuel and chuck some miles on the car for the next 9 months.
As ever, really appreciate your time in responding
m
tacoma said:
Big Al, im shocked and stunned and slightly saddened mate, you have always been my highest TVR guru, quick to help, know your stuff, yet lept to deride on this occassion without your normal reasoned argument backed up with wit and often an offline offer of further help.
Sorry to disappoint Mike, it’s just that I have a passion for TVR's and the thought of converting one to LPG just doesn’t seem compute! Now if you'd have said an LPG Porsche! that would get a different response.
I know a couple of guy's that have done an LPG conversion of normal type cars and they work extremely well and ......are now saving the pennies.
So whatever you decide I wish you well and with good intensions.
It would be a boring ol world if we all thought and liked the same.
Saw a Morgan Aero today, now owning a Morgan has been one of my Childhood dreams. The Morgan 8 that is . But the Morgan Aero is Pug ugly and boss eyed! My thoughts would be if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
So if you fancy the TVR LPG conversion …Go for it! And take no bloody notice of me or anybody else that can’t comprehend the idea.
There would be a practical aspect to an LPG conversion, other than the cost. Range. The Chim tank is hardly huge, and the V8 empties it at quite a rate (enough to make the tank buckle and bang at times). With an LPG conversion range could be doubled. Trips to Le Mans would require half the number of stops, and half the number of "oh my God, we'd better find some petrol soon" moments.
I'd have thought a doughnut tank centrally behind the fuel tank would still allow the roof to be stowed OK.
I'd have thought a doughnut tank centrally behind the fuel tank would still allow the roof to be stowed OK.
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