Making TVR ownership more enjoyable (LPG???)
Discussion
I know there will be those out there that say, 'if you can't afford the petrol then don't buy a TVR', but I think there are owners who want everything a TVR has to offer without raiding the kids piggy bank to fill up the tank.
I have been doing some research and it appears to me that you can buy an old rusty range rover, already converted for around £500. From this you can take the main LPG system components, replace the seals/pipework, buy a new LPG tank (they are only guaranteed/meant to lats 10years BTW) and you can and convert your TVR to run on both LPG and Petrol. Ok, you do loose up to 10% power, but this not noticable for 80% of your normal driving. One of the best features is that you can, at the flick of a switch, go from LPG to Petrol and back without interuption. So you can always have access to your maximum BHP with the advantage of increase cruising between fill ups!
So in addition to getting a cheaper LPG system, you can sell the V8 engine from the range rover to a kit car builder and sell the other various parts on Ebay which could make the exercise very cheap to do!
RPI and other companies are now offering whole brand new DIY systems between £500 to £800! Just working it out it cost about £45 for a full tank of fuel, so thats just over 11 fill ups to pay for the LPG system.
Its got to be worth considering, especially as you will be paying less money in TAX to the 'car hating/general populus hating' Government!
Looking forward to your responces!!
Martin
I have been doing some research and it appears to me that you can buy an old rusty range rover, already converted for around £500. From this you can take the main LPG system components, replace the seals/pipework, buy a new LPG tank (they are only guaranteed/meant to lats 10years BTW) and you can and convert your TVR to run on both LPG and Petrol. Ok, you do loose up to 10% power, but this not noticable for 80% of your normal driving. One of the best features is that you can, at the flick of a switch, go from LPG to Petrol and back without interuption. So you can always have access to your maximum BHP with the advantage of increase cruising between fill ups!
So in addition to getting a cheaper LPG system, you can sell the V8 engine from the range rover to a kit car builder and sell the other various parts on Ebay which could make the exercise very cheap to do!
RPI and other companies are now offering whole brand new DIY systems between £500 to £800! Just working it out it cost about £45 for a full tank of fuel, so thats just over 11 fill ups to pay for the LPG system.
Its got to be worth considering, especially as you will be paying less money in TAX to the 'car hating/general populus hating' Government!
Looking forward to your responces!!
Martin
There are Toroidal tanks that could be fitted where the spare wheel is mounted! Or you could sacrifice a bit of boot depth and mount it on the floor. The final option, which is more expensive would be to have a custom made petrol tank. You could then fill up with petrol on one side and LPG on the other!! (Just thinking out loud)
Martin
Martin
There are Toroidal tanks that could be fitted where the spare wheel is mounted! Or you could sacrifice a bit of boot depth and mount it on the floor. Or you could mount a small one on the parcel shelf. The final option, which is more expensive would be to have a custom made petrol tank. You could then fill up with petrol on one side and LPG on the other!! (Just thinking out loud)
Martin
Martin
should i have a spare wheel Uncle Fester said:
Probably only practical if you had a new fuel tank constructed to allow the LPG tank to use some of the room currently taken by the petrol tank.
You need two tanks, what proportion would you use on each, would you end up spending as much time filling them up as driving?tobeee said:
Could you put the tank inside the car on the 'parcel shelf'? Can't be much more dangerous there than behind a sliver of fibreglass in the boot. You could have one made for a perfect fit, and coat it in carpet so that it looked like a slightly higher than normal parcel shelf.
I don't think getting custom LPG tanks made up is as easy as a regular fuel tanks.In fact if anyone knows where you CAN get an LPG tank made I wouldn't mind knowing. When I looked into this recently for a conversion I didn't get anywhere with it.
Uncle Fester said:
Probably only practical if you had a new fuel tank constructed to allow the LPG tank to use some of the room currently taken by the petrol tank.
I was thinking the same thing, a long tubular tank where the existing petrol tank is .. then have an emergency "few gallon" custom petrol tank made up! The higher octane of the LPG should stop any pinking problems too! A 5 litre TVR doing the equivalent of 40-45mpg on a cost basis .. and road tax at £185 compared to all the poor sods with slightly thirsty post 2001 cars who will be paying £400+ for road tax ..
As for the LPG bomb in the back .. I expect the LPG tank will have a much better chance of surviving a crash intact than the petrol tank will ..
Hello all,
I've been on Holiday, and as any TVR enthusiast would, I've been day dreaming about TVR things. One of which is this topic.
Having mulled it around in my head I think the best solution would be to remove the thin glassfibe wall where the speakers are mounted and fit 1 20-30l LPG cylender sideways. This would sit above the fuel tank (at parcel shelf height) and require no modification to the existing fuel system. You could then make up a new bulkhead that would cover the tank, carpet it, and mount your speakers to it. I take on board the point about needing to fill it up all the time, but if you think about the typicial weekend driving that most people do, they only normaly cover 100miles. What this dual fuel system woud allow you to do is run on LPG for as long as possible. If you run out you can simple switch yopur fuel supply, at the flick of a button, to petrol. The added benefit being that you will increace your distance between fill ups! This tank location also has no impact on storage of the targa panel, spare tyre storage etc......
I am tempted to try and do this and use my car as a test mule. I have a friend who is trained in LPG conversions. Would anyone be interested in this conversion if it was done professionaly and without compromise to normal TVR ownership pleasures?
Martin
I've been on Holiday, and as any TVR enthusiast would, I've been day dreaming about TVR things. One of which is this topic.
Having mulled it around in my head I think the best solution would be to remove the thin glassfibe wall where the speakers are mounted and fit 1 20-30l LPG cylender sideways. This would sit above the fuel tank (at parcel shelf height) and require no modification to the existing fuel system. You could then make up a new bulkhead that would cover the tank, carpet it, and mount your speakers to it. I take on board the point about needing to fill it up all the time, but if you think about the typicial weekend driving that most people do, they only normaly cover 100miles. What this dual fuel system woud allow you to do is run on LPG for as long as possible. If you run out you can simple switch yopur fuel supply, at the flick of a button, to petrol. The added benefit being that you will increace your distance between fill ups! This tank location also has no impact on storage of the targa panel, spare tyre storage etc......
I am tempted to try and do this and use my car as a test mule. I have a friend who is trained in LPG conversions. Would anyone be interested in this conversion if it was done professionaly and without compromise to normal TVR ownership pleasures?
Martin
I think you would find a 20-30 litre tank way too small as it is not possible to totally fill it with gas. My Grand Cherokee has a 120 litre tank and only takes around 100 litres from empty. Assuming the same ratio, your 20-30 litre tank would only take 17-25 litres. My Grand Cherokee and Chim do about the same MPG and 100 litres of LPG only gives a range of about 300 miles in the Jeep. This could mean your range in a Chim is only about 50-75 miles with a 20-30 litre tank! I think you would really need one about twice this size. No idea where to put it though!
944gav said:
I think you would find a 20-30 litre tank way too small as it is not possible to totally fill it with gas. My Grand Cherokee has a 120 litre tank and only takes around 100 litres from empty. Assuming the same ratio, your 20-30 litre tank would only take 17-25 litres. My Grand Cherokee and Chim do about the same MPG and 100 litres of LPG only gives a range of about 300 miles in the Jeep. This could mean your range in a Chim is only about 50-75 miles with a 20-30 litre tank! I think you would really need one about twice this size. No idea where to put it though!
Interesting stuff. I'm surprised that they can advertise a tank as 120l and it can only store 100l! It may well be due to compression of liquid/gasses?? Is there someone on PH who works with LPG and can set the record straight??Re: According to your comsumption figures above, your Chim is running at 13.6MPG! This is very low. Either you have an engine problem or you realy enjoy yourself;)
From my calculations, taking into consideration the records I have kept of my consumption (TVR Chim 4.3) my average goes between 22mpg to 30mpg. Using an online MPG calculator, I have worked out that 25litres of LPG should give you 120-130miles of TVR entertainment (running at 23.6MPG). OK its not the kind of distance you get out of the 60Litre petrol tank, but it is still there, and as I said, for normal TVR driving this should be plenty of range.
Going by what a few people I know who are running various cars it would seem that the fuel consumption on gas is worse by 5/10%. Power is also down but not by much, compensated for by the fact they run smoother for some reason.
The only problem is the tank, it's all very well saying that every little helps(copyright Tesco) but you also have to consider the fact you cannot fill up anywhere you want and this will become a chore. IMO an LPG tank with a capacity of less than 70lt isn't worth having. The amount that will fit into the tank changes with the ambient temperature. A complete kit can be had for about £600 if bought the right way.
If I could think of a sensible way of fitting the tank into the Chim I would have done this a long time ago - but I can't.
The only problem is the tank, it's all very well saying that every little helps(copyright Tesco) but you also have to consider the fact you cannot fill up anywhere you want and this will become a chore. IMO an LPG tank with a capacity of less than 70lt isn't worth having. The amount that will fit into the tank changes with the ambient temperature. A complete kit can be had for about £600 if bought the right way.
If I could think of a sensible way of fitting the tank into the Chim I would have done this a long time ago - but I can't.
I'll work on it and see if I can convience the non believers!!Gassing Station | Chimaera | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff