TVR on Autogas?
Discussion
Hello again.
Still looking for my perfect Chimaera, but in the mean time, has anyone ever had a TVR fitted up for dualfuel?
i.e Autogas.
Over the last 10 years I have had 4 vehicles on dualfuel, 3 Range Rovers (Rover V8 3.9, 4.0, 4.6) and a Mitsubishi VR4 ( V6 twin turbo ) with great results. The latest systems use ECU controlled injection front ends and therefore there is very little power loss over petrol, but the fuel costs are vastly different (57p per litre average).
If you are only using the car on fine days and weekends it would not be cost effective because of the conversion costs (£1800 average), but if used daily the costs are recovered over a fairly short time given the cost of petrol.
It would appear the boot space on the Chimaera would allow a reasonable size gas tank to be installed and still leave room for golf clubs or small weekend bags.
Please don't hang me for suggesting such a thing, just curious if it has been done.
Still looking for my perfect Chimaera, but in the mean time, has anyone ever had a TVR fitted up for dualfuel?
i.e Autogas.
Over the last 10 years I have had 4 vehicles on dualfuel, 3 Range Rovers (Rover V8 3.9, 4.0, 4.6) and a Mitsubishi VR4 ( V6 twin turbo ) with great results. The latest systems use ECU controlled injection front ends and therefore there is very little power loss over petrol, but the fuel costs are vastly different (57p per litre average).
If you are only using the car on fine days and weekends it would not be cost effective because of the conversion costs (£1800 average), but if used daily the costs are recovered over a fairly short time given the cost of petrol.
It would appear the boot space on the Chimaera would allow a reasonable size gas tank to be installed and still leave room for golf clubs or small weekend bags.
Please don't hang me for suggesting such a thing, just curious if it has been done.
TVRTC said:
I would have thought there would still be room for the roof panel to slide between the gas tank and the petrol tank and sit in it's normal position, but then again I don't have one yet so what do I know?
It's not so much the space the roof takes up when in - more the space it takes to get the roof in. It needs to be twisted using most of the boot space.This has been discussed on here before. I thought part of the problem with this concept is that the chassis finishes under the fuel tank, so anything behind that is effectivly in a crumple zone. Surely the best option would be for a tank on the rear parcel shelf, with a good carpet trim job done around it.
Never seen one though!
Never seen one though!
anythings possible (well almost anything)
one way to do it would be to rip out the fuel tank and replace with a big custom lpg tank - and then get a small (and you wouldnt need more than 2 or 3 gallons imo) petrol tank.
then run it solely on lpg except for starting the car and/or emergencies.
one way to do it would be to rip out the fuel tank and replace with a big custom lpg tank - and then get a small (and you wouldnt need more than 2 or 3 gallons imo) petrol tank.
then run it solely on lpg except for starting the car and/or emergencies.
Hi Guys,
I would think the main problem would be the extra weight the tank and gas would add to the car. And the handling problems it would cause.
If you fit it in the boot you would have to redesign the rear chassis to hold the extra tank, and, as has already been said it is a crumple zone so any rear end protection that you may have had would be considerably reduced.
The idea in principle is good but I think the cost and extent of the mods required to make it safe would be prohibitive.
Cheers Roy
I would think the main problem would be the extra weight the tank and gas would add to the car. And the handling problems it would cause.
If you fit it in the boot you would have to redesign the rear chassis to hold the extra tank, and, as has already been said it is a crumple zone so any rear end protection that you may have had would be considerably reduced.
The idea in principle is good but I think the cost and extent of the mods required to make it safe would be prohibitive.
Cheers Roy
Having just purchased a Chimaera, and like you TVRTC, have run several cars in the past on LPG, have it in mind to make the conversion on the Chim - if space can be found to mount the tank. I have never had a Rover V8 before, but anyone who runs LPG knows that it is an ideal candidate for an LPG conversion.
My thoughts so far have mainly been covered in this thread, but to recap, the main options seem:
1. Fit tank at rear end of boot
2. Fit tank on parcel shelf (and box, and re-trim to match interior)
3. Replace petrol tank and have just LPG tank in place
4. Cut down size of existing petrol tank, and install toroidal tank next to it
5. Fit a big tank in the boot, and accept that you will never be able to stow the roof in.
I wouldn't want loose the capability of stowing the roof, and...
(Am new to posting on these forums so don't know how to quote)
Yippee identified the biggest problem with just adding a tank in the boot:
Don't know It's not so much the space the roof takes up when in - more the space it takes to get the roof in. It needs to be twisted using most of the boot space.
That is exactly right, and while you can look in the boot of a Chimaera and think it is huge, with loads of room for an LPG tank, it's the angle that the roof panel has to slide in at that makes it's fixed usable space a problem.
I have made a few enquiries, and have found a supplier that stocks oval section tanks that if mounted with the flat side vertical, just may allow enough room for the roof panel to be slid in. But then there are the problems with securing it, as already mentioned with the chassis problem - plus it would become the fist thing to absorb any rear end impact!
Other potential tanks could be the Range Rover sill tanks, which are about 200 - 240mm diameter. Two of these may fit up against the back?
I haven't been able to get a good look under the car yet, but hope to this weekend, and I have arranged to go to one of the tank stockists to size up some tanks, as I see a mock up as being essential to ensure you can still stow the roof.
If it turns out not to be possible to get a tank and the roof into the boot. I would consider doing away with the petrol tank altogether, and just running purely on LPG, which I believe is possible. i.e. you can start on LPG, not petrol. Problem is starting can be difficult in sub zero conditions, and obviously the danger of being left stranded without fuel and no easy way of filling the gas tank.
I will update, once I have sized up some tank options, and otherwise, TVRTC, maybe you should consider a Cerbera instead, as it's the Chimaera's roof that seems the biggest downfall with what should be an easy and potentially very beneficial LPG install.
My thoughts so far have mainly been covered in this thread, but to recap, the main options seem:
1. Fit tank at rear end of boot
2. Fit tank on parcel shelf (and box, and re-trim to match interior)
3. Replace petrol tank and have just LPG tank in place
4. Cut down size of existing petrol tank, and install toroidal tank next to it
5. Fit a big tank in the boot, and accept that you will never be able to stow the roof in.
I wouldn't want loose the capability of stowing the roof, and...
(Am new to posting on these forums so don't know how to quote)
Yippee identified the biggest problem with just adding a tank in the boot:
Don't know It's not so much the space the roof takes up when in - more the space it takes to get the roof in. It needs to be twisted using most of the boot space.
That is exactly right, and while you can look in the boot of a Chimaera and think it is huge, with loads of room for an LPG tank, it's the angle that the roof panel has to slide in at that makes it's fixed usable space a problem.
I have made a few enquiries, and have found a supplier that stocks oval section tanks that if mounted with the flat side vertical, just may allow enough room for the roof panel to be slid in. But then there are the problems with securing it, as already mentioned with the chassis problem - plus it would become the fist thing to absorb any rear end impact!
Other potential tanks could be the Range Rover sill tanks, which are about 200 - 240mm diameter. Two of these may fit up against the back?
I haven't been able to get a good look under the car yet, but hope to this weekend, and I have arranged to go to one of the tank stockists to size up some tanks, as I see a mock up as being essential to ensure you can still stow the roof.
If it turns out not to be possible to get a tank and the roof into the boot. I would consider doing away with the petrol tank altogether, and just running purely on LPG, which I believe is possible. i.e. you can start on LPG, not petrol. Problem is starting can be difficult in sub zero conditions, and obviously the danger of being left stranded without fuel and no easy way of filling the gas tank.
I will update, once I have sized up some tank options, and otherwise, TVRTC, maybe you should consider a Cerbera instead, as it's the Chimaera's roof that seems the biggest downfall with what should be an easy and potentially very beneficial LPG install.
A friend of mine runs an LPG Volvo and from what he tells me, when running on LPG the cars cooling system is put under a lot of strain especially in traffic. Absolutely no problems when running on petrol but switch to LPG and sit in traffic and the car starts to get upset with warning lights popping on and the like. I would have thought that any extra heat in a TVR is going to be a headache.
LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
450Nick said:
A friend of mine runs an LPG Volvo and from what he tells me, when running on LPG the cars cooling system is put under a lot of strain especially in traffic. Absolutely no problems when running on petrol but switch to LPG and sit in traffic and the car starts to get upset with warning lights popping on and the like. I would have thought that any extra heat in a TVR is going to be a headache.
LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
I know several people running LPG converted cars and none have heat related issues. They all seem to idle smoother for some reason but are marginally down on power. Maybe there is something wrong with the installation on your friend's car?LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
Why is LPG is a silly idea? If you can find a way of cutting down your fuel bills that takes away the main downside of running a large engined car in one move. If you then consider that 70% odd of what goes in your tank goes to Gordon Brown for him to pi55 away it makes even more sense to me.
Can't see it working out on this application though simply because of the roof storage - shame.
I do know of someone who lives on mersea island near Colchester who has got his chim LPG'd. He has found a way to get the roof in, I'm not sure if it involves one of the split roof patterns which are popping up increasingly recently.
Personally I can't see the problem with LPG, if it allows a couple more tweaks along the way!
Dom
Personally I can't see the problem with LPG, if it allows a couple more tweaks along the way!
Dom
Ribol said:
Teetertank said:
I have made a few enquiries, and have found a supplier that stocks oval section tanks that if mounted with the flat side vertical,..............
I thought you couldn't mount them that way up, same for toroidal(sp?), are you sure that is possible? 450Nick said:
A friend of mine runs an LPG Volvo and from what he tells me, when running on LPG the cars cooling system is put under a lot of strain especially in traffic. Absolutely no problems when running on petrol but switch to LPG and sit in traffic and the car starts to get upset with warning lights popping on and the like. I would have thought that any extra heat in a TVR is going to be a headache.
LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
I would have thought that having LPG would help the cooling system stay cooler, as opposed to putting extra strain on it, as the cooling pipes are diverted to warm up the vaporiser which would otherwise freeze from the effect of the evaporation of gas. So I would expect coolant temperature to be reduced a little if anything. Would be like running the coolant system through a chiller.LPG is surely a silly idea for a TVR though, if you're worried about the price of fuel then buying a 4+ litre V8 sports car is probably a bad idea!
I was fully aware of what I was getting into purchasing a car with a big engine returning low mpg, but with the amount of fuel they use and the rapidly increasing prices, running on LPG would encourage me to get more use from the car, and would tempt me into taking her on long tours of Europe, where LPG filling stations are in abundance. As, to me anyway, halving (approximately) your fuel bill, could make the difference between a driving holiday being worth it or not.
Do a split roof conversion there's fair few griff's having already taken this route as the roof / boot interface is difficult on the griff. do a search on here
Guys I spoke to at the growl went from stripping all the fabric off and making intersecting pices etc to just running a bandsaw down the middle, filling the interskin gap with P38 and adding a compression seal.
I'm planning to tackle mine at some point and I won't be removing fabric
Matt
Guys I spoke to at the growl went from stripping all the fabric off and making intersecting pices etc to just running a bandsaw down the middle, filling the interskin gap with P38 and adding a compression seal.
I'm planning to tackle mine at some point and I won't be removing fabric
Matt
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