LPG....not again...lol

[craigmackem]

Noticed a few threads on this topic and different things getting said. just had mine done got it back friday gone, so i got first hand experience, if i can help out i will. pics available and any information i can supply i will be pleased to provide. 172 sport 02 plate.

 

[ronnie1]

How does it feel compared to what it was?

(5-1....haway the toon)

 

[integraleSte]

I've also thought about LPG'ing my 172. I know it's sacraledge but it would make a 90 mile a day commute more bearable. I am getting about 43mpg out of mine so it's not too bad but it's only being able to do 4 days on a tank which is annoying.

How big is the tank you have and what type is it?

Was the total conversion expensive?

 

[Cookson]

buy a diesel

 

[craigmackem]

the diesel thing got mentioned b4. but i work for an LPG company who kindly give me an interest free loan to pay back at 42 pound a month. so diesel was not an option for me. also the gas is cost price to me. 48p a litre. again diesel is not an option when i can have the power of a petrol for these running costs....diesel. not a chance...

 

[craigmackem]

answer to the question about the tank. i only know what i have been told by the installers. the biggest tank that fits in a clio sport mine is the 02 shape. is 38 litres. bear in mind that 38 litres only accepts 80 percent of that figure due to expansion in the hotter months the valve is set to close as 80 percent fill. as for what type. do u mean the type of tank or system. the tank is the one reffered to as a doughnut tank. spare wheel well type. its the multipoint fuel injection version 1521 pound fitted. 5 days fitting. as for your 4 days on a tank. 90 mile commute. well its like a 29 litre tank effectivly. i also commute 78 mile a day and filled it when i left work tonight will fill agen when i leave work tomorow night only to see exactly what my commuting costs are. as for your 4 days on a tank at a guess u will get 2 days you would not make your third day. it will not do 270 mile on a tank of gas. i could be wrong as this is a newly installed system and its my first day back at work. hope this helps. any further questions please ask. i will tell the truth, i dont need to justify my conversion as previously said i work for a lpg company so the benefits to me are never ending. thanx

 

[ronnie1]

How does it feel then Craig - same as before, more punchy or a bit duller?

 

[craigmackem]

2 your question. its slower. without a doubt slower. not much but a little slower. its quieter, dont understand why but its definately quieter. thats the first thing i noticed. its also smoother, quite a bit smoother, the power loss seems to be in the mid range between 2000 and 3500 rpm, not much but its slower in that range, after that its alive like it used to be, this could be due to the fact that i read somewhere that if you change to say v power the ecu takes 2 full tanks to adjust to the new actane rating, so i will know more by the end of this week and report back. there is a certain marker we use where i live to test our cars to see who,s is the fastest, by this marker on petrol it would reach 96mph, tested on gas it reached 93mph, will test it in the week to see if the ecu thing i read is a load of rubbish or fact cos its something i read on here thats all...thanx craig.

 

[craigmackem]

must have been typin then ronnie, typical drivin you dont notice, on the A19 in 5th you just cant tell. its when you take off from lights in 1st and 2nd its lacking in that range i mentioned, 3rd seems ok and 4th the same, but i mentioned the marker we race to and its lost 3mph to the marker, 93 as opposed to 96mph

 

[ronnie1]

Thanks Craig. My only experience with gas is in the brother in laws jeep. Thats got a big hemmie engine and on gas its so much more potent than on regular petrol, way more aggressive but that may just be a feature of that engine I guess

 

[craigmackem]

aye ronnie...the results are not as good as the geordie result...lmao....

 

[craigmackem]

yeah every brand of car is different so i hear. its much much more economical. by a long way. hopefully the thing i read on ecu learning was true. i also realised tonight that on a 70 mile A19 trip when i first got it back it was averaging 37 to the trip computer. that was friday, today it read 40.1 same trip on the A19, fingers crossed the ecu learning curve is true and it will return to its former glory...

 

[Goodj]

How much for LPG'ing a 197? I guess about the same?

 

[craigmackem]

a can ask for ya m8....this is apparently the latest model of the conversion so i imagine its the same price....i have to take it for the free 1000 mile service on saturday so i will ask the question....yes i do 1000 mile a week before any1 asks....

 

[craigmackem]

i filled up yesterday on leaving work on their forecourt...done my usual commute..this was 63 mile exactly...filled up when i left work tonight just to see how much it had used on a typical day....65 mile of A19 driving between 60 and 70 mph all the way...these figures are pleasing...but bear in mind that i get staff price gas at 48p a litre..so please add 20 percent to the cost to get true figures....it used £3.90p..shocking....add 20 percent...so this would equal 63 mile to £4.68p from a local garage at 60p a litre....sounds too good to be true but please note it was all A19 driving at 60-70 mph...chillin all the way...

 

[craigmackem]

also the mid range torque i previously mentioned seems to be coming back....im noticing the car is returning to what it was before...there must be a learning curve of somesort or the car is getting used to the fuel some other way...maybe sum1 can clear this up cos im guessing.... happy motoring ppl.....

 

[Struggler]

what garages sell the feul??

i dont know of any in my area that sell the stuff

 

[craigmackem]

i have no idea where u live...but this topic was to clear up all the speculation about figures that i seen gettin thrown around on here...i work for an LPG company but i looked around where i live in durham and there is loads..i found 4 in the first day within 10 mile of my house...all in different directions...maybe im lucky also i just fill up at work...so its no problem..this is simply to produce true figures and facts to point out the pro,s and con,s to any1 who is thinking of converting....ppl who have stations nearby and who travel a lot of miles, things like that...any way of saving money on motoring should be welcomed by every1 because the way petrol is going is just alarming......am not tryin to convince every1...im just tryin to help every1....nothing more than that.....

 

[craigmackem]

if its southend u live then try this
http://www.getlpg.org.uk/stations/essex

 

[Hutchie]

hello, i fit lpg systems for a living an i have my boddies 1.6 on lpg, you should not feel any performance difference at all.
im not trying to big myself up but if its tuned correctly it should be spot on.
we also run a 172 rally car on lpg.
i also think you paid a little bit much really.
www.autogasuk.ws
contact us for a personalised quote


hutchie

 

[Struggler]

this would majourly put me off going for this,

based on that map it would be a complete ball ache to do,
id have to plan my trips around filling up my car as its a 45minute round trip through roads that are a nightmare at peak times,
and to a petrol station thats only open till 8

how much are you saving per litre of feul can i ask?? or have you not worked it out yet?

sorry just had a look,
you say its 60p a litre,
compared to the usual 115p a litre,
and the ecconomy is staying the same?? miles per gallon of feul time??
its time for some late night maths lol

 

[Struggler]

it will start saving you money around the 30k miles point,
if my caluclations are correct, which theyre probs not!

which to me is 7.5 years,

not really worth it in my case, but i can how its appealing,

btw, that is assuming the above prices,
and that both cars can achieve 43mpg,
its a rough calculation!

 

[craigmackem]

hi. yesterday i mentioned the power was returning. i spoke to a lpg guy today. (i work with this stuff so finfing a guy is easy) he said there is a diaphram fitted somewhere which when new is stiff and will soften up over the first thousand miles or so. as this is getting better by the day this seems logical. he said its like a running in period...this guy was nothing to do with the conversion so had no need to lie. i will check the car against my marker tonight...

 

[craigmackem]

hi hutchie. good to speak to sum1 who knows bout these things. cos i am new to this. i have a few questions i would like to ask u please. can the car be mapped or chipped still as i notice a new ecu appeared. also can it be modded. air filter zorst ond other things now its on lpg...many thanx...

 

[craigmackem]

hi clio 172....ol...not sure bout your maths m8...i worked it out at 7 and a half months...at 1000 mile a week...so actually u might be right...lol..it seems if u do lots of miles it pays for itself quickly...if u dont do many miles its totally not worth it in the slightest.....thats how i see it...it depends on things like that...perks for me as i never forked out a penny for the conversion.. and staff price gas....i am tryin to tell ppl the true figures...in ur case it wud totally not be worth it as it seems u dont do very many miles....! stick with the petrol m8...

 

[f0xy]

I have LPG on an E30 touring, but I didnt pay for the system as I bought the car with it already on. The price of the car was a 1/3 of what the system was, so it was a no brainer really. I found some receipts where the previous owner had been filling up for 53p a litre from a gas supplier, compared to 62p a litre that I have been paying on the forecourt

I cant really say if I feel the difference to petrol as its a heavy car and I just drive slow in it to be honest. Last tank was 37.5 litres to fill it and got about 350 miles before it returned to petrol, so 40-42mpg, but its half the price so realistically a lot more MPG cost wise... decent for lots of mileage anyways!

 

[craigmackem]

hi clio 172 reference to your question...the saving on fuel is just awesome...but i can see y ppl are reluctant cos of the initial cost...i probably wuddn have handed my own money over for this mod....the trip computer it stayin the same...at first i thought it was better but its only the same...ppl say u lose 10 percent on economy...its a bit early to tell really m8...but i wil monitor this....its basically half the cost at a forecourt....less for me with the staff price....so if u use £50 a week its gunna be £25......£100 will be £50 and so on.....but bear in mind its a small tank........