LPG

[Bodie]

Not sure what to do I love my Octavia vRS but the price of fuel and the not so good MPG im having to put my sensible head on. Its either find a diesel motor (dont fancy an Octavia diesel as it would make me miss my baby to much) so would be looking at a Superb.

Or

Do I look at a LPG conversion? so is there anyone out there running LPG in a 1.8t? Whats it like, is there a noticable difference? did your RFL decrease due to emmisions . One thing that is putting me off is the LPG filler thingy slapped into the side of the motor.

So what do you knowledgable peeps think?

Cheers

Bodie

[lumac999]

Hi,

A while ago i had LPG on an Omega 2.6 (straight 6). Anyway, regarding the filler, it's possible to place it lower down possibly under the bumber at the back making it less noticeable. The tank: you have 2 choices. Normal tank (which can hold around 60-90 litres of gas) which sits in the boot or a 'doughnut' tank (hold around 45 litres and sits in the spare wheel recess. I had the doughnut as it saves on space.

I didn't notice any particular running difffernces although no matter what anyone says about consumption you WILL use 20% more gas than petrol but the cheaper cost makes it viable. The other thing is be sure to go for a DIRECT injection system where the gas is injected directly to the cylinders as other sytems will create a gas build up and possibly back fire. I had this happen in Germany at 2 in the morning once with possbly seroiusly consequneces.

If I could also mention something else. You can not start on gas. You must run petrol first to warm the engine up and only then swich over to gas. Many modern styehms do this automatically but you can also get manual switch sytems too.

BTW i think nealy all gas systems are Italian - don't know why exactly but they are.

[Oet]

karlbak has lpg on his 1.8t, maybe pm him if he doesnt see this post.

[Oet]

lpg or gpl as its know in italy is used all over, was thinking of getting my old audi converted there, they also use methane as an alternative fuel.

I have lpg on my house as there is no town gas....

[karlbar2k]

LPG ROCKS !!!!!!!! I have had a couple of cars on LPG and have covered over 120000miles on gas, did 46K in one year in a Toyota Previa and the Octy has covered just shy of 40K over 2 years and no issues. Best advise though is make sure you are happy with the fitter before you go ahead. I used a guy in Cardiff that stopped doing conversions for a while as the kit quality and supply issues were causing him problems. He started doing them again as a lot of the newer kits are completely trouble free. I have not had to see him about any issues in the last two years! That is running on a 1.8T 4x4 which has been remapped as well since the LPG was fitted, the gas system automatically learns from the ECU so no issues when bits get changed. Even though he stopped doing conversions he was still the largest gas supplier in Cardiff so was still looking after any he had already converted.

The 4x4 has a full size spare and I believe the VRS is the same, in that case you can get a donut tank (toroidal tank) that fits in the sparewheel well up to 60-70 litres depending on the valve type and position. On a vrs that should be good for 350-450 miles with an average right foot on the 4x4 I get 270-350 from a 50litre fill (60litre tank allowing for expansion 20%ish) depending on type of driving.

if you look at the cost of a typical system as £1500ish and factor in that a petrol version of car "A" is usually £1000-1500 cheaper than the diesel version of car "A" then you are saving from the get go. if you have to stump up to convert your existing car then factor the cost verses cost of diesel and higher annual mileage will recover outlay quicker. If you want to see the diff on gas and lpg I am in Bridgend South Wales

[red devil]

I'm running lpg on my vrs, average 30mpg (mixed) at about £2.50 a gallon

filler is cut into the bumper, isn't "in your face"

[sc0rpius]

Yes, done it on all my cars as the family business is LPG. We are: http://www.birminghamautogas.co.uk/

LPGA Approved, 5 years of conversions biggest in the Midlands and one of the biggest in England.

On my VRS I get 30-35 miles on petrol, 75-80 on LPG.

Definately worth it, make sure you get a multipoint sequential conversion and it should cost around £1000-1300 max.

[snow_muncher]

... make sure you get a multipoint sequential conversion and it should cost around £1000-1300 max.

It would have to be multipoint, and older systems won't work, and could be dangerous.

Older systems, as I have fitted to my T25 2.1 Tranporter, are very crude. They pipe the gas into the air-feed, and cut the fuel supply. Real pain in the back-side to tune correctly.

Whilst on the whole LPG is a good idea, there are some downsides to consider

LPG refilling stations - in some parts of the UK its hard to get hold of - is there one close to your commuting route ? - if you have drive out of your way to refill your car, defeats the purpose really.

LPG Servicing - again some parts of the UK, its hard to find. You will need to get the LPG system serviced at regular intervals - could be a pain if you've got to drive a distance to get it done.

Tank - You've got to put a big tank into the car.

If you're have/planning uprating engine power, will mean sending more basically. Tuning LPG engines is a bit of an art from what I found out, before giving upon the idea.

[Gonzaga]

I have also LPG in my vrs, trouble free over 3 years now. It is LandiRenzo Omegas system (multipoint injection system).

1L of LPG cost in my country around 58 cents (euro) and 1L of gas is around 1.2 euro. Car uses around 20% more LPG per km than with gas.

http://www.landi.it/layout.jsp?idz=60173&idtp=165〈=3&idprodotto=6

Best regards

Edited 23 September, 2010 by Gonzaga

[jdo]

Just wanted to say thanks to Bodie for raising this topic and for all the replies - I've been wondering whether lpg is feasible in the vRS and this helps a lot.

[Raf_]

Anyone have an idea of the cost of a decent LPG system? I'm lucky there seems to be a number of sites

around me for LPG

[sc0rpius]

Anything from £1000-1500. Look for a 2 year parts & labour warranty, multipoint sequential kit and get a torpedo shaped tank in the boot so you can keep your spare tyre.

I have a 80L tank, max I get in there is 75L.

Also make sure the kit they install is powerful enough to handle your VRS.

[karlbar2k]

I have an E-Gas system and the vaporiser is rated to 210Kw so I got a bit more modding to do yet Tuning is all automatic as the Gas system learns from the ECU. So if I get the map changed the gas system adapts acordingly. The only issue I do get occasionally is when the tank is in the last 1/4 if I redline it I do sometimes get fuel cut, basically it is forced to switch back to petrol as it can not keep up the pressure with the engine turning at 7000RPM

[sc0rpius]

Yeah, e-gas we used to do alot of them!

[SnailUK]

Is it really worth putting LPG in a mk1?

In general, they will be getting towards the end of their life, and it takes a good 15k miles before you start to profit from it. LPG wont make a huge difference to resale either.

If i was buying a newer petrol car <5 years old, <50k miles, i'd consider LPG in a heatbeat

[karlbar2k]

a well looked after 1.8T engine is capable of serious mileage so I am not sure that a mk1 is "end of life" thats like saying don't but a mk1 golf cos its old? As long as parts are available any car can be kept going, when the parts are not available thats when its time to get creative

I agree if you already own the car it is expensive as you have to shell out £1000-1500 but if you look at buying a petrol vs diesel there is usually a big price difference which you offset against the LPG install then it is more realistic and you are saving from the get go.

Edited 24 September, 2010 by karlbar2k