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LPG: When will people learn! (???)

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Old Jan 7th, 2019, 11:48   #31
XC90Mk1
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mentepazza View Post
Because you don’t know how it works. It S safer than running petrol.
Except...

You still have petrol (I would image less than 5% if installs remove the tank and have a split lpg/petrol tank) so your point makes no sense what so ever in those situations.

For the 95% covered the lpg tank goes in the spare whee well (crumple zone), boot (crumple zone) or under the side of the car (maybe not crumple zone but 4 inches from edge).

So no, clearly it’s not safer is it?

:-)
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Old Jan 7th, 2019, 20:44   #32
mentepazza
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In a car accident it has been proved (Holland independent test TNO) lpg car are safer than petrol cars.
The tank makes the structure more resistant not the other way round.
Also the tank has at least 3 safety valves.
There is nothing to discuss about safety.
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Old Jan 7th, 2019, 20:56   #33
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Originally Posted by mentepazza View Post
In a car accident it has been proved (Holland independent test TNO) lpg car are safer than petrol cars.
The tank makes the structure more resistant not the other way round.
Also the tank has at least 3 safety valves.
There is nothing to discuss about safety.
Right,

So my petrol car for example with 60l of petrol remains equipped with 60l of petrol AND 40l of lpg.

Somehow taking the same vehicle with the same amount of petrol it’s safer when you add lpg?


I am sure you can understand my confusion.
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Old Jan 10th, 2019, 13:27   #34
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I'm just going to join the safety debate as it's a popular "discussion" with my dad....

The LPG tanks are very strong pressure vessels so are significantly less likely to rupture in a crash than a plastic petrol tank.

However if there was to be a major leak, LPG will immediately vaporise and disperse, unlike petrol which will spill and linger. But you do not want to be within a hundred yards of it if it does burst or snap a connector off.... however unlikely that might be.

So whilst logic says a car in a crash carrying 60L of petrol and 30L of LPG is going to be less safe than just 60L of petrol, but I think the probability of there being an issue like that is very low.

Interesting watch :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG4JwbK3-q0
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Old Jan 13th, 2019, 23:18   #35
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Originally Posted by Tannaton View Post
I'm just going to join the safety debate as it's a popular "discussion" with my dad....

The LPG tanks are very strong pressure vessels so are significantly less likely to rupture in a crash than a plastic petrol tank.

However if there was to be a major leak, LPG will immediately vaporise and disperse, unlike petrol which will spill and linger. But you do not want to be within a hundred yards of it if it does burst or snap a connector off.... however unlikely that might be.

So whilst logic says a car in a crash carrying 60L of petrol and 30L of LPG is going to be less safe than just 60L of petrol, but I think the probability of there being an issue like that is very low.

Interesting watch :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AG4JwbK3-q0
Or buy a diesel which will not readily combust in an accident, offers similar mpg, is available at all service stations and works.
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Old Jan 14th, 2019, 20:58   #36
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And makes lots of noise, clogs a DPF if used on short runs, pumps out black soot and has a lot of harmful small particles coming out of the exhaust.

Thats a real I'm fine thanks and two fingers up to the next generation attitude

Back to the fire aspect a VW I converted many years ago. A year or so I had a phone call from the owner saying the camper had caught fire. A petrol hose had started leaking causing it to catch on fire while parked. The LPG tank survived intact and the fire brigade who attended were impressed at how safely the LPG side burned. The LPG tank was still intact while the rest of the van had disapeared. The reason for the call is they had now purchased a replacement and wanted that converting. Also while we were there adding a fire exitnguisher system aimed mainly at all the petrol components just in case the same kind of thing should ever happen again. The safest thing would be to remove all the petrol system and run LPG only but regulary checked and any suspect items replaced at the first sign of problems petrol can be a fairly safe fuel. Whatever fuel you use there is always a risk
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Old Jan 21st, 2019, 23:42   #37
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Thought I would chime in and have a few questions too.
For past 14 years all of my cars have been LPG converted (volvo v40 2002reg, smart forfour 55reg, BMW 328 convertible Nreg and now BMW 330 convertible 02reg).
LPG has been great (the v40 was used all over Europe, where LPG could be had for 29cents).
Reliability has not been an issue, when I had the conversion done and has only been a problem when I bought the car already converted (poor conversions). The current BMW I had converted at 118k 5 years ago and about to hit 200k. There have been no issues with the car at all.
However, as much as I love the savings (220 miles for £25) I am getting very annoyed at the profiteering by big fuel companies. Non supermarket LPG is now 65-73 a litre but a big supermarket or gas suppliers sell it at 52-55p a.litre, so why am I being ripped off by at least £4 every fillup?
Secondly, all my cars have been "normal injection" so perfectly convertable to LPG. However, as I understand new cars are now all direct injection and the conversion is not easy nor is it cheap - am I right in this respect?
Finally, I found it rather difficult to find an LPG installer who knew what they are doing. I know that there are lots listed on the LPGA site, but in my experience this stands for nothing. I found that there are only about 10 companies/individuals in the UK that I would trust to fit a system.

All in all, LPG can work great, but you.do need to have a good system fitted by a trustworthy person/company.
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Old Jan 22nd, 2019, 19:05   #38
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The rip off prices is typical of shell and BP some have been so bad you are better off using a bit of petrol to get to the next LPG filling station. I have seen 10p variation from 2 filling stations opposite each other! One flowgas and the other BP.

A lot of petrol cars now are going direct injection. The injectors need to be cooled or will melt when running LPG. For these engines there are two ways to convert them. 1) still run some petrol through the petrol injector at the same time as the LPG. The downside of this is you are using about 20% petrol so conversion repay is longer.
2) run the LPG through the petrol injector. This means running liquid LPG and modification to the petrol system.

The big downside in both cases is they need manufacturers time and development to make the system work reliably. That means the kits are car/engine specific and cost more, install cost is also then higher.

There are still normal engines out there but the choice of simple to convert cars gets more limited the newer you go.
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Old Jan 28th, 2019, 22:04   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by XC90Mk1 View Post
OK, I will admit to being the poster of that comment....

Unfortunatly I can only say it as I find it and I maintain that close friends and others vehicles that I have been in have been very unreliable and that based on this I would not buy or consider a conversion.

Due to the nature of my work I purchase my vehicle privately and then charge 45P for the first 10,000 miles and 20P there after (I do 15-25K a year).

If I thought I could buy an LPG equipped car and run it whilst claiming 45P a mile I would do so this afternoon.

Based on experience however I don't feel I can.

To me LPG is a somewhat niche offering which is really applicable to those with the knowledge and ability to run them, a personal interest and ability to work from home or get paid if they break down.

For the average person who runs a 2012 model car onwards (as I do) and who is not interested in tinkering they are not really a reliable product based on what I have seen.

The EML on is now an MOT failure despite assurances from an LPG owner on here that its not.

My post above was regarding someone looking into converting a 2018 model T6 and I voiced my opinion that this is likely more complex and involved than they may think.

Its not for me, if you have been successful and have not had EML on etc then that's great, I am happy for you.
If I were in your position getting paid 45p and 20p a mile, i'd be running a gassed 940. It doesn't have a load of complex rubbish to go wrong. Super reliable and cheap to run!
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Old Jan 29th, 2019, 01:05   #40
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from what I gather you still have to run / start the car on petrol until it's warmed up or has these changed now?

So thoroughly pointless for short journeys + the cost of conversion makes it not worth it for me.
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