If LPG is so good..
- Thread starter miniyazz
- Start date
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
I saw this a few days ago and was also wondering if LPG was any good.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...1501/onesearchad/used,nearlynew,new?logcode=p
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...1501/onesearchad/used,nearlynew,new?logcode=p
It's honestly not that good..
Put it on a large scale like diesel numbers and it will cause complete havoc.
Soldato
- Joined
- 27 Mar 2013
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- 9,446
Surely you loose loads of boot space?
Limited refilling infrastructure, loss of boot space, limited range, increased complexity, reduced performance. Will completely vanish when all the 20 MPG petrol cars die; their replacements are not so inefficient. At least diesels only suffer from a bit of complexity and rough running to get good economy.
It is largely due to demand. the idea that its just not that good is false, it has huge benefits.
When some one buys a new car they typically wont be interested in paying several thousand pounds on top for a duel fuel system. Most people will only keep the car for 2-3 year and in that time it is unlikely that they will make a significant saving to justify the upfront cost unless they plan to do huge mileage. Also most people spending money on a brand new vehicle are either not that hard up, or are already stretching their budget.
In many other countries duel fuel is much more popular. in Brazil for example there is a huge percentage of cars that run on natural gas or alcohol. They are also quite popular in parts of eastern Europe from experience.
Another factor is that you only really enjoy the benefits of LPG if you are doing the mileage to warrant it. If you are only doing a few thousand a year you are only going to save a few hundred pounds and given the addition maintenance and the chance for complex components that could fail it would be a waste of time.
People often view them as problem cars second hand so they carry little additional value. Despite the fact that in most cases you could run them on straight petrol anyway. A large amount of the installs are done on the cheap which can cause problems and there are few mechanics out there that are familiar with dealing with them (trust me!). Having said that the technology is now at a point where you don't have to spend a fortune to have a reliable LPG kit.
Basically if you are doing a lot of miles or plan to keep the car a significant amount of time LPG is a great option. You will keep the benefits of a powerful petrol with a significantly reduced fuel bill.
When some one buys a new car they typically wont be interested in paying several thousand pounds on top for a duel fuel system. Most people will only keep the car for 2-3 year and in that time it is unlikely that they will make a significant saving to justify the upfront cost unless they plan to do huge mileage. Also most people spending money on a brand new vehicle are either not that hard up, or are already stretching their budget.
In many other countries duel fuel is much more popular. in Brazil for example there is a huge percentage of cars that run on natural gas or alcohol. They are also quite popular in parts of eastern Europe from experience.
Another factor is that you only really enjoy the benefits of LPG if you are doing the mileage to warrant it. If you are only doing a few thousand a year you are only going to save a few hundred pounds and given the addition maintenance and the chance for complex components that could fail it would be a waste of time.
People often view them as problem cars second hand so they carry little additional value. Despite the fact that in most cases you could run them on straight petrol anyway. A large amount of the installs are done on the cheap which can cause problems and there are few mechanics out there that are familiar with dealing with them (trust me!). Having said that the technology is now at a point where you don't have to spend a fortune to have a reliable LPG kit.
Basically if you are doing a lot of miles or plan to keep the car a significant amount of time LPG is a great option. You will keep the benefits of a powerful petrol with a significantly reduced fuel bill.
Caporegime
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- 11 Mar 2005
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- Leafy Cheshire
I think the people criticising it are either people who've never actually used it, or people who've seen cars with poorly installed kits and assume that it's the norm for LPG.
A high quality kit installed by a professional should not give you any problems. My dad's got a Jeep with the 5.7 Hemi engine which was converted at 10k miles, and is still running perfectly on LPG at 70k. He averages 17MPG on LPG, which gives him an equivalent 30MPG, as LPG costs 60-70ppl here. In Europe, it can be as low as 40/50ppl which is very useful on road trips.
The main issue surrounding LPG is simply that it's a cost saving measure, and is favoured by the kind of people who like to save money. Which means that they skimp on the kits, installation and maintenance, which leads to problems just as it would with any type of car. Get a car owned by the right kind of person, or pay for a good conversion yourself, and you'll be fine.
A high quality kit installed by a professional should not give you any problems. My dad's got a Jeep with the 5.7 Hemi engine which was converted at 10k miles, and is still running perfectly on LPG at 70k. He averages 17MPG on LPG, which gives him an equivalent 30MPG, as LPG costs 60-70ppl here. In Europe, it can be as low as 40/50ppl which is very useful on road trips.
The main issue surrounding LPG is simply that it's a cost saving measure, and is favoured by the kind of people who like to save money. Which means that they skimp on the kits, installation and maintenance, which leads to problems just as it would with any type of car. Get a car owned by the right kind of person, or pay for a good conversion yourself, and you'll be fine.