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        General >> Give/Need advice to/from others >> LPG tank size?
        
(Message started by: EinA on Mar 11^th, 2005, 2:28pm)

Title: LPG tank size?
Post by EinA on Mar 11^th, 2005, 2:28pm

Hi all,
I was thinking of changing my LPG tank to one that fits in the spare wheel well.
Anybody know the max size that fits in with no loss of boot space, height wise.

Thanks

David

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by scorpio_man on Mar 11^th, 2005, 2:37pm

hi there

not sure about the saloon, but i've got a 55lt (44 usable) in my estate. see my conversion (http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/lpg2_3.htm)
or you could try steve's idea svi (http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/svilpg.htm)

hth

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by EinA on Mar 11^th, 2005, 3:05pm

Was hoping for a bigger size than 55lt. It does seem Steve made one fit (no size mentioned). So hopfully slightly bigger

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by scorpio_man on Mar 11^th, 2005, 3:17pm

hi there

steve's is a 12 gallon tank (not sure what that is in litres). there's was a fair bit of work involved fitting that tank. you could raise the floor a bit as in steve s's single point conversion (http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/lpgconversion2.htm)

remember to take 20% off for expansion.

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by bobtheyop on Mar 11^th, 2005, 8:50pm

hello chaps,

i've got a doughnut tank in my spare wheel well which i've been told is a 75 litre tank.the most i've put in is just over 60 litres, which is about right because of the 80% thing.

if anybody is thinking of converting to LPG,I would fully recommend it .the savings are huge and performance is no different,as long as the system is tuned properly.

i was lucky that my car had already been converted,and i really only paid a couple of hundred quid for the car because of the price of what a conversion would cost.

because of the size of the tank there is a slight rise in the boot floor,but it's b****r all.also i do keep the spare in the boot,didn't want to rely on the foam filler in case of a blow out,

cheers,
bob. :D

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Highlander on Mar 11^th, 2005, 9:14pm

What kind of savings are you getting with LPG?

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Baz on Mar 11^th, 2005, 9:36pm

I believe it is something like an extra 45% or so extra per litre so quite a lot.....until the Chancellor cottons on and bangs up the duty like he did on diesel just as loads of people had bought diesels and all the major fleet manufacturers were churning them out. So after spending thousands on your conversion they catch you that way as well.

There is a 2.3 estate in a scrappy with a full lpg conversion and the doughnut tank as well if anyone is interested. Not sure if it will still be there but may be worth a call

Baz (The sceptic one!!)

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by bobtheyop on Mar 11^th, 2005, 10:08pm

hello highlander,

put it this way,down here in swansea unleaded is about
78.9,and that's being generous.
morrisons have now got a couple of local stores whose petrol stations sell lpg for 29.9!!!!!!!!!!
on a full tank of gas i'll do about 230 miles,and that will cost usually between 18 to19 quid!
not bad for a 2.9 v6 12v.

think about it people,
regards,

bob. ;D

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Baz on Mar 11^th, 2005, 10:58pm

It may well be cheap if you have bought your car already converted but to pay a few thousand pounds to have my car (which is worth at most £4000 ish) seems a bit false economy. Plus 2000 quid will get you a long way even in a Cosworth and is an awful lot of miles before an lpg conversion starts to save you money.

I mean where would be the logic in putting an lpg conversion on a scorpio which has done 100000 miles? The car may not last long enough to let it pay you back for the initial expense!

Baz

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by scorpio_man on Mar 11^th, 2005, 11:08pm

hi there

pay back is about 12k miles per year. roughly £1000. less than 2 years and it's paid. quicker if you do more miles. the new systems now cost about £1600-£1800 fitted (inc VAT). diy at about £1000-£1200.

hth

btw they're fully mappable, if you know what i mean! ;D

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by admin on Mar 13^th, 2005, 7:39am

I guess the question is how long do you want to keep your Scorpio for?

If you see the Scorpio as just another car that get's you from A to B and when something serious goes wrong with it then it get's thrown away and you buy something else then it's not worthwhile changing to LPG as you would be better off banking the money waiting for the day you change car.

However if you are a Scorpio enthusiast who will keep the car on the road and you have spent the money and time looking after it (rust proofing, repairs and good maintenance etc) then the LPG conversion is a great idea.

I have spent so much on my Scorpio that I could have purchased a fairly new Focus or similar but I just love the car and expect to still have it in another 10 years or so with 200k+ on the clock - that's if I can ever get it back off my Father LOL - he's retired and the cost of LPG is probably the only way that he could afford to run such a big car.

Steve

Oh, the donut tank is 70 litres and if you modify the floor slightly then it should sit flush so that the boot floor remains flat. I think there are some new donuts with a filled in middle that add another 6-7 litres but just ask your local installer.

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Highlander on Mar 13^th, 2005, 11:14pm

and can you do the same distance on a litre of LPG that you can on a litre of unleaded? I mean is there any difference in performance/MPG between the two?

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by martin_rowe on Mar 14^th, 2005, 1:19pm

you may loose up to 10% on economy (takes 10% more lpg for the same energy as petrol), the beter the system, the better economy, ran my old cosworth on a closed loop system, the best that was available at the time, it was great, on my current car I fitted a full sequential vapour injection system, its even better, in fact with the same tank I get an extra 50 miles to the tank on local running. its the only way I can afford to run one, lpg is approx £2.50 less than petrol per gal, it soon adds up.
the car seems to run better, is certainly quieter & smoother.
Martin

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Highlander on Mar 15^th, 2005, 8:52pm

Cheers Martin, looks like a good thing :)

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by wumpster on Mar 16^th, 2005, 7:22am

i have 4 lads that work with me on taxis they all had vauxhall omegas after about 80.000 miles they all had big problems with the cylinder heads resulting in a rebuild new valves ect acording to the mechanic it is the result of the gas burning so hot and dry so they have all got rid and gone back to petrol . i have talked to alot of taxi lads and most of the ones that have had gas convertions are going back to petrol or derv. on the other hand you dont here of many ordanary lowish milage users having many probs maybe because they get rid before they have done any big milage our taxis cover anything from 75,000 to 100.000 a year so we tend to find any problems or weak points fast 8)

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by Highlander on Mar 16^th, 2005, 12:10pm

sitting with engine idling a lot maybe? does that make it worse?

Title: Re: LPG tank size?
Post by martin_rowe on Mar 16^th, 2005, 1:23pm

with the correct system, correctly installed & set up you should have no problems, if vehicle is lead free complyant it will be ok, omegas have particular problems relating to the inlet manifold / egr design, but thats overcome with the very latest kit. we have a skoda taxi done over 300k without problems.
Martin