1.4 Petrol converted to LPG

This is a members report from 2011 58mpg from a petrol. I guess I was driving like his Grandma
 

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This reminds me of the "mileage marathon" that was used as a promotional idea by Shell in the 60's/early 70's! I know that with special driving techniques amazing figures can be achieved. I drive very sensibly but I've never been able to achieve those remarkable figures. Diesel is so very expensive at the moment and can be 20p a litre more than petrol. it's very tempting to change the engine to petrol and fit an LPG system. That would give me a real buzz and I could even then sell my Dacia. I wonder if doing that (diesel to petrol engine) is a major job? The silencers would be different and the fuel tanks? I wonder what else would need to be changed? Quite obviously, a better way would be to sell the diesel and then purchase a petrol A2, but my A2 is very special and is in superb condition. I doubt that I'd find another petrol A2 that's even remotely similar.

David
 
DJ 190 said:
This reminds me of the "mileage marathon" that was used as a promotional idea by Shell in the 60's/early 70's! I know that with special driving techniques amazing figures can be achieved. I drive very sensibly but I've never been able to achieve those remarkable figures. Diesel is so very expensive at the moment and can be 20p a litre more than petrol. it's very tempting to change the engine to petrol and fit an LPG system. That would give me a real buzz and I could even then sell my Dacia. I wonder if doing that (diesel to petrol engine) is a major job? The silencers would be different and the fuel tanks? I wonder what else would need to be changed? Quite obviously, a better way would be to sell the diesel and then purchase a petrol A2, but my A2 is very special and is in superb condition. I doubt that I'd find another petrol A2 that's even remotely similar.

David
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I thought you were selling your A2 David in any case? What happened there - Thought better of it?

Diesel is not that much more expensive in any fuel station around here / I use supermarket fuels and the Millers diesel power ecomax additive for peace of mind on fuel system cleanliness etc. This normally results in a saving of 5 - 9p per litre overall over top-brand diesel, but then I believe you’re an ex-Shell man so you may not wish to consider anything else.

Being candid, the above sounds like wishful thinking rather than a viable project which from your last comment I think you know! A better way would indeed be to sell your car and buy the very best 1.4 petrol you can find, then work with that as a base - Budget at least £12k to re-spec to the same level and convert to LPG.

You know what else £12k also buys you don’t you? 😉
 
I would need to get the gear-change working perfectly on my A2 before being offered for sale. It would be the sensible thing to do. I'd be looking for a petrol A2 with a full Votex kit and working pan-roof. Unique features on my current A2 could be fitted on a future petrol A2. First things first, though. I need my A2 to be in a perfectly saleable condition. Then it needs to be sold. After that I can begin the search for an exceptional petrol A2. I know that converting it to run on LPG would be very satisfying and I'm sure that I'd end up with something quite special. As an example of my work, here's the LPG tank fitted into the boot of my SLK



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David
 
Welshboy said:
This is a members report from 2011 58mpg from a petrol. I guess I was driving like his Grandma
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I too can drive like Grandma and get good mpg out of my 1.4 petrol .. to achieve this I:
- used 99ron fuel
- stayed under 60mph
- 99% of the journey was motorway / dual carrageway
- slipped streamed lorries (where safe to do so (low traffic density/daylight hours) and keeping a sensible distance)

I used 26.25 litres over 380 miles, 65.81mpg - I’ve only ever achieved this once (measured from brimming the tank vs odometer mileage recorded on standard 16” wheels).

Typically I get mid 50’s mpg on the motorways if I don’t slip stream. Running around is mid 40mpg.
 

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Butlers1594 said:
I too can drive like Grandma and get good mpg out of my 1.4 petrol .. to achieve this I:
- used 99ron fuel
- stayed under 60mph
- 99% of the journey was motorway / dual carrageway
- slipped streamed lorries (where safe to do so (low traffic density/daylight hours) and keeping a sensible distance)

I used 26.25 litres over 380 miles, 65.81mpg - I’ve only ever achieved this once (measured from brimming the tank vs odometer mileage recorded on standard 16” wheels).

Typically I get mid 50’s mpg on the motorways if I don’t slip stream. Running around is mid 40mpg.
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And I thought I was the only one that drives like that lol long live Grandma
 
It can become an obsession and detract from making an enjoyable and relaxing journey. There's been no mention of "free-wheeling" though? I knew of a member who always did this, at every opportunity. I can't remember who that was, at the moment?

David
 
Was it @MikeMarsUK ?

I ask as he made a reappearance this week and as the undisputed champ on diesel eco-driving techniques I’m sure he’d have a positive view on it for certain applications.
 
dj_efk said:
Was it @MikeMarsUK ?

I ask as he made a reappearance this week and as the undisputed champ on diesel eco-driving techniques I’m sure he’d have a positive view on it for certain applications.
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Yes it was! I was actually a passenger in his car so I witnessed the technique first-hand! I think that he used to claim well over 60 mpg on a regular basis.

David
 
Just to add to the conversation ... I'm in the habit of running down to the 'bong' and zero-ing the clock after a fill up, pleased to say that my last fill up indicated 456 miles for 36 litres and remains consistent with how it's always behaved ... 2002 1.4 BBY Petrol, 191 000 miles with a recent gearbox oil change ... around 57.5 mpg ... just run on Tesco standard unleaded.
 
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I regularly get well over 70mpg from my TDI 75 without really trying.

I have a Range Rover Classic with an old LPG system fitted. I removed the boot tank and have some underfloor tanks to fit. I’m debating whether it’s worth the bother now though as LPG is not as available near me anymore. Current fuel prices do encourage me to fit them however!

Tim
 
DJ 190 said:
Yes it was! I was actually a passenger in his car so I witnessed the technique first-hand! I think that he used to claim well over 60 mpg on a regular basis.

David
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Back in the day, it was more like mid-80s (I seem to recall 88mpg / 6xx miles on my best tank). But it takes a lot of work, and you have to do the right kind of journeys to get that sort of number. No short trips, minimal city driving, not too many hills, do not use either the heater or the climate control, etc. Every few thousand miles you need to trash it a bit to clear out the carbon deposits if you drive like that, otherwise it builds up too much and ruins both economy and performance.

The pulse&glide hypermiling method doesn't actually work very well on the A2 because it is too light to keep the glide going for a long time, so mostly I didn't bother, it's not worth the effort. On something heavier like a Passat or A4 you get better results proportional to the normal MPG (I got 84MPG & over 1000 miles a few times on my Passat back before I had the A2).

70mpg on a TDi is easy to achieve as long as you keep your motorway cruising speed down to a reasonable & safe level, anticipatory driving (avoiding late braking, etc), and avoid short trips (that's what a bike's for), make sure your tyres are properly inflated, and that's the approach I would suggest.

I moved close to work a few years ago, so I hardly drive any more - 1 long trip per week, basically. Generally all local trips are on my bike. It went from 18k / year to 4k / year. When you only refuel once every 6 weeks or so, the fuel price doesn't really make much difference any more.
 
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Skipton01 said:
I remember old member @Pamanal converting his 1.4 to LPG almost 20 years ago now - a Pine Green model if I remember correctly. I think he was the pioneer in this conversion, certainly within the club, and he used to get decent mileage on runs to socials. Great guy, sorely missed.
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Thanks @Skipton01 - I'll let Alan know! He still talks fondly of his old A2 (black with lpg conversion). He and Pam loved attending the socials.
 
Danno said:
Thanks @Skipton01 - I'll let Alan know! He still talks fondly of his old A2 (black with lpg conversion). He and Pam loved attending the socials.
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There goes my colour-blindness again!! Thanks Danno - good to know Alan, and Pam are ok and still reminiscing about their old A2. Once owned, never forgotten.
 
DJ 190 said:
I just can't imagine that you'd ever get that figure when running on LPG? I first converted a car to LPG in the 70's and I've been converting cars ever since. I run a factory Bi-fuel Dacia Sandero. It's state of the art and has a small, 3-cylinder engine. Typical mpg is 37 mpg. There is a 20% loss in mpg compared with petrol when running any car on LPG. That's always the case. My other vehicle is a Mercedes SLK which I personally converted to LPG. I recently achieved 228 miles on 40 litres of LPG. Not bad for a 2.3 litre engine that developes quite a lot of power .....
I have a diesel Audi A2 which is in remarkable condition and is fully spec'd and wanting for nothing. I've thought to fit a petrol engine/gearbox so that I can convert it to run on LPG. The petrol engine version does have a much superior gearbox change-action. Another way would be to go electric. The minimum LPG tank size that I'd fit would be 50 litres. I agree with what you've said regarding there being fewer and fewer filling points for LPG. Fortunately, the Morrisons group of Supermarkets do seem to always have that fuel on sale.

David
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Is it the 1.0L or the 1.2L?


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Edwrai said:
That’s a Mercedes engine isn’t it?


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You seem to have become confused, here? In #11 I refer to the two cars that I'm currently using, both of which can run on LPG. They are my Bi-fuel Dacia Sandero (1.0 litre engine, 3 cylinder) and my Mercedes SLK (2.3 litre, 4 cylinder)

David
 
DJ 190 said:
You seem to have become confused, here? In #11 I refer to the two cars that I'm currently using, both of which can run on LPG. They are my Bi-fuel Dacia Sandero (1.0 litre engine, 3 cylinder) and my Mercedes SLK (2.3 litre, 4 cylinder)

David
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Dacia Sandero 1.0 3 cylinder use a Mercedes-Benz M281 or a Renault H4Bt depending on year


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