Should I convert my car to LPG?

[mesquite]

I see LPG conversion advertised here in Thailand and wonder if I should do it. On the downside, I've been in LPG taxis near Bangkok that waited for a long time to replenish the LPG container.

On the upside, not having to put gasoline (petrol) in the car would be a big cost savings.

Or would it?

Edited November 27, 2014 by mesquite

[Rooo]

Moved to motoring.

[geronimo]

I drive a Honda Accord and when I first got it, it was costing me 5bt per km running 95 octane gasoline. I spent 30,000 baht on a good LPG system and now it costs just over 1.5 bt per km. There is no loss of power in fact the car seems to run better. I live in the suburbs with LPG gas stations everywhere and notice that there aren't so many in the city. That will change soon I think.

Make sure you get a reputable system (GI is good) fitted by professionals as there is an obvious danger. I am glad I made the change.

[Stradavarius37]

It works great til it blows up!

[KhunBENQ]

I've been in LPG taxis near Bangkok that waited for a long time to replenish the LPG container.

Are you sure that they fueled LPG? Long waiting lines and supply problems here in upcountry apply to CNG(NGV) which is a different story.

What I usually see in the back of the taxis are CNG containers (high pressure).

LPG is available at many places (as it is basically not different from cooking gas).

Be aware that the LPG price is subsidised and will rise in the future, as the government wants to get rid of the subsidies.

What car do you have? How old is it?

Edited November 28, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[mesquite]

I've been in LPG taxis near Bangkok that waited for a long time to replenish the LPG container.

Are you sure that they fueled LPG? Long waiting lines and supply problems here in upcountry apply to CNG(NGV) which is a different story.

What I usually see in the back of the taxis are CNG containers (high pressure).

LPG is available at many places (as it is basically not different from cooking gas).

Be aware that the LPG price is subsidised and will rise in the future, as the government wants to get rid of the subsidies.

What car do you have? How old is it?

I just remember it was not gasoline, but a gas. So it was probably CNG.

Edited November 28, 2014 by mesquite

[WhamBam]

Take into account the number of miles you do in a year to see if it is a viable option.

Take the cost of the conversion into account and running costs versus what you would normally spend on fuel. Add to that the length of time you expect to keep the car. That way you will be able to get a good idea of value for money.

The Mitsubishi Strada I had averaged 2 Baht a Km on LPG. It had a 2 litre Toyota engine installed and the diesel lump taken out and sold.

[kartman]

The cost of lpg/cng will be going up so unless you do lots of Kms for a number of years may not be worth the initial outlay.

Edited November 28, 2014 by kartman

[A1Str8]

No. Your ass might explode while driving.

[WarpSpeed]

It works great til it blows up!

Pretty much true for every car..

OP I never had ANY issues with waiting to filling up LP with our cars for the 5 years there I owned various ones in the cities especially, and if you have a dual fuel system installed there is never any worry of running out and being stranded, plus it helps the overall longevity of the cars engine. CNG however is another issue as IME I don't know of any CNG cars that are dual fuel as it takes more engine conversion to use CNG and those stations always have lines, more taxi's with CNG then LP from experience.

As some others have mentioned, primary consideration initial cost of conversion ROI and how quickly you get it back and begin to see actual savings, that's why I always bought cars already converted= immediate return.

BTW that's 5 years I owned various cars with it, I lived there 10 years.

Edited November 28, 2014 by WarpSpeed

[masuk]

Remember that many buildings, car parks, will not allow LNG/CNG fitted cars into their buildings.

[philip500]

I have a Land Rover Discovery running on LPG for the past 8 1/2 years and a Toyota Sport Rider with a 4 litre UZ engine these past 3 years (engine replacement and LPG conversion after that bastard flood during late 2011) here in Bangkok; never a problem, having driven some 150,000 Km. since their conversions. Saved a fortune in fuel. Also converted my S Type Jag and Mazda campervan in the U.K. to LPG. Conversion costs of the campervan already paid for after a 3 month trip around nine countries in Europe last year. Bloody marvellous.

[Time Traveller]

Have you actually done the calculations to see if it is a cost savings?

Oil prices are now very cheap,so gas should come down in price further as well. There is little chance this situation will change in the near term. Also LPG and CNG prices in Thailand - which have been heavily subsidized are actually going up. What might have been worth it last year may not be next year.

[lj cm]

I can absolutely recommend it. I have driven 70,000 km on LPG without any problems (and saved 300,000 Baht)

The power of the engine is the same with the fuel-injection systems. If it's not, go back to the shop and say: I want power, not economy.

The subsidy of LPG is almost gone, so the price will stay, more or less, the same as now.

I will recommend the brand 'Energy Reform'.

[roath]

How much are conversions in Thailand? I have CRV if that makes any difference.

[seedy]

How much are conversions in Thailand? I have CRV if that makes any difference.

Approx 25 to 30 k for the newer style system.

[ThaiSanookGuy]

If you want to burn alive ?

[Time Traveller]

I can absolutely recommend it. I have driven 70,000 km on LPG without any problems (and saved 300,000 Baht)

Nice try. Unless LPG is free, it not likely you would have saved anywhere near that amount.

Using 10km/L as a reference point. 70,000km would need 7000 L of fuel. Gas at the moment is around 34Bt/L

So total cost would be 238,000 Bt......less than the amount you claimed to save !!!

[lj cm]

The 'Energy Reform" system cost 27,000 Baht (in Chiang Mai) with a 58 litre tank.

Be aware, that many new cars are with 'Direct Fuel Injection' engines, and they can not be converted to LPG (or NGV).

[louse1953]

No. Your ass might explode while driving.

And it might not.How many blowup?

[louse1953]

If you want to burn alive ?

Crap.

[lj cm]

I can absolutely recommend it. I have driven 70,000 km on LPG without any problems (and saved 300,000 Baht)

Nice try. Unless LPG is free, it not likely you would have saved anywhere near that amount.

Using 10km/L as a reference point. 70,000km would need 7000 L of fuel. Gas at the moment is around 34Bt/L

So total cost would be 238,000 Bt......less than the amount you claimed to save !!!

It's installed on my old Benz SUV (3.2 litre, 6 cylinder); and it drives 5-6 km/l in mixed driving. A real "gas guzzler".

And it does not like gasohol!

OK; I have to subtract the 42,000 Baht the system cost me. Sorry!.

Edited November 28, 2014 by lj cm

[vogie]

It works great til it blows up!

Pretty much true for every car..

OP I never had ANY issues with waiting to filling up LP with our cars for the 5 years there I owned various ones in the cities especially, and if you have a dual fuel system installed there is never any worry of running out and being stranded, plus it helps the overall longevity of the cars engine. CNG however is another issue as IME I don't know of any CNG cars that are dual fuel as it takes more engine conversion to use CNG and those stations always have lines, more taxi's with CNG then LP from experience.

As some others have mentioned, primary consideration initial cost of conversion ROI and how quickly you get it back and begin to see actual savings, that's why I always bought cars already converted= immediate return.

BTW that's 5 years I owned various cars with it, I lived there 10 years.

He is quite right what he says, the truth of the matter is that LPG is a very dry and doesn't provide adequate lubrication. I have worked on many cars where the valves have been burned through or holes in the pistons due to the lack of lubrication. That is why diesel engines will do twice as many miles as petrol engines because diesel is an oil and helps to lubricate. Why save pennies to lose pounds?

[lj cm]

Everything you want to know (and more) about LPG is here:

http://www.go-lpg.co.uk/

[kiniyow]

If these systems ar so great then why Not New Car Companys installing this?

[TheKnave]

O

It works great til it blows up!

Pretty much true for every car..

OP I never had ANY issues with waiting to filling up LP with our cars for the 5 years there I owned various ones in the cities especially, and if you have a dual fuel system installed there is never any worry of running out and being stranded, plus it helps the overall longevity of the cars engine. CNG however is another issue as IME I don't know of any CNG cars that are dual fuel as it takes more engine conversion to use CNG and those stations always have lines, more taxi's with CNG then LP from experience.

As some others have mentioned, primary consideration initial cost of conversion ROI and how quickly you get it back and begin to see actual savings, that's why I always bought cars already converted= immediate return.

BTW that's 5 years I owned various cars with it, I lived there 10 years.

He is quite right what he says, the truth of the matter is that LPG is a very dry and doesn't provide adequate lubrication. I have worked on many cars where the valves have been burned through or holes in the pistons due to the lack of lubrication. That is why diesel engines will do twice as many miles as petrol engines because diesel is an oil and helps to lubricate. Why save pennies to lose pounds?

Nonsense.

Any car designed to run on unleaded fuel will have hardened valve seats, and will have no issues with LPG. Holes in pistons are caused by incorrect mixture, or other causes of detonation, which LPG is much less likely to cause, if installed/tuned correctly, due to its very high octane compared to gasoline.

In fact, engines last much longer, and the oil stays cleaner longer, due to the fact that LPG is dry - no liquid fuel getting past the rings during warmup, when a gasoline engine must run very rich (choked) to run at all.

The main gripe I have with LPG is that there is about 20% less energy per "gallon equivalent" than gasoline, so substituting LPG will possibly decrease fuel economy and performance on an otherwise unmodified engine.

Practically, the fact that it is a gas, not a liquid which needs to be atomized by fuel injectors, makes up much of the difference, and the current price makes it much cheaper to drive in any case.

In order to get the real benefit of LPG, however, the compression ratio of the engine needs to be raised substantially to take advantage of the higher octane. Of course the average LPG conversion is not going to include replacing the pistons with high compression ones, but if you're going to build your own...

[masuk]

Seems to me some of these guys would have trouble converting from sail to steam.

40 litres of petrol can make as big a mess as a tankfull of LPG.

[kennw]

This table( need to scroll down) gives a comparison of real costs of various fuels, did it some while ago so some prices may not be up to date.

For effective comparison the price you pay per unit of energy is the only way to compare litres vs kg ie Diesel/gasoline is sold by liter LPG/CNG by kg.

You can see CNG wins hands down, Diesel second, LPG 3rd, But the price of LPG is rising, My suggestion CNG or E 85 etc the way to go.

Fuel cost comparison LPG CNG 95 E10 95 E20 95 E85 95 ULG Diesel 40.93 B/lit 35.98 B/lit 24.58 B/lit 48.45 B/lit 29.99 B/lit Baht/kg 21.38 Baht/kg 10.5 Baht/kg 31.11 B/kg 27.34 B/kg 19.39 B/kg 36.82 B/kg 28.491 B/kg Baht/1000Btu 2.253 0.969 3.489 3.19 3.064 3.976 3.252 Engine Effý % 25% 24% 28% 26% 25% 30% 40% Baht/effective 1000 Btu 9.013 4.037 12.459 12.270 12.257 13.253 8.129 This line gives the comparative cost for an equivalent amount of energy after an assumed engine efficiency Heat values BTU/lb BTU/kg kg/lit is factored in.

[WarpSpeed]

Remember that many buildings, car parks, will not allow LNG/CNG fitted cars into their buildings.

Also never had such a problem in more then 5 years of owning them, parked in every garage without an issue, including the US Department of Homeland security building and Thai Immigration on Cheang Whattana if you do decide not to do it this is no reason not to, it's a complete overstatement to the real facts and makes me wonder just how many, or whether they actually owned any LP cars?.

[WarpSpeed]

If you want to burn alive ?

Actually in most instances it's safer then gasoline but don't let proper info taint your nonsense when posting..