Lpg system can be installed on all types of petrol engine, including those with carburettor, mechanical and electronic injection, as well as on turbocharged engines. The only restrictions to LPG system installation are on some cars equipped with direct petrol injection engines, it is not possible to convert some of these vehicles. If you have a car with a direct injection engine, it is better to ask an experienced installer whether it is possible to install lpg system on it.
The cost varies widely depending on the country of residence, the type of car, the type of system chosen and the tank. To give an idea, we can say that a modern direct injection system on a four-cylinder engine will cost from about 750 Euros to about 2000 Euros. We advise you to ask a specialized installer for a quote.
Assuming that 1 liter of LPG costs 50% less than 1 litre of petrol, and that lpg consumptions are about 15% more than petrol ones, it can be said that with LPG converted vehicle you can have about 45% savings compared to original petrol supply.
For some reason people are overly concerned with the safety of LPG cars. What is truly amazing about this is that LPG vehicles may actually be safer than petrol models. The LPG tank is totally resistant to impacts, as it is approximately 6 times thicker than the petrol tank. The LPG systems are equipped with various safety devices:
This depends on the capacity of the LPG tank installed on the vehicle, but as an example, a 60 lt tank can effectively stock 48 lt of gas (due to the 80% filling limiter on the multivalve). Assuming that the average LPG consumption of your car will be 10 lt per 100 km, you can travel a distance of around 480 km.
After installation of the LPG system, the vehicle becomes Bi-fuel, in other words, it can run either on gas or petrol. In this way the total range that the vehicle can travel increases almost by double, depending on the size of the gas tank installed.
Given that the car usually starts on petrol before automatically switching over to gas, it is a good idea to always have a certain amount of petrol in your tank. For some makes of car, petrol in the tank also serves to protect the petrol pump that would deteriorate prematurely if the car would run on empty.
Running your car on LPG will not damage the engine, quite the opposite in fact, as the fuel is a gas it mixes better with air than petrol, therefore the combustion is much smoother, and also cleaner. Using LPG reduces engine wear, oil and spark plugs will also last longer. Converting to LPG with modern systems will cause a very small loss in power (approximately 2%), but this is so small that you will not notice it while driving. Moreover, the installations on turbo-charged engines with indirect fuel injection may even cause the engine on LPG to have more power than on petrol.
Today toroidal-shaped tanks are generally preferred, which can be fitted into the space designed to hold the spare wheel. In this way the tank does not take up luggage space and special repair and inflate kits are available for use in the event of a puncture. When a cylindrical tank is fitted inside the boot, this generally takes up 20-25% of the available space. It is also possible to install a toroidal-shaped tank underneath the car chassis. This kind of installation is possible when the minimum legal distances between the vehicle and the ground (250 mm when the car is empty) are respected. The tank must also be protected by a sheet metal covering, with a minimum distance from the ground of 200 mm when the car is empty.
To guarantee correct long-term working, the system must be checked by an experienced mechanic periodically according to a programmed maintenance plan, every 10-20,000 km. During these periodical checks, the vapour and liquid phase LPG filters are replaced, the system is scanned against a possible gas leakage, all hose and pipe connections are verified, the injectors and the reducer are purified from dirt if necessary, and so on.
Your vehicle warranty is not voided by the installation of an LPG system. However, the vehicle manufacturer will not warrant the LPG system (unless fitted or endorsed by them) and the manufacturer may not warrant anything that is affected by having the LPG system fitted or running the vehicle on LPG. These items are covered by the LPG system supplier and installer. Please check with your installer for your warranty options.
The LPG tank and fuel pipes are fitted with numerous safety devices. The gas flow will automatically stop if the pipes are damaged or the engine is not running. If the vehicle catches fire, the gas tank pressure is controlled via safely releasing excess pressure which will prevent the tank from exploding and causing further damage.