Syncro 4&4 Discussion and Q&A last answered over 2 years ago.
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jed the spread wrote:Staying on the LPG topic, I wonder why new cars are not built to run on LPG from the factory. Seems strange if it is half the price of petrol, better for the environment, reduces engine wear and all the other sales chat you see on some of the converters websites I looked at once. It seems the obvious choice to build all new cars to run on LPG wonder fuel rather than the usual electronic engines now available that run on the other two fossil fuels
Jed
many manufactures produce lpg cars from the factory, known a bifuel or dual fuel.
The OP asked about lpg tanks in a syncro and look where it's ended up. Again. No-one is right, no-one is wrong, make your choice and part with your money. Live with it.
I promised myself that I wasn't going to try and take coals to Newcastle...I'm keeping to it.
1985 Oettinger 3.2 Caravelle RHD syncro twin slider. SA Microbus bumpers, duplex winch system, ARC 7X15 period alloys
ninja.turtle007 wrote:[I have never seen 22MPG from a petrol westy. My lifted, massively over geared syncro westy (4.57 diff & 225/70/16 tyres) running an MV returned 16 - 18 MPG, no matter how carefully I drove it. Even my old 2wd lowered 1.9GW westy never quite managed 21MPG.
With the current tdi I average 30-32mpg.
Anyway these are my calculations
17mpg @ £1.34L = £0.354 per mile
31mpg @£1.38L = £0.200 per mile
Now petrol heads may start saying "Well your MV was probably knackered". I have no idea, maybe it was,maybe it wasn't, maybe the gearing and weight of a westy syncro produced the lower figure than you are getting. I confess to knowing nothing in comparison to you and Ian. As far as I know, Ian is in possession of it. I'm sure at some point it is either going in his syncro velle or he will be stripping it. Then we'll know.
Lot of variables in there then.. LOL.. and massively overgeared is never going to be very efficient... so thats a variable in there.. must have been quite a slug on that gearing..
The Doka as a 1.9DG would reg do 24mpg on a run and sitting at 65.. the caravelle when I brought it back from France a few weeks ago did 27mpg sitting at 60...
Its all about what suits your needs and making the numbers add up.. it works for some doesnt for others..
I would suggest that reading that link would encourage more people to convert, rather than put anyone off. As far as I can see , there are only two disadvantages to LPG - the initial cost, and the loss of storage space. From then on, it's all positives.
1990 2.1 DJ Syncro Caravelle/Westfalia conversion RHD
The Unicorn averages approx 23-24 mpg driven sensibly i.e. 55-60 mph and that's a stock DJ 16" hightop Westy in comparison my lifted AAZ factory hightop camper on 15's driven sensibly i.e. 55-60 mph will do 28-30 mpg
toomanytoys wrote:
ninja.turtle007 wrote:[I have never seen 22MPG from a petrol westy. My lifted, massively over geared syncro westy (4.57 diff & 225/70/16 tyres) running an MV returned 16 - 18 MPG, no matter how carefully I drove it. Even my old 2wd lowered 1.9GW westy never quite managed 21MPG.
With the current tdi I average 30-32mpg.
Anyway these are my calculations
17mpg @ £1.34L = £0.354 per mile
31mpg @£1.38L = £0.200 per mile
Now petrol heads may start saying "Well your MV was probably knackered". I have no idea, maybe it was,maybe it wasn't, maybe the gearing and weight of a westy syncro produced the lower figure than you are getting. I confess to knowing nothing in comparison to you and Ian. As far as I know, Ian is in possession of it. I'm sure at some point it is either going in his syncro velle or he will be stripping it. Then we'll know.
Lot of variables in there then.. LOL.. and massively overgeared is never going to be very efficient... so thats a variable in there.. must have been quite a slug on that gearing..
The Doka as a 1.9DG would reg do 24mpg on a run and sitting at 65.. the caravelle when I brought it back from France a few weeks ago did 27mpg sitting at 60...
Its all about what suits your needs and making the numbers add up.. it works for some doesnt for others..
The original plan was to purchase a rear wheel carrier, which would allow me to put the spare wheel out the back, freeing up room for an LPG tank. Then I found out they don't make the 'upright doughnut' tanks any more, so I had to think again - hence my original question, where to put the tank? Anyway, I got my wheel carrier off Lee, and Steve now tells me he CAN get the sort of tank I want, though it's perhaps not the best quality. So once the spring comes, I think I'll be winging my way up to Chester for an LPG conversion. Wheels and tyres, LPG, interior. That's the plan.
1990 2.1 DJ Syncro Caravelle/Westfalia conversion RHD
In my experience all the owners of gas vehicles say that are happy overall but when quizzed admit the engine never really runs correctly all of the time. Some complain of flat spots some of power loss. This that and the other.
I think gas can work for a lot of people and not work for a lot of people too. As Jed said I think it's best to get propper down to earth feedback from JO average who runs one in the same way you intend to run yours and not from sites or sources that are actively trying to premote the substance.
..lee.. wrote:As Jed said I think it's best to get propper down to earth feedback from JO average who runs one in the same way you intend to run yours and not from sites or sources that are actively trying to premote the substance.
Lee.
Its like lots of questions asked on Club 80-90 as a whole, it is quite annoying when a question is asked and people who have no experience in the subject just copy and paste info from the first page of google as an answer. The OP put "Syncro drivers - who's got LPG fitted?" not, "Syncro drivers - who's got LPG fitted? because I cant be bothered to look on the first page of Google at generic LPG installers websites."
tforturton wrote:I would suggest that reading that link would encourage more people to convert, rather than put anyone off. As far as I can see , there are only two disadvantages to LPG - the initial cost, and the loss of storage space. From then on, it's all positives.
Interesting...as I am currently deciding whether or not to throw LPG on the singlecab, with the tank in the locker. A big 70l one.
Agree with most of the comments re conversion...they do take space...but where I am now I can afford to lose it.(ie no small children to take with us!)
Have 2 gassed campers and one gassed panel. vans run well, gas is regularly serviced. yes, a small power difference....but it runs of gas all of the time, so I don't really notice it. (and used to it now)
price of conversion isn't cheap I know.
I have the 1.9 in there that seems to run nice. (all other engines are 2.1 DJ)
so, if the conversion is around a grand....and the cost of petrol is 1.40 and it will do say 20 mpg, and gas is 80ppl how many miles to pay the conversion folks??
My head is all tired......
Em
xx
2.1 DJ 1990 Caravelle (died and gone to heaven)
2.0 AGG (1997 ish) 1984 transporter LPG
