| Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: LPG Conversion Kits Posted by Jminerva on August 14, 2001 at 21:42:38: In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: LPG Conversion Kits posted by Peter on August 14, 2001 at 07:03:26: Peter, Sure seemed to have give the forum some new life besides the discussions of lights and heaters. So, in this continuing dialogue: I cannot locate any information on LPG or CNG racers at the address's shown. I certainly don't doubt that there may have been, and perhaps are currently, what I would like to see is a comparison of the speeds with equal sized petrol engines. Perhaps you could post them, or provide a better address. I'm really the mechanical type, and may just not be able to find the right place in the 'E' world. When I mention that the trucks we worked with only went about 200 miles per fill, they were 340 cubic inch Dodge work vans for PG & E in New Jersey, they had two large cylinders under the floor, I don't recall the exact volume, I do know they did not go far. When you say your friend drives 'a lot, great distances' and 'fills up once a week', please to give a few absolutes, we could say exactly the same thing about a petrol delivery truck. The one that delivers to the station across the street could easily drive from New York to Los Angles and back more than once without 'refueling' The 80% efficiency drop for a vapor type fuel seems about right, and the unfortunate thing about a dual fuel engine is that it is neither beast nor fowl, an engine that is efficient on one is not on the other. Ditto for alcohol/petrol dual engines. You are quite right in that it is all a matter of balancing the cost of installation, loss of power, fueling difficulties, against some artifical benchmark of cost, usually due to some misguided tax laws. On an energy per cost of raw product, it is hard to beat high octane petrol, and say what you will, it sure is easier to pour petrol than link up high pressure hoses. In the US there are few places to refuel LPG for on the road vehicles, and I know of no CNG facility that is open to the public. I will try to look up the numbers of both in the US. I should think that for me (an opinion now) the risk of riding in a vehicle with large quanities of LPG and especially CNG is more than I care to endure unless the other choices are very restricted, and in some countries that may very well be the case. I rather like small high output petrol engines, must be from my early Mini Cooper days. As always, all comments are welcome, I look at this as a learning experience. (and I'm becoming a better typist) Jminerva
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