RR conversion experiences?

Hi
I'm running a 96 4.6HSE with 80k which I want - for obvious reasons - to convert to LPG. Like everyone else in the forums I've serached I'm confused at the choice and price variances.

Could anyone who has had this done share their experience as I' flummoxed whether to spend £2.5k for a Prinz or aMcLaren Nicholson model specific kit which should - for the price - be failsafe, or am I just as safe going for the far cheaper Zavoli or BIGAS conversions at just around the £2k mark.

Help! Please!
Cheers
Andy

Hi

I'm also thinking of an LPG Conversion, read loads spoke to loads. By what I am understanding as long as the LPG is upto or exceeding the BS Standard then it doesn't matter, the excess is greed/or useless gizmos which do absolutely nothing and quit in 6 months (has a dual fuel Vauxhall so knows these things)

I'm considering a self fit kit around £600 from Tinley Tech @ www.tinleytech.co.uk

Charlotte (just to add fuel to the Debate)

I'm just getting my second LPG conversion this tuesday coming. First one was on a four-pot, 2litre Daihatsu fourtrack around 5yrs ago. This cost £1k and was as sweet as a nut; made my money back in around 6 months and then kept on saving!!!

This time round I'm having my '96 V8 ES Disco done (sounds like he's off to the vet!?!) for £1300 inc. vat. I'll happily post reports here when I have him back, the garage will take around 3 days to install, if you guys want to know how it goes?

Chris

That'd be great Chris. I've just spoken to a local firm this morning - recommended by a lady filling her 4.6 HSE in Sainsburys! - who were very helpful and knowledgeable. They fit the Zavoli system and echoed Charlotte's comment about greed, but answered all my queries directly before mentioning in passing that both the local LR dealerships sub contract their conversions to them........ Yet he quoted a grand less than the dealer!!!!!! Decision time.

Just to query Charlotte though - if your's is for a road vehicle, doesn't it have to be fitted by an LPGA dealer to get the certificate that avoids insurance headaches? Just something that I kept seeing when I was researching it.

Cheers
Andy

I've just got my disco back and will post reports as time tells it's tales...

As for insurance you should check with your company. Mine said that as long as I inform them of the conversion they don't actually need to see the certificate!!! However, if you are doing a diy conversion you can go to an lpga approved installer to get a certificate, though you have to pay for the inspection (not sure of price, round £50 if I remember rightly?). You also need to inform dvla, as this can get you a lower vehicle taxation class, and I don't know if they want the certificate or not.

More posts to follow...

Chris

So far, so good. Have spent the day pootling round town picking up various essentials; steering damper, aux drive belt etc... Anyway, during all that pootling the LPG has been cheaply burning away. The tickover speed has seemed a little eratic at times, and the engine did die a couple of times early in the day, but when it has died it fires straight back up first time. I've been told to expect a few problems whilst the whole thing beds in, which should take around a 1000 miles or so, then it goes back in to be fully tuned up. This should eliminate these low tickover probs, although they became less of a problem as the day went on.

Out on the road though, hmmm, I'd swear I actually have a little more OOOMPH there, though with a bunch of other new parts (and more to come) its hard to say whether the gas is responsible for this. So far its getting a big thumbs up, and I'm very much looking forward to filling up for the first time; 38p per litre HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

Chris

Okay, just filled up for the first time; 41p per litre, 40 odd litres, £18!!! Have to say that the mpg was attrocious at just over 10mpg. However, the bumph from the garage does explain that during the first 1000miles, until the tune-up, mpg will be significantly down. I'm glad about this as I was returning 15-16mpg on petrol before the conversion. Worked out at 18p per mile, which is a significant improvement over the 25p per mile that it was costing on petrol. I'll keep posting, and hopefully report on an increase in mpg over the next few days/weeks.

Also found out that an LPG car is subject to the same emmissions test as a leaded vehicle. This means that, if you can find a sympathetic MOT station (ie one who won't actually look at the CAT but will just take the readings), you can ditch the CAT for cheaper exhaust replacement and an increase in power, plus an AWESOME sound from your ass-end!!!

Chris

Glad to hear it's all working out - can't wait for mine to be done. Just not sure what I'll do with all the extra money! Maybe buy shares in a petrol company. Or maybe I did when I bought the RR.......

All's still well, even the tickover problem has gone completely. Looking forward to getting back to work next week (?!?) so that I can swiftly chalk up that 1000miles and get the disco back to the garage for its tune-up.

Chris

Latest news on my LPG conversion: The car is running beautifully and I have only 2 whinges; 1) the consumption still seems very high, around 11-12mpg compared with 15-16mpg on petrol, though I've yet to get the 1000mile tune up; 2) with the consumption as it is my range is severely limited, i'm having to fill up every other day at the outside stretch, which is every 130miles or so, and thats driving sensible 70mph dual carriageway miles. On the plus side the fuel is only 39p per litre, which is working out to be costing me around 15p per mile, the same as I was getting from my 200tdi defender!!!

The tune up should happen one evening next week so I will post again after that to let you know if there's been any improvement in performance...

Chris

Sorry for the delay but computer gremlins are to blame. I've had the RR back for three weeks, covering about 350 miles pw of mixed motorway/london driving. So far it runs perfectly - even slightly smoother than before - despite warnings of "settling in" issues.

I haven't worked out the mileage properly, but initial impressions are I'm putting in £40 of gas a week rather than up to £80 unleaded.

You wouldn't know the difference in driving - though I'm not a boy racer - and it still cruises happily at 80mph and the changeover from gas to petrol on the move is seamless.

My only comment so far is the guage is useless - it went, and stayed onto red for over 50 miles on a 210 mile tank, and that driven sensibly a £25 fill up gives well over 200 miles, but flooring it appeared to drop to around 150 although I didn't let it run dry so who knows?

I am assured that post the 1000 mile tune up mileage should increase. And be aware the RR does not qualify for Congestion Charge discounts unless anyone can tell me otherwise as I'm still arguing with Tfl.

Sounds like your performance is quite considerably better than mine, though my Disco is 9yrs old now, with 110000 on the clock. I pay roughly £20 to fill up and get 150 miles max per tank (so far), and I think I'm going to have to consider getting another tank installed to increase the range.

Anyhow, glad its all worked out for the good! Best of luck with the congestion charge...

Chris

Hi All,

I have a 4.0 V8 2000 sico with Zavoli LPG converstion. I bought the car with the kit so I dont know if the manufactuers reccomendations have been followed with respect to serviceing. The conversion was done in May of this year, its the full sequential with twin tanks approx 80 ltrs in place of the original fuel tank and 25ltr rear quarter petrol tank.

Similar to others, the gas fuel gague is crap! I have learnt that when it shows empty, i have approx 100 miles more to do. I am getting between 130 and 200 miles on a fill (fills to 58 ltrs only) depending on my not giving it to much which is hard to do with a V8.

I am having problems with it running on petrol, sometimes it on starting it backfires and runs like a bag of nails. On LPG it is generally perfect, very smooth and quiet.

I have taken it LR twice now and they find nothing wrong but there was today 100 faults in the engine ECU.

Has anybody had this problem too?

All the best

John

Hey John, know what you mean about the mileage!!! I had the same problem but vice verca; I was getting horrendous backfires on gas but the petrol ran 100%. In the end I had a new reducer fitted to the gas system and everything is now a-okay. Check your ignition system and also have your timing and fueling checked. If the engine is running rich, or more likely lean, this can cause the problem, and a V8 needs to have an ignition system that is 110%!!!

Andy, I own a 4.0 P38 Rangerover, i had it lpg converted just under 12 months ago. I had a Prinz system fitted and i have no problems what so ever, the 90l tank was fitted in the spare wheel well. you do notice a slight difference in performance but the running costs more than make-up for the very slight difference in power. The company i used was called CLS DUAL FUELS LTD in Durham,they were very helpful and did the conversion in 3 days. I paid £2103.00 including the V.A.T. So it does pay to do some research to find the best deal. I have covered some 14,000 miles since conversion and have absolutely no regrets. Hope this helps Regards Spanner.

P.S. Don't hesitate you won't regret it!