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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: TAXI JUICE on my GT4
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Thu, 03 June 2004 09:32
 
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Actually, a properly tuned engine running LPG will last much longer than the same engine running petrol, provided it has hardened valve seats (as any modern engine will).
In the old days the lead in fuel used to prevent valve seat recession (this was sometimes incorrectly called "lubricating" the valves, but no actual lubrication occured), so if you converted to LPG without upgrading the valve seats the lack of lead will cause valve seat recession. Of course modern engines are already designed to run without lead so this isn't a problem any more.
The big advantage of running LPG is it enters the combustion chamber in gaseous form, and thus cannot wash the thin film of oil off the bores like petrol can. That's the reason a properly tuned LPG engine will outlast a petrol engine; taxi engine have been known to do a half million kilometres and the bores are still in excellent condition!
Now, back to the original topic. Liquid LPG injection is still a pipe dream, so you're stuck with bodgy old carbs. Sure it works but it's nowhere near as good as modern EFI, so expect a drop in power, driveability and fuel economy. The uber-high octane no longer exists (most LPG is 98 RON, same as high-octane petrol) and only a few places have 100 RON, but 2 points is nothing to get excited about.
LPG is nowhere near as cheap as it used to be (I remember buying the stuff for less than 10c a litre, occasionally it would drop down to 5!) so you don't get any long-term savings unless you do LOTS of kilometres every year.
On top of this you've got the usual downsides to LPG: extra weight and reduced cargo space thanks to the LPG cylinder in the back, and in most cases you can't drive as far on a tank because of the lower fuel capacity and higher fuel consumption.
That's lots of negatives and not many positives. Do you really want to spend all that money butchering a perfectly good GT4?
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