Lazydocker

To try and help out some more I had a look around another forum I visit which is specificly for LPG vehicles and the feelings on there (from both professional converters and DIYers) is that the Lexus is actually quite a straight forward conversion and takes it very well. Flashlube is (as I suggested) higly recommended essential and the kit selection is important.

Chrisgixer, as there seems to be a lack of understanding for your initial question I have had a hunt around on another forum I visit. It seems that Lexus engines lend themselves quite nicely to LPG, although flashlube is (as I initially said) highly recommended. Unfortunately I can't help you with the live data capable scanner though

I didn't see much discussion of pros and cons TBH. All I saw was a selection of "Creative" figures and Pub Gossip "Facts" about the costs of running on LPG. At the end of the day, you don't have to be doing the high mileage I was, you just need to do sufficient mileage to get back the initial outlay. As I said, my experience (based on real figures) is that it will save about 1/3. The OP already mentioned that he's planning to DIY convert and that he knows the facts and figures so all he really needs is to know whether there are any real reasons not to convert that particular car/engine. So, as I've not got the answer to the question about this specific engine I can't help out from that side of things. What I do know is that it must have Flashlube and other than that there is no real reason not to convert. After all, LPG is a fuel just the same as petrol and I know of much more powerful Jap cars running on LPG with no issues. Is there anyone here that can answer the OP's question? Also the question about a Live Data Capable reader because, as he has said, it is essential to monitor the data to set up the system properly (something that most "Professional" converters don't bother with

Just a couple of points... The calorific value of LPG is actually higher than petrol, but as fuel is burnt by mass, that is where this apparrent 25% figure you keep quoting comes from. I assume that as you keep pushing this point you have extensive experience of LPG cars? As I have already said, you need to compare cost per mile to get a fair comparison. My figures are based from my ownership of 3 different LPG vehicles over 5 years (some 100k+ miles) and real, long term running costs. In addition I have consulted several other friends and acquainances who have run vehicles on LPG for a reasonable period, including some of the many cars I have converted. As I stated, if you do enough miles then LPG is a no brainer. My saving of 1/3 includes everything, even the essential (IMO) flashlube for a Japanese engine. Also, I can't find any mention from the OP about mileage, fuel spend or the length of time he intends to keep his vehicle. For all we know he might be doing 50k/year.

Been looking at this with interest. Here's my take as someone who has run several LPG motors and converted even more. LPG generally reduces the fuel costs to 2/3 of running on petrol. This takes into account the petrol for starting, flashlube, etc. To give a fair comparison of the 2 fuels you need to compare the cost per mile, nothing else is accurate. This is how I have managed to get to the saving figure. When I first started running on LPG it saved about half (LPG was 30p/L and petrol was about 80p/L) but with the price increases it is now more like a third. This has remained steady now for about 3 years. So, taking the rather odd example used above. If the petrol running costs are £120 per month for 3 years, LPG running costs will be £80 per month for 3 years. This means a saving of £40/month. £40 * 36 months = £1440. A DIY kit for a 6 cylinder car can be fitted, inspected and registered for sub £1k (last 6 cyl kit cost me £845 all in) so take that £1000 outlay away from the £1440 savings and you have saved £440 straight away. Additionally, it burns much more cleanly so is more friendly to the engine and also qualifies for a (small) reduction in Road Fund License for post 2001 vehicles of £10 per Year. So there's another £30 making the savings £470 immediately Yes, there is a little extra cost in general maintenance (filters) but the clean burning of LPG will mean that the engine oil maintains it's properties longer. So instead of changing oil every 4k max (as I tend to on petrol) it can be extended to 7-8k and still come out a nice golden colour. Moving on to the other things raised... Modern (Fully Sequential) LPG systems can easilly perform exactly the same as on petrol if they are correctly fitted and tuned. This is fact! Yes, with the old mixer systems there was a loss of power but even then they could be tuned to minimise it. But that is old technology and things have moved on considerably (as they have with cars as well!) The number of LPG filling stations is increasing year on year and in the last 5 years I've only had to run on petrol (because of running out of LPG and not being able to find somewhere to fill up) for a maximum of 500 miles of my 100k+ miles driven. Finally... Whilst I accept that LPG isn't for everyone and if your petrol bill is only £120/month then it's quite affordable. With the distances I drive my petrol bills were more like £150 per week so LPG was a no brainer and had paid for itself within a few months. That car did 77k on LPG, saving 9p per mile, which cost me £800 to convert. 77000*£0.09= £6930 in savings. Take £800 off of that £6930 and I saved over £6k in fuel costs running that car! That's not to be sniffed at ;) What I would say is that LPG is a no brainer if you do enough miles, regardless of what anyone elses rather strange calculations show ^_^