[mj62mj62]

Hello

I've been following news about the new Cooper Diesel quite closely and I'm waiting to hear what people think as their orders arrive I'm excited as I wanted something fuel efficient and small, but also fun and sporty

Anyway, I came across some LPG info on the net but don't have all the details yet. Lots of petrol stations sell it and it sure looks cheap! Would you end up financially farther ahead with an LPG convert or a diesel?

I would have thought people would take a Cooper S (esp with things like the works kit available for it) and switch it to LPG. Then you get the best of both worlds, without the drawbacks of a diesel. (i drive a diesel now and love it, but that's besides the point

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The only thing I've come across so far is that it takes up a portion of the boot - which sounds kinda crappy... But for half price petrol, greener fuel and 90% equal performance, I'm wondering why it's not more popular (or maybe it is and I don't know it?)

Thanks everyone
Matt

[bob corbishley]

Putting LPG onto a modern EU4 emmisions certified car is going to be difficult to get running smoothly without the MIL lights coming on.

The mini has a turbo and direct injection too. You'd have to blow the fuel in pre compressor and run the full induction system fuel of fuel/air. This is a bit iffy as a backfire would take out the inlet manifold, intercooler, pipework and probably the turbo too (not to mention trashng the front of the car). The only way to get the fuel in would be to fit a much more complex and expensive port injection system. You'd have to build a new inlet manifold specifically for your car as you dont have any existing injectors.

The original GDI injectors are exposed to the combustion temperatures/pressures and without any fuel flowing through them they'll overheat and could be damaged so after a while I doubt the car would work on petrol at all and would cost a fortune to repair (GDI injectors are a different beast to std EFI ones)

Then you've got to think about how little fuel you'll actually be able to carry. The Mini boot is tiny, you'd have very little range at all.

Just buy a Dooper and get it chipped. I'm sure someone will get 150BHP out of the engine soon,

[Jon Robson]

LPG is a good idea on something like a Range Rover where there is room to mount tanks under the chassis. As Bob says above you would lose the boot completely. And the backfires are certainly not good news, I have seen Range Rovers with the air filter box completely disintegrated as a result of this... not good with a turbo and all that electrickery and sensors... I would go for the Dooper (in fact I've had mine since September and love it)!

[mj62mj62]

Thanks for your replies!

There was other people talking about it, but I guess they weren't talking about the Cooper S because they didn't mention anything about the air intake, etc.

I'm sure glad I asked instead of assuming it could be done!!!!


Glad to hear you love your Dooper I have a chipped Audi A4 TDI and am looking to get into something smaller. It will be a lot less power in the Dooper but it should be a lot smaller and lighter and hopefully loads for fun to drive

Thanks again,
Matt

[black olive]

go for the Dooper, I concur with Bob on the LPG front- it just isnt an option.

The dooper will be more than adequate for your needs.

[dlpruk]

Quote: Originally Posted by black olive (original)

go for the Dooper, I concur with Bob on the LPG front- it just isnt an option.

The dooper will be more than adequate for your needs.

52.8 mpg since new and still rising as it loosens up, as much torque as an S (in general terms) for relaxed overtaking and a natural cruising speed somewhere in the high 90s - but I daren't risk more points by testing this fully.

I dunno what would be better.

[pbarclay]

I had an LPG conversion fitted to my Nissan Primera 2.0 litre when my mileage was heading towards 20,000 per year.

The tank took up most of the fairly sizeable boot. LPG filling stations were and still are few and far between meaning I often had to drive out of my way to get some gas. However, during the fuel duty strike a few years ago, I was fine because I could still fill up at household LPG depots that supplied Autogas.

I think the car ran a little quieter on LPG but it certainly had less power and worse fuel economy. LPG has a lower calorific value per litre. I had previously regarded the Nissan Primera with its chain cam engine as bullet proof but the car became unreliable after a couple of years on LPG.

Most irritating of all, the LPG supply system took no account of other demands on the engine. You just take it for granted that the engine management system knows to increase the idling speed when the aircon is used: with LPG, the car often stalls.

Still, having got some value from my LPG Primera, I decided to replace it with something more fun in 2003 - a MINI Cooper S! I now have a Dooper which is almost as good but 40 bhp short of power.

So, my advice would be only buy a dualfuel car if it is made by the manufacturer and just enjoy the Dooper

[MartinH32]

I have converted my new Mini Cooper to LPG. I had a few teething problems but now she runs great.
Due to the nature of LPG it needs a reasonably warm engine before it can be used. The fuel is stored as a liquid and a vapouriser converts it to a gas prior to injecting it into the engine.

The LPG conversion ECU works in tandem with the Mini ECU and is slaved off of it. Once the engine is warm enough the ECU switches over to gas.

Modern LPG conversions use sequential injection which switches a cylinder at a time over to the gas so you do not feel the switch. The only reason I know the car is about to switch on to gas is the fact I can hear a small clank noise coming from the LPG tank which starts the flow off.

Performance is marginally down but not much. However, I can still by the click of a switch move back on to petrol when I want to play.

As for MPG, it averages 36 which based on the price of unleaded equates to 72MPG.

Things to bare in mind when converting:
Your insurance company needs to be informed.
The DVLA needs to be informed
It will cause problems with your warranty (or it will on the engine), however a comprehensive engine warranty can be purchased over the internet for around £100.
I have lost my boot space, but, I do 230 miles a day and the conversion will pay for itself in under 12 months.
Check your installer is LPG association approved and the kit has a warranty (generally two years)


As for back firing and engine lights. I have never had back fire and although the EML appeared a few times, a quick bit of tuning on the laptop and 4000 miles later it's been fine!




Any questions, please ask!!!

[Jon Robson]

Another thing to remember with an LPG conversion is they won't let you use the Eurotunnel... that may not be a problem for you of course.

[mj62mj62]

Thanks for the great responses

[bob corbishley]

The std cooper is much easier to convert to LPG due to the fact it has neither a turbo, nor does it run GDi . Its a different kettle of fish.