Forums Forums Enthusiast Forums A - Z Autowirral Fitting LPG

Has anyone fitted LPG to a Subaru (mines a Forester)? Any advice would be appreciated.

Before I start, if you've never done it before DON'T, your insurance will go mental with a self fit

I have LPG kits on most of my vehicles, the Subaru SVX is a six cylinder, so that needed two control boxes (a four and a two way), works well with multipoint injection.

I tried a Forester with a single point, even after a service and a remap (quite easy to do with LPG systems as long as you have the lead and the right software for the control box) it just doesn't work properly, they backfire like a b*tch, and unless you fit a catflap to the airbox it blows them apart.

To sort it out (because it became more and more common, and annoying) the front end was swapped for a multipoint, as well as curing the problem meant that the car ran smoother with a slight increase in mpg and power.

The LPG tank will fit in the wheel well (as long as you get the right tank/size etc) so the seats can still be folded down.

LPG is horrible stuff, it's worth buying the kit and getting it fitted by a pro. I've heard stuff about blowing head gaskets. I'd rather have a diesel tbh.

How long have you had those SVX's for, I love seeing them around!

There used to be a dark blue SVX in West Kirby many years ago, but the owner sold that, the only SVX's on the Wirral now are mine, there's a silver one, two silver and two black. I'm looking for a decent white one (and maybe getting rid of one of the black ones).

I've had them for many (many) years, I think I have the most spares for them in the UK (certainly have the last brand new off-the-shelf gearbox). Excellent car to drive, nothing else like them.

Why do you fools insist on driving LPG?
Stop putting mine and other road users at risk and put your friggin hands in ya wallets you mising @&"*+#!
Either that or get a friggin fiesta 1 litre and get over your sadact lives!
What the f*#k are you doing driving a forester anyway? Ffs!

Ste I sense you are a bit mad?...
what is wrong with the Forester?

I'm sure I saw an SVX for sale around christmas... think it was a dealer near the Asda Woodchurch on the Industrial Park...

Obviously they carnt afford to drive it, like I said, get a fiesta, oh hey, why don't you try one of those fuel line magnets off eBay? Lmfao

Oh I see... as long as it wasn't an attack on a Forester.

I remember some clown in work saying about the magnets safe to say I laughed in his stupid face...

Surely actually fitting the LPG kit is going to be more expensive than buying the fuel?... unless you plan to keep it for a long time... plus LPG prices will keep going up and up...

Of course LPG prices will keep going up, so will petrol, but as previously all Shell did was to burn it off it's only the taxes that keep it as high as it is.

Badly fitted LPG is dangerous, but I don't see for one second how you can say it is threat to other road users. I can think of dozens of times petrol tanks have split, fuel has spilled onto the road, fuel has ignited, can't think of a single time with an LPG tank, not saying that there isn't one, just that petrol is FAR more dangerous. Cheapskates get a crack in their fuel tank and go and buy a petro-patch and glue it up, good luck with that on an LPG tank Oh yes, never had one split.

I've had a crash where a Land Rover has smashed into the back of my car, yes it had LPG and yes it was under the car, which folded around it. LPG is safe, green and cheap. Buying something that does the same job but costs less doesn't make me a cheapskate or unable to afford my car (I have 5 SVX's, only one is on LPG) it is just an alternative, or are you saying that electric car owners who only pay pennies per recharge should go and buy a Fiesta ?

Fuel line magnets... why would I need one...I use LPG

...still sitting on the fence, but there are more petrol cars around than LPG - maybe it would be better to compare fuel tank ruptures on a percentage rather than an overall figure in total

As for LPG, well it is cheaper if you can offset the fitting costs over time with running costs.

...but, LPG does lose performance and MPG, so if you are after either maybe a smaller car is required, especially when you do lose luggage space with the tank.

On the plus side, you can still get a reasonably big engine, where the power loss isnt as noticable, and you still get the smoothness of a big 6 or 8 cylinder engine, but lower running costs.

The jury is still out for me, think Id only every buy a car with it fitted, not sure I could justify having to do the miles to make it pay for itself

The main reason that LPG is not popular is because the government won't give any reassurances that they will not tax it at the same rate as petrol.

The reason LPG is cheap is because of the low taxes. The LPG industry has been trying to push the government into giving some sort of timescales/rates for the future taxation - but virtually nothing has been forthcoming.

You could have the conversion done, then the next budget makes LPG the same price as petrol.

I've wanted to go LPG for years, but without some sort of protection I am not prepared to risk that sort of money.

It doesn't take long to get your money back on most installations, if it wasn't for the tax gamble it is exceedingly viable.

Yeah, quite a few times in recent years, it has been mooted within government, that the LPG tax breaks may be coming to an end. The tax situation actually should be reviewed to be honest, LPG is only around 16% cleaner than petrol iirc, and yet is subject to less than half the taxation.

Given the state of the economy at present, removing the tax-break on LPG should have been the first thing they did!

DD, I seem to recall that the tax break was guaranteed until 2010, not sure if the source was legit, but it was mentioned when the future of LPG discussed on a couple of motoring forums im on a few years ago. Any info on this?

There was a guaranteed tax break that ended Apr 2009, but I think it was only two years long. There was also another freeze that ended 2004. What would be needed is something a 10 year plan or a minimum of 5.

Safety-wise, LPG is much safer than petrol, a petrol tanks ruptures very easily, an LPG doesn't. Petrol spreads and creates a ground fire, LPG creates a fireball which rises upwards very rapidly.

In reality the LPG tanks are almost indestructible, you will be well dead before the tank burst. That's why they can transport butane/propane cylinders around unprotected - similar spec.

In the event of a LPG tank being caught in a petrol fire, it will vent (quite slowly) and not explode which again is probably much less risk than the spread of petrol

Cheers