Most supercars offered in the market today come with their ECU tuned for premium gas fuels say 93 octane rated or higher, but as we all know, LPG fuel is much cheaper and in that regard, several sports cars owners would like to drive their expensive cars on a daily basis but the fuel prices for the premium gas proves to be a challenge.
The basic assumption posed by most people is that a Ferrari owner has enough money to pay for his fuel, premium insurance and other costs, but sometimes this is not always the case. As you can see from these photos, this is a Ferrari F430 with an LPG conversion kit. Strange isn’t it? But I don’t think so and I will explain why. Over time, owners of Ferrari 348’s and 355’s have been known to fit in this LPG conversion kits in their cars for two main reasons. The first is due to the high prices of premium gas, which at times is not available in all countries. The second is to reduce the import taxes, cars on LPG have lower import taxes than those on premium gasoline, LPG is considered as a greener by-product.
So basically those doing it fit a storage tank in the boot where the entire kit shall feed from, the vaporizer is the variant here since it should match the fuel requirements of the engine, also the mixing plates should fit the engine. The rest of the equipment includes such things as the fuel tank, LPG shut off, Gasoline shit off, filler system, fuel tank frame, dash switch, the fuel lines and electric wires and of course the vaporizer and the mixing plates. All that for a non-LPi engine.
Depending on which country one comes from, rules may vary as to the installation strategies such as the location of the tank, location of the filler system etc.
The big question still remains, is it safe to have these conversions? Well, as per the many opinions given by those who have done it, we can’t come to a clear conclusion but thanks to science for we know one thing for sure, water never mixes with gasoline. Since it is heavier, instead, it collects around the lowest point where it can freeze forming blockages in the fuel lines, filters and even injectors. This will only lead to higher maintenance costs while you thought you escaped the fuel cost. Alcohol on the other hand will comfortably mix with water.
Of course, this is just my own opinion and borrowing chunks of the little science I learnt in high school back in the early days, feel free to throw in your own opinion at the chat box below!
I personaly know 4 people with cars that have LPG systems build in their cars 3 of them said to me, that they got problems with it. And the main problem with LPG system is that you have to go every year to controlcheck of the system, an that costs money and time. As I said, if you want to save money on fuel by a prius.
It depends on how many miles you do. We've had car with LPG and despite compulsory controlchecks it was still cheaper and money paid for conversation system returned in 2,5 – 3 years.
Sure it is pointless to have it on F430, but in some countries taxes for excotic cars like this are to damn high, so why not make them cheaper. There was a guy in my town, who had bought older Galardo and then had to sell it because he couldn't afford fuel. :D
Michal Bandzi Ml exactly the tax issue could be the only major reason as to why one would do that.
Gas Shit Off?
(((=
I have had several vehicles fitted with LPG, including performance vehicles. We don't need an annual check on the system so the cost factor is determined by the cost of installation, cost of fuel and the distance you drive. The quality of the installation depends on the skill and experience of the installer with LPG systems for the target vehicle type. Modern performance vehicles need LPG injection, with some systems are capable of using the vehicles computer to control the gas flow. Older classic vehicles with carburetors can replace the petrol system with a dedicated gas system. LPG actually burns cleaner and your oil has far less contaminants than petrol.
That's interesting Leon, other than the tax reasons, the burning cleaner part was not clear to me as i have not done it, but with the number of people doing it then i could only be well convinced
Nobody who drives a supercar has feelings about ecology, they just import their car for cheaper, then act like they fill it up with LPG, but in fact they roll on petrol 98 and not like said in the article 93…
Ferrari op lpg.