Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi,
looking at increasing my fuel range in my hilux as i only have the standard 50lt tank,
which i only get 280 kms max from.
The options are fitting a 80 lt tank in the rear which i have.
Or getting gas fitted, which i also have a full gas set up to suit a carby motor. ( 110 lt tank )
The gas set up will cost me to get complianced and wired for EFI set up, but there is a government rebate.

I am leaning towards the bigger fuel tank due to cost and the fact i now have a work car and the lux is more a toy.
But want a better range for trips to Fraser Island etc.

Cheers Matt

bigger fuel tank.. if its just a toy the gas will never pay for itself.. if u were using it everyday it might be worth going gas. but i wouldnt

you wont get the rebate on a used system either.

Do the sums yourself. Find out how much to fit the gas. Then make a guess at the cost of petrol and gas. Calculate the cost to run 1000 km on petrol and on gas, assuming that you will use 25% more gas than petrol to go the 1000 km. Subtract the gas from the petrol cost per 1000km and you have the potential savings. Once you have the savings per 1000 km, you can determine how many km you have to do to recover the cost of fitting.

Remember that after that time, any travel you do is all 'profit', for example if you need to do 20000 km to ercover teh cost, after that, every 20000 km you save the fitting cost again. The figures were about 25000 km to recover the cost of the conversion on my vehicles. Each of them has now done 230000 km, so you can see how much I have saved by going to gas.

Another point to note is the drop in power. In my vehicles, I cannot detect any loss of power, but in a Lux, you may feel it. If that is a concern to you, don't do it. Otherwise, you just go up the hill a bit slower - what the hell - it probably saves you from a speeding fine anyway.

geoffro46 wrote:you wont get the rebate on a used system either.

Are you sure? Maybe it's BS but I heard of people getting the rebate on used systems, provided that the system was installed and signed off by an accredited installer.

Me, I have had quite a few vehicles with gas installed in them and lately I don't think I ever will again. For me the savings just don't justify the shittiness of gas - bulky tanks, limited availability in remote areas, slower filling, less km per litre, etc.

Gas is Shite don't touch it. You've got a ute just take three jerrys and you've more than doubled your range

Was told you can get a rebate for a used kit.
The hilux will never see big mileage, 5,000 km's a year and maybe less now i have a work ute.
I just don't like the small fuel capacity of the stock tank for trips to fraser Is etc.
The V6 auto dosen't help either, but gives it a bit more grunt.
Jerry cans is an idea but that takes room away from the already small tray.
So it looks like the 80lt tank will find a new home where the spare tyre was.

Whats the best way to mount a tank? Use the factory straps.
The tank i have is from a prado or cruiser (EFI)

Thanks
Matt

if a rebate has been claimed on the tank you use you dont get it again, so if the tanks resonably new i'd put money on it having a rebate claimed against it.

I have had my first dual fuel vehicle for a bit now ... the gas systems I remember are notthing like this .. its in an NL pajero SOHC 3.5V6
It is just a vapor system .. but the economy is actually pretty good open road running ( I always guestimated previously as I have bigger tyres etc , recently purchased a new GPS that has an "at the pump function" it logs the number of k's you've done and you put in the amount of fuel you fill up with.. I always refill to full) I have been averaging 16.2 per 100k's on LPG sitting on a GPS 106 to 116Kph open road speed zone dependant.
i am paying $0.549 per litre vs almost $1.42 for petrol at best I get 12.6 per 100 on petrol on the same route under similar conditions .. the gas to me makes quite a good proposition.
The power loss is almost imperceptiable and I have now racked up about 90,000Ks with it with only one user generated issue casuing me some grief..

For a mostly commuter\weekend warrior truck .. I would certainly do it on another vehicle.

For a weekend warrior only .. I would simply fit the second tank you have and call it good.

geoffro46 wrote:you wont get the rebate on a used system either.

yes you do, done mine in June with a system off eBay .local gas bloke installed it and i got the rebate no worry s.
as long as you haven't made a claim in 3 years, and the car hasn't had gas before you will get the rebate

cheers steve

i agree on lpg mine is so costly to run on petrol .
i run twin tanks so i have 130 liters underneath and a long range tank the holds 50 or so liters so best of both worlds lpg dosnt flood on hills ect like some of the carby 4wd ive had .

geoffro46 wrote:if a rebate has been claimed on the tank you use you dont get it again, so if the tanks resonably new i'd put money on it having a rebate claimed against it.

Not true, There is no limit to how many times the rebate can be claimed on the gas system itself. The only restrictions are that the rebate can only be claimed once per vehicle and once per person every 3 years.