My CNG conversion

[Dudemobile]

i heard the the gas evaporates fast so technically i guess petrol would ignite more easily as petrol will linger around the car, if the tank is ruptured.

[Lgt1977]

ahhh... thanks. good option imho

[Cyberet]

http://www.cng.com.sg/benefits_paybackcalc.php

[Vtim]

Standard plugs are GOOD! Platinum and all that pretty bad for CNG unless you spend money on the Denso Iridium fine wire tips which doesn't last as long as the normal plugs.

 

Just have to reduce the gap to give better performance. Else spend money on an MSD coil and driver.

get the Denso SK plugs loh!, 0.7mm diameter Iridium fine wire center electrode tip + Platinium coated ground electrode

[Osiris]

Thanks bro !

definitely not for me need 47 month to break even

Even for those whose fc is 10km/l and travel 20k km a yr, need 34 month.

If first 3 yr don't convert coz warranty. Need to drive the car till 6 yrs than breakeven

[Vtim]

I just finished the cylinder.

 

With the jams yesterday morning and evening and the day before, didn't clock a lot of highway miles. Possibly 40-50% highway miles since I got the installation.

 

220km from 10kg of gas.

 

So if you do the math.

 

Pump SG CNG at $1.05/kg

 

$10.50 gives me 220km = $0.04/km (4 cents/km economy) = $4/100km

 

Pump JB CNG at $0.35/kg

 

$3.50 gives me 220km = $0.01/km ( 1 cent/km economy) = $1/100km

 

Mind you the system is not well tuned yet. I get a lot of hesitation and jerks from 1500-2000RPM. The system shines at 2300-2500RPM on cruising (85-90kph).

 

OK Compare that with petrol.

 

Pump SG RON92 petrol. $1.632/L (not including discount)

Pump JB RON92 petrol. $0.83/L

 

Car economy is 7.692L/100km (converted from 13km/L, judicious travel at 70kph on highways).

 

SG petrol = $12.55/100km

JB petrol = $6.38/100km

 

This is a no brainer. Even pump SG CNG, you still save.

 

OK how I know it ran out.

 

Was travelling down to Vivocity for Spidey premier (another thread story, I didn't watch due to restriction of civil liberties). Halfway when exited at Alexandra, system started beeping and the car all of a sudden got smooth power. I know the cylinder ran out. Look at the odo and it shows 220km.

 

The only irritating thing is that the beeper will beep continuously w/o stop. You got to manually press the button to stop it beeping.

 

Where got aftermarket mod out there that can give $4 or $1 per 100km economy?

 

 

 

Wah, looks very tempting ley, given the fact that I'm getting 6-7km/l on petrol

[Cyberet]

hehe, your big trajet can load a few cylinders

[Cyberet]

for those who travel alot, especially to jb, its great in reducing cost of running

[Gilbertaue]

Hi genie,

 

don't want to hog your thread but wanted to clear some points discussed here.

 

Thailand: Thailand has LPG and CNG. Price is the same. LPG conversion is cheaper. That is why people still go for LPG. The government has been subsidizing taxi drivers to switch to CNG, even banks are offering loans for CNG conversion. More stations are being built there too.

 

China: Cars are not allowed to convert. Only taxis and busses. About 5 stations are opened in China every month. Infrastructure of pipelines is a problem.

 

OK, now to the safety of the cylinders: The steel cylinders used here are about 1cm thick (hence the weight). If an accident should happen, the last thing remaining will be your intact steel cylinder. Further, unlike LPG, which is denser than air and stored in aluminum tanks at 8 bar, they rupture easily due to their thin walls (due to low pressure) and the LPG will "fall" to the ground. Very dangerous.

 

Your petrol tank nowadays are made of plastic. If that is damaged it will spill to the ground - also quite dangerous.

 

CNG steel cylinders are very robust and even in an event of the lines being broken, they have automatic shut off valves on them and should something like a leak occur, it will either burn in a controlled manner or, without any flames will very quickly vent to the atmosphere since it is lighter than air.

 

Oh and one more point: Mazda RX8 cannot convert - even with the seq kit.

[Genie47]

The cylinder can withstand 200bar pressure. What do you think? I guess the cylinder survives better than anything in the car.

[Genie47]

The word is coalesce. With LPG and petrol, they will leak out and since they are not lighter than air gases/fluids, they will coalesce forming a pool of combustible material.

 

CNG being methane mostly will just float away.

Edited April 26, 2007 by Genie47

[Genie47]

Cannot gap manually risk damaging the fine wire electrode. Reducing the gap is better on CNG systems to reduce the load on the ignition system. Petrol is 12-15kV, CNG needs 20-35kV.

[Genie47]

I start saving after 8-10mths if using JB CNG/petrol.

[Genie47]

A Malaysian Naza owner installed 2X 40L cylinders.

[Vtim]

hehe, your big trajet can load a few cylinders

but then I got problem if I'm taking the whole family up North for holiday, as all 8 seats are needed, no more space for luggauge if going for CNG

[Vtim]

still can lah, from 1.1mm to 0.8mm is easier than from 0.8mm to 1.1mm

[Vtim]

so, he must have save lot of RM$ on the long run

[Jamjammer]

Just want to enquire, I saw that there's a natural gas refilling station along North Bouna Vista Rd From MOE building leading towards NUH direction). The station is always locked and I think it's under BP with the green and yellow logo. I suppose that is a CNG refilling station right? Anybody any idea?