Future Or Fad?
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,943
Likes: 3
From: Wildwood IL
Future Or Fad?
As our country searches for alternate fuel sources, could this be the wave of the future, or just another Edsel? Your thoughts...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/400HP...QQcmdZViewItem
Eddie
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/400HP...QQcmdZViewItem
Eddie
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,625
Likes: 0
From: Cut n Shoot TX
Originally Posted by rihwoods
Interesting...I suppose the propane tank goes behind your seats if retaining a dual fuel system....???
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,470
Likes: 1,490
From: Little Rock AR
I have seen 2 propane vehicles. One was a bright green shoebox tri five chevy show car and the other one was a working style pickup truck. I think you might need to worry about the valve seats as there isn't much lubrication when running on LPG.
-Mark.
-Mark.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 32,519
Likes: 1
From: central America
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Still a hydrocarbon engine...I question the lubrication as well
Of course my buddy's forklift runs on propane, as well as the people haulers at the Minnesota State Fair. Though you're still butting up against the facts of thermodynamics...propane doesn't contain as much energy as gasoline, thus you will need to burn more to get a relative value, ie. worse gas mileage. Ethanol is the same way. I don't know about wave of the future.
trw
Eddie, I like the new name, didn't recognize you for a second until I saw your avatar.
Of course my buddy's forklift runs on propane, as well as the people haulers at the Minnesota State Fair. Though you're still butting up against the facts of thermodynamics...propane doesn't contain as much energy as gasoline, thus you will need to burn more to get a relative value, ie. worse gas mileage. Ethanol is the same way. I don't know about wave of the future.
trw
Eddie, I like the new name, didn't recognize you for a second until I saw your avatar.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 936
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa OK
We used to run propane powered pickup trucks when I was a kid. They tended to have a little less power than gas, but the oil stayed super clean. A friend of my dad would change his oil once a year, whether it needed it or not.
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Race Director
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 10,643
Likes: 8
From: Foxfield CO 1970 Convertible
Our friends from Canada will just shrug at this... Whenever I've travelled to Calgary, almost all of the taxis use propane. The drivers say that it's about a wash between the cost of driving vs. gasoline because propane is sold based on BTU content.
When oil costs increase, so will propane - so what's the point??
When oil costs increase, so will propane - so what's the point??
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
I think I remember reading here before ... and there were some
propane C3s reported in Australia. What I recall from that past
thread was that propane coudl be pushed much higher in
compression ratio. So, the proper motor might be able to
outrun a gas engine of same size. However, as folks have
noted, there won't be any big savings in fuel.
propane C3s reported in Australia. What I recall from that past
thread was that propane coudl be pushed much higher in
compression ratio. So, the proper motor might be able to
outrun a gas engine of same size. However, as folks have
noted, there won't be any big savings in fuel.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,078
Likes: 0
From: Santee CA
Propane fueled cars?
Nothing really new...
In fact, there's a place in Los Angeles County (City of Commerce, actually) called SpeedZone.
They've got Propane Fueled Dragsters that you can race there on a track, and they actually do a decent job of throwing you back in the seat. Last time I was up there was about 2 years ago, and it was pretty fun, all things considered.
Propane, however, is still pretty expensive, at least here in CA. Cost me $15 to fill up a 5 gal propane tank, which at last comparison, was just less than what Premium gas was running at the local Costco gas station.
Nothing really new...
In fact, there's a place in Los Angeles County (City of Commerce, actually) called SpeedZone.
They've got Propane Fueled Dragsters that you can race there on a track, and they actually do a decent job of throwing you back in the seat. Last time I was up there was about 2 years ago, and it was pretty fun, all things considered.
Propane, however, is still pretty expensive, at least here in CA. Cost me $15 to fill up a 5 gal propane tank, which at last comparison, was just less than what Premium gas was running at the local Costco gas station.