anybody running a V8 on LPG?

Had a few cars/ van on gas, only real disadvantages are the loss of boot space with the LPG tank, can be got around by using a tank in the spare wheek well instead of a spare and carrying a can of flat fix. Only other thing is range between fill ups on gas obviously depends on tank size but it always seems to be between 200 to 330 miles
Never noticed any power difference on gas compared to petrol

My Safari is on gas - 4.3 v6
Old venturi system but with a lambda sensor, so it's not prehistoric.
Yes, noticable drop in power, but, I have 2 huge tanks underneath, so unless i'm doing a big run at motorway speeds I hardly ever fill up. This sometimes means the petrol in the tank goes a bit stale tho.

Quite often, you will find LPG suppliers on industrial estates / off the beaten track, and these guys are usually a lot cheaper than forecourts.

Going for the newer multipoint systems allegedly means there should be little or no power difference - but they are expensive to fit.

Manual conversions on these usually involves the box and flywheel from a 540/6 6 speed box and they are quite rare.

it's amazing what you find out when you ask around!
i was just talking to my uncle about his old M5 and told him my plans. turns out one of his best mates and ex-work mates runs a garage that specialise in autogas conversions. one of the only places in sunderland that do. and the bloke in question is running around in a gas converted X5 and M5 so he's a BMW man to boot.
so i think i'll be paying him a visit!

i'm sold on LPG now, everyone i speak to says you get what you pay for and if you buy a decent kit their won't be any negatives. prices are still unknown but at least i know where to go to find out.

and this little nugget of info is very interesting;

definitley something to keep in the memory banks!


still not completley against an E46 diesel but assuming i can find a nice 540 and get a good price on a conversion that would be a million times more exciting.

still got no opinions on 540's though. anyone ever ran one? there's none for sale locally so nothing to go look at.

I converted and ran a 4.6 RaRo Classic on LPG. Got about 17mpg average with no noticeable loss of power.

Id advise buying a kit from WTV and doing it yourself.

Finding LPG was a pain in the . I used to have to drive 5 - 10 miles out of my way to fill up. Get the biggest tank or tanks you can. You might even be able to get a 5 gal petrol tank and use the rest of the space for more lpg tanks.

Also don't trust lpg specialists - most of them are utter butt monkeys.

Maybe too modern for many on here?

Anyway, here I am to the rescue.
the 540s are very, very FAST. They are very quiet, refined and powerful. There is loads of space inside and they aren't too hard to make look tasty - M-sport bumpers and dished wheels, job jobbed.
However, they are almost impossible to work on, much too many electrics for your average DIY Joe, and electrics can kill them. I'm pulling a 540 apart because the auto-box is in limp-home and therefore WAY beyond economical repair. Also, suspension is a major issue - it wears out fast. expect to replace a few rear bushings and all the top strut mounts as soon as you buy, if not struts and suspension arms (LOTS of them ). AFAIK there is nowhere to put the lpg tank except in the boot, which takes away much of the practicality.
I've no sure info on the MPG in either 540 (dodgy readings) but if my 740 is anything to go by, expect 10-12mpg if you like going quick. And it's very easy to go quick without realising it...

Also consider the E34 540. Much cheaper car to run (parts) and style, same speed, almost the same level of comfort. I have to be honest and say the E39 is a more comfortable and quieter car, even though it's got much less character than the E34. But E39s are still common, and some parts for them are stupid prices (£250 for clear headlights..? riiiiight.)

Also... all diesels are curse word. Except the 525tds, because I've got a couple of those too But seriously, the 3.0d engine is fraught with problems, most notably the turbos going bang. Also, E46s have a rather worrying habit of breaking the bottom cup of the front struts. So much so in fact, they're impossible to get second-hand. Guy I know tried for a couple of months to get them, ended up having to buy pattern parts, and still cost a packet. So don't get a derv unless you're getting an E34 or early E39 525tds

I'm running a 2001 E39 540i touring at the moment. Its very nice, the only negative in my mind is the steering ratio, its very slow compared to what I'm used to, but I gather most BMWs are like this?

The spec varies a lot, most things were options. Mine has loads of toys but the original receipt shows that they cost £14k on top of the base price of £41k!

I got the Bentley manual for mine which covers everything (two 3" volumes!) and I plan on working on it myself. It has only needed a wheelbearing so far though.

The 540 replaced a Volvo S80 T6 which was very hard to find information on but the BMW isn't anywhere near as obscure.