propane
10-06-2007, 02:18 PM
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propane
ok another newby question, some people have said that propane is just for the extreem trucks, then iv heard others say it should be the first thing you do to a diesel. im looking for economy, tow, and offroad performance. whats ur thoughts? will it hurt my truck?
10-06-2007, 03:45 PM
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IMO propane isn't a very good idea for an offroad truck. First of all the risk of breaking stuff of the propane system with the inherent dangers and then the need to assure that the regulator will not let any liquid propane through even while it's a bumpy ride will make it costly. With the EZ you already have a timing box, so the gains would be rather small IMO
AlpineRAM
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10-07-2007, 12:12 AM
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As well as most people forget to include the cost of the propane/system for the economy figures. Plus the added risks to the HG. Not worth it for most trucks IMHO.
10-07-2007, 02:32 AM
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Propane is for Power Strokes, they need all the fuel they can get. Nitrous is for cummins, we have more than enough fuel but limitations on air intake, that's why nitrous is so beneficial. Any injectible should be preceeded with some sort of headwork, orings, firerings, and or studs to help deal with the increased cylinder pressure. Seems to me that SO engines can handle more timing, boost, and injectibles in stock form. HO's have higher compression to begin with so they don't have much extra pressure capacity before the head gasket leaks.
10-07-2007, 03:06 PM
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I wouldn't COMPLETELY rule out propane, but I'm not really a fan of it.
The trick with propane is that it has to be used mildly and at low engine loads. For example, towing light loads on levels terrain with an unmodified or slightly modified engine.
The advantage of propane is that it burns so cleanly. This will drastically reduce the soot in your oil and the cylinders will burn very cleanly. Another thing is that you can get a little more range out of your fuel supply, because burning propane will reduce the amount of diesel that's consumed-- though it's highly unlikely you'll net any dollar savings.
The potential problems with propane are many. Overdoing it will stress and probably destroy your headgasket. The systems can be complex, and there's the potential for leaks. Not to mention the loss of bed space, the safety aspects of carrying around pressurized LPG and so on.
Also, if you are going for big power with a fuel-limited VP44 HO Cummins, then propane might be an option after you've maxed out the fuel. Even with a massive hit of nitrous, the HO only has so much fuel available...
I personally don't know how far the HO pump has been taken because most guys serious about HP ditch the HO pump for a SO or hotrod pump.
I suspect with a big nitrous hit the HO's fuel supply could possibly approach 600hp, but that's a big stretch. Most HOs are doing very well to crack 500.
Anyway, from what I've seen of propane systems, the MSD digital unit is nice, but expensive.
JH
The trick with propane is that it has to be used mildly and at low engine loads. For example, towing light loads on levels terrain with an unmodified or slightly modified engine.
The advantage of propane is that it burns so cleanly. This will drastically reduce the soot in your oil and the cylinders will burn very cleanly. Another thing is that you can get a little more range out of your fuel supply, because burning propane will reduce the amount of diesel that's consumed-- though it's highly unlikely you'll net any dollar savings.
The potential problems with propane are many. Overdoing it will stress and probably destroy your headgasket. The systems can be complex, and there's the potential for leaks. Not to mention the loss of bed space, the safety aspects of carrying around pressurized LPG and so on.
Also, if you are going for big power with a fuel-limited VP44 HO Cummins, then propane might be an option after you've maxed out the fuel. Even with a massive hit of nitrous, the HO only has so much fuel available...
I personally don't know how far the HO pump has been taken because most guys serious about HP ditch the HO pump for a SO or hotrod pump.
I suspect with a big nitrous hit the HO's fuel supply could possibly approach 600hp, but that's a big stretch. Most HOs are doing very well to crack 500.
Anyway, from what I've seen of propane systems, the MSD digital unit is nice, but expensive.
JH
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10-08-2007, 07:22 AM
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Hohn,
I played with propane back about 7 or 8 years ago.... On a highly modified truck adding propane was only good for about 20 RWHP and this was after I modded the propane system to flow about 3X what it originally would. With the original propane setup the unit only was producing about 5-10 RWHP. The unit was Bully Dog's largest propane system that was supposed to yeild wonderful results! The truck was a 2001 ETC that was around 750 RWHP.
What I don't like about propane is the egt's are much higher for a given HP level. Also you are introducing a fuel source into the cylinders prior to the injection event, thus lots of bad can happen. The minimal gains from using propane just do not justify the expense or potential problems from using it in my book.
Doug
I played with propane back about 7 or 8 years ago.... On a highly modified truck adding propane was only good for about 20 RWHP and this was after I modded the propane system to flow about 3X what it originally would. With the original propane setup the unit only was producing about 5-10 RWHP. The unit was Bully Dog's largest propane system that was supposed to yeild wonderful results! The truck was a 2001 ETC that was around 750 RWHP.
What I don't like about propane is the egt's are much higher for a given HP level. Also you are introducing a fuel source into the cylinders prior to the injection event, thus lots of bad can happen. The minimal gains from using propane just do not justify the expense or potential problems from using it in my book.
Doug
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