CNG Compressed Natural Gas

[harrykon]

Anyone done a CNG conversion/add-on for your ST? I hear it's a fairly easy conversion. We have many filling stations in the Detroit area, so I'm thinking it'd be a easy (but a bit pricey) way to improve my cost/mile..

Any opinions, experience, or "don't do its" out there?

 

[ncranchero]

What is "pricey"? I haven't looked at one. I drove a Chevy c-10 350 c.i. pickup equipped with the propane conversion back in the early '80's as a test vehicle for the local government. Plenty of power, reduced emissions, reasonable advantages....... but installation costs was not an issue. Back then there were few filling stations but we had our own at the maintenance garage. You'd probably have to drive a lot of miles to recoup the cost of the modification.

 

[oklagp1200r]

Universal kits around $500 now the tanks are a differant story depending on the size and manufactor $1000 up! This is for a bio fuel setup! Labor well? $$$$$$
CNG here in Oklahoma is around 80 cents.
Your mileage will be the same on either fuel only the cost of the fuel is differant.
So $3 a gallon for gas here to .80 cents for CNG wont take long to recoupe investment!
Say I have been researching this for awhile now! LOL

 

[ncranchero]

I'm sure there have been significant improvements in the systems since the early '80's but the Chevy pickup I drove did not get the mileage on it that it got on gasoline.

 

[snoranger]

Your looking at an approx 10% loss of power running CNG on a motor not built for it. CNG is a high octane fuel, a motor build specifically for this should have:
High compression (or maybe forced induction )
hardened valve seats
Timing advanced (more then the stock computer program will allow)

Im not going to say "dont do it", just do your homework and do it right.

 

[motrv8]

I'm getting ready to add CNG to my 2011 Ranger 4.0L SOHC. I'll upload pics and ideas as I go. The entire thing including tanks cost $1525. It looks like I'll be making a couple of brackets to install the regulator but other than that it will be pretty simple. If everything goes well I'll explain everything about where I got the good tanks and some of the nuances along with pics.

 

[interscope8]

with gas being $4.19 here in IN I wouldnt mind $0.80 a gallon...

 

[harrykon]

@motrv8

Cool. I'd like to hear about your install and lessons learned for sure. I didn't think it could be done that cheap. What company did you go through? I was looking at a 16 gallon equiv tank...i'll have to dig up my research but I think I was looking at closer to 3G's.!

 

[oklagp1200r]

I'm getting ready to add CNG to my 2011 Ranger 4.0L SOHC. I'll upload pics and ideas as I go. The entire thing including tanks cost $1525. It looks like I'll be making a couple of brackets to install the regulator but other than that it will be pretty simple. If everything goes well I'll explain everything about where I got the good tanks and some of the nuances along with pics.

COOL!
Your in Tulsa OK great you get yours installed I will bring you my 2001 ST then you can do mine

 

[2000StreetRod]

only one station

I've also been looking into a CNG conversion. Unfortunately, the only public refill station in Greenville is on the other side of town (about 10 miles one way) and I never go to that area. However, some of the city vehicles used downtown are being converted. Maybe in a few years there will be more public stations and one closer to where I live.

 

[interscope8]

Question about CNG... do you lose range at all? Like, with the conversion and new tank and all am I still going to be able to go about 300 miles on a full tank of CNG opposed to gas?

 

[harrykon]

range is added

Your range will increase; cng is an add-on so if you go with a 16 gal equiv tank you will get your usual 300 on gasoline plus another 240 on cng. You just flip a switch to go from one to the other..

 

[interscope8]

That sounds awesome

 

[Tbars4]

I'm getting ready to add CNG to my 2011 Ranger 4.0L SOHC. I'll upload pics and ideas as I go. The entire thing including tanks cost $1525. It looks like I'll be making a couple of brackets to install the regulator but other than that it will be pretty simple. If everything goes well I'll explain everything about where I got the good tanks and some of the nuances along with pics.

..Definitely subscribing for this...

 

[OffTrac]

 

[motrv8]

Anyone done a CNG conversion/add-on for your ST? I hear it's a fairly easy conversion. We have many filling stations in the Detroit area, so I'm thinking it'd be a easy (but a bit pricey) way to improve my cost/mile..

Any opinions, experience, or "don't do its" out there?

Hang on a few days. There was a LOT of studying done before I decided to do this. I ended up getting my kit from a place called Energy Water Solutions. If you look them up on google look up ewsews. Get the millennium kit as it automatically switches back and forth between CNG to gas. I went with a fogger system because it is easiest to install and expect to lose about 10% power which will translate to the same mileage loss. I will get about 20 mpg on CNG at $1.28 a GGE (gallon of gas equiv.) It's still a lot of hassle but let me do mine first then see how it goes and I'll give everyone the go-ahead or not for this kit and outlet. The tanks were $600 for 9.7GGE and they are used and set to expire in 2017. They were also $250 for shipping which I checked and it was fairly reasonable. Kit was $649. Then you have to program the controller and I will be happy to share pics and processes with everyone.

 

[wood1]

Subscribing to this. Very interesting.

 

[Clusterpup]

subscribing

 

[oklagp1200r]

Hang on a few days. There was a LOT of studying done before I decided to do this. I ended up getting my kit from a place called Energy Water Solutions. If you look them up on google look up ewsews. Get the millennium kit as it automatically switches back and forth between CNG to gas. I went with a fogger system because it is easiest to install and expect to lose about 10% power which will translate to the same mileage loss. I will get about 20 mpg on CNG at $1.28 a GGE (gallon of gas equiv.) It's still a lot of hassle but let me do mine first then see how it goes and I'll give everyone the go-ahead or not for this kit and outlet. The tanks were $600 for 9.7GGE and they are used and set to expire in 2017. They were also $250 for shipping which I checked and it was fairly reasonable. Kit was $649. Then you have to program the controller and I will be happy to share pics and processes with everyone.

WELL?????????????????????????????????
Wonder how this went :thumbdwn:

 

[01STrunner]

Me too!