Join Date: Mar 2007
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Although I have not got my RV converted, I did have my Ford F150 pick-up truck (5.4 litre V6) converted. The difference in mpg between petrol and LPG is insignificant. At 10-12 mpg, the difference is about 1mpg, well within normal variation anyway. However, although the cost of the fuel is much lower, you need to calculate the distance you will have to travel in order to recoup the outlay on the conversion. The reason I got my truck converted, but not the RV, is that I do about 10 times the mileage in the truck, so it paid for itself in less than 2 years. In my case the 4 1/2 years since then have provided major savings. Unless you are doing fairly high mileage then it is going to take a long time to recover the nearly £3000 it will cost to get the RV converted (around 12,000 miles, even at 12mpg, on the current differential, and even longer if the price difference narrows again). On the sort of annual mileage I was likely to be doing in the RV it was going to take longer to break even than I would probably keep the vehicle for.
There is also the issue of the weight of the tank and contents, which will decrease your loading margin accordingly. If the RV has been re-badged to be under 7.5t, but was originally higher, then you are eating into the remaining margin quite a lot. You need quite large tanks to be worthwhile for a vehicle with that sort of consumption. I have 140l (2 x 70l tanks) on my truck, which I reckon is about the smallest size worth having. LPG tanks may also need to be installed behind the rear axle, thus changing the axle loadings on both front and rear, with all the associated issues there. Suggest you do your sums (both financial and weight-wise) before taking the plunge.