Gas in a '05 Focus

gibbery · 14-12-2006, 10:18 AM

Has any here looked into the feasability of gas in a new focus?
I was looking into selling my focus and getting th enew egas falcon, but it just ain't gunna happen.
Now wondering about gas in the focus.

photn · 14-12-2006, 11:35 AM

well first of all you would loose what small boot you already have....im not sure about the engine.....but im sure it would cost more than its worth.. if you have an auto focus you already get a decent fuel economy.....if you want better buy a smaller WP second hand Fiesta auto....they are great on fuel or maybee a yaris.....im sure there is some one out there that has done the whole gas thing...

Piotr · 14-12-2006, 11:49 AM

Sean have you seen the boot of the new focus? Its very big.

Gibbery, It could possibly be done but your best bet would be to actually talk to a gas conversion company about it. The Focus is already a very good car on fuel so gas would take a very long time to pay off.

photn · 14-12-2006, 12:02 PM

well its still a small boot in my eyes....but anyway that doesnt matter lol.....

Piotr · 14-12-2006, 12:55 PM

Ford Falcon - 379L boot

Ford Focus - 385L on the hatch and 510 on the sedan

So yeh, those are some tiny boots

Zetec20 · 14-12-2006, 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by photn

well its still a small boot in my eyes....but anyway that doesnt matter lol.....

sean you frustate me so much i wanna slap you sometimes....

lucky for me i'll see you in 2 days!

photn · 14-12-2006, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zetec20

sean you frustate me so much i wanna slap you sometimes....

lucky for me i'll see you in 2 days!

hehehe i am to please lol........gotta love that bait...........hook line and sinker.....how hard you gonna slap me lol and ware abouts lol..........................hehehehehe

zetec · 14-12-2006, 07:15 PM

Focus isn't economical enough?!?!! Crikey.

You'd definitely have to ask a qualified LPG expert, although I have seen it done on an LR LX auto hatch.

More revs · 15-12-2006, 10:04 AM

I think there would be a market for a 1.6l turbo diesel focus here. The C4 Citroen in that config gets great reviews here.

Howerver LPG I'm not so sure about because of those issues identified above.

eXtremist · 15-12-2006, 12:44 PM

gibbery, which ford focus do you have, the LR or LS?

15-12-2006, 07:20 PM

You boot space people. If your comparing the Focus hatch boot with a Falcon sedan boot, remember the focus gets its volume from the height it allows in the boot. Whereas the Falcon has a less taller boot space, but allows the area deep in the boot behind the back seats to be used for a gas tank, allowing a larger usable flat boot area with a tank in there.

If you go a carbie system,
1. you will most likely having constant problems with it getting the tune right etc.
2. possible to use more $ value of gas than petrol
3. decreased engine life.
4. hasn't been tried nor tested (to the best of my knowledge)
5. great loss of the little power the car stated off with
6. extra weight
7. major loss of boot space
8. Take ages, if ever to recoup the costs

If you go a VSI system:
All the above problems except
1. will be slightly more efficient than the carbie system
2. tune controlled by computer

But you gain the problem of a a frikken expensive install.

Imagine how much petrol you can buy for the outlay on a gas syste, even on top of the government grant.

zetec · 16-12-2006, 03:10 AM

Do some googling though - they have gas Foci in the UK from factory, or at least as a factory-supported mode from memory. I believe the standard internals are gas-proof, although it would take some ismple googling to prove me wrong (and it's 2am - I couldn't be bothered!)

MoreHPformyXR6 · 16-12-2006, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piotr

Ford Falcon - 379L boot

Just to clarify that 379L must be E-Gas Falcon boot as my XR6's boot is 504L.

:

& as said above the Focus gets its boot space from height vs Falcon althought it has less height in the boot it has heaps of depth. Which is very important if looking into a gas conversion.

Piotr · 16-12-2006, 12:52 PM

Woops my bad. The falcon does have a 504L boot but in the defence of the focus the Sedan still has a bigger boot than the falcon by a tiny bit

Uni · 16-12-2006, 11:11 PM

you want better fuel economy from a focus?!?! i own an LS and it returns low 9s, and that's being driven around our very hilly local neighbourhood (eastern 'burbs of Sydney).. im not babying it to return those fuel consumption figures either, that's driving at a perfectly normal, comfortable pace

if i really try to keep it down i manage around 8.5 but that takes serious effort and most of the time i simply don't bother. LPG presents a pretty poor case in light of figures like that, which i understand to be about average for the LS

Uni/.

eXtremist · 16-12-2006, 11:25 PM

Import the turbo diesel engine from the Ford Focus LX TDCi.

Its only a 1.6L and its turbo, so it'll be very good on fuel!!

EDIT: The TDCi model is found in South Africa, Germany, and UK.

MITCHAY · 17-12-2006, 12:13 AM

Really you would have to do a lot of driving for it to be worth what it is to get converted. They surely can't use too much on fuel?

Hell if I tried, I could barely push 10lt/100kms in my TX5 and that's flogging it. I would think that the Focus has come along more in technology than an 89 TX5.