LPG on Priora: methane or propane - installation of which is smarter to install

A Lada running on methane, and indeed with LPG in general, is not a common occurrence. The VAZ 2170, also known as Priora, does not come from the factory with methane or other gas - this conversion is carried out by specialized companies, or by the craftsmen themselves. Methane is an economical fuel for Priora, but reviews say that gas stations are in short supply. Russian car owners are still in many cases skeptical about HBO, because they do not study this issue thoroughly, relying on stereotypes and outdated opinions. Not all owners install HBO on the Priora - it is believed that this way the car loses acceleration dynamics, and in the sedan body it is simply created in order to become someone’s first high-spirited car and leave an impression of ownership. Russian car owners are still in many cases skeptical about HBO, because they do not study this issue thoroughly, relying on stereotypes and outdated opinions.

Well, for a Priora in a station wagon, methane is well suited - the car literally calls for long family trips with a full trunk, and methane helps save money. As an example, already from the factory VAZ produces Vesta CNG - a modification of the serial version with factory-installed gas cylinder equipment that works with compressed natural gas - methane.

Methane is installed on the Priora yourself - and it is difficult to choose the manufacturer of the kit, because this is considered a good, serious investment in a car, in which it is better not to make mistakes. An important detail is that the installation of methane on a Priora should only be carried out by specialists, because this is not an ordinary modification of the car’s operating systems; This is a very serious alteration that requires both knowledge and skill.

Choosing LPG for Lada Priora

In total, there are 6 generations of gas-cylinder equipment: starting from the first, it has been continuously modified and improved to become an environmentally friendly and functional replacement for gasoline and diesel fuel. The most common is the fourth generation LPG (there is also a 4+ branch) - it is considered optimal in terms of the combination of one-time investments and payback period - and, as everyone knows, LPG is installed for the purpose of long-term savings.

The fourth generation is different in that everything is controlled by an analogue of the car's ECU - a gas control unit, and inside the cabin there is a button for switching from gasoline to gas and back. When choosing gas equipment for Priora, you should not save money and install the second or third generation - the savings will not be so serious, and it is not so easy to maintain or operate - after all, it is a slightly “outdated” development.

Examples of savings calculations in St. Petersburg

Let's calculate the difference in the cost of refueling gas and gasoline using two examples:

From Nevsky Prospekt to the Ring Road and back in St. Petersburg 60 km. Let's take this distance as the daily mileage rate and calculate the benefit for the month.
From St. Petersburg to Moscow - 710 km. Let's calculate how much you can save on a trip to Moscow and back.

Savings after switching to gas

Engine	From Nevsky to Ring Road and back every day for one month			From St. Petersburg to Moscow and back
Engine	Petrol	Propane	Saving	Petrol	Propane	Saving
1.6MT	RUB 8,291	RUB 4,277	RUB 4,014	RUB 6,541	RUB 3,374	RUB 3,167
1.8MT	RUB 8,375	RUB 4,316	RUB 4,059	RUB 6,607	RUB 3,405	RUB 3,202
Prices in calculations: AI-95 - 47.00 rubles, CIS - 22.00 rubles.

If you use LADA Priora rarely and travel short distances, the benefit will be insignificant. But if you spend more than an hour driving every day, HBO will pay for itself in the first year. Calculate how much you will save at the gas station based on your mileage in the savings calculator.

Tell your friends how to save money while driving:

Methane or propane-butane

Methane is pure natural gas - the same one that is supplied to residential apartments, and propane is, one might say, synthetic - a product of human processing of petroleum raw materials. Methane is very pure, but propane, just like gasoline sold at gas stations, is contaminated, only it is contaminated with another gas - butane, the percentage of which sharply reduces the vehicle's power reserve - the saturation of the gas mixture with butane makes it burn faster. Besides the fact that gas stations with methane are very rare (as an example, there are no more than 5 of them throughout Moscow), while gas stations with propane-butane are everywhere, they also have other differences:

The cost of propane-butane gas equipment for Priora is cheaper, but the average price of 1 liter of methane is lower than propane-butane;
LPG with methane is always larger (and this does not depend on the volume of the tank) in weight, size and “eats up” no less space in the trunk than a subwoofer, which is why it is only suitable for a station wagon body so that there is at least a little space left for luggage;
Methane gas in a Priora can reduce acceleration dynamics by up to 20%, and propane-butane - only within 5-10%, which is almost imperceptible;
Methane is a natural gas, it is very clean and environmentally friendly;
The combination of natural gas methane and gasoline would be ideal for those who want to worry about the environment, but as long as gas stations with methane are not common, clean air in the city will remain a utopian dream.

Installation and Maintenance

Since it is more economical to install all the equipment yourself, we will describe the process in detail and sequentially. Gas equipment on Priora is installed as follows:

After you have gained access to the nozzles, we connect the wires from the gas equipment.
Installation of a gas fitting into a plastic receiver. To do this, you need to make a hole in the receiver.
Installation of a gas cylinder. Both types of cylinders are suitable for Priora - both cylindrical and toroidal. The first is installed in the trunk behind the rear seats. Its volume is about 60 liters. The second option is located in place of the spare wheel. In this case, you risk driving without a spare wheel. Volume – 45 liters.
A gas distributor is mounted under the manifold.
Install the reducer and then connect it to a hose, the other end of which leads to the distributor. We install a special low pressure filter.
Connect the gearbox to the cooling system.
A line is laid that leads from the gearbox to the cylinder. It is advisable to run the line along the brake and gasoline pipes.
The last step is to insert the wires into the interior. All necessary sensors are installed on the dashboard.
The equipment is going through the configuration stage.

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Servicing a car with gas equipment involves checking the tightness of the system. This can be done using odor detection, as well as a soap solution. In addition, it is necessary to change filters and remove excess condensate from the gearbox. Every few months it is necessary to carry out preventive maintenance at a service station. If a smell appears in the cabin, be sure to check the entire system or contact a specialist.

Features of the transition of Priora to HBO: what you need to be prepared for

If you doubt whether you should switch to gas, imagine how much you will have to disassemble your car to install:

Gas cylinder;
Valves and reducer;
Gas filling device;
Sensors into the system;
Gas hoses;
Separate control unit.

Disassembly, installation, assembly, configuration can be completed in one day, and the equipment along with work can cost from 28 to 40 thousand rubles in a regular service, depending on the manufacturer of the gas equipment.

After this change, you need to register it in the traffic police database, and after that, during operation you will have to:

Every 10-15 thousand km, change three gas purification filters: a filter in the gearbox, a solenoid valve filter and a fine vapor phase filter;
Lose almost half of the free trunk volume or space for a spare wheel;
Lose engine power by at least 10%;
Go through an annual (or every 15,000 km) operation check and LPG settings;
Get the opportunity to bring your car up to Euro 5 standards (with methane) and become the owner of a more environmentally friendly vehicle;
Still, be glad that the mileage “from refueling to refueling” is becoming much longer;
Warm up the car only with gasoline. By the way, it also starts on gasoline;
Change the oil less often - no matter how much butane there is, it will not contaminate the oil;
Delay the engine's "overhaul" period - less oil is killed, the risk of detonation is reduced (propane and methane are high-octane), and the oil layer is not washed off from the cylinder walls.
Get used to the peculiarities of refilling - at first the cylinder will not be filled to the nominal volume. Trouble will come to those who are looking for methane gas stations - in search of one they will have to burn a lot of gasoline. And refueling with methane can take as long as 40 minutes.

LPG whose production should I buy?

The first thing you need to decide is to purchase LADA Priora gas equipment as a kit, or assemble it yourself, buying components separately.

The best manufacturers of gas equipment in the kit are considered to be brands from Italy:

BRC - equipment is undesirable due to its high cost, but has proven itself to be extremely reliable;
Lovato – the price is quite affordable; there are quite a lot of car repair shops that install this brand of equipment;
OMVL - motorists speak well of the equipment of this brand.
]Digitronic[/anchor] is recognized as the leader in the selection of components. Its HBO kits include Tomasetto gearboxes and OMVL or AEB racks.

Consumption: comparison of gas and gasoline

On average, gasoline consumption on a Priora is 9-9.8 liters in the city (the calculation will be based on consumption when driving within the city) per 100 km. 1 liter of AI-92 costs about 42 rubles, that is, gasoline worth 3.78 rubles is burned per 1 km. The cost of 1 km of run with propane is approximately 1.12 rubles (at a cost of 25 rubles per 1 liter of propane-butane and a consumption of 4.5 l/100 km). In the case of methane, the average consumption is also approximately 4.5 liters per 100 km, only here: 1 liter of methane costs about 17-18 rubles (for calculation - 17). Then 1 liter of mileage will cost 0.76 rubles. Moscow prices.

Adding the cost of servicing the gas equipment, you will have to be disappointed: the installation will not pay for itself as quickly as you might expect by looking at the numbers. Car instructors often install LPG on the Priora, because every day the car covers a lot of kilometers, and fast acceleration is not so important to the student, then installing LPG quickly pays for itself - refueling becomes just a penny. Ordinary car enthusiasts install LPG in cases where they want to keep the car for several years.

Why do we need special candles?

Not everyone understands what spark plugs are needed for gas equipment and why it is better to choose special elements of the ignition system.

Conventional spark plugs are designed to ignite a standard air-fuel mixture. If such parts are installed in a system where a mixture of air and gas burns, they will quickly fail.

We must not forget that the electrical resistance indicators of gas mixtures are much higher in comparison with gasoline compositions. Therefore, for effective ignition it is necessary to make a minimum gap between the electrodes. Otherwise, fire simply will not happen.

Having created special candles, manufacturing companies decided not to stop there.

Having asked developers which ignition system spark plugs would be best for gas equipment, most of them will probably answer that the favorites are parts using noble materials. This automatically increases their cost.

But there is a logical explanation. Special candles are needed for the reasons that combustion of the fuel mixture (gas and air) occurs at a higher temperature than when oxygen and gasoline ignite. And high temperature load significantly accelerates the wear of elements. Their service life decreases.

Potentially, ordinary gasoline spark plugs can work on a car with LPG. But their effectiveness will be significantly lower. Plus, they will quickly lose their service life.

To increase the durability of parts, manufacturers began to introduce higher quality raw materials into production. There are several main components that are often found in the composition of HBO candles.

Iridium. The material is used in the manufacture of the central electrode. It turns out to be more resistant to wear and temperature. Plus ensures efficient ignition.
Platinum. Used as soldering. Apply to side electrodes. Again, with the aim of increasing the service life.
Copper. With its help, heat is better removed. Copper is used in the production of side electrode rods.

In some situations, design changes are made to the candles. Special protective layers are applied to the body. Thus, carbon deposits do not form so intensively on the surfaces of the spark plugs.

In practice, there are not many parts that can really effectively cope with the ignition of the gas-air mixture, as well as resist the resulting loads.

Principle of operation

To store liquefied gas, special cylinders are used, which can be cylindrical or toroidal in shape. From them, the fuel enters the reducer, which reduces its pressure to the required level and transforms it into a gaseous state. In this form, the gas is supplied to the gas injector nozzles, which inject it into the combustion chamber.

On injection cars, which include the Lada Priora, it is advisable to install 4th generation LPG. This equipment is ideal for domestic engines and is not demanding on fuel quality.

Step-by-step installation of HBO - main points

Selection of the necessary set of equipment

There are a lot of manufacturers on the market competing with each other. As a rule, there are no problems with well-known brands. You should select based on the recommendations of both the manufacturers themselves and car owners of cars like yours.

Selecting the gearbox mounting location and its installation

If you have to make holes, they must be treated with anticorrosive. The gearbox must be rigidly fixed and located in an accessible place, which will facilitate its maintenance in the future.

Selection of location and installation of the control unit (CU) of gas equipment, if its presence is provided

We have already talked about rigid fixation. In addition, it should be taken into account that wires will be laid from the control unit and to it, including to the gasoline injectors, to the speed sensor, to the mode switch button in the cabin.

Fixing gas injectors (frames)

Important: the tubes from the injectors to the fittings tapping into the manifold must be the same length. The shorter the better.

Drilling the manifold for a fitting (in carburetor cars the carburetor body is drilled)

Tip: It is better to remove the manifold before drilling, despite existing methods to prevent chips from entering the manifold. The holes should be as close to the gasoline injectors as possible.

Laying wires from the control unit to sensors, injectors and a button in the cabin

We must strive to ensure that the wires do not dangle or sag. Let there be more wires, but they will not be noticeable. All connections must be soldered and insulated with heat shrink. Do not confuse the supply wires with the impulse ones. When ringing, the power supplies show 12 V. The control unit is powered from one place that needs to be selected, and all other connections are with impulse wires: on gasoline injectors, on the crankshaft speed sensor. If you need to drill a hole for the wire to the button, then in addition to the anticorrosive agent you need to use rubber plugs.

Installation of cylinder, multi-valve and filling device

The choice of seats is small - instead of a spare wheel or under the back of the rear row of seats. Sometimes the cylinder is mounted outside, under the bottom of the car. The space in the hatch sometimes serves as a place for the charger. They often make a hole in a car bumper - the choice is yours.

Gas line laying

For the gas pipeline, both copper and polyurethane lines are used. It is more comfortable to work with the latter. The tube is laid along the bottom in a recess - usually where the brake system line runs. That's it, do-it-yourself installation of HBO is completed.

Equipment setup

To do this, you need to fill the cylinder. Under pressure, you must immediately check all connections with a soap solution. In first-generation systems, manual configuration is carried out. If you have a control unit, setup is done via a computer with loaded software for your model.

If all of the above is not an empty phrase for you, then, as you can see, installing LPG on your own is quite possible. But this can be resorted to only in cases of extreme necessity. After all, the specialists in the specialized service have their hands full and have the necessary experience. This will allow you to avoid “childish” mistakes and identify mistakes at an early stage of installation. After all, there are errors with a long-term nature of action, when the incorrect operation of the gas equipment leads to disastrous results.

Control block

The ECU controls the operation of all vehicle systems. The control unit of the system must be compatible with the standard unit, which makes the equipment operate correctly.

Modern 4th generation HBO does not provide for human intervention in its operation. Its characteristics are not inferior to 5th generation equipment, but it has a lower cost, and it is also less demanding on fuel quality. The control unit receives information about the system from the sensor and works in accordance with the program, automatically.

The 4th generation HBO showed itself well when operating the Priora in various modes as a reliable and trouble-free system. Before installing it, it is recommended to consult with an installer, which will allow you to select a kit with optimal characteristics.

What components will be needed to convert a car to gas, technical nuances of the transition

Installing an LPG on a Priora, which has 16 valves, front-wheel drive and a manual transmission, equipped with a 98-106 hp engine, will require the purchase of:

gas installation control unit (ECU);
temperature and gas pressure sensors;
gas reducer and solenoid valve;
injectors
gas filling device;
gas mains;
gas tank (two options are allowed - cylindrical or toroidal cylinder).

In a professional car service center, where there is the necessary repair equipment, the LPG will be connected and tested in action within one day. It will not be possible to do this on your own so quickly without the proper experience and equipment. And the issue of legalizing HBO on a car when installed at a service will disappear by itself.

Frequently asked questions about installing gas on Lada Priora

Our company selects and installs gas equipment for all types of both domestic and foreign cars. In principle, everything is limited only by the design features of a particular model, but our craftsmen carry out everything competently and accurately. The emphasis is on safety, so we use only certified and tested equipment.

At AvtoGaz, all work is carried out on a turnkey basis, and therefore the customer does not need to buy anything - all equipment is purchased centrally by our specialists, from trusted suppliers. Moreover, we not only install the equipment, but also configure it, so the car owner receives a completely finished and equipped car. We also provide a long-term quality guarantee for all work performed, so there is no doubt about the safety and durability of the equipment.

We have encountered such situations more than once and can assure you that we will definitely find a way out. Here we are mainly talking about the placement of the cylinder, which is quite voluminous. However, for such cases, we offer a special toroidal cylinder that can be installed in a niche intended for a spare wheel. There are absolutely no difficulties here, since such a cylinder does not use the space of the cabin and trunk, it is completely invisible to the eye, so feel free to come to us and we will install the LPG carefully and quickly.

Starting with the 2nd generation HBO, the design changes made to the car are minimal, and the safety of the car remains very high. Here, an electromagnetic-type valve is installed in the gap in the fuel line, which turns off the gasoline supply. All the equipment that we install is optional, and therefore can be removed and reinstalled on another car at any time. As for the effect on the internal combustion engine, nothing bad is observed here, since modern gas equipment systems have a gentle effect on the engine.

Reducing costs but fuel

Primarily to reduce fuel costs. At the current price per liter of gasoline (30 rubles - 35 rubles), gas equipment pays for itself in the shortest possible time, and the more voracious the car, the higher the payback rate. Calculation of the payback of gas equipment specifically for your car can be found in the table below, or calculated using our calculator.

Reliability on the road

The gas system is a backup fuel system, which makes the car more reliable. If one of the fuel systems fails, you can always use the working one and get to the repair site. It is also useful that using two tanks increases the driving range without refueling.

Environmental friendliness

Save nature. Gas fuel is much more environmentally friendly than gasoline. The toxicity of exhaust gases is reduced in the following order:

carbon monoxide (CO) - 2-3 times;
nitric oxide - 1.2 times;
hydrocarbon (CH) - 1.3-1.9 times.