Justin wrote:what about a deisel engine? I bet you could find 4 cylinder or a small 8 for your rig...plenty of torque and some get 30mpg+ and deisel is roughly the same as home heating oil which only increases in the winter but it has stayed relatively the same price through the gas price hike...Would you be using your rig during the winter?
Diesel was actually higher than 87 octane gasoline here for a time. They are still way too close to the same price
Diesel would have some advantages, mileage and torque. A swap from a South American S-10 would be simple? They already get the Turbo'd Isuzu diesel engine. Sure seems like a domestic Isuzu diesel would be an easy swap.
One drawback for diesel engines is the parts cost nearly 10 times what the equivalent gas engine part costs.
It takes a long time to recover that in added mileage, when fuel costs are the same.
Now back to the current topic...Propane.
There are some advantages to it also. Above and beyond the wheeling advantages. It is really clean, leading to longevity of the engine.
However storage is a problem. I am not positive , but I think that the mileage is just slightly less than that of burning gasoline. Power is better, but it uses more fuel.
To get the same range the stock fuel tank has you would need to pack a 20-25 gallon tank of propane. Might be better for a trailered trail rig.
Winter time starting can be a real pain too. It acts more like a diesel for starting in the winter. You'd really need to plug it in.
On a bright note, there may be tax incentives for using propane? In Oregon there are tax credits for running alternative fuel vehicles. And it is environmentally conscious, making a better world for generations to come (every little bit counts)
