What happened to Propane

[BadAssGN]

What killed the idea of Propane injection?

Why is Alky better?

Have the two ever been compared?

was there ever a decent controller developed?
surely the technology is there.


I can't help but wonder what the potential of propane actually is.
I know there are kits out there but they are older technology.


What are your thoughts? is using a gas with supercooling properties not worth exploring?

 

[GNVYUS 1]

Last thing I remember was that the controllers weren't up to the vendors standard and eventually the cost/results/maintenance lead everyone to alky.

I think a few guys were even doing both alky and propane, damn.

 

[V8killR4U]

RAZOR happened to Propane. lol

 

[buttonfly]

RAZOR happened to Propane. lol

hahahaha!!!

 

[Rafs-T-Type]

What killed the idea of Propane injection?

Why is Alky better?

Have the two ever been compared?

was there ever a decent controller developed?
surely the technology is there.


I can't help but wonder what the potential of propane actually is.
I know there are kits out there but they are older technology.


What are your thoughts? is using a gas with supercooling properties not worth exploring?

that quotes awesome...reminds me of "hot women are just like fast cars..they look good and are fun to take for a ride, but in the end they're nothing but money and headaches"

 

[Boostnitup]

It works fine on my car...

I have a Pro-Pain kit on my GN.

With GN1 aluminum heads, 91 Octane, and 23 lbs boost... no KNOCK! NONE!

I haven't lost a headgasket in 2 years!

 

[Boostnitup]

I also use a small shot of nitrous...

 

[Grumpy]

I have a Pro-Pain kit on my GN.

With GN1 aluminum heads, 91 Octane, and 23 lbs boost... no KNOCK! NONE!

I haven't lost a headgasket in 2 years!

ok... BUT have you ever raced the car ??? Times???

 

[JayC]

Propane works. Its been proven on the dyno. Kenny Brown tested my original prototype kit and picked up 40something horsepower at the rear wheels with that kit. That post is still floating around on this site somewhere.

Several things happened to propane. In no specific order, here's what led to its disappearance from the market.

1 - We made deals with several Buick guys to test the units and post feedback. We sold the units at dead cost to the testers. We sent kits out which were either promptly resold at a profit or never saw the light of day. Bruce Plecan had a kit years before he passed away and never did anything with it that I know of. Couple of other people got the kits and didnt bother testing them, they just resold them at a profit because at the time you couldnt get the kits. We only made 25 in the first batch and they were gone in the first week. Dan made another run of 25 and they also sold very quickly and that was that.

2 - I was not happy with the initial controller and we tried to get another one built. That didnt quite go as planned and we ended up losing about 8 months messing around with trying to get this other controller built. That's really all Im going to say about that.

3 - Dan basically just didnt want to continue to make these things. My agreement with Dan was that I designed the kit, he manufactured and sold it and Id assist with tech support. I thought this was a pretty decent arrangement. Dan made the majority of the profit but I guess it wasnt enough to keep him interested in making them.

4 - Once Dan bowed out, after the controller fiasco, I just didnt feel like messing with it anymore. We had a big distributor that was selling the hell out of the kits (He got 20 of the 50 we made), guys were running them with nitrous.. it could have been huge as it was coming into its own.

Stuff happens.. maybe one day I'll eventually revisit propane. Right now we're concentrating all our efforts on the ISAC, which could easily be modified to control propane.

 

[Dino1]

I just removed one from my car and installed an alky system. I would have to say it did work every bit as good as the alky, maybe a little better. I think because it is cold and dry hit on the motor it was a little more responsive. Stuff burns real clean to, you don't have to over come funky AF ratio's and wait for the motor to clean itself out with it. I believe the octane rating is like 108. But I'm still playing with the alky system getting it dialed in.

 

[Grumpy]

after "playing" with both to me ALKY is way easier to work with and performance wise. We could run 20/21#s of boost with propane with no knock.. Same car with Alky 25+#'s of boost no knock.. Alky would kill the Propane kit . Difference of night and day BUT that was years ago. I don't hear much about propane anymore.

 

[Boostnitup]

My last track experience...

It wouldn't be indicative of anything at sea level and ideal temp conditions.

13.78 at 112 mph

100+ degree temps (it was at 105 degrees earlier that day), and it rained too~! Boost was lowered to 12lbs. I did not bring boost up on the line. Higher altitude here in Colorado and we give up 7 tenths to you sea level guys. I used a small shot of nitrous too...

The car will be at the track soon. I will turn up the boost on it. :biggrin:

 

["Turbo-T"]

Funny I stumbled across this thread, after finding a GN for sale on Craislist, seller said it had propane and seemed to be raving all about it.

 

[Boostnitup]

Propane works... No knock

I have aluminum GN1 heads, and a Front mount intercooler... so I probably wouldn't get much knock anyways... but after installing this system I get ZERO knock.

Rave about the alky kits if you want... I had an SMC kit. This is the answer. I hope Jay brings Propane version 2 to the table. :biggrin:

 

[JayC]

You never know

 

[Boostnitup]

Since I'm loyal... and will use a kit...

I want one at ROCK bottom price... :biggrin:

 

[Grumpy]

I'd be curious about a side by side test.. I had the Propane on a stocker that should have run mid 11s.. well runnin 20/22#s of boost tops (would knock with anything higher) there was no way it was comparable to the Alky runnin 25#s Oh the Alky could go higher to with NO KNOCK .. just depended on how big your balls were So anyone out there actually racing with propane now??

 

[JayC]

There may be a few kits still kicking around. Sadly I dont think propane ever reached its potential. My own tuning, I was able to get more out of it than most but I built the prototype kits to have more flexibility from a delivery standpoint.

I might revisit at some point. The whole propane thing left a bad taste in my mouth but there's really no reason that the ISAC couldnt be configured via software to deliver propane instead of alcohol.

 

[Grumpy]

Jay some guys are scared to have a propane bottle in the trunk .. The one I had here the guys wife was NOT a happy camper when she saw it ... So can you get enuff propane in a motor to produce power and lots of boost like Alky ??

 

[JayC]

Yea.. You can put a ton in.

The whole propane tank thing, well, your gas tank would explode from impact before the propane tank exploded and by then you wouldnt be caring.