So much undercarriage talk, video assist

[CloudCity]

Here's the best way to view the undercarriage on one of these. No need to climb under, get dirty, or even use a flashlight. A little coincidental that another LX 470 is driving by right as the video begins.

Skip ahead to 2:40 minutes to see the full undercarriage. Actually kinda interesting to see it so clearly like this.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Here's the best way to view the undercarriage on one of these. No need to climb under, get dirty, or even use a flashlight. A little coincidental that another LX 470 is driving by right as the video begins.

Skip ahead to 2:40 minutes to see the full undercarriage. Actually kinda interesting to see it so clearly like this.

 

[NickPsy]

What's up with the fancy cover for the spare? It also looks like its hooked up to a power source (or maybe hydraulic?). What gives?

 

[CloudCity]

What's up with the fancy cover for the spare? It also looks like its hooked up to a power source (or maybe hydraulic?). What gives?

I thought that was maybe the extended range fuel tank (non-US), anyone know for certain?

 

[CloudCity]

What's up with the fancy cover for the spare? It also looks like its hooked up to a power source (or maybe hydraulic?). What gives?

Found out this is an LPG conversion for fuel economy. Seems they are made to fit in the spare tire mount on most cars for space-savings. The big ol' web had this to say: "LPG – The benefits… The main benefit of converting your car is the reduction in fuel costs, which can be cut by around 40%. ... In addition, LPG cars give off 14% fewer CO2 emissions than petrol cars and 10% fewer than diesels, and also produce 50% fewer nitrogen oxides than petrol and 20% less than diesel."

Apparently pretty popular in many countries but not something we gas-lovin Muricans are eager to adopt. I wonder if an LC/LX would save 40% in fuel??? Where's the Aussies with one of these fitted?

Here's a thread discussing LPG specifically: LPG Conversion

 

[bluesquirrel]

LPG has horrible fuel mileage, and you'll lose about 50% of your engine power if you convert

 

[YvesNL]

That's not completely true. Yes, there are LPG systems where the power loss is huge and the mileage is horrible.
But most of modern LPG systems have just a lower mileage of 10-23% and only a few percent loss in power.

With most LPG systems you can switch between petrol and LPG any moment you like. Except when starting, almost all modern systems start on petrol and switch to LPG when the engine is hot.

Also the burning temperature of LPG is higher than petrol, so some cilinderheads/valves will need to be changed/adapted.
For this reasons in some cars you will need to add a bit of special oil as extra lubrication.

But LPG is somewhat popular in the Netherlands (a bit in europe).

For example, the fuel prices in the Netherlands, per litre:
- Petrol / standard euro95 (octane) - €1.794 / $2.088
- Diesel - €1.488 / $1.732
- LPG - €0.909 / $1.058

As you can see LPG is by far the cheapest.

Another thing to consider is the road tax, a standard Landcruiser 100/ LX470 in the Netherlands costs per year:
Petrol - €1784 - $2075 per year
Diesel - €3136 - $3647 per year
LPG (old system) - €3284 - $3819 per year
LPG G3 (new system & other natural gas) - €2852 - $3317 per year

As you can see, the savings are all in the price per litre.

 

[bluesquirrel]

My apologies. I was thinking CNG. I've driven converted govt fleet vehicles on CNG, and they absolutely blow