The LPG system
AC produces and supplies complete autogas conversion kits, although the company's most well known and renowned products are ECU's from the STAG family. Our „trailblazer” features a STAG 300 Premium ECU, designed to enable conversions of a broad range of engines (from 1 to 8 cylinders). One of the ECU's features is the ISA intelligent autoadaptation system and the controller itself is a plug-and-play device, requiring little if any calibration from the installer. The ECU is capable of self-calibrating during both regular driving (which means hard offroading in this case) and highway cruising. We observed no tendency to jerk or choke even when we drove the car across a bumpy military firing ground – regardless of the vehicle's position the engine runs smoothly across the entire rpm and load range.
Vapourising LPG in the FJ is the job of an AC R-01 reducer, designed to supply engines with up to 250 PS. And even though the Toyota's power is very close to the reducer's efficiency limit, the engine was always supplied with the appropriate dose of autogas, both offroad and on the motorway. The vapouriser has been fitted to the right of the engine (from the perspective of someone standing in front of the car, before the raised bonnet), between the brake fluid pump and the fuse box.
During our tenure with the FJ, the car featured Hana LPG injectors, renowned for their quality and durability. They weren't visible on the first glance, since they were hidden beneath the plastic cover on the engine. Since the FJ Cruiser is a test and research vehicle, the injectors are periodically replaced with other ones, enabling evaluation and comparisons. AC's own injectors, W01 BFC (for high fuel consumption engines) have also been tested on the car. Another feature was the electronic parameter recorder. Should the autogas system behave in an unexpected or undesirable way, the driver presses the recorder's button to mark the moment the event occured, so that it can be analysed later. This way any possible software glitches can be traced and eliminated before actual products hit the market. Also, it's easier to discover them in real-life driving then on a testbench in a lab. During our test we didn't have to use the recorder once, which means the conversion kit was well tailored for the needs of the hardcore AWD car.
And the tank? It was beneath the boot floor, or rather under it, on the rear overhang. It was a Bormech-made torus with a gross capacity of 58 l. In practice, the tank holds 43 l net, which is enough for roughly 200 km of driving. And exposed as it may seem, the tank needs no protective plates – it fits perfectly inside the frame which protects it from dents and scratches well enough. As for the LPG/petrol switch, it's on the centre console, under the winch switch – easily visible and accessible. Subjectively, AC's switches are one of the most recognisable and best designed on the market.
All in all
Putting such an extraordinary car to a test was definitely amusing and we wondered what the outcome could be. Offroading is dominated by cars with relatively economical 2- to 3-litre diesel engines with high torque, so an LPG-powered 4WD car was something of a puzzle here. However, it turned out that combining a large petrol engine with an autogas system gives amazing results. First of all, there's high power and torque at hand (or at foot, actually). Secondly, a V6 runs much smoother than a 4-cylinder inline unit – it's silent, flexible and responsive, quickly reacting to every push of the accelerator pedal. Thanks to LPG, there's no risk of fuel pump's sucking in air instead of fuel regardless of the car's angle in relation to the sea level – LPG will always reach the reducer properly. And last but not least, the running costs – comparable to those of a diesel equivalent or even slightly lower. Plus you get hefty power and torque and the sound of a large V6. The FJ Cruiser gets our thumbs up!
Our special thanks go to AMZ Kutno for allowing us to use their firing ground and for their assistance during test drives.
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