Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

[CNG MOTORS]

additional 6+ gge's to the Civic GX. Just completed today on a 2011 GX. Enjoy the extra range Paul. 500+ mile range

[cnguser]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

Looks great.
Just one question : Where did you relocate the trunk to?

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

Copperfield step aside. I made the trunk disappear

[eloo]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

Hey! Will this get a 2009 GX across the CNG desert from Medford to Portland, OR, and back?

I'd still have the back seat free for tax-free shopping in Portland!!

[aviator1912]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

Murph,

What are the dimensions of the tank?

Thanks.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

Hey! Will this get a 2009 GX across the CNG desert from Medford to Portland, OR, and back?

If 500 mile range will cover you then yes !

What are the dimensions of the tank?

16x32 but the tank doesn't just drop in requires some fab work

[Eric Rosenberg]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

And how does this tank, installed in an area not designed to carry a tank affect the factory designed and government mandated rear crumble zone? And how does the fact that you've just hung hundreds of pounds of weight past the rear axle affect it's handling? Doesn't that extra cantilevered mass, that was not designed into the car, "unweight" the front end and make the car less stable at speed? Has the GX's rear suspension been "beefed" up to carry this extra weight?

There is a lot to think about other than range when considering the addition of secondary tanks on any CNG powered vehicle. It's not as simple as bolting something down.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

And how does this tank, installed in an area not designed to carry a tank affect the factory designed and government mandated rear crumble zone? And how does the fact that you've just hung hundreds of pounds of weight past the rear axle affect it's handling? Doesn't that extra cantilevered mass, that was not designed into the car, "unweight" the front end and make the car less stable at speed? Has the GX's rear suspension been "beefed" up to carry this extra weight?

There is a lot to think about other than range when considering the addition of secondary tanks on any CNG powered vehicle. It's not as simple as bolting something down.

Always at least one negative Nancy. This is not our first rodeo. This is about our 50 extra tank install into a GX. The crumble zones carved into the unibody are still there we don't alter them touch them or otherwise mess with them in any way. A trunk is just that made to be filled with stuff. So what if I'm on my way to a scuba adventure and I put my scuba tanks in the TRUNK (at least this one is bolted down). Or what if I loaded the TRUNK with bricks for a new patio I'm building, what of the crumble zone then? We have already had several GX's owners report back to us during rear end collissions where the car was totaled. In ever case the extra tank was not comprimised. WEIGHT ? This is a type 4 tank even with the bracketry the rear suspension squated ZERO inches. When you seat 2 adults in the back seat and the suspension squats 1/2-1 inch does the car become unstable then?

your quote" And how does this tank, installed in an area not designed to carry a tank affect the factory designed and government mandated rear crumble zone? " Maybe you should ask Honda because they put their tank in the trunk too.

If the government didnt want us using the trunk space because of the "crumble zone" I believe there would be a large circle with a slash through it that says something to the effect of "DO NOT USE THIS EMPTY SPACE"

[jetboatjohnny]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

What is the cost?

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

This was a used tank so the total cost was $2000

[Hughes]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

My wife is interested in adding a tank to our Cavalier... ever do that? What would be the costs? Do you know the size of tank that would fit?

[siai47]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

I am sure he will respond but if I recall correctly, Murphy put an additional full sized Cavalier tank in a Cavalier. He must have a really big shoehorn but I remember the picture on his website. I thought about adding a tank to my Cavalier but then wondered what the point was. I don't drive enough on a daily basis to run out of CNG in my Cavalier with the standard tank. Even if I did, seeing how it is a bi-fuel and there is extra gasoline available, what would be the cost benefit after the installation? It would take a lot of extra gasoline purchased to cross that line. In addition, you loose the trunk space and are adding extra "dead" weight to the car. A final note, the additional fuel might change the rate at which the computer in the car sees fuel useage to the point that it will set a DTC on your '03 or '04 Cavalier. Having the extra tank installed so that it can be switched as the fuel source would solve that problem but would add extra complexity to the system. Just my two cents---if it was dedicated--hmmmm!

[Hughes]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

What is a DTC? (edit: Oh you mean one of those codes that clicks off the CNG?)

My difficulty lies in traveling where there's 400 plus gaps in between filling stations. With the difference between CNG and Regular gas at over 2.50 a gallon... The savings is obvious.

I don't want to screw up the system, but I figured if it could be done, it might be worth looking at.

I was also thinking about putting the spare tire under the trunk. But, I do understand the lack of trunk, however, with only two of us traveling, the most expensive part of any trip is fuel.

[CNG MOTORS]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

I know I have a used 3 and 4 gallon tank we can fit in there. Not sure if I have any more used 5 gallons left. 5 is the most we've been able to do with the cavaliers. You're looking at about $1800. It is true for some GM CNG models that if the pressure does not come down at a rate the ECM anticipates it throws a check light. Had this happen in a GM bi-fuel silverado, Not sure if the 03-04's are set the same way. pretty positive the 02 and olders are not as we have never had that complaint about them.

[cngacrossusa]

Re: Another case of civc gx range anxiety cured !

It can easily be done.

Friend had his 2003 Cavalier worked on by Tulsa Gas Technologies who added a 4 gge tank. Now he has 10 gge total capacity but generally gets 8.x when empty and fastfilling. Driving range has been from 200 to 250 miles in mixed driving and not on full tank. If you had slowfill for full 10 gge, you'd get more driving range.

No error codes have ever happened on his 2-tank setup on 2003 Cavalier.

Shop around for an appropriate-sized tank AFTER you've got agreement from an installer to put the tank in trunk. They need to use proper metal tankstraps and secure to frame for safety in case of wreck. Do NOT take any shortcuts!!