What are the benifits of a diesel engine over petrol ?
Answers:
O.k. Bit long winded this, but thought i'd clear it all up.
I'm an ex army mechanic and all their stuff is diesel for a reason.
A reason they tell us in training.
In spite of lower power to weight ratio and lower maximum rpm, the diesel (or compression ignition engine) compares well with the petrol (or spark ignition) engine. it's thermal efficiency is higher, making it more economical. Heat loss to exhaust is lower and less cooling capacity is required. Increased thermal efficiency means that almost full power is available from cold.
Torque is sustained at lower speeds, giving better pulling power and the need for gear changing is reduced.
The temperature at which diesel fuel gives off flammable gases is much higher than petrol, therefore there is less fire risk and loss from evaporation is less.
Diesel fuel is not cheaper but has a higher calorific value, more useful work is obtained per litre than from the same volume of petrol.
Diesel engines, therfore, have a better fuel economy, and exhaust emmissons are cleaner.
Although the intial cost of fuel injection equipment is high, if properly looked after it is more reliable, and requires less adjustment (manual or automatic electronically) than the ignition equipment fitted to a petrol engine.
To summarise:
Advantages:
Higher thermal efficiency esulting in more miles per gallon.
Low carbon monoxide content (petrol 0.3-4.0% diesel 0.2%)
Almost full power from cold.
Less evaporation of fuel (no fire risk, you can flick matches into diesel and it won't ignite.)
Less water proofing required ( can ford deeper, i.e. off road advantages)
Develops higher torque at lower speeds. (makes car more driveable, less gear changing)
Disadvantages:
Initial cost is higher.
Power to weight ratio is lower
More prone to smoky exhaust (diesel is actually known as "heavy oil". see bottom.
Very efficient fuel filter required.
Goveners required to limit maximum engine speed.
Why Diesel if it's called Heavy Oil?
Diesel is known as diesel because the gentleman who
discovered the principle of Compression ignition engines was called Rudolph Diesel. The first commercial Diesel engine ran on coal dust i believe, but anything which ignites under compression will work. Think custard powder, iron filings, vegetable oil etc.
Glad to be able to answer.
diesel is cheaper
Cheaper too run !!
fuel economy, less servicing cost and the engine will last longer
VW's only make diesel engines-correct?
Can run on biodesal, more miles per gallon. they becoming cleaner too, especially if u use said biodesal.
more mileage per tank & cheaper in some parts.
Better fuel mileage.
longer range
doesnt run as hot
doesnt freeze so bad
doesnt explode
better fuel economy, diesel is more expensive but you'll get more miles per gallon. They are also more torquey so in gear acceleration is better but they don't rev very high so lots of gear changing.
i have to say that i don't know much about cars but i do know that diesel is cheaper
hope that helps
lower emitions and more miles to the gallon ?
cheaper overall and a lot more torque.I know they used to criticized for the dirtyness of the fuel etc.big change a lot more cleaner and better.
.the French Citroen models this year are excellent from all the write ups I've seen on them this year in Australia.
A diesel engine develops it's maximum power at much lower revs than a petrol engine, because diesel fuel is an oil, it lubricates the cylinder walls and the engine will last a lot longer
also if it is driven correctly it will return more MPG.
250,000 miles without a major overhaul is not uncommon with a diesel engine !
1 the diesel engines tend to last longer and are more durable.
2 they wont cut out if you go through deep water unlike a petrol engine.
3 cheaper to run
4 use less fuel
5 provide more power overall but they have slower pushing off power then a petrol engine
deisel fuel costs more than gasoline in the US but they run much more efficiently,also have more power,and breakdown less often,however more expensive to repair than gasoline when they do break down,I have a construction company with 9 trucks, 5 gas 4 deisel,and it is definitely better to have deisel
depends on if your buying new or not, see the trick is that most car manufacturers charge so much more for the diesel equivilant that it takes at least 3 years to make up the difference of the extra lump you paid ontop of the petrol model (via extra MPG savings). And what do loads of people do when the warranty runs out after 3 years. buy a new car, so they were no better off!! Its a shame people never realise this and think they are saving money thanks to better MPG.
Performance wise-diesel is catching up with petrol but if you look at vw's new TSI engine (petrol,turbo and supercharged) thats now equivilant to the latest 170hp 2.0 VW diesel.
Personally I've got a petrol, I love being able to really get some acceleration out of my motor, right to a high redline every now and then (if required). Diesel-lovers will quote in gear accelleration to the high-hills, but all I have to-do is change down and once again I've got the faster car.
Diesels are more fuel efficient, and so tend to be cheaper to run even though the cost of the fuel is marginally more per litre. They also have less impact on global warming, due to reduced carbon emissions, although the environmental benefits are probably offset by the fact that diesel engines emit more 'particulates', which means they are more smog-causing which is a big problem in cities and urban areas.
Longevity and durability are probably of even greater significance than the fuel consumption advantage, which is why taxi companies, etc., always choose the diesel version of a particular model. The diesel engined car also gives considerably lower fuel consumption, engine size for engine size, without (in modern diesels*) giving that much away in performance compared with petrol versions. Also, a diesel engine doesn't require the complicated ignition system (and attendant problems) necessary for a petrol engine to operate. It also has enormous torque at low revs which makes it perfect for transport vehicles and trailer towing.
* I believe that Mercedes had to 'detune' the S Class diesel engined models when they found they outperformed the equivalent petrol versions. (Imagine, a diesel doing something like 0-60 in 7 seconds, with a top speed of around 150 MPH. and returning 45/55 MPG!)
They might be cheaper but I hate it when it makes that clanking noise! I hate it when a diesel starts up. They sound like they are gonna die. Ugh..
Look at this article, it will give you indepth, yet easily understandable information on all you need to know about Diesel engines & the fuel, when compared to Petrol/Gasoline.
Make sure you read all 5 pages of it.
Pure complete power compared to standard petrol
Diesels sound so much better than petrol engines, and no HT electrics to get wet.
well in england the diesel is around 5p a litre dearer.
its to do with sevicing, and parts. diesel service is oil and filters..
petrol is plugs dizzy rotor arm and oil and filters. petrols get a service every 10 thousand miles.diesels. well its in exces of 50 ooo miles.
Lots of touque, good economy.
I drive about 30k/year and run diesel cars, but they are not always cheaper to run.
If you are buying new, the car will cost more.
Fuel is more expensive
On some models, the servicing is more frequent, and therefor more expensive.
All this makes a diesel more expensive for low annual mileage.
Again, if buying new(ish), with an average 10k miles/year, a petrol car will probably be cheaper to run overall
your diesel engine will give you more miles to the gallon,they are far less complicated so should be more reliable, the resale value will be higher ,the engine should last at least twice as long as any petrol providing it is looked after correctly but don't run out of fuel you can't fill it up and go like a petrol.
I had a vauxhall omega diesel that was still going strong at 248000 miles when I sold it.the engine life of a diesel is much longer than a petrol.
longtivity.
A diesel spews out benzene which causes cancer. A petrol spews out CO2 which is causing global warming.
Tough one eh?
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