to All Diesel Non-Believers

[niky]

no doubt, petrol does, but the focal point here is FC & torque, say compare 6.4L diesel vs Petrol as workhorse?

If you give them the same torque and hp, the diesel will have a fuel consumption advantage, yes. But that's not what the item was claiming. It was claiming gasoline pickups could not serve the same purposes.

Let's note, here, that those drag racing diesels have fuel economy (in mpg) in the single digits in drag tune.

It is easier to turbocharge a diesel engine.
It is easier to supercharge a diesel engine.

Nope. A diesel engine is easier to apply turbocharging to only because the block and internals are already built for high compression. A gasoline engine built to the same specs will take more boost and make more power.

Part of the reason diesel engines are more expensive to build is because you need to build the internals very strong to withstand the high compression ratios (typically 18:1 to 22:1) compared to gasoline (typically 8:1 to 11:1).

I am a firm believer in diesel power, but let's "keef it real"

Don't mess with Ali G.
[img]http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTQ1Nzk4OTUwNl5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTY0MDcyMQ**._ V1._SX281_SY400_.jpg[/img]

And remember: "it" is short for "innit".

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addtionally
The Army uses diesel fuel.

Because they don't have to follow emissions regulations.

The Navy uses diesel fuel.

Neither do they.

The Marines use diesel fuel.

Neither do they.

The trucking industry uses diesel fuel.

Because it's more fuel efficient. But I didn't debate that point. And note... it's only now that truckers are being required to meet the stricter emissions requirements passenger cars are required to meet.

The aviation industry uses diesel fuel.

Similar is not the same. Avgas is not diesel.

The mining industry uses diesel fuel.

Emissions? Nope.

The railroad industry uses diesel fuel.

With the size of the engines and number of kilometers locomotives cover, they can justify the payback on the more expensive engines in the long run. Actually... diesel is a better fuel for large-installation engines, because it can be run at very low rpms.

The maritime shipping industry uses diesel fuel.

Ever do a cruise tour of the Philippines? Wonderful. The fresh sea breeze... surrounded completely by sea... and you'll never get lost. Just follow the tinge of diesel smoke in the sky down the shipping lane to the next port... :hysterical:

The U.S. Coast Guard uses diesel fuel.

Maybe I should have answered all the armed forces in one post? Note that the Coast Guard's small boats use gasoline engines.

The construction industry uses diesel fuel.

Same needs as railroads... low-rpms... large installations... no restrictions on size or weight of the engine.

Biodiesel has 34% more energy density than ethanol[/COLOR]

True.

The best batteries are 85% less energy dense than diesel fuel.

And true.

Diesel fuel is a lubricant. Gasoline is a solvent. What would you rather spray on your cylinder walls?

The one that won't mix with your engine oil and alter its lubricating properties, as biodiesel does? Gasoline causes less oil degradation in automotive engines since it doesn't mix with the engine oil... this is a real and worrying problem with the expensive long-chain synthetic oils needed to keep modern, tight-tolerance engines happy.

Diesel dominated at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Yup. And all it took was some genius at Audi to realize that the rules covering diesel fuels, which were written before high pressure injectors became commonplace, allowed them to use engines that were 50% larger than gasoline engines, with larger air restrictor plates and variable geometry turbos... The rulebook for LeMans is antiquated, and Audi and Peugeot both exploited these loopholes. If the gasoline cars were allowed the same displacement and restrictors... even without the variable geometry turbos, they would dominate the diesels.

There are venues where diesel has been able to compete successfully with gasoline on a relatively level playing field... but since I'm playing devil's advocate, it's up to you to find out.

If you're driving up a steep hill or carrying a heavy load, a diesel engine is less likely to stall.

Depends. I've stalled diesels. It's not all that hard. Newer automotive diesels have a higher powerband than old diesels... and... guess what? They're easier to stall than the old trucks.

Diesel engines are like garbage disposals-they'll eat any type of oil-based fuel.

Depends. Old diesels that don't meet modern emissions standards in Europe (which is the leader in diesels) can eat anything. Modern, high-pressure diesel injection systems are only partially compatible with biofuels, and can't take straight vegetable oil unless the oil is filtered down to the 5 micron level... and even then, many modern diesels suffer oil degradation and valve wear when using biodiesel or straight veggie oil. And this isn't theoretical degradation, but actual, empirical data. Some straight veggie oil proponents in the US are warning their customers and fellow SVO users against some of these newer engines.

Oh... And they won't take bunker oil at all.

Gasoline engines are funny. With modern electronics systems, it's possible to run a spark-type engine on several different types of fuel... gasoline, e85, CNG, LPG and hydrogen. The only drawback is you can't fit tanks for all of these separate fuel types on one car.

It's easier to recycle a diesel engine compared with a gasoline-electric hybrid.

BS. The electric engine in a gas-electric hybrid possesses lots of rare earths that have high value... and this is assuming the gasoline engine is aluminum... if both the gas engine and the diesel are modern aluminum blocks (and the newest diesels coming from Europe are), then recyclability is the same.

After a few decades, someone will pay you for your junk diesel engine.

In a few decades, your junk diesel won't be road legal, anymore. I shudder to think what will happen when my Crosswind engine no longer meets emissions, but c'est la vie.

Due to their complicated construction, people will have to pay to recycle their gasoline-electric hybrid.

Complete hogwash. I don't have to pay anyone to recycle my electric motors. In fact... when I have a burned out electric motor, part of the cost of repair is paid for simply by the scrap value of the wiring. ;)

So... have you ever had a mechanic tell you that he's cutting 3,000 pesos off the cost of your diesel engine overhaul if you give him the old pistons? Didn't think so.

I love my diesel, and my next car might be a turbodiesel Focus. (I'm still thinking about it...) But you've got to come up with more convincing arguments to show diesel superiority.