Gas Or Diesel????
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nuQ
- Posts: 1659
- Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2003 1:39 pm
- Car: 2003 Infiniti M45
2009 Dodge Caliber SXT - Location: Bethlehem PA
Gas Or Diesel????
hey guys, maybe you can settle a bet. my boss always buys diesel work vans (fords), claiming they last longer than gas engines. i was always under that asumption myself. but remember seeing a car&driver or road&track article about the biggest automotive myths a few years ago and one myth cited was diesel engines outlast gas engines. i'm sure someone out there has the difinitive answer to this!!! thanks, jeff
Since a long of big trucks do 500,000 to 1,000,000 miles regularly, and they use diesel, it is often believed therefore that diesel engines outlast gasoline.
But gasoline engines are often used in much cheaper low-duty applications. A 1995 Kia Sephia might do 80,000 miles until it needs major engine work. A diesel Freightliner might do a million miles. But people then assume that the fact that an engine is diesel alone causes it to outlast a gas powered one.
It is also said that diesel engines run cooler than gas. I cant confirm this myself.
More of it boils down to the application and use of a vehicle, who it is engineered for, and how long it is expected to last.
But gasoline engines are often used in much cheaper low-duty applications. A 1995 Kia Sephia might do 80,000 miles until it needs major engine work. A diesel Freightliner might do a million miles. But people then assume that the fact that an engine is diesel alone causes it to outlast a gas powered one.
It is also said that diesel engines run cooler than gas. I cant confirm this myself.
More of it boils down to the application and use of a vehicle, who it is engineered for, and how long it is expected to last.
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lessthanjakejohn
- Posts: 4105
- Joined: Fri Oct 25, 2002 6:39 am
I have owned several diesel vehicles including cars, trucks, boats and RV's. I currently have a Dodge pu with a Cummins and a Bluebird Motorhome with a large Cummins. Diesel makes since if you have one of the following conditions: high usage and/or high load. I have a diesel pu because my maintenance man that drives it puts 35,000 miles a year on it. The Bluebird weighs 41,000 pounds (empty) so it needs the torque. For most people a diesel probably doesn't make sense.
Depends on the intended use, as most diesel motors are built for heavy duty applications, therefore they last longer than a regular gas engine.
They heavy duty nature of Diesel is just part of it's manufacturing, as the components and block have to be re-inforced to handle the high compression ratios required by Diesel. Since everything is re-enforced again, the engines typically outlast standard gas based motors.
Another factor is engine speed, because diesels produce a large amount of tourque at low RPM, it is not nessesary to rev the motor to high RPM for peak production. Thus lowering wear and tear and increasing lifespan.
While all of these traits are desirable in long distance/large load enviroments, Diesel's increased wieght, and low RPMs are typically not suitable for racing or performance applications.
Thus even though the new VW 10Cyl TDI makes over 550 Lbs of Tourque with a redline of 4000 rom. It will not find it's way over into the Porsche Cayenne.
They heavy duty nature of Diesel is just part of it's manufacturing, as the components and block have to be re-inforced to handle the high compression ratios required by Diesel. Since everything is re-enforced again, the engines typically outlast standard gas based motors.
Another factor is engine speed, because diesels produce a large amount of tourque at low RPM, it is not nessesary to rev the motor to high RPM for peak production. Thus lowering wear and tear and increasing lifespan.
While all of these traits are desirable in long distance/large load enviroments, Diesel's increased wieght, and low RPMs are typically not suitable for racing or performance applications.
Thus even though the new VW 10Cyl TDI makes over 550 Lbs of Tourque with a redline of 4000 rom. It will not find it's way over into the Porsche Cayenne.
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maxnix
- Posts: 22627
- Joined: Mon Jul 22, 2002 8:11 pm
- Car: 1995 Infiniti Q45
1995 Infiniti Q45t
2000 Infiniti Q45
Sisters can be fun!
But it might well do so in its sister vehicle the Touareg. Turbocharging, common rail or direct cylinder injection can help diesels be more responsive and flexible across the rpm range like their gasoline powered bretheren.Jberger wrote:Thus even though the new VW 10Cyl TDI makes over 550 Lbs of Tourque with a redline of 4000 rom. It will not find it's way over into the Porsche Cayenne.
having lived in europe for a number of years, I'm a huge fan of what volkswagen, puegot and opel are doing with passenger automobiles and diesels. My favorite car there was a tiny 2D turbo diesel opel. Europeans are lining up to buy diesels because the total cost of ownership is much lower than gasoline. Most notably cheaper fuel and better MPG
The diesel passenger car is just as reliable as gasoline.
An important factor in lifetime is the stops and starts and how it's driven. It's not fair at to compare a 200,000 a year truck to a passenger gasoline car.
The major problems with diesels in the past was pollution, noise, and hard starting, but this is much less of a problem now due to new technologies.
The diesel passenger car is just as reliable as gasoline.
An important factor in lifetime is the stops and starts and how it's driven. It's not fair at to compare a 200,000 a year truck to a passenger gasoline car.
The major problems with diesels in the past was pollution, noise, and hard starting, but this is much less of a problem now due to new technologies.