Diesel

[drew300]

Does anyone know why N. American cars can't have diesel engines?
There's so many good, efficient, powerful engines in other countries, but none here. (other than VW)
With our fuel getting cleaner, we should be able to run the modern diesels over here.

[Altimas]

Likely because they're noisy and stink

[Schister66]

i think its because diesel costs more than gasoline so there's no incentive to buy a diesel car.....i wouldn't disagree w/ a turbo diesel little car. They can be very powerful and if the car is small, it can be fast.....

[drew300]

Yes, the fuel stinks, you have to be carefull when fueling.
Noise: after warm-up, quite quiet, and very quiet on the highway. (listen to a VW TDI)
Cost: still cheaper per mile than gas.
Power: yes, tonnes of torque!
Size: In Europe, Mercedes, BWW, lots of large cars use diesel, as well the small stuff.
I was just reading that Opel got a technology award for a new 1.3 L diesel, 90 hp, I didn't convert the N/m to ft/lbs, but there was lots.

[Steel]

emissions. Can't pass most state emission standards quite yet, not to mention most americans think of diesels as "noisy and stinky" therefore wouldnt give them a second thought.

[Schister66]

well right now gas is 1.99 per gallon and diesel is 2.65 pre gallon.....i think thats reason enough not to get one.....

[Altimas]

Ya but how much more expensive are they to own since TDI gets like 50MPG?

[Schister66]

i guess it all depends on the gas mileage....i think there are a lot of people that would buy them, but who knows what other reasons there are.....

[AudioGuy93DelSol]

A typical gasoline engine is only about 30% efficient in converting the heat energy into mechanical energy. The other 2/3 are lost through exhaust and cooling. A diesel, on the otherhand, is more than 40% efficient in this process making it, in my opinion, a better engine. Of course, in the big picture, a 30 - 40% efficiency rate is horrible, yet it's accepted world wide. Go figure.

[TheSilentChamber]

There are american cars that are diesel.

[curtis73]

One word in my book; perception. The American standard is set by California which is full of dolphin-hugging, wine-drinking liberals. I happen to be one of those as well... BUT I know the truth about diesels.

The biggest misconception about diesels that since you can see and smell the exhaust, it must be bad for the atmosphere. The ironic thing is that that parts of diesel exhaust that you can smell and see are harmless, AND its the invisible parts of gasoline exhaust that are the main cause of our environmental problems.

A big group of whale-strokers decided that diesel is bad and they fed their BS to the legislators who took it as gospel truth and passed laws to keep diesel out of the mainstream here. Its slowly coming back, and cars like the VW TDIs (although not as reliable as they should be) are slowly changing how Americans perceive diesel. Most of today's diesels are so transparent that you could be sitting beside a TDI and not hear or smell it, but since you can't detect it, people assume its not a diesel. They see the smoke-chugging Mercedes from the 70s and just lump it all together.

Grr... off my soapbox again.

[beef_bourito]

Many people here mentioned price, with the mileage you get you easily pay off the price of diesel. also it has tonnes of torque, that's what most people need for daily driving because you dont regularily rev it to peak horsepower.

One question though, can diesels use catalitic converters?

And it's cars like the vw tdi, the smartcar etc that make people realise that diesel is the way to go. For my first vehicle it's either gonna be a small cheap car (because that might be the only thing i can afford) a bike or a diesel truck.

[jrehm]

I agree with the perception thing, however you can buy diesel cars in the US. You just can't buy them in every state. For instance, in New York you can't buy a diesel (new diesel that is), however you can register a new diesel as used. There are quite a few people that have second homes or simply use a friend or family member's address outside of New York to buy a new diesel in a state that allows them. They then wait 6 months and bring the car to New York and register it as a used vehicle.

There have been tremendous advances in diesel technology since the days of the noisy and stinky diesels. Combustion technology has changed dramatically, and the typical diesel sound has been reduced significantly by advances in the design of injection pumps (where the telltale diesel noise emits from to begin with). About the only easy way to tell a new diesel is to see the model designation stuck on the outside of the car someplace, and that assumes you know what models are diesel. However, someone that knows diesels can usually tell right away.

Besides the relative effiency of a diesel, there is also the reliability factor. If properly operated and cared for, you just can't kill them. They're like the Energizer bunny. 500k between overhauls is typical and a million or more miles without an overhaul is not at all unusual for a properly maintained diesel.

As for the stinky and noisy diesels of days gone by, they weren't that stinky if properly maintained. Many of the old MB diesels did smell like diesels, but they many times also suffered from lack of maintenance which greatly contributed to the smell. Some, if not all of them required valve adjustment every 15k. Way too many of them rarely or never had this procedure done, resulting in a poorly running engine that would produce a great deal of smoke and unburned fuel. Fuel filters need regular replacement, as do the usual things like air cleaners. A dirty air filter in a diesel does the same thing it does in a gas engine, that being making it run rich. The result is unburned fuel and excessive smoking. Diesels are far less tolerant of poor maintenance when it comes to emissions.

As to the noise a diesel makes, well, this is music to the ears of some. Diesel operation is pure artistry and truely a beautiful thing to those that appreciate all things mechanical. I know this because I own one of those stinky and noisy diesels of days gone by. My '81 300TD Turbo (5 cylinder Benz wagon for those not familiar with the breed) produces one of the best sounds in the world. It loves the open road and 33 MPG at 70+ MPH ain't too shabby for car that weighs in at nearly twice the average car. Also ain't too shabby for an engine designed over 25 years ago.

[kcg795]

I actually love the smell of diesel.