If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Diesel vs. Gasoline - why one preferred over another??
Know nothing of cars (electrical person) - used public transportation all my
life. Why is that 95% of passenger cars in the US are gasoline, yet diesel used in much of Europe? I read somewhere diesel is more efficient, plus unlike gas engine even UNMODIFIED diesel unit can run on "biofuels" (filtered cooking, etc. natural oils), so why diesel not dominating the market? I thought it's even cheaper? However, my primary question is: Is it true Diesel engine causes a much worse pollution, especiall;y carcerogenic (CANCER-causing) exhaust?? If so that would answer questions above. But again I thought new diesels burn as clean as gasoline? I wouldn't bother with all this, if it wasn't for the growing interest in biofuels and several people said "cooking oil", etc. works ONLY in diesel engines, it will NOT run in gasoline - dont even try. Thanks for your time, I might answer your electrical questions in the future, who knows... so it's not a waste of your time. |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 20:44:37 GMT, "Mark Levitski"
> wrote: >Why is that 95% of passenger cars in the US are gasoline, yet diesel used in >much of Europe? I read somewhere diesel is more efficient, plus unlike gas >engine even UNMODIFIED diesel unit can run on "biofuels" (filtered cooking, >etc. natural oils), so why diesel not dominating the market? Because General Motors did such a bad job with their Oldsmobile diesel in the early '80s. They slapped a diesel injection system into a 5.7 L gasoline engine. It was so miserably unreliable that it soured the US consumer on "diesel" power. > I thought it's even cheaper? Latest prices I've seen posted have diesel about 10-15 cents more than gasoline, for a US gallon. >However, my primary question is: >Is it true Diesel engine causes a much worse pollution, especiall;y >carcerogenic (CANCER-causing) exhaust?? If so that would answer questions >above. But again I thought new diesels burn as clean as gasoline? Even cleaner, in some cases. The idea that diesels are "smoky," "dirty," etc. is perpetuated by some who continue to operate engines that are in need of repairs, or those which have been maladjusted in an attempt to produce more power. In addition, there's more energy stored in a specific volume of diesel than in the same volume of gasoline. Treated properly, diesel-powered vehicles are more efficient and economical to operate. >I wouldn't bother with all this, if it wasn't for the growing interest in >biofuels and several people said "cooking oil", etc. works ONLY in diesel >engines, it will NOT run in gasoline - dont even try. > >Thanks for your time, I might answer your electrical questions in the >future, who knows... so it's not a waste of your time. > |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
I HOPE TO SEE MORE/ALTERNATIVE RESPONSES TO MY POSTING,
APPRECIATE ALL. Thanks for input. Your response runs in contradiction to my expectation (e.g. 100% of all Googled search hits for "diesel pollution" show muich higher 100 to 200x more pollution than gasoline!! esp. carcirogenic partciles - whether old/needing repair or new engine, diesel is labeled "bad" for health everywhere. But thanks - it shows I needed more "research", I dont know what to make of it. Maybe buy a used diesel and start playing with biofuels - biofuel is the only reason I suddenly became interested in diesel. As of prices, probably a vicious circle: lack of diesel consumers makes it costly to add diesel service at regular US stations, or I might be wrong - thought Europeans were using it exactly for that lower prices reason, NOTE: cost per mile driven, not per gallon. I HOPE TO SEE MORE/ALTERNATIVE RESPONSES TO MY POSTING, APPRECIATE ALL. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 22:12:38 GMT, the fly > wrote:
>On Sat, 23 Apr 2005 20:44:37 GMT, "Mark Levitski" > wrote: >>Why is that 95% of passenger cars in the US are gasoline, yet diesel used in >>much of Europe? I read somewhere diesel is more efficient, plus unlike gas >>engine even UNMODIFIED diesel unit can run on "biofuels" (filtered cooking, >>etc. natural oils), so why diesel not dominating the market? > Because General Motors did such a bad job with their >Oldsmobile diesel in the early '80s. They slapped a diesel injection >system into a 5.7 L gasoline engine. It was so miserably unreliable >that it soured the US consumer on "diesel" power. No, it's because diesels are slow to accelerate, start to start, stink, are harder to find fuel for, and noisy. They're great if you want to haul a massive load, but are mediocre at best for day to day driving. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Hard to find fuel for" is not an argument, as I said it's a vicious circle:
no diesel consumers ->no diesel suppliers->no diesel consumers, it's easy to break. But the rest is somewhat OK inline with my thoughts especially 'stink" part. WHat you call stink is indeed 100-200x more pollution than gasoline, but the other guy response is also valuable, I appreciate all because unlike you I am a car nut. I was born in a counry of excellent public transport and very very expensive cars so until last October NEVER been behind the wheel, so asking stupid diesel questions... It seems however US trucks/fleet vehicles, etc. non-personal vehicles are using diesel extensively, it's that passenger cars normnal people buy are almost never diesel in the US but very common in Europe and is the reason i asked this question thinkiong of biofuiels that someone said only work in DIESEL (so I cant use in my Nissan Sentra). |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Diesels of the early '80's were indeed loud, sluggish, and stinky. Add
into this the fact that finding fuel was and still is difficult and you can see why they are not very popular. Diesels of recent vintage are whole new monster getting more power and torque and being smooth and quiet. NOT the same thing most Americans have pop into mind when they think of diesel powered cars. I recently watched a TV program where they took a turbo diesel Ford and had it doing a burnout that would make any muscle car run for cover. |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Mark Levitski wrote:
> > Know nothing of cars (electrical person) - used public transportation all my > life. > > Why is that 95% of passenger cars in the US are gasoline, yet diesel used in > much of Europe? I read somewhere diesel is more efficient, plus unlike gas > engine even UNMODIFIED diesel unit can run on "biofuels" (filtered cooking, > etc. natural oils), so why diesel not dominating the market? I thought it's > even cheaper? > > However, my primary question is: > Is it true Diesel engine causes a much worse pollution, especiall;y > carcerogenic (CANCER-causing) exhaust?? If so that would answer questions > above. But again I thought new diesels burn as clean as gasoline? > > I wouldn't bother with all this, if it wasn't for the growing interest in > biofuels and several people said "cooking oil", etc. works ONLY in diesel > engines, it will NOT run in gasoline - dont even try. > > Thanks for your time, I might answer your electrical questions in the > future, who knows... so it's not a waste of your time. Been to a European city lately? Diesel fumes and oil slime cover everything. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
No, heard from others on related Newsgroups.
Born/raised in Europe (Russia) 1972-1992, but never been to Europe since 1992 (and dont want to... liberals, except UK or Italy) and Russia circa 1980's didn't have too many cars anyway, we were all riding trains/busses... subway (Metro) of St Petersburg and Moscow is world-famous. I started driving only here in the states, and my thing makes 40+mpg after relieving it of unnecessary weight (2004 Nissan Sentra, unladen, even one seat & spare tire removed) |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
exactly, what I found on the Web on diesel higher pollution than that of
gasoline, already turned off any desire to experiement with it even if running on cooking oil could be as clean as gasoline or in fact CLEANER, but first you need money to experiement with all this, dont think after reading your responses and 'stinky" part of diesel. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
"Been to a European city lately?
Diesel fumes and oil slime cover everything. " Really???? I've been to numerous european cities including London, Bath, Canterbury, Vienna, Salzburg, Verona, Rome, Venice, Padova within the last 5 years and didn't notice omnipresent diesel fumes or oil slime covering everything. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Speeding sucks | Magnulus | Driving | 191 | April 26th 05 05:21 AM |
Motorists Resigned to Soaring Gas Prices | Laura Bush murdered her boy friend | Driving | 59 | April 5th 05 02:17 PM |
Is all diesel the same? | Jonno | Audi | 4 | May 18th 04 07:55 PM |
Any word on US versions of the diesel Jeep Liberty or diesel Land Rover Discovery? | Exit | 4x4 | 36 | January 20th 04 04:12 PM |