9 votes

What do you prefer diesel or petrol?

So what do you prefer a Diesel or a petrol ?, I personally love Diesel I think they are superior to petrol in many ways

23 comments

  1. [8]
    Octofox
    Link
    I think Diesel should be banned in any urban area. The health risks are too great.

    I think Diesel should be banned in any urban area. The health risks are too great.

    5 votes
    1. [7]
      Five
      Link Parent
      I don’t see a problem with Diesel the world couldn’t currently live without it

      I don’t see a problem with Diesel the world couldn’t currently live without it

      1. [6]
        edenist
        Link Parent
        Diesel exhaust is a classified carcinogen. It has been shown to cause cancer. It is also responsible for many respiratory illnesses, particularly so in urban areas in which concentrations are...

        Diesel exhaust is a classified carcinogen. It has been shown to cause cancer. It is also responsible for many respiratory illnesses, particularly so in urban areas in which concentrations are higher.

        So no, I would never, ever, purchase a diesel vehicle. They have suitable applications, but passenger vehicles are simply not one I would deem appropriate. Hopefully electric vehicles start to displace them as soon as possible.

        10 votes
        1. [4]
          krg
          Link Parent
          Gas (petrol) exhaust is also a carcinogen and responsible for respiratory illnesses. Is diesel that much worse?

          Gas (petrol) exhaust is also a carcinogen and responsible for respiratory illnesses. Is diesel that much worse?

          2 votes
          1. [3]
            zaarn
            Link Parent
            It's quite a lot worse yes, hence why Diesel has much stronger filters and catalysators on the exhaust, to bind most of the bad parts. Diesel is a very different compound to Gasoline and reacts...

            It's quite a lot worse yes, hence why Diesel has much stronger filters and catalysators on the exhaust, to bind most of the bad parts. Diesel is a very different compound to Gasoline and reacts differently, in part it's also caused by Diesel engines running lean most of the time (oxygen rich) while gasoline engines can run closer to optimal fuel ratio.

            In short, the amount of NOx and PM material a diesel spews out is much higher than a gasoline engine. And that is with the filters, some of which diesel owners just love to remove because they clog up at times.

            6 votes
            1. imperialismus
              Link Parent
              Yes, however CO2 emissions are lower and diesel requires less energy to produce. Basically, there's a disconnect between policies discouraging air pollution (directly toxic to humans) versus...

              Yes, however CO2 emissions are lower and diesel requires less energy to produce. Basically, there's a disconnect between policies discouraging air pollution (directly toxic to humans) versus policies discouraging greenhouse gas emissions (indirectly disastrous to the environment, including to humans). So some countries encourage diesel usage while others encourage gasoline. As I understand it, in the US, diesel is actually more expensive than gasoline, and almost every vehicle (at least personal vehicles) is gasoline powered; whereas in Europe, diesel is generally less taxed and cheaper, and most personal vehicles are diesel powered.

              3 votes
            2. arghdos
              Link Parent
              You seem to be conflating two things here. First, it is typically true that diesel engines emit more particulates and NOx than a gasoline engine, however this has relatively little to do with...

              In short, the amount of NOx and PM material a diesel spews out is much higher than a gasoline engine.

              Diesel is a very different compound to Gasoline and reacts differently, in part it's also caused by Diesel engines running lean most of the time (oxygen rich) while gasoline engines can run closer to optimal fuel ratio.

              You seem to be conflating two things here. First, it is typically true that diesel engines emit more particulates and NOx than a gasoline engine, however this has relatively little to do with running fuel-lean, instead:

              1. Diesel engines operate at a much higher compression ratio than gasoline engines, and therefore operate at a higher temperature. This results in higher thermodynamic efficiencies (i.e., more efficient conversion of fuel->energy, resulting in less CO2) but activates the high-temperature NOx pathway (a.k.a., via the Zeldovich mechanism). As the name implies, this tends to be much stronger at high temperatures than "prompt NO", which can be formed in low temperatures / fuel-rich situations.

              2. Particulate matter is (primarly) formed when you have rich fuel/air mixtures (i.e., more fuel than stoichiometric). The key here is that because diesel is injected later in the engine cycle, and has less time to mix. Therefore you end up with a number of "hot-spots", where the local equivalence ratio is > 1 (i.e., fuel-rich), which promotes soot formation (as well as NOx formation due to the higher temperature).

              These two factors have lead to a tremendous amount of research into HCCI (and related) engines, which attempt to combine the strengths of both engines -- this remains a very active field of research

              3 votes
        2. Five
          Link Parent
          Electric won’t be replacing them any time soon but maybe in 10 years or so

          Electric won’t be replacing them any time soon but maybe in 10 years or so

          1 vote
  2. [2]
    bailey
    Link
    Why do you prefer diesel? I like the torque of a turbo diesel when driving around town; it makes an otherwise underpowered vehicle feel quite zippy and responsive (not to mention how much easier...

    Why do you prefer diesel?

    I like the torque of a turbo diesel when driving around town; it makes an otherwise underpowered vehicle feel quite zippy and responsive (not to mention how much easier it is to operate the clutch in a torquey vehicle). However, nothing beats a high revving petrol engine for fun, imo. The torque curve of a typical NA petrol engine is more satisfying for spirited driving and the sound is much more enjoyable.

    4 votes
    1. Five
      Link Parent
      I think they are superior in every way, more reliable and being more powerful for a start

      I think they are superior in every way, more reliable and being more powerful for a start

      1 vote
  3. [4]
    Fjolsvith
    Link
    I build and deliver huge sheds for a living. While diesel is nice and powerful, I tend to wear out pickups, and I save a lot of money driving gas pickups. Plus, I can usually do most maintenance...

    I build and deliver huge sheds for a living. While diesel is nice and powerful, I tend to wear out pickups, and I save a lot of money driving gas pickups. Plus, I can usually do most maintenance on them myself. Diesel maintenance is very expensive.

    I can usually find a used gas pickup for $2500-3000, whereas a used diesel pickup comes in over $10k.

    4 votes
    1. [3]
      Five
      Link Parent
      I don’t find Diesel vehicles more expensive and you very rarely have to do anything with them I find they just go until they completely die

      I don’t find Diesel vehicles more expensive and you very rarely have to do anything with them I find they just go until they completely die

      1 vote
      1. [2]
        2zla
        Link Parent
        I'd really appreciate if both of you would elaborate. I'm considering purchasing a pickup truck in some near future, to hopefully generate some side income (or at least tow my toys). Is it...

        I'd really appreciate if both of you would elaborate. I'm considering purchasing a pickup truck in some near future, to hopefully generate some side income (or at least tow my toys).

        Is it possible that price differences and maybe part availability is different based on your localities?

        2 votes
        1. Five
          Link Parent
          I’ve been around diesel for years and I can’t see why anyone would get a petrol if a diesel was available to them they are more powerful, more reliable if you are going to get something for...

          I’ve been around diesel for years and I can’t see why anyone would get a petrol if a diesel was available to them they are more powerful, more reliable if you are going to get something for Leisure then it doesn’t really matter but it you want it for doing a job you get a workhorse diesel

  4. json
    Link
    In NZ: cheaper running costs because less fuel taxes levied at the pump. Though it does have a fee per 10,000KM traveled called Road User Charges which petrol vehicles don't pay. I drive a petrol...

    In NZ: cheaper running costs because less fuel taxes levied at the pump.
    Though it does have a fee per 10,000KM traveled called Road User Charges which petrol vehicles don't pay.

    I drive a petrol vehicle.

    2 votes
  5. [6]
    AugustusFerdinand
    Link
    E85 Why? Race gas at my local grocery store.

    E85

    Why?

    Race gas at my local grocery store.

    1. runtime
      Link Parent
      How's the maintenance on it?

      How's the maintenance on it?

      1 vote
    2. [4]
      Five
      Link Parent
      E85 ?

      E85 ?

      1. AugustusFerdinand
        Link Parent
        An 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline fuel blend available in a few countries. Premium fuel where I live tops out at 93 octane (R+M/2), while E85 is typically over 100 octane. So it's a race level fuel...

        An 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline fuel blend available in a few countries. Premium fuel where I live tops out at 93 octane (R+M/2), while E85 is typically over 100 octane.

        So it's a race level fuel that's much more easily available and cheaper than race fuel. There are precautions to take and tuning adjustments that must be made, but it's a minor issue if you tune and race cars as I do.

        2 votes