Diesel cars in America

[Clivey]

the last diesel I had to apply d-d clutching was this one, and we are talking 1969....going down from 3 to 2 meant blipping until it hit the rev limiter (2200).

I wasn't talking about double clutching, rather rev matching whilst downshifting. As other posters have said, all the delicacy and finesse in this area is lost with a heavy diesel engine (you have to drive with lead feet).

And for what it is worth, the C3 1.6 Hdi that we have since the middle of this year and has the same engine as Clivey's C4, is not as lethargic as being described, it feels actually much more powerful and direct than the 100 BHP Fiat Stilo that it replaced (1.6 petrol engine).

Is your C3 the 110ps version? If so, is it running the 5-speed manual as mine is?

I wasn't asserting that mine is slower flat-out than the same capacity N/A petrol...but then again, the 1.6HDi cost the same as the 2.0-litre petrol and it's nowhere near as quick as that.

[henk4]

I wasn't talking about double clutching, rather rev matching whilst downshifting. As other posters have said, all the delicacy and finesse in this area is lost with a heavy diesel engine (you have to drive with lead feet).



Is your C3 the 110ps version? If so, is it running the 5-speed manual as mine is?

I wasn't asserting that mine is slower flat-out than the same capacity N/A petrol...but then again, the 1.6HDi cost the same as the 2.0-litre petrol and it's nowhere near as quick as that.

Rev matching is only useful when you ddc.....
our C3 is the 92 BHP eHDi version with a 5 speed manual. It is funny ro realise that its weight and performance level match the BX TRD Turbo, we used to have, which had a 90 BHP 1.7 indirect injection diesel and barely managed 16 km to the liter, while the C3 does 23.....

[pimento]

Rev matching is only useful when you ddc.....

I dunno about that, it can be easier to shift quickly if you rev match with a syncro box. Though quickly shifting is probably not a focal point of diesel development.

[MRR]

I think you are misunderstanding me....what I meant is that we all want to keep using the finite resources of mineral fuel as long as possible, and therefore sharing becomes an issue. So it is for the benefit of all of us that we should look for the most frugal way of using mineral fuel, and I think there is no denying that with equal performance, a diesel engine will take considerably less of a scarce resource thasn a petrol engine..

Also diesel engines (before particulate filters and post injection were mandated anyways) could run on any number of renewable diesel substitutes from biodiesel derived from plant matter to straight filtered vegetable oil (at least in warmer climates) with little or no modification. Gasoline engines require fairly substantial modifications to run on corrosive ethanol and gasoline substitutes are harder and more expensive to produce.

[prestito inpdap]

I do not know and I do not get ridiculous. It makes no sense that there is so little variety of diesel cars. In Europe the issue is much more standardized.

[Clivey]

Rev matching is only useful when you ddc.....

You're going to have to explain that one! I rev match in petrols all the time when driving quickly, braking for a corner and dropping a cog. It makes the gear change smoother and results in less wear on the drivetrain. You don't have to DDC to do it.

our C3 is the 92 BHP eHDi version with a 5 speed manual. It is funny ro realise that its weight and performance level match the BX TRD Turbo, we used to have, which had a 90 BHP 1.7 indirect injection diesel and barely managed 16 km to the liter, while the C3 does 23.....

Ah, but how does that compare to the 1.6VTi petrol? I know the fuel economy will be better in the diesel, but my money is on the petrol being the better drive.

I actually think the main problem in my car is the awful gearbox - tall ratios (in order to meet CO2 targets ) with a notchy, long winded gear change. I've driven an EGS version and that gearbox actually suits the diesel engine much better than the crappy manual.

[Dino Scuderia]

Jeep is going to offer a diesel in one of their SUV's.

Caddy says the ATS will have a diesel available soon after production begins.

[Magnum9987]

Jeep is going to offer a diesel in one of their SUV's.

Caddy says the ATS will have a diesel available soon after production begins.

A small block Cummins or Duramax would be fantastic.

[jcp123]

I want more diesels! Seriously, the availability of a diesel engine in a car could tip my dollars towards that car. Sorry, VW, you're just slightly too rich for my blood right now.

[Wenkel]

I don't know about the rest of you all, but I'm feeling pretty confortable with my Citroën C5 1.6 HDi (Diesel) 110hp FAP (french for anti - particles filter). it has an autonomy of 700~800km on a single tank and 5,6 l\100km. it's torque is available from as low as 900rpm. On 5th gear doing 140 km\h on the higway you can't even hear the engine.

[5150]

Why are diesels so loud any way? And do diesels get better gas mileage on the average, than those cars that use regular gasoline.

[clutch-monkey]

Why are diesels so loud any way? And do diesels get better gas mileage on the average, than those cars that use regular gasoline.

any new ones are practically silent... and yes

[5150]

any new ones are practically silent... and yes

What I should have said why are the (pick-up) trucks diesels so loud. Why would a diesel get better gas mileage anyway, just for the sake of asking.

[Kitdy]

Diesel is higher in energy content by mass and by volume than gasoline.

[jcp123]

Diesel is higher in energy content by mass and by volume than gasoline.

also, there is no throttle plate, which reduces your pumping losses. Engines have to work to suck in the air, and by eliminating the throttle plate, you alleviate a surprisingly substantial amount of the work the engine has to do. Additionally, because diesels use compression to ignite, they have very high compression ratios, also increasing efficiency.