Diesel Engines Forgotten Treasures
You can find very few engine configurations that guarantee improved gas mileage and power. There are few motors that offer this in addition to durability. Today, people across the ocean are enjoying the fruits of diesel technology revolution.
Diesels have experienced an incredible history here within the United States. In 1980, General Motors modified their 350ci gas V8 to operate on diesel fuel. The result however, was not that good. These engines offered much better gas mileage but little else. They were quite slow, and not incredibly dependable.
Mercedes Benz on the other hand, had better luck in the 1980s with several cars on the market with diesel engines. These great vehicles offered remarkable durability although they were rough, loud, and smoked quite a bit. Volkswagen offered diesel at the same time, although they had a habit for spewing blue smoke from the tail pipe.
Throughout the 90s, Benz and Volkswagon offered diesel vehicles within the United States, with each and every generation becoming more refined, smoother, and far more powerful than the last. Overall, they were a difficult sell as they still weren’t getting the horsepower that many were looking for.
Right now, Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Volkswagen, Ford, and many other manufacturers are offering diesels to many markets all over the world. To put it simple, forget about everything you know or think you know about diesel engines in the United States.
These more recent engines benefit from numerous technical innovations. You’ll find a number of diesels in Europe that supply much better acceleration than their gasoline counter parts. BMW’s 120d has 163bhp, goes 0 – 60 in just 8 seconds, and achieves 49.6 miles per gallon.
Benz has the C320 CDI SE that has 224bhp, and more than 360 lb foot of torque. This automobile gets just below 48 mpg on the highway, with an acceleration of 0 – 60 in under 7 seconds. All through North America, you will not come across a gas engine that provides this unique blend of gas mileage and excellent performance.
The reason why diesels haven’t caught on in America comes down to one particular word – sulfur. We have too much sulfur in the diesel here within the United States. This inexpensive grade of diesel fuel will cause havoc on the more sophisticated diesels provided overseas and cause an increase in emissions.
There’s hope however, as refiners will soon be producing what’s known as ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel. This may help to reduce the sulfur content from 500ppm to 15ppm.
This advancement of alternative resources is a growing industry. The move back to diesel fuel is only the starting point of this “green” way of living. An increasing number of companies like amega global are starting to develop products that are also economical and efficient. To find out more, search: amega or amegaglobal.
