Why Diesel Engines are More Fuel Efficient than Gasoline Engines

[Goose55]

All you wanted--or will ever want to know--about Diesel vs Gasoline, and then some......

Why Diesel Engines are More Fuel Efficient than Gasoline Engines

Diesel engines get better “gas” mileage than comparably sized gasoline powered engines. There are two reasons why. First, diesel is a better fossil fuel than gasoline with respect to energy density. And second, diesel engines are better engines with regard to thermal efficiency.

rentar.com

 

[Units]

This may be a fun thread to follow…..

 

[SniperDroid]

This is going to be another "Love - Hate" thread... Usually ending when the name calling gets too out of hand for the Moderator to put up with...

Let me begin... I loved the power of my diesel, more than any gasoline engine I have ever used. I hated the extra maintenance costs, and after a while I realized that the trade off was not worth it.

Let the fun begin!

 

[Longhorn1500]

Just got my first Diesel (capitalized because Mr. Diesel invented it) truck to pull my 9000 pound trailer. Loving it!!

 

[Curmudgeon]

Although I'm happy to be getting pretty much the same MPG with my '14 5.7 QC gasser as I was getting in my '06 QC 4.0 V6 Tacoma - city, highway, and combined, I have no intention of disagreeing with the OP or the link.

No hate here. But Diesel trucks can be pretty spendy and I got a deal I could afford on my Hemi.
Even considering I have never towed with my truck I'm still seeing reports of certain Diesels getting substantially better MPG under all conditions.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Just got my first Diesel (capitalized because Mr. Diesel invented it) truck to pull my 9000 pound trailer. Loving it!!

My 6.4 will tow a 9000# trailer all day long and not even breath hard.

 

[Goose55]

Although I'm happy to be getting pretty much the same MPG with my '14 5.7 QC gasser as I was getting in my '06 QC 4.0 V6 Tacoma - city, highway, and combined, I have no intention of disagreeing with the OP or the link.

No hate here. But Diesel trucks can be pretty spendy and I got a deal I could afford on my Hemi.
Even considering I have never towed with my truck I'm still seeing reports of certain Diesels getting substantially better MPG under all conditions.

Yes. My 2019 3500 Laramie dually with the High output Cummins can get 17 mpg at 70 - 75 mph. Of course, that's highway, empty. Not bad for such a huge and very heavy truck. I love the sound of the newer 5th gen Cummins. It's civilized.

 

[NETim]

I liked the thoroughly uncivilized sound of my '02 Cummins HO. It pulled like the proverbial freight train in any weather. (No EGR or DEF nonsense either.)

BUT... once we got rid of the slide in camper, the ride of the 3500 got old.

A 1/2 ton gasser suffices for what I do nowadays.

 

[Longhorn1500]

My 6.4 will tow a 9000# trailer all day long and not even breath hard.

Yeah, I know. Nice to have a choice isn't it?

 

[Goose55]

I liked the thoroughly uncivilized sound of my '02 Cummins HO. It pulled like the proverbial freight train in any weather. (No EGR or DEF nonsense either.)

BUT... once we got rid of the slide in camper, the ride of the 3500 got old.

A 1/2 ton gasser suffices for what I do nowadays.

I just use my 3500 dually to go to the Post Office.

 

[kdoublep]

What is diesel? Is it like gas?

 

[NETim]

I just use my 3500 dually to go to the Post Office.

You must get a lot of mail.

I do miss my good ol' 3500 at times though. It was a great truck.

 

[Goose55]

You must get a lot of mail.

I do miss my good ol' 3500 at times though. It was a great truck.

Yes, this 5th Gen beast is quite a chariot! Before it I drove a 1995 Toyota Tacoma for 23 YEARS. After seeing this brand new 3500 on the lot and then having to drive back home in the Tacoma, it was like getting in a go-cart. Why am I still doing this, I asked myself.

 

[GTyankee]

Diesel Fuel is more like Kerosene
All plastic products are made from NAPTHA, ( that is why fuel costs so much ) Plastics companies are willing to pay for more product.

 

[jejb]

The article merely lays out the facts about why diesel motors are more efficient than gas motors. There is no denying that fact.

Which one is right for each of us is a separate discussion.

 

[BossHogg]

The article merely lays out the facts about why diesel motors are more efficient than gas motors. There is no denying that fact.

Which one is right for each of us is a separate discussion.

Exactly, you get what you need to get the job done.

I don't need to defend the choice I made for a 1-ton tow vehicle. Between the dump trailer and the RV, it was clear.

But, when it came time to replace my 2013 HEMI 1500, I ordered my 2022 with the ED. Last year my wife and I made a trip from Detroit to South Dakota, up to Duluth, and back across Michigan's upper peninsula and then home. Trip mileage was just over 2,600 miles with a trip average of 32.6 MPG. I've owned my 2022 for almost 20 months and never an issues, not even a rattle or squeak, I did get the HPFP recall

The cost per gallon of diesel varied wildly depending on where I was. Many states and jurisdictions put additional taxes on diesel fuel that gasoline doesn't have. In some places, I paid a few pennies less than regular gas, and in other places, diesel fuel was nearly a dollar more per gallon. Right now, in my area, diesel varies from a low of $3.80 per gallon to over $4.80 per gallon, a dollar swing. Thanks to apps like GasBuddy and the range of nearly 1,000 miles fully fueled, I could plan my refueling stops opting for low-price locations.

As far as scheduled maintenance, being retired, I only do oil changes once per year on both diesel vehicles, I don't get the mileage on any one of the diesels to reach an oil change interval. The slightly higher cost isn't a concern and I do my own oil changes and tire rotations.

 

[Goose55]

Diesel Fuel is more like Kerosene
All plastic products are made from NAPTHA, ( that is why fuel costs so much ) Plastics companies are willing to pay for more product.
View attachment 532028

And Kerosene is also jet fuel if I'm not mistaken.

 

[18CrewDually]

And Kerosene is also jet fuel if I'm not mistaken.

Actually Jet fuel is a form of kerosene.
Jet fuel can be used as a subsitute in say a lantern, but you would not use kerosene K-1 in an aviation jet turbine. The jet fuel A-1 has additives such as fuel icing inhibitors, antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, metal deactivators, and static dissipaters that K-1 may not. A-1 is also more refined than K-1.

 

[Goose55]

Actually Jet fuel is a form of kerosene.
Jet fuel can be used as a subsitute in say a lantern, but you would not use kerosene K-1 in an aviation jet turbine. The jet fuel A-1 has additives such as fuel icing inhibitors, antioxidants, corrosion inhibitors, metal deactivators, and static dissipaters that K-1 may not. A-1 is also more refined than K-1.

It mystifies me how that now after well over 100 years, and all this crude has been pumped out of the earth, there's still MORE to be pumped. Must have been one a helluva lot of dinosaurs, people, and plant life swept away, and down, in Noah's Flood. How else would we account for it?

 

[Tulecreeper]

Yes. My 2019 3500 Laramie dually with the High output Cummins can get 17 mpg at 70 - 75 mph. Of course, that's highway, empty. Not bad for such a huge and very heavy truck. I love the sound of the newer 5th gen Cummins. It's civilized.

I got ripped for thinking that my 2023 2500 was 5th Generation. Apparently the "Generation" thing only applies to the 1500 models.