Every car on the road today has an engine in it, and most people know that because of an engine’s power, it produces more fuel-efficient travel than comparable gasoline cars. They also understand that diesel cars cannot idle in traffic very well because they need to be running at a constant speed in order to generate power, so the utility of a diesel car is largely dependent on when and where you use it. If you’re looking for a new car, here are some things you should know about diesel engines and what types of benefits they offer.
What Are Diesel Engines?
Diesel engines are electric motor-generators. They’re powered by diesel fuel from a fuel tank in the car that’s filled with liquid diesel fuel, and the engine is made up of various components like pistons, crankshafts and bearings, as well as an electric motor that powers the alternator. This electric motor turns the alternator which charges a bank of batteries and powers the internal combustion engine’s motors. Diesel engines are known for their high power output and efficiency but they are also very quiet in comparison to gasoline-powered vehicles. Gasoline cars use spark plugs to ignite a mixture of air and gasoline known as petrol or petroleum, while diesel engines work by compression ignition.
Diesel Engine Advantages
Diesel engines have come a long way in the last 50 years, so it’s important to understand what benefits they offer when you’re comparing cars or deciding which one to buy. Diesel motors run at a higher compression ratio, about 17:1, than gasoline engines which run at about 8:1. Compression ratios are the ratio of volumes between the air and fuel, so if you can imagine filling a balloon with air and then filling it with some sort of gas like water, then you’ll know that the higher your compression ratio is, the more power that would generate for your balloon if you gave it a good squeeze.
That’s why diesel engines are so powerful; they compress more air and fuel into the combustion chamber so they can generate more power. Since there are no spark plugs involved with diesel engines, they only need to be started by an electric motor. In addition, they have no camshafts, no valves or lifters and no pistons or rings to make them run because at their core, diesel engines are actually just a big electric motor that is controlled by the driver. So when you’re making a comparison of cars across different price points, you’ll want to know that a diesel engine offers more power for its price than a gasoline engine does because it has all of these advantages.
Fuel Economy
Gasoline engines get better fuel mileage than diesel engines because they use spark plugs to ignite their fuel. Diesel engines work by compressing air pockets around the fuel which then combusts and this combustion process creates a lot of heat and energy. In today’s diesel cars, the heat is transferred to a cooling circuit which then uses a radiator just like in gasoline cars to significantly reduce the amount of heat that gets transferred inside the car and therefore allows you to have less drag on your engine so you can get more power while getting better gas mileage.
In addition, diesel engines offer a wide range of transmission options from automatic to manual and from rear-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. You can also get diesel cars that are front-wheel drive, but they run on two separate fuel systems so you can use the best fuel economy with the power you need while you’re driving. Diesel cars also have torque converters which allow you to shift between gears instead of using a clutch like with gasoline cars, so they tend to be easier on clutches.
Finally, diesel engines are known for their longevity and dependability. They can last longer than gasoline motor vehicles and they can also run at high efficiency for more than 200,000 miles before they need to be replaced. In comparison, a typical gasoline engine will last around 100,000 miles or less before it needs to be replaced.