Swift Petrol vs Diesel - is saving the ONLY reason?

well.der wer sum questions/arguments/discussions abt Diesel vs Petrol for cars...

i wanted to take Swift as an example........

HERE the two cars hav been compared......

Now ...here we see...the power of the Swift Petrol is slightly more..bt at higher RPM.....

while torque of the Diesel is more ...n that too at lower RPM....

bt still...the petrol version wins in both Top Speed as well as the Pick up........

So since Petrol is the winner in both contests-----

what is Diesel good for ?.......(atleast in the Swift....) its only the saving due to the difference in rates ONLY in India....n dat too due to the subsidy provided by the govt....rite ?....

ur comments on this--

Diesels have better resale price. Emmisions wise diesels are better than their petrol counterparts.  Diesel engine produce less of CO2 and CO emmissions.

they have better resale price agreed....but then the price for what we purchase them is alo more.......so it gets neutralized here.

Diesel Engine produce less of CO2 n CO emmissions.

but the NOX levels of Diesels are MANY times more than of Petrol...

It turns out that petrol(gasoline) is more volatile than diesel, not because of what its base consists of, but because of the additives it contains. In addition, vehicles that use diesel tend to be more fuel-efficient and produce less greenhouse gasses. In that respect, diesel is more environmentally friendly. Diesel actually produces 15% more in greenhouse gasses than gasoline when compared by the litre rather than the gallon. Yet it is through the 20-40% improvement in fuel economy over gasoline that offsets the higher emissions per litre. In actuality, the carbon dioxide emissions are considerably less than gasoline, but diesel does contain 2,778 grams of carbon per gallon, whereas gasoline contains 2,421 grams per gallon. But, again, it is the fuel economy of diesel that accounts for the smaller rate of carbon emissions.

If you're an environmentalist, you probably hate seeing black smoke come from the exhaust pipes of Diesel Trucks. It probably makes you think that it's what causes smog and all of our O-Zone problems with the environment.

It's easy to see where someone who is uneducated about diesel fuel can think that. However, let's set the records straight: Gasoline is MUCH more harmful to the environment than diesel. Why? Let's think about it. Diesel engines do not combust . In other words, there are never little "explosions" inside a diesel engine like there are in a gasoline engine. Diesel motors run off of Detonation -- which can be similar, but is caused by intense heat and pressure rather than a spark.

This is why diesel motors do not have spark plugs. They don't need them. All they need is to have extreme cylinder pressure and the fuel needs to be fairly hot(a typical compression ratio on modern light-duty diesel trucks is around 18:1 or so, whereas a gasoline motor is around 9:1). This intense pressure allows a diesel motor to have a much longer stroke (the distance the piston travels from one end of the cylinder to the other) and thus creates lots more torque than a gasoline motor.

Once there is enough pressure and heat, the fuel's chemical properties cause it to reach a point of detonation - at which time the pressure rapidly increases and drives the piston back down to force the drive shaft one full rotation (much like a standard gasoline motor).

A detonation is much louder than a gasoline explosion, and sounds like a loud click. That is where you get the diesel "chatter" that you hear.

So what does diesel fuel emit? Go over to your fireplace, and reach your hand up in the chimney and wipe your finger down the bricks. You will see some black dust on your finger, something we like to call soot .

Soot is the only thing emitted from diesel motors. Older diesel vehicles burned a lot more sulfer, which did at the time cause some smog problems. However, since 2006, Diesel fuel is known as "Ultra Low Sulfer" fuel - which burns much cleaner. That "black smoke" is usually diesel fuel that has heated up almost to a point of detonation, but didn't quite get burned up all the way, and it is blown out the exhaust (not quite raw fuel, but almost).

So, black smoke coming from diesel exhaust pipes - nothing worse than building a fire in your house or spilling diesel fuel on the road. The soot particles coming from these tailpipes disperse quickly and seem to disappear - when they actually fall to the ground. They don't rise into the atmosphere or anything crazy like that! The only thing the EPA has against this soot is that it "might" be the cause of some lung and cardiovascular diseases.

Recently, the EPA passed a new National emissions law requiring all 2008 and newer diesel vehicles to be equiped with exhaust filters to trap soot particles by at least 90%. What does this do? Nothing but decrease fuel mileage by 20% or even more! This is because everyone is using what is called the Diesel Particulate Filter option, which is a HUGE inline exhaust filter between your catalytic convertor and muffler (as of now it is the most efficient option). It traps all soot particles, and, when there is a pressure difference on the inlet and outlet, the injectors of the motor are forced to spray fuel between fires so that the exhaust heats up to a point that it burns off these soot particles. This is known as regeneration. Regeneration occurrences depend on driving habits - the more you stomp it - the more soot there

Raj....ok...lets just consider ...Diesel is a better fuel than petrol....n terms of purity,cleanliness etc etc....

bt wud that matter to us while buying out car ?....honestly.....90 % wont giv a thought abt it .....

n out of the rest 10 %,9 % wud b lying !....

even if Diesel was more more harmful to the environment....it wud hav been used....due to the saving (talkin abt India ONLY ofcourse)..

p.s-----i m not trying to disagree wid ur points...infact that is a very good piece of info that u've given me ..

it nice to kno,n u seem to b reading alot abt Diesel

cheers !

@Karan, please refrain from using SMS language (but / wud / giv / n / b / wid / ur /u've / kno / n / abt   ) and those dots (....) here & there. Thanks.

Karan,

Agree that 99% of us wont giv it a thought abt which is a better fuel.

But, wont atleast say 70% them think abt the savings that they get, going for a diesel car.. food for thought isnt it?

It is also stronger, sturdier & has better longevity and is more fuel efficient & economical (as we all know).  The resale value is, therefore, better - and not just because diesel engines cost more initially (pointed out by Karan) - it is only one of the reasons.  However, it also depends upon the condition/maintenance etc.

I agree,

Most of the new generation Diesel Engines are reliable and the maintenance charges are also competitive when compared with the Petrol mills. Moreover, the newer engines comply to the emmission norms hence the pollution factor is also taken care of.

Just to add... 'service cost' of a diesel car is at par with that of its petrol counterpart (same manufacturer) - and even otherwise (more or less).  The 'total maintenance cost' (including spares, repairs etc.) of a diesel car amounts not more than 8-10% over a period of ownership.