Western Turbo Advantage

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We are happy to provide you with helpful service bulletins and technical articles available for professional mechanics. Check back to the Western Turbo Advantage for exclusive tips from the diesel industry.

Gas or Diesel?

A friend of mine announced that he was buying his first new car. The usual questions came up, gas or diesel? I had my beer goggles on so the explanation was pretty easy: go fast or go hard. That was a very simple explanation that really didn’t satisfy anybody in the growing audience in the bar.

Horsepower comparison between the two can be confusing and misleading. I prefer to use the analogy of a wrench. There was a period of time when a 190 HP diesel engine could produce an astounding 1200 ft/lbs of torque but took 13 gears and a mile to reach 60 MPH. Then there was the 600+ HP top fuel dragster that broke the 6 second ¼ mile barrier. That old diesel engine was a three foot long wrench turning a bolt and it could really make it tight. The dragster was a three inch long wrench that could turn that bolt really fast but it might not be very tight.

In the end the choice came down to getting to the lake fast or being able to take his boat. Then again, the distinctions between gasoline powered and diesel powered engines are staring to get a little fuzzy. The Audi R10 has a diesel engine and it recently won at the 24 Hour of Le Mans.