While both diesel and gas are created from the same base product, crude oil, the processing they go through and their eventual use differ remarkably. Diesel, known for its use in pickup trucks, 18-wheelers, and farming and machinery equipment, provides the same power as gas, but more efficiently. The reason for gas being used in so many motor vehicles is due to there being many more cars than work vehicles, and the lower Co2 emissions put out by gas vehicles as well as the cheaper cost and the higher rpm of gas engines makes them more popular option than diesel engines. These differences are discussed more below.
Power
There are two primary aspects you need to consider when comparing diesel and gas engines. Torque and horsepower. Torque relates to how quickly an engine can get a vehicle moving from a dead stop, while horsepower refers to the power needed to sustain the vehicle's movements while in motion. Diesel engines produce more torque but don't generate as much horsepower as gas engines. Due to the size of many vehicles that use diesel engines, diesel is the best choice because getting an 18-wheeler truck moving from stationery requires much more power than getting a hatchback moving.
Fuel Injection
The fuel injection methods used in diesel engines are also vastly different, and this needs to be considered when buying a car. Gas has to mix with air before being injected and used in the engine. While diesel engines just push the fuel into the cylinder directly without mixing it with air beforehand. Diesel gets mixed with fuel within the engine.
Fuel Economy
Because of the different uses of motor vehicles using gas engines and ones using diesel engines, a consideration is the economical use of fuel. Nobody wants to be filling their tank up all the time. Gas tends to be less economic than diesel. This is due to diesel being less processed than gas, and the thicker liquid increases the time it takes to burn up the fuel.
Now you know some differences between gas and diesel engines, talk to us today about what is best for your needs. If you need vehicle repair, we invite you to bring your vehicle to our auto repair shop today!