| Author | Message | ||
     6gears |
You won't go wrong with a first gen dodge. The rest are questionable. The duramax is an isuzu product, but it is currently the only diesel truck that has not changed its complete fuel system design since its introduction. Every diesel truck has its bad years. I have torn up all of them doing routine things. I killed a 7.3 years ago when the block split around the rear main bearing and cracked up the cylinder wall. The 5.9 cummins had bad blocks in 99, bad inj pumps in 2000-01, crap injectors in 04-06. I am not real cracked up on the 6.7s with all the emissions crap either. The 6.0 fords are good motors if you put enough money in them, (head studs, gaskets, EGR delete, cooler delete, etc.) And yes I am a duramax fan, but they have some problems also. 01-04.5 had injector issues, 05s are showing headgasket problems. The 07 up trucks seem to be the best problem wise. I truly eat, sleep and breathe diesel trucks.... I try to be unbiased as I love all of them, but don't tell me which one is best because they all have their troubles. | ||
| Aesquire |
http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/09/fiske r-karma-earns-a-failing-grade-from-consumer-report s.html http://nlpc.org/stories/2012/09/26/consumer-report s-fisker-karma-worst-luxury-sedan Yea! the Volt doesn't suck compared to a $107,000 luxury show car. It's in a different class, though, to be fair. And the Dodge Dart seems to kick it's butt in real world cross country mileage. ( not an arbitrary "x miles on battery, out of Y miles daily" figure, but what each car gets going down the highway for hours and days... ) To be fair, the Dart ( using Fiat's Multiair variable valve tech... cool stuff ) isn't in the Fiskar's league either. It's neither a luxury car, nor a car voted most likely to need to be dragged onto a flatbed because it won't freaking move. At all. Nor, to be fair is a Dart in the same class as a Volt. It's a third of the price, smaller, way less loaded with computer displays, and not "most likely" to have you freeze on your commute. ( an issue with the Volt, and other "electric" cars ) Still, looked at the outsides of a few Darts, Focuses, and Fiestas last night with a buddy and his wife. They really liked the looks of all three. I give the brand identity win to the Dart. I give the Euro radical win to the Focus, and Fiesta. I give the best tail lights award as a tie. I Really liked the Dart's wrap around led setup, but the Fords look good too. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Just wish we had more TDI cars available here like they do in Europe. After getting a crack at a 1990 VW 1.6 TDI while living in Germany I love them. Great millage and super reliable. The new ones rock from what others who own them tell me. Wife and I a looking to get a 2000+ VW TDI here soon. Will compliment the Dodge 5.9TDI I already have. Now, if the motorcycle makers would starting making a TDI ADV Tourer I would be all over that. 100mpg with good power anyone? | ||
| Aesquire |
Wish I could get the 2.8 Dodge Grand Caravan here. With stow and go seats, it would be nearly perfect for 98+% of my car needs. The '09 VW TDI Sportwagen is darn close, 90+%. Not so good for hauling a face cord of lumber. ( one of the reasons I also have a Van. ) An American company is making diesel conversions for the Military on Kawasaki 650 dual sport bikes. They Promised us a civilian model... but it's been a few years, and we're still waiting. The Company now says they will NOT make them for consumers. http://dieselmotorcycles.com/ http://www.gizmag.com/go/4272/ | ||
| Aesquire |
Politics aside, ( And it's HARD with the Volt ) IS the Volt the right car for your needs, and would you rent one if it was cheap enough? ( The $199 price was mentioned in some link above.. I have no idea what current pricing is, but let's just go with the sale price, for the sake of argument. ) Or if not the Volt, another of the plug-in Hybrids? Cataract, are you talking Germany or the States for your future TDI purchase? The selection is much greater in Germany, I'm sure. I Think they run 2 engine sizes here, depending on year. The current 2.0L Inline 4 and the 3.0L V6. Older ones include a sweet and bada$$ V10. The Mercedes/VW developed Blue Diesel engines started here in 2009, after a 2 year Hiatus for VW Diesels here because of a pollution law change. The Current TDI's are stronger and cleaner than the old ones o good bit. So I'd Suggest an '09 or newer. ( note: '10 or newer Jettas have a cheaper rear suspension. That is to lower the price point. The Sportwagens still have the same Independent Rear Suspension as the GTI's. ) | ||
| Cataract2 |
Aes: talking about the US ones. Got a taste for them before I lived in Germany, but after getting a good bite on them there I'm hooked. Can't beat the millage. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Can't beat that Turbo surge either. I just love it when the turbo spools up with a nice whistle & awaaaayyy we gooooo. | ||
| Aesquire |
Yeah, it's Turbo Surge now. Used to be Turbo lag. Anyone else remember the bad old days of the Turbo Omni.... Stomp.... wait for it....wait for it..... here it comes..... WHOOOOSH!..zoom! Much better now with the current gen of TDI's. I spin the wheels a lot on paint stripes if I pull off lights with enthusiasm. Torque rules! ( Then the rush hits! ) the VW 2.0L TDI has the same torque as the 3.8l V6 in my Dodge Caravan. That I traded for the Sportwagen. BTW thank you taxpayers for buying my old Caravan. | ||
| 6gears |
http://climatesanity.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/more -eye-opening-facts-about-the-chevy-volt/ This is some good stuff. MORE DIESELS PLEASE!! | ||
| Aesquire |
Saw in Car & Driver that they may import the VW GTD. A GTI with a diesel engine. Don't know the time frame. Might be the MkVII. http://blog.caranddriver.com/vw-confirms-u-s-timel ine-for-mkvii-golf-gti-next-gen-gtd-could-come-too / http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2010-volkswage n-gtd-diesel-review | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
If Chrysler/Dodge/FIAT can get some of the jtd m-jet diesels over to you, you'll be in for a treat. My '04 Alfa with it's 2.4l 5cyl unit kicks out 175hp & over 280 lb/ft of torque. It's also tunable with just a remap to well over 200 horsies. The new ones are even better. | ||
| Chauly |
Grump, I rented one of those in Milan a few years back. 6-speed, picked it up in the dark at the airport, got out on the Autostrada, thought "Nice car, peppy V-6". It wasn't until I got to a service area for an espresso that I noticed this big green sticker at the end of the dash "DIESEL ONLY!" and the 4000 rpm redline... I was impressed! | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Do you suppose the 4000 RPM redline is mechanical or just the limitation of the fueling? Perhaps they just put the redline there so that the driver knows it stops making power beyond there? Just asking. I'm a diesel newb. trying to learn. | ||
| Aesquire |
Actually 4000 is screaming fast for a diesel. It's not the limitation of valve train or crank/piston speed, it's flame front speed and the nature of compression ignition. In the old days, with fuel injected in the intake tract, 4000rpm ( in a 2 litre IL4 ) was unheard of. The new generation uses direct injection at high pressure ( really high ) into the combustion chamber just before TCD. That lets them control the combustion timing much better. On the VW 2.0L TDI max HP is at 4000, max torque at 1750rpm. If you have the DSG trans in Sport mode, it racks right to redline at each shift. | ||
| 6gears |
Aesquire... Not SCREAMING fast, but wound pretty tight yes. I have seen datalogs of 6.6 duramaxes turning 5300-5500. With modern direct injection pulse width, and timing get sketchy about about 5000-5200 (at least on a D-max) and they start to pop and run bad....... | ||
| Aesquire |
5500? Whoa. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
OK so we're not talking rods and pistons falling out but just the limit to how fast the ignition events can happen. Makes more sense. So the finer the atomization and higher the compression temp, the faster the ignition and therefore higher theoretical "redline" of a diesel engine is? | ||
| 6gears |
Well....sort of, LOL. There is a limit to how much fuel you can spray at a given rate and keep it within control. You have to realize that the fuel injector not only controls the amount but also exact timing when it sprays. Way different than a gas motor where you have timing and fuel separate. The real RPM limiting on diesels is how fast you can fill and fire an injector. Don't get me wrong, the duramax stock has some hard part issues also, Pistons separate at the ring lands, stock valve springs break and the cranks tend to break behind the balancer. I was not specifically speaking of "stock" engines, LOL. | ||
| Aesquire |
At 4k, on a small 4 cyl, it's the ignition/injection limitations. On a bigger engine? The mechanicals get stressed. Remember, these aren't piddly 13 to 1 compression gas engines. There's some serious squeeze happening here, and that pushes materials and design. Diesels have typically been iron blocks while the gas engines go aluminum, and the rods, pistons, etc. are heavier to take the strain. I refer you to 6gears for the current nuts and bolts. 4k used to be pretty normal for a small gas engine, but a bit brisk for a larger one. The bigger you make the pistons, & the longer the stroke, the more forces want to tear things apart. We've gotten better at that sort of thing over the last century, in large part by using high speed movies of the valve trains and cranks to actually see where solid steel flexes and shatters. That's a lot of broken parts in Development labs. Also as Motorcycle guys, we're used to smaller engines running at higher rpms. We're spoiled. ( Even us Old School Tuber riders sometimes see over 6k..... Ninja riders think the tach is a volume dial. ) A big gas V-8, like the current GMC 5.3 litre, gives max HP @ 5200rpm. The 6.6L diesel gives max hp @ 3000. ( why 5000+ makes me duck... ) (Message edited by aesquire on October 07, 2012) | ||
| Kenm123t |
BIG @ 5.3 liters LOL have you ever driven a late 60s caddy some were over 8 liters | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
Alfa redlines at 5000, Mme G's Ford Focus C-Max with it's 4cyl 90hp 1.6 Peugeot diesel about 4800. | ||
| Aesquire |
Dang. They DO get the good stuff in Europe. | ||
| 6gears |
3000 is where the factory limits RPM stock I believe. That is where you are reading that is max HP on a 6.6l. After some mods, peak horsepower is above 4k. The main reason for running one up to 5k+ is to gain wheel speed for pulling a sled, it also helps you stay on top of a big charger when you shift gears under a load. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
BIG @ 5.3 liters LOL have you ever driven a late 60s caddy some were over 8 liters I grinned at that too, I've had a lot of Mopar smallblocks, mostly 318, but 360s too & even a rare 340. The stock 360ci is 5.9l, & you can bore & stroke them out to over 400ci no prob. They rev pretty freely, my last Dodge would rev to 6000 on occasion, people usually were either sticking their fingers in their ears or laughing fit to bust as I fishtailed down the street in clouds of smoke.  | ||
| Aesquire |
I stand corrected... now Natexlh1000 can tell it's the Fueling, not the mechanicals. Mostly. And I noticed my VW's redline is 4500. Dang Alfas....  | ||
| Hootowl |
Yep. 4500. I've noticed that it doesn't pull much after 3K though. If I'm feeling especially frisky, I'll shift at 2500. Typically, I'm shifting at 1500. Above 3K it just gets louder and sootier. Not much there. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
That's the lovely thing about turbo diesels, you don't need to thrash them, the real power is all midrange. Now that I think about it, that's probably why I love the Buells as well, I'm addicted to good handling & low down grunt. | ||
| Sifo |
My brother's a big fan of turbo diesels. Here's how his treated him Monday morning... He had parked an was already in his office when it caught fire. The fire dept. said there was too much damage to determine what had caused it.  | ||
| Hootowl |
Didn't know where to post this, but it's kind of related in that oil is the devil, and electric cars are a gift from whatever god you amy or may not believe in. Most likely not, if you're a greenie. I watched a documentary last night titled, "The World Without US". It was claimed that prior to the US invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army, Saddam Hussein offered to sell oil to the US at $10 per barrel for as long as he lived if we would only stay out of his affairs. If true, that massively debunks the claim that we went to war in Iraq for cheap oil. I've never heard this before. Anyone else? | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
It actually is pretty hard to get diesel to burn under normal circumstances. I'd be interested to know the cause. |
