what happened to the small diesels

[keith wallace01ST]

Why wont ford ,Chevy and dodge put in a small diesel in the trac,h3 Dakota,,, I think is time to bring back what Mazda did in the 80s .... What do you think ?



I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A LITTLE DIESEL in a sport trac you would get great mileage and pulling power it would make a great all around trac that much better!!!!

 

[LaRue Medlin]

because diesel is 30 cents more a gallon than regular gas (around here)

 

[keith wallace01ST]

wow that is weird it is cheaper than gas up here... Look at the vw jetta you get like 55 mpg out of the diesel... lolol

 

[Tom Schindler]

The reason? Pollution.



Dodge is working on one for the Ram while Ford is working on one for the F-150.



Problem is, Diesels are dirty.





Tom

 

[keith wallace01ST]

but why in europe are ther tons of them it cause they have cleaner fuel????

 

[Benjamin Feinstein]

I was always under the impression that diesels here were undesirable for purchase. As there was low demand for the engines they dropped them from most models.

 

[J Piroth]

Here's a fantastic article I read a while back. It's about a guy who modifies Duramax diesels to seriously increase both their performance and fuel economy- and he does so primarily with parts GM already makes.



Really good arguments here to make diesel the primary powerplant in most vehicles, and a great bridge to alternative fuels in the future:

 

[Brett Wustman]

You can get a diesel in the Grand Cherokee, and maybe the Commander as well.

 

[J Piroth]

Dunerunner,



Jeep offers a diesel version of the Liberty as well, but all reviews I've read say that it's junk.

 

[Todd Cloutier]

In a word: California.



Most diesels won't pass California emissions for particulates and NOx. Since a bunch of states follow California's emission regulations, it's not cost effective to sell a small diesel in the US. Vehicles over 6000 lbs get a pass since they're generally commercial and farm vehicles.

 

[Tom Schindler]

but why in europe are ther tons of them it cause they have cleaner fuel????

California is in N. America. Europe is without Commiefornia.



Europe also is easier on emmissions than the US is. Also, they hae a public transportation system that is better than taking a car.





Tom

 

[mookie]

A little bit from dieselforum.org:

Diesel is a petroleum-based fuel with a high energy content - helping diesel go further per gallon than most other alternatives.

Refiners reduced the sulfur content in diesel fuel by 97 percent(starting in 2006?, I think). This new, ultra-clean fuel is important because sulfur tends to hamper exhaust-control devices in diesel engines, like lead once impeded the catalytic converters on gasoline cars. Just as taking the lead out of gasoline in the 1970s enabled a new generation of emissions control technologies that have made gasoline vehicles over 95 percent cleaner, so will removing the sulfur from diesel help usher in a new generation of clean diesel technology.

Ultra-low sulfur fuel (ULSD) is now available nationwide.

I believe Europe has been using low sulfur diesel for a long time. Now the U.S. is and it is why diesel costs more now....

 

[Mike Dziubina]

i may be wrong, but i was always told burning diesel is a lot better for the environment when compared to gassers. diesel is dirty, but i believe it is better. i would love a diesel.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Diesel puts out particulates. That is VERY bad.





Tom

 

[Johnny O]

Europe also is easier on emmissions than the US is.

Right. In the U.S. you have certain groups who want good mpg and certain groups who want clean air and their goals bump into each other. In Europe apparently they'll trade a little more air pollution for less oil use. Also they tax the beejeezus out of fuel to subsidize mass transit, so mpg is more important to them.

It's a matter of where your priorities are.