"Martin Underwood" wrote in message
s.com...

With a diesel engine you actually get the peak in the torque (which governs


Or petrol turbo engine...

the ability to accelerate out of a bend/roundabout and when changing lanes
on a motorway) at normal engine speeds (eg around 2000 rpm), so you don't

Most petrol cars are well above 2,000rpm on motorways,
and are driven around 1,500rpm in town.

have to change down to accelerate. Driving a petrol-engined car is a real
faff now I'm used to my Peugeot 306 HDi - I tend to forget that other cars
can't take roundabouts in third with smooth progressive acceleration right
back up to 30 or 40 again without the need to change gear mid-way.

Maybe, but why specify 'in third' ?

What *is* the point in designing an engine whose torque and power peaks are
at even *higher* rpm than normal? I'd have thought that the Holy Grail was
an engine that had as much low-end torque as possible to minimise
gear-changes, especially around town.

Why don't people stay in second gear then?

Is it my imagination or are modern
petrol-engined cars lower-geared that older ones? When I borrowed a petrol
Peugeot 306 while my car was in for a service, the poor thing's engine was
screaming away at about 4000 rpm at 70 on the motorway, whereas my car

Top speed 119mph, peak power at 5,500 rpm,
so 70 should be 3,300 rpm (or less).