"Clive" wrote in message
...
In message , Boltar
writes

BWM and Daimler make them because people want them. People want them
because of the cost of fuel. In the US where petrol is the price of
water do you see many diesel cars? No. Now if they're so wonderful why
are there so few in such a car loving nation?
Will, you are uninformed aren't you. Continental America see
temperature extremes which mean diesel fuel can solidify at the low
temperatures they experience. Such a high brow argument is obviously
well beyond what you can comprehend , so stop there before you look even
more ignorant, that's a good lad.

I wonder how diesel-engined trucks manage in the low temperatures. Must be a
real problem for them. Maybe they have heated fuel tanks.

I'd always presumed that the cheapness of petrol in the US was the main
reason why diesel-engined cars have never taken off as they have in places
where fuel is much more heavily taxed. Also, I notice that over here, very
few diesel-engined cars have automatic transmission - diesel and automatic
seem to be mutually exclusive. This makes me wonder whether automatic
transmissions that are suitable for diesel cars are very expensive, which
might be a reason why cars with those engines have never sold well in the US
where almost all cars are automatic and the ability to drive a manual
("stick-shift") car causes peopke think you are superhuman!

In message m, Martin
Underwood writes

I wonder how diesel-engined trucks manage in the low temperatures. Must
be a real problem for them. Maybe they have heated fuel tanks.

I'd always presumed that the cheapness of petrol in the US was the main
reason why diesel-engined cars have never taken off as they have in
places where fuel is much more heavily taxed. Also, I notice that over
here, very few diesel-engined cars have automatic transmission - diesel
and automatic seem to be mutually exclusive.
Yes truck fuel tanks are heated, but if you tried this in a car you
would flatten the battery before starting. Locomotives with both
electric and Hydraulic (an advanced automatic to you) have been around
since trains first started to use diesel engines. Please do try and
keep up.
--
Clive

"Clive" wrote in message
...
In message m, Martin
Underwood writes

I wonder how diesel-engined trucks manage in the low temperatures. Must
be a real problem for them. Maybe they have heated fuel tanks.

I'd always presumed that the cheapness of petrol in the US was the main
reason why diesel-engined cars have never taken off as they have in
places where fuel is much more heavily taxed. Also, I notice that over
here, very few diesel-engined cars have automatic transmission - diesel
and automatic seem to be mutually exclusive.

Yes truck fuel tanks are heated, but if you tried this in a car you
would flatten the battery before starting.

Although I believe in very cold countries (eg Canada) it is quite normal to
plug cars into an electricity supply when they are parked, to prevent the
cooling water freezing. I imagine that a truck's fuel tank heater would be
powered in the same way while it is stationary and from the alternator once
the engine is running. In principle, the same could be true of a fuel tank
heater on a diesel car. Either a truck or a car would need an extra-capacity
battery if that needs to power the heater while stationary.

Locomotives with both
electric and Hydraulic (an advanced automatic to you) have been around
since trains first started to use diesel engines. Please do try and
keep up.

I was trying to keep up. I was stating a fact - that in the UK, very few
makes of car (certainly of the Ford Escort size) are available with both
diesel engine and automatic transmission. I surmised (perhaps wrongly) that
there may be technical reasons for this, and that the possible lack of
support for automatic transmission with a diesel car may be one of the
factors for them being less popular in the States.

I know about diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic transmission on
locomotives, but I imagine that the size and weight of these types of
transmission make them rather impractical for use in a car.

In article ,
Charlie Peace charlie@??invalid??.??? wrote:
BHP is the product of torque and rpm. An ideal engine might have the
peak torque and maximum BHP as widely separated, rpm wise, as possible.

F1 engines do about 3 litres to the mile, perhaps you would be happy
with this and an engine that blows up after 500 miles. Personally I
prefer an engine that is fuel efficient and lasts to about 300,000 miles
before needing major overhaul.

So perhaps you'd be happy with a nice truck engine in your car? They can
last a great deal more than 300,000 miles. Or did you have a sensible
point?

--
*If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed.*

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
D.P.Round wrote:
Petrol engines are cheap to make which is why they are used in cars.

That's just bollox.

Everything else uses diesel.

Because everything else is some form of commercial vehicle where driver
enjoyment and or refinement doesn't matter?

--
*"I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article ,
Clive wrote:
Now if they're so wonderful why are there so few in such a car loving
nation?

Will, you are uninformed aren't you. Continental America see
temperature extremes which mean diesel fuel can solidify at the low
temperatures they experience.

So all their trains and large trucks use petrol?

--
*Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In article m,
Martin Underwood wrote:
Also, I notice that over here, very few diesel-engined cars have
automatic transmission - diesel and automatic seem to be mutually
exclusive.

Not anymore with the larger diesels. I read that the majority of BMW 5
Series diesels are now autos. Of course, small diesels are usually bought
by those wanting 'cheap' motoring, so the extra cost and poorer fuel
consumption would rule against an auto. They also need decent electronic
control to perform well with a diesel.

--
*Black holes are where God divided by zero *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

In message , Dave Plowman
writes

So perhaps you'd be happy with a nice truck engine in your car? They
can last a great deal more than 300,000 miles. Or did you have a
sensible point?
Being that I expect my car engine to do that.
--
Clive

In message , Dave Plowman
writes
--
*"I am " is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. *

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn
Have you swallowed a bible or does items like this endear themselves to
you because you haven't a brain.
--
Charles

In message m, Martin
Underwood writes

I know about diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic transmission on
locomotives, but I imagine that the size and weight of these types of
transmission make them rather impractical for use in a car.
If you know these things then you'll know that a car auto transmission
is just a cut down locomotive hydraulic transmission. Further you
don't need to heat fuel all the time you are stationary, just before you
need to start up in the morning.
--
Clive