I was reading the viewpoints section of the Houston Chronicle today, and found an editorial by a guy who thinks diesel engines pollute worse than gasoline engines and that diesel engines should conform to the same rules as gasoline engines. He does not know how wrong he is in some aspects. Diesel engines actually are cleaner burning than gasoline. If anyone wants to read the editorial, it can be found near the bottom of the website at this URL: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/editorial/outlook/2323293
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

It is a misconception, obviously he does not know what he is talking about. Just bcause you can see soot, doesnt necessarily mean that it is bad. Microbes in the atomophere eat it so its ok.

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Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

Yeh.

He's probably one of those people that
think that torching a lot full of SUV's is a
good way to counter airpollution!

WEEEEEEEE, WRONG!?!!!?!!

I wouldn't be surprised if he drives a
big gas guzzeling SUV,that puts out more
polution than my '83 617 with 370K on it.


Louis.

I've set them straight. I've just sent out a response telling about how clean diesel engines actually are, and how they are cleaner than gasoline engines. We've got to defend our diesels from the uneducated naysayers, who probably think every 18-wheeler and 300SD is killing mother earth, when it's probably their little gasser Geo Metro doing the most damage.
-Joe

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'81 MB 300SD, '82 MB 300D Turbo (sold/RIP), '04 Lincoln Town Car Ultimate

Sooner or later every car falls apart, ours does it later!
-German Narrator in a MB Promotion Film about the then brand new W123.

A lot of my friends have read an article or two lately about how bad diesels are. They have asked me if I have read that article because they know I loved diesels...

oh well.

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2008 BMW 335i Coupe

Isnt diesel a byproduct of refining gasoline (petrol)? If so, then we are doing the earth a favor by burning it so we arent wasting.

Think of how many gallons of gas a semi truck would have to use if it was gas powered vs diesel. One man I waas talking to gets 13mpg on diesel fully loaded with a Kenworth truck.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

the houston comical is POS rag of a newspaper, i wish someone would print a decent paper in this town.

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1991 300 D 2.5 Turbo, 220k
also in the family:
1981 240 D 185k
1991 350 SD 185k
2006 S 500
2005 SLK 350

Ummm, I can tell you from personal experience as a former truck driver that you were being BS'ed by that driver. Class 8 trucks are doing great when they are getting 8 miles to the gallon. My typical average with a 350 Caterpillar diesel, "Super 10" transmission, and 3.79 axle Volvo truck was 7.3. Kenworths are typically a heavier and less aerodynamically designed tractor than the Volvo trucks.

don't blame the diesel engine blame the poor quailty fuel and the govt!! europe is all about diesel they don't seem to have A problem,when our low sulfer diesel gets here and I hope it does but you never know I think it will make A big difference.Also BIODIESEL should be offered everywhere lets not depend on others so much!!!

If they bring the G400 here, I am all game. Or even the new E class diesel in April.

When was your truck driving experiences?

This was quite recient.

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Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

I've heard the same thing re: diesel being a byproduct of refining gasoline, so you're right there. For that same reason, it's funny that the oil companies are charging so much for diesel fuel; for them, that's almost pure profit (for that reason; they probably have to refine it somewhat further, but other than that, the only costs they incur on producing diesel fuel is the storage and transportation cost).

I do, however, agree with Diesel Power about that 13mpg # sounding high; I don't think semis can get much over 8mpg while loaded (and that with a stock engine and an easy foot). OTOH, a gasoline engine pulling the same load and putting out that much horsepower's fuel consumption would probably best be measured in gallons per mile, not miles per gallon.

Joe, all I can say is Bravo When my mom bought her Honda Civic, she tried to tell me that one of the reasons she was getting that car was for environmental concerns and the other reason was for its fuel economy. I actually laughed at that (I had unsuccessfully tried to talk her into a Jetta TDi...after she refused to even consider a 123). Not only is my car cleaner, but I think I'm getting about the same fuel mileage she is, and for the most part, diesel's still cheaper than 87 octane gasoline

You can also say the gasoline is a by produce of making diesel.

Crude oil consists of molecules that are composed of hydrocarbon chains. The chains vary in length. Here is list of off the products obtained from crude oil starting with the longest chains: motor oil, kerosene, diesel, gasoline, propane, and butane. Processes do exist to combine the shorter chains into longer and break the longer chains into shorter. They may be able to convert diesel chains into gasonline.

Also, diesel is not only used for Mercedes . Semi's, aircraft, generators, and powerplants all use diesel. The oil companies are not making "pure profit" off of diesel as some one suggested.

I've only been out of a truck for a tad over six years. I still do follow the industry, and breaking 10 mpg would have been huge news industry wide. 13 can only be obtained in very extreme circumstances. I can get 100 mpg plus out of my Toyota Prius. The reality is that these figures are not sustainable over any realisitic period of time.

Using my Toyota as an example, I fueled up during a road trip to Denver in Castle Rock on 12/16. When I pulled up in front of my folks house, the computer was reading 76.3 mpg. The drive was almost excluseively downhill. By the time we ran one errand in that car, the computer dropped down to 53. When I filled the car up prior to leaving town on the 24th, it was back down to 48.

Class 8 trucks are getting common rail injection, OHC, and catalytic converters now. However, they are being used as a means of getting better power and better computer controls for multi torque applications, as well as to passify the ever whining environazi's. Fuel economy gains have been modest at best, and still remain right around the 8 mpg figure.

I'd like to see that letter. And/or the response you get from the writer. Think he'll write you back?

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Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.

"Sounds like the result of being brainwashed by some left wing lunatic professor in college making him believe that stuff."


Does the evil left wing conspiracy need to be brought into a discussion about diesel burning cleaner than gas? Sheesh.

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Married men live longer than single men do, but married men are a lot more willing to die.